Minerva.(medical, health news briefs)

General practitioners don't have all day to counsel well people about their lifestyles, organise screening tests, and discuss the latest research on vitamin supplements and drinking. But all day is exactly what they need, says a study in the American Journal of Public Health (2003;93:635-41). Researchers calculated it would take 7.4 hours of every working day for primary care physicians in the United States to complete all the preventive services recommended for all their patients. So they don't.

A simple fortified drink, taken at school, can protect Tanzanian school children from the seasonal anaemia caused by malaria and poor diet just before the harvest. It can also help them to grow and put on weight, says a recent study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003;77:891-8). The authors hope their drink, which contains 10 micronutrients including vitamin A and iron, will be …