Latest news with #UniversityCollegeHospital
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Chinese state accused of hacking NHS hospitals
Chinese cyber criminals have been accused of targeting two NHS hospitals as part of an alleged espionage campaign orchestrated by Beijing. An urgent NHS investigation has been launched into data breaches at University College Hospital and University Hospital Southampton, which took place earlier this month. Cyber security experts at intelligence firm EclecticIQ have said that the hackers responsible are linked to a group in China tasked with intelligence gathering They discovered that the group has conducted a string of attacks across the world, potentially targeting hospitals, local authorities and businesses in countries such as Japan, Germany and the US. Cody Barrow, chief executive of EclecticIQ and a former US intelligence official, said it had discovered 'credible and urgent indicators' that the NHS hospitals had been 'compromised by cyber attackers'. He said his firm had evidence that 'malicious actors' had breached both hospitals by exploiting software provided by tech company Ivanti, which is used to manage mobile devices connected to a broader network. Earlier this month, Ivanti confirmed that it had uncovered a 'very limited number of customers whose solution has been exploited'. NHS England said there was 'currently no evidence to suggest patient data has been accessed' and that no frontline services had been affected. A spokesman said: 'We are currently investigating this potential incident with cyber security partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre, and the trusts mentioned.' However, a spokesman for University College Hospital told Digital Health News that some staff mobile phone numbers may have been stolen. Affected employees are now being contacted. EclecticIQ said it had uncovered data that suggested the hacks had originated in China, linked to a group it believed was 'targeting high-value individuals within public institutions, including government agencies, or in the private sector'. The news comes after John Healey, the Defence Secretary, announced plans to spend more than £1bn on cyber defence and artificial intelligence. This will include a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, which will seek to fight enemies online. It is not the first time that the NHS has been targeted by cyber attackers. In 2017, a cyber attack originating from North Korea devastated NHS IT systems and cost tens of millions of pounds. Last year, Synnovis, a business that provided diagnostic services to the NHS, was also hacked, disrupting more than 10,000 appointments and more than 1,700 elective procedures. NHS data has revealed it also led to at least two cases of 'severe' patient harm, meaning long-term or permanent health damage. The incident cost Synnovis more than £32m. Meanwhile, an NHS hospital trust on the Wirral revealed that a hack in November led to missed cancer waiting list targets, while also costing up to £3m. The latest incident comes amid a spree of attacks against major British companies, with Marks & Spencer and Co-op recently compromised by cyber criminals. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Chinese state accused of hacking NHS hospitals
Chinese cyber criminals have been accused of targeting two NHS hospitals as part of an alleged espionage campaign orchestrated by Beijing. An urgent NHS investigation has been launched into data breaches at University College Hospital and University Hospital Southampton, which took place earlier this month. Cyber security experts at intelligence firm EclecticIQ have said that the hackers responsible are linked to a group in China tasked with intelligence gathering They discovered that the group has conducted a string of attacks across the world, potentially targeting hospitals, local authorities and businesses in countries such as Japan, Germany and the US. Cody Barrow, chief executive of EclecticIQ and a former US intelligence official, said it had discovered 'credible and urgent indicators' that the NHS hospitals had been 'compromised by cyber attackers'. He said his firm had evidence that 'malicious actors' had breached both hospitals by exploiting software provided by tech company Ivanti, which is used to manage mobile devices connected to a broader network. Earlier this month, Ivanti confirmed that it had uncovered a 'very limited number of customers whose solution has been exploited'. NHS England said there was 'currently no evidence to suggest patient data has been accessed' and that no frontline services had been affected. A spokesman said: 'We are currently investigating this potential incident with cyber security partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre, and the trusts mentioned.' However, a spokesman for University College Hospital told Digital Health News that some staff mobile phone numbers may have been stolen. Affected employees are now being contacted. EclecticIQ said it had uncovered data that suggested the hacks had originated in China, linked to a group it believed was 'targeting high-value individuals within public institutions, including government agencies, or in the private sector'. The news comes after John Healey, the Defence Secretary, announced plans to spend more than £1bn on cyber defence and artificial intelligence. This will include a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, which will seek to fight enemies online. It is not the first time that the NHS has been targeted by cyber attackers. In 2017, a cyber attack originating from North Korea devastated NHS IT systems and cost tens of millions of pounds. Last year, Synnovis, a business that provided diagnostic services to the NHS, was also hacked, disrupting more than 10,000 appointments and more than 1,700 elective procedures. NHS data has revealed it also led to at least two cases of 'severe' patient harm, meaning long-term or permanent health damage. The incident cost Synnovis more than £32m. Meanwhile, an NHS hospital trust on the Wirral revealed that a hack in November led to missed cancer waiting list targets, while also costing up to £3m. The latest incident comes amid a spree of attacks against major British companies, with Marks & Spencer and Co-op recently compromised by cyber criminals.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Breast pumps, babygrows and unfinished drinks: the stunning parenting paintings every mother should see
