Kent and Medway public health leaders urge uptake of MMR vaccine
He said: "Now, fewer children are getting protected and this highly infectious disease is back, with over 500 confirmed cases in England since the start of the year."While Dr Ghosh acknowledged that "Kent and Medway's vaccine rates remain higher than some", they still fall short of the 95% recommendation from the WHO.As part of national changes to immunisations to boost uptake, from 1 January next year, children born on or after 1 July 2024 will be offered the second MMR dose at a new 18-month appointment.
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
NHS issues vaccination warning for pregnant women over dangerous virus currently surging in Australia
Expectant mothers and people over 75 are being urged to get vaccinated against a potentially deadly virus following a record number of cases in Australia. Health chiefs say the Australian winter often predicts how viruses will spread in the UK, and already this year cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have steadily risen in many areas. The virus, which is a common cause of coughs and colds, may also cause a chest infection called bronchiolitis. Some people have a high risk of becoming seriously ill with it, including babies and adults over 75. According to NHS England, RSV is a leading cause of infant deaths worldwide and a main cause of children being taken into hospital. Last winter, almost 7,000 bed days in England were taken up by children with RSV. NHS England is encouraging pregnant women to get a jab that protects against RSV so their babies are protected after birth. Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for NHS England, said: 'While for most adults RSV only causes mild, cold-like symptoms, for older adults and young children it can lead to serious breathing problems that can end up in hospitalisation. 'Getting vaccinated while pregnant is the best way to protect your baby from the moment they are born, and now is the time for mums to act, to make sure their babies are protected ahead of their first few months this winter, when there tends to be more bugs circulating.' Yusra Osman says that when her son, Zakariya, was three months old, he developed bronchiolitis from the virus. He had a fever and was gasping for breath. The 34-year-old, from north London, said: 'Everything was a blur, but I remember his chest was caving in and out and he was really struggling to catch his breath.' Nurses found her son's oxygen levels were dangerously low. Ms Osman, a student midwife, said: 'That was one of those things you don't want to hear as a mum. He was crying, and we kept trying to put an oxygen mask on, but he was fighting to get it off and didn't want to be touched.' Zakariya, who is now seven, needed oxygen and a feeding tube in hospital. 'It's a mum's worst nightmare. Had the RSV vaccine been available then, I'd definitely have had it,' Ms Osman said. The RSV vaccine was offered to pregnant women in England for the first time last September and health officials say it has since helped to protect more than 300,000 mothers and babies. Pregnant mothers from 28 weeks onwards are eligible, as are adults aged 75 to 79. In the coming weeks, NHS England is set to invite more than a million people to have a jab, before the season for infections, which starts in October. Greta Hayward, consultant midwife at the UK Health Security Agency, said babies born in late summer or the autumn are most likely to be admitted to hospital with the virus. 'Hundreds of babies attend emergency departments each day for bronchiolitis through most of November and December,' she said.
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Nostalgia and selective memory are clouding judgment on doctors' strikes
I write in response to Prof David Cameron (Letters, 28 July). I also trained as a doctor during the 80s and early 90s and experienced the long working hours of that time. It is easy to fall into the trap of nostalgia and selective memory as we become older and detached from the frontline. I was looked after by the hospitals in which I worked, which were less managed than they are today. I worked in a close team, led by a consultant to whom I was responsible, and who was responsible for me. I spoke to no managers. I was provided accommodation, hot food day and night, and other privileges. I speak to many young doctors in my current workplace and see the conditions in which they work. They are isolated and harassed by managers, who are in turn harassed by a target-driven culture. Their training is politicised and diluted by the physician assistant programme. They cannot get hot food after 4pm or at weekends, they pay for parking, they are ripped off by hospital accommodation services and see their pay eroded by below-inflation awards over many years. Small wonder they are angry. Pay is the quickest way by which they can obtain some redress for the deterioration in working conditions which they have Robin HollandsConsultant, Shrewsbury As a foundation year 1 (FY1) doctor who has nearly completed my first year of medical training, I have been deeply disheartened by the discourse around the resident doctor strikes. The British Medical Association (BMA) has failed to properly advocate for changes that will improve the working lives of doctors and the media has unsurprisingly been intensely critical of the BMA's current objectives. It was exceptionally generous for the government to provide us with a 22% pay rise last year, but the BMA's current demands for a further 29% are totally unrealistic and appear tone deaf to the many other public sector workers who have received much less. It is therefore not surprising that many media outlets have agreed that we are 'greedy'. Despite this, I believe the strikes are a representation of a much deeper dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs for resident doctors and this needs to be addressed. Resident doctors across the country are often working extensive hours on understaffed, dysfunctional hospital wards, with now ever-diminishing prospects of career progression. The latest BMA figures that 52% of FY2 doctors have no secure employment from August is deeply shocking and is a failure of the system that may threaten the future of the NHS. It is time that both the BMA and the government woke up to the reality that there will be a severe doctor unemployment crisis unless urgent action is taken. This is the real problem that needs to be addressed. Pay restoration should absolutely remain a long-term goal, but there is little point improving my current resident doctor salary if there are no future pathways for resident doctors in the Will GiffinSheffield Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Global outbreak fears surge as virus in China prompts quarantines and thousands of new cases are reported
