Latest news with #RobertHopkins
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Screen children in schools to find lazy eyes early, experts say
Children with a lazy eye are being increasingly missed for treatment, experts say, in areas where early screenings are not available in councils are unable to offer the service due to capacity or budget constraints, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), which is calling for increased British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) says screening for amblyopia, the medical name for the lazy eye condition, should be provided in all schools in England, as it is in Wales, Scotland and Northern condition, where one eye is weaker than the other, is corrected using patching, but treatment works best before the age of seven. Ellen and Robert Hopkins say they were devastated to find out their son Harry had a lazy eye when they brought him for his first test when he was six-and-a-half years two and five per cent of children like Harry are diagnosed with amblyopia every UK National Screening Committee recommends vision screening for children aged four to five, but about 11% of local authorities do not offer it in has been wearing a patch for the past few months, but his progress has tapered off since he reached his seventh birthday."We'd definitely like to have known about it earlier," mum Ellen says."If we'd known about it when he was three or four, or perhaps at the start of school, then he would have had longer to work on it."Harry's dad Robert said it was a "fluke" they brought him for an eye test, after he thought he was looking past him when they were having a chat after dinner in their home in Derbyshire."When I was a child I was tested in school, I can't believe kids aren't tested because with conditions like this you have a limited amount of time to make an improvement or not," he Murray, chair of BIOS, says it is a hard condition for parents to spot early, and that it is a "postcode lottery" for families on whether they are offered screening or not."We are finding more of those cases of older children who are coming in and they weren't screened, and now it's too late for them to have that amblyopia treated," he said. Around 75,000 children now live in areas that do not offer school screening, according to a BIOS areas like Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire, parents are instead given advice in their child's early development checks, or are signposted towards free NHS tests at their local invite parents to complete a digital health screening questionnaire when children start school to highlight any Smedley, who carries out vision screening in Sheffield schools, says it is a good way to make sure most children are groups of four, she takes the reception children at Marlcliffe Primary School out to the IT room to be 800 children have been referred on for further checks so far this year in the county."Parents often say to us, 'There is no way we would have known that there was a problem if screening wasn't there,'" she says."And if they weren't picked up, they wouldn't be able to access certain jobs later on in life, or even drive a car when they're older, so it's significantly important." Marlcliffe Primary School's head teacher Clare Hayes agrees."It can be difficult for families with busy lives to make appointments at the opticians," she says. "And as parents and teachers, we may not always detect difficulties that children are having with their vision because the children have adapted and got used to that being their sight."Cllr David Fothergill, from the LGA, says he would like to see an increase in the public health grant which funds school-based screening, so that councils can commission and deliver the full range of services needed to improve child says he believes the government's recent spending review overlooked public health the government said a £200m boost in funding, announced earlier this year, would help support local authorities to tackle the root causes of ill health, and build healthier communities say that parents should still bring their children for regular NHS-funded eye tests from the age of three or four every one to two years - even if they do live in areas that screen in schools. Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, from the College of Optometrists, says school vision screening is a good safety net for children's vision, but it is not the same as an eye test at a local opticians - and both are research by the college found many parents are confused about their children's eye health, and only take them for a test if they notice a parents Ellen and Robert are encouraging everyone to make sure they get their child's eyes tested early, even if they are not able to read progress in Harry's right eye is being closely monitored to see if patching is still making a difference, and they say it is thankfully not stopping him from doing his favourite thing – journalism by Kady Wardell and Katherine Gaynor
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
4 biggest handwashing mistakes that could increase germs and viruses
Proper handwashing could save a million lives a year, according to an expert — and yet many people are doing it improperly, often due to misconceptions surrounding the practice. Doctors recommend washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. The NFID 2025 State of Handwashing Report, recently released by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, provides details on Americans' handwashing habits (and mistakes). The report is based on a survey of 3,587 U.S. adults, conducted in November and December 2024 and March 2025. Robert Hopkins Jr., MD, medical director of NFID in Maryland, spoke to Fox News Digital about what Americans are doing wrong when it comes to handwashing. "We have to recognize that there are a number of important infections that hand sanitizers are not effective at preventing," Hopkins said. One example is norovirus, a highly contagious stomach virus that is common on cruise ships and is also spread seasonally. The virus cannot be killed with hand sanitizer, but is "easily destroyed" with soap and water, according to Hopkins. Certain viruses are "encapsulated" and can be destroyed with either soap and water or hand sanitizer, the expert said. However, there is also an "unencapsulated" type of virus, which has an outer coat that does not break down from the alcohol in hand sanitizer. Using soap and water is a more effective way to kill the germs, the doctor noted. When people cough or sneeze into their sleeve, they could still spread germs afterward. "If you cough into your sleeve … go ahead and wash your hands with soap and water as well," Hopkins advised. "We also have to recognize that we often bring our hands up close to our face, touch our nose, our glasses, other parts of our face," noted the doctor, who is based in Arkansas. "If we have bacteria or viruses on our hands, we can introduce them into our mucous membranes, where we can get infections." The NFID report stated that one in four respondents washed their hands more frequently in the fall and winter, when cold and flu are prevalent. "The seasonal variance is understandable given that some respiratory diseases, including flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), tend to peak during fall and winter," the report stated. "However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year. It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy." Most adults wash their hands after using the bathroom (69%), handling food (48%) and handling human or animal waste (39%), according to NFID's report. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool." Only 30% of respondents, however, reported that they are likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. Nearly half of survey respondents admitted to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key times, like after visiting a grocery store, restaurant, doctor's office, pharmacy, clinic or hospital. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool," Hopkins said of handwashing. "I think most of the public health campaigns around hand hygiene have been focused on healthcare settings," he added. Regarding handwashing as a practice in general, Hopkins emphasized, "We need to bring this back into the fold." For more Health articles, visit "If everybody washed their hands more consistently, we could probably save somewhere in the neighborhood of a million lives a year."
CNN
05-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
1 in 5 adults forget or choose not to wash their hands
Some Americans are still not doing their due diligence when it comes to washing their hands. That's according to a new survey that found nearly half of its respondents forget or choose not to wash their hands at key times, such as after visiting grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops and health care settings including a doctor's office or hospital. For some of us, the hygiene lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic apparently have not sunk in — although the survey, funded by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, did find that 33% of participants wash their hands more now than they did during the crisis. 'We have been talking about handwashing probably back to the days when all of us were in preschool or even kindergarten,' said Dr. Robert Hopkins, the foundation's medical director. 'I would have hoped that we would think of that as a core way of keeping ourselves healthy regardless of our other health behaviors. 'It's a nonspecific way that we can reduce risk for exposure to infectious diseases, along with dirt, grime [and] all of the other things we don't like to see on our hands.' Released Monday, on World Hand Hygiene Day, the survey is part of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' Hands in for Handwashing Campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of handwashing to help stop the spread of infectious diseases. The research was conducted by NORC (formerly called the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago. The report highlights when, where and why nearly 3,600 adults surveyed between December and March were most likely to wash or not wash their hands, and how some of those habits differed between age groups and genders. Sixty-two percent of participants correctly answered that washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is the method that most effectively reduces the spread of germs, while 13% thought less time would be enough and 24% believed more time is needed. The top three situations that prompted respondents to wash their hands were using the bathroom, handling food and handling human or animal waste. 'This is good news, given that a single gram of human feces can contain 1 trillion germs — including Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus — that can cause disease,' the report stated. But only 30% of participants said they were most likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing, 'which is concerning given how easily respiratory diseases such as influenza … can spread,' the report added. Among the nearly half of adults who didn't wash their hands at important times, forgetting was the most common reason why. But 20% actively chose to not wash their hands, with some thinking that the practice wasn't necessary, that they didn't have time or that they didn't want to dry out their hands. Men were more likely than women to not wash their hands at important times and to think handwashing requires less time. Adults older than 60 were most diligent in their handwashing habits, with 74% doing so after using the bathroom or handling food. The greater likelihood in this age group may be due to awareness of the fact that older adults have a higher risk of getting sick, according to the report. Or the trend could be caused by a longer lifetime of habits, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who wasn't involved in the research. 'Older folks, we didn't have the hand sanitizers when we were younger,' Benjamin said. 'When I went outside to play, when I came back in, I was supposed to wash my hands. So I think that you're looking at behaviors that may have changed from a generation to another generation.' Some participants' handwashing habits depended on the season, with 26% reporting washing their hands more frequently in the fall and winter. The variance makes sense given that some respiratory illnesses peak during colder weather, the report stated. Public health messaging is also more prevalent during this season, Benjamin said. 