Chinese officials announced Covid-like quarantines in some cities as cases of chikungunya virus continue to increase. Over 7,000 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been reported across the southern city of Foshan in the Guangdong province of the country. Patients in the city are forced to stay in hospitals where their beds are covered with mosquito nets for a week or until they test negative, if sooner. No deaths have yet been reported. At least 12 other cities in Guangdong have reported infections, with about 3,000 cases being reported over the past week, bringing the total to over 10,000 in the country. Those experiencing fevers, joint pain or rashes are being asked to visit the nearest hospital so they can be tested for the virus in the country. Additionally, officials had ordered travelers from Foshan to undergo a 14-day home quarantine, similar to Covid restrictions, but that has since been withdrawn. Hong Kong also reported its first chikungunya case this week involving a 12-year-old boy who developed a fever, rash and joint pain after traveling to Foshan in July. The chikungunya virus is primarily spread by the Aedes mosquito species, and nearly half a million became infected between 2004 and 2005, leading to a worldwide epidemic. Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer at the WHO, said of the new cases: 'We are seeing history repeating itself,' referencing the 2004-2005 outbreak. Chikungunya infections are most common in Asia, Africa and South America, though more recently cases have also emerged across Europe and the US. The virus can cause symptoms like fever, joint pain and life-threatening complications related to the heart and brain. The infection does not spread from person to person through bodily contact or saliva and can only be transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito. Given the sudden increase in cases in China, the CDC has issued a travel advisory for Americans traveling to the country, urging them to exercise 'increased caution' following the outbreak. The federal agency is also asking Americans to ensure they have received both vaccinations against chikungunya. In late 2023, the FDA approved a vaccine for chikungunya for people over the age of 18 who are at increased risk of exposure to the virus called IXCHIQ. Similarly, another vaccine that mimics the effects of chikungunya in the body to build immunity, called VIMKUNYA, was also licensed in February 2025 for use in those aged 12 and above. These are not routine vaccines and are recommended to those traveling to areas with outbreaks or elevated risk and laboratory workers with potential exposure to the chikungunya virus. Experts are also asking people to regularly use insect repellents and wear long-sleeve clothing to prevent mosquito bites this summer. The current global surge began in early 2025, with major outbreaks in the Indian Ocean islands of La Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been about 240,000 Chikungunya virus cases and 90 related deaths in 16 countries since the beginning of 2025 as of August 4. The virus has also spread to Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya and India and is making its way to Europe. Case counts have also been increasing in Samoa, Tonga, French Polynesia, Fiji and Kiribati. As of August 5, the CDC reports there have been 46 cases of chikungunya infections in the US that were contracted while traveling to high-risk areas. No deaths have yet been reported. While it remains unclear where patients contracted the virus, the federal agency has issued an elevated risk of exposure notice for Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand and now China. Approximately 200 cases of the virus were reported in 2024 in the US. There are no reports on deaths. According to the CDC, chikungunya was rarely identified in American travelers before 2006. However, between 2006 and 2013, nearly 30 people tested positive for the infection every year in the US. All were travelers visiting or returning to the US from affected areas in Asia, Africa, or the Indian Ocean. In 2014, 2,799 cases, out of which 12 were locally acquired, were reported in various US states, including Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, marking the year as the highest ever. Though not fatal, chikungunya can cause a range of effects, which are primarily marked by a sudden onset of fever and severe joint pain, while other common symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rashes. While the acute phase of the illness usually resolves within a week or two, the joint pain can persist for weeks, months or even years in some individuals. However, in some cases, infections can progress to severe dengue, which can cause potentially life-threatening complications such as internal bleeding and organ damage, and death. In extreme cases, eye, heart and neurological complications have also been reported in people suffering from a chikungunya infection. Newborns, adults aged 65 and older and people with certain health conditions are also at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure due to an infection. While the virus cannot be transmitted directly from person to person, people can become infected with chikungunya when mosquitoes feed on an infected person and then bite them. If a pregnant woman is infected around the time of delivery, the baby can also be infected at birth, which often results in severe disease in the baby. While there is no medication to treat a chikungunya infection, its symptoms can be managed by taking acetaminophen for pain and drinking lots of fluids.