'However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus, and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year,' according to the survey. 'It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy.' Most adults surveyed said they wash their hands to protect their own health, feel clean, avoid spreading germs to others, and avoid getting sick and missing work or school. Handwashing can make a big difference. 'Since about 80% of infectious diseases are spread by dirty hands, routine, proper handwashing throughout the year can significantly help prevent the spread of infectious diseases,' according to the report. 'In just 20 seconds, handwashing can help prevent the spread of diseases like flu, COVID-19, and norovirus.' The habit can also prevent 1 in 3 people from getting diarrhea and 1 in 5 people from developing a respiratory illness, Dr. Vincent Hill, adjunct associate professor of environmental health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, told CNN in 2020. For people who often forget to wash their hands, an increase in public health signage in public — or in do-it-yourself signage at home — reminding people to do so could be worthwhile, Benjamin said. And if you're one of those people who doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom because they 'only went pee,' Hopkins urged people to remember that in public restrooms especially, there are at least millions of bacteria on every surface you're touching, from the many people going in and out of that bathroom all day. Even if your urine is sterile, it doesn't mean everything else is. Hand sanitizer is great to have when you absolutely can't wash your hands, but you shouldn't depend on it, given its inability to kill certain bacteria or viruses such as C. diff and norovirus, Hopkins said. If you're worried about your hands being too dry after washing or sanitizing, you can carry a small bottle of lotion in your bag or car, experts said. Applying lotion when your hands are still slightly damp helps your skin lock in moisture. 'Proper handwashing puts the power of health in our own hands,' said Patricia A. Stinchfield, immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
CNN
05-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
1 in 5 adults forget or choose not to wash their hands
Some Americans are still not doing their due diligence when it comes to washing their hands. That's according to a new survey that found nearly half of its respondents forget or choose not to wash their hands at key times, such as after visiting grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops and health care settings including a doctor's office or hospital. For some of us, the hygiene lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic apparently have not sunk in — although the survey, funded by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, did find that 33% of participants wash their hands more now than they did during the crisis. 'We have been talking about handwashing probably back to the days when all of us were in preschool or even kindergarten,' said Dr. Robert Hopkins, the foundation's medical director. 'I would have hoped that we would think of that as a core way of keeping ourselves healthy regardless of our other health behaviors. 'It's a nonspecific way that we can reduce risk for exposure to infectious diseases, along with dirt, grime [and] all of the other things we don't like to see on our hands.' Released Monday, on World Hand Hygiene Day, the survey is part of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' Hands in for Handwashing Campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of handwashing to help stop the spread of infectious diseases. The research was conducted by NORC (formerly called the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago. The report highlights when, where and why nearly 3,600 adults surveyed between December and March were most likely to wash or not wash their hands, and how some of those habits differed between age groups and genders. Sixty-two percent of participants correctly answered that washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is the method that most effectively reduces the spread of germs, while 13% thought less time would be enough and 24% believed more time is needed. The top three situations that prompted respondents to wash their hands were using the bathroom, handling food and handling human or animal waste. 'This is good news, given that a single gram of human feces can contain 1 trillion germs — including Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus — that can cause disease,' the report stated. But only 30% of participants said they were most likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing, 'which is concerning given how easily respiratory diseases such as influenza … can spread,' the report added. Among the nearly half of adults who didn't wash their hands at important times, forgetting was the most common reason why. But 20% actively chose to not wash their hands, with some thinking that the practice wasn't necessary, that they didn't have time or that they didn't want to dry out their hands. Men were more likely than women to not wash their hands at important times and to think handwashing requires less time. Adults older than 60 were most diligent in their handwashing habits, with 74% doing so after using the bathroom or handling food. The greater likelihood in this age group may be due to awareness of the fact that older adults have a higher risk of getting sick, according to the report. Or the trend could be caused by a longer lifetime of habits, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who wasn't involved in the research. 'Older folks, we didn't have the hand sanitizers when we were younger,' Benjamin said. 'When I went outside to play, when I came back in, I was supposed to wash my hands. So I think that you're looking at behaviors that may have changed from a generation to another generation.' Some participants' handwashing habits depended on the season, with 26% reporting washing their hands more frequently in the fall and winter. The variance makes sense given that some respiratory illnesses peak during colder weather, the report stated. Public health messaging is also more prevalent during this season, Benjamin said. 'However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus, and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year,' according to the survey. 'It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy.' Most adults surveyed said they wash their hands to protect their own health, feel clean, avoid spreading germs to others, and avoid getting sick and missing work or school. Handwashing can make a big difference. 'Since about 80% of infectious diseases are spread by dirty hands, routine, proper handwashing throughout the year can significantly help prevent the spread of infectious diseases,' according to the report. 'In just 20 seconds, handwashing can help prevent the spread of diseases like flu, COVID-19, and norovirus.' The habit can also prevent 1 in 3 people from getting diarrhea and 1 in 5 people from developing a respiratory illness, Dr. Vincent Hill, adjunct associate professor of environmental health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, told CNN in 2020. For people who often forget to wash their hands, an increase in public health signage in public — or in do-it-yourself signage at home — reminding people to do so could be worthwhile, Benjamin said. And if you're one of those people who doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom because they 'only went pee,' Hopkins urged people to remember that in public restrooms especially, there are at least millions of bacteria on every surface you're touching, from the many people going in and out of that bathroom all day. Even if your urine is sterile, it doesn't mean everything else is. Hand sanitizer is great to have when you absolutely can't wash your hands, but you shouldn't depend on it, given its inability to kill certain bacteria or viruses such as C. diff and norovirus, Hopkins said. If you're worried about your hands being too dry after washing or sanitizing, you can carry a small bottle of lotion in your bag or car, experts said. Applying lotion when your hands are still slightly damp helps your skin lock in moisture. 'Proper handwashing puts the power of health in our own hands,' said Patricia A. Stinchfield, immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UAMS says measles vaccinations remain safest remedy as infections pop up across Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With a second unvaccinated child having contracted the measles in Arkansas, a UAMS professor is urging Arkansans to get the MMR vaccination if they haven't already. 'It's recommended for everyone starting at one year of age,' said Robert Hopkins, professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at UAMS. 'Measles is the most contagious infectious disease that we know about.' Unvaccinated child contracts first Arkansas measles case since 2018 Hopkins said measles is a viral infection that is transmitted from person-to-person. He said there are active efforts going on at the state level to reach out to people and families who are currently dealing with a family member who has contracted the disease to establish when and who they may have come in contact with. 'If we can establish if people who have been in contact with them are unvaccinated and not hopefully, we can appropriately prevent other additional cases from developing,' Hopkins said. Hopkins said that the Arkansas Department of Health sent out a notice to all health care professionals that are registered with the state a few months ago when the measles outbreak was occurring in Texas. He said that same guidance that was given applies now. The first case of the measles was reported out of Saline County. The second was confirmed in Faulkner County. Hopkins said for anyone who believes they have been in contact with someone carrying the Measles infection they should contact the Department of Health 'as soon as possible.' 'If you've been in contact with someone who has the measles and the contact is not vaccinated, they're able to be vaccinated,' Hopkins said. 'By giving the vaccine as soon as possible after contact it can reduce the likelihood of developing a full-blown measles infection.' Second measles case reported in Arkansas Hopkins said people who were vaccinated against the measles as children are safe, along with people who were born before 1957 when the disease first developed in the country. Hopkins recommends children receive their MMR vaccines between 12 and 15 months of age. He said doing so gives '93%' of the population lifelong immunity. 'These were travel-related cases, but I don't have any information about whether this was from a particular area,' Hopkins said. 'But it's my understanding that they were imported into Arkansas.' Hopkins said it takes between 10 and 21 days for those exposed to the measles to develop symptoms such as cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose, runny eyes and fever. Hopkins said for anyone experiencing those symptoms who believes they may have contracted measles to contact their physician by phone before showing up in person to a physician's office and risk further infection of other individuals. 'The primary form of treatment is clearing your respiratory secretions, clear your breathing,' Hopkins said. 'Vitamin A can be used as part of the supporting regimen for people that have the measles, but generally this is a disease that we don't have the anti-viral medication to treat specifically.' The measles situation worldwide: Fewer vaccinations and more outbreaks Hopkins said while most people survive the measles after it is contracted, one in 500 and one in 1000 children infected could be hospitalized. 'Death is much less common, but death does occur due to measles as we've seen in Texas,' Hopkins said. 'The most important message is if you haven't been vaccinated, get vaccinated.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