Ten years ago, when the Scottish painter Caroline Walker was in her early30s, she noticed something happening to her artist friends who were having babies. 'They were suddenly taken less seriously,' she says. At the time, she didn't have children of her own, and she was sure that if she ever did, her life as a parent would remain separate from her art. 'It still felt hard enough to be taken seriously as a woman artist,' she says, 'without adding in this other thing, let alone making it the subject of your work.' She smiles wryly and raises her eyebrows. We're speaking ahead of her largest museum show to date – an exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield titled Mothering. Now 43, Walker has built a dazzlingly successful career as a figurative painter, and is the mother of two small children. Ever since she was a student, first at Glasgow School of Art, then at the Royal College of Art in London, from where she graduated in 2009, she's been closely observing women. Rendered on intimate panels and breathtakingly big cinematic canvases, her subjects have ranged from bakers and beauticians to tailors and housekeepers – and, lately, the constellation of mostly female workers providing support during childbirth and early-years care. Walker began painting all-things parenthood when she became a mother for the first time in 2019. She was already in touch with London's University College Hospital about the prospect of doing a residency before she got pregnant, and during her appointments there she decided to focus on the maternity wing. The paintings in the Birth Reflections series are awash with cobalt blue – medical scrubs, disposable gloves and hairnets – yet within the coolly sterile setting is a warm sense of dedication. It's there on a sonographer's face, strained as she picks out details from a grainy black-and-white image on a screen, and in a midwife's fingertips, softly pressing a stethoscope to a tiny baby's chest. It's there in the anxious glance across the operating theatre of a mother newly stitched up after a caesarean section, and in the concentrated poses of the eight uniformed strangers attending to her and her baby. 'I was still slightly reticent about how it was going to be received,' Walker says of this newfound interest. 'That it would be seen as less interesting or a bit of a cliche: 'Oh, she had a baby and now she's going to make a load of paintings about that.' But I tried not to limit myself, just to let things develop, and now it seems very understandable to me that artists would respond to this life event through their work because it's such a big shift in identity and daily life.' Birth Reflections is one of four series included in the show. Another, Lisa , explores what happens when a new mother brings a baby home. Following her sister-in-law over four months, starting when she's heavily pregnant, these knowing paintings show what Walker describes as 'a more subjective view on the transition into motherhood and the domestic space in which so much of this time is spent'. Padding around in pyjamas; groggily breastfeeding in bed in the middle of the night; lounging on the sofa while the baby sleeps on you, vacantly watching television in the middle of the day. Meanwhile, Walker's work has become more autobiographical. The earliest painting on display features her daughter, Daphne, as a toddler, glimpsed through the window of the family's old flat in London in 2021. 'It was the first time I'd painted her, and the first time I'd used my own life as a direct subject. It was supposed to be for sale, but I felt I had to hang on to it.' She laughs. 'I didn't anticipate then that I would be repeatedly mining my children for subject matter.' Daphne, who's now five and apparently delights in seeing herself in paint, appears throughout the exhibition. We see her bobbing about in a swimming lesson with yellow armbands and froggy legs, and sitting at the kitchen table with Walker's mother, Janet, and a cuddly hermit crab. And playing around at nursery, initially in London and more recently in Scotland, where Walker and her family have been living since summer 2022. The title of the show is borrowed from something a member of staff at Little Bugs, an outdoor nursery, said about 'mothering' being part of their training. 'A lot of the time, I've been looking in on a subject as an outsider,' says Walker, who begins by spending time with women and photographing their days. Being behind the camera at her daughter's nursery was different: 'I was paying for another woman to look after my child, so that I could make my work, which in this case was portraying that woman looking after my child. There was a complicated relationship of financial exchange going on that made me think about how we value different forms of labour.' Throughout her career, Walker has taken small acts of unseen and under-appreciated work – plumping pillowcases, scrubbing sinks, buffing and shaping nails – and depicted them in oil paint on an epic scale traditionally reserved for history paintings. She does so by paying attention to paraphernalia as much as people. In this show's case, sterilised plastic bottles and breast pumps, half-finished drinks collecting on a table, fresh flowers still in their paper packaging, babygrows sprouting from a wardrobe like weeds. Modern motherhood with its all-consuming clutter. Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion 'When I was at home with Daphne, I remember looking around the house and finding it really claustrophobic, just the stuff everywhere,' she says. 'There was condensation continuously running down the walls from all these things drying because we suddenly had so much washing.' She decided that this was what being a new mother looked like, and that she wanted to make paintings of it. 'Because it is a mess, but it's also visually interesting. It tells a story, and it's very specific to that moment.' A rare self-portrait shows Walker with her then six-week-old son, Laurie. She was about to put him down in his cot when she paused in front of a mirror and asked her husband to take a photograph of the two of them. Walker's reflection meets us with an exhausted gaze. 'I was so tired, and not having the best time, and it felt interminable.' She drifts off and smiles. 'Now every time I look at that painting it takes me back to what it felt like to hold this tiny little body and have these tiny little hands on my shoulder.' Walker and her family live in a converted farmstead on the fringes of Dunfermline, half an hour from Edinburgh, surrounded by fields of bleating lambs. Her parents are a 10-minute drive away, in the house where she grew up; she doesn't come from an artistic family, but she liked to draw from an early age, mostly women and the world around them. She has a small studio at home, and a larger one is in the works. 'It's a different setup to living in London, of course, but actually workwise it's pretty good,' she says. 'The way I work is different now. It's bitty, but there are lots of bits, and overall I probably end up with the same amount of time I had before, or I use my time better.' Will mothering still be her subject in a decade's time? 'I suppose these early years are so intense that it's natural they would bubble up into the work, but my relationship with my children and the intensity of my involvement will obviously change,' she says. For now, though, being a mother and an artist are one and the same. 'My work and my life have become completely entwined.' Caroline Walker: Mothering is at Hepworth Wakefield from 17 May to 27 October, and at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester from 22 November to 10 May 2026. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated monograph of the same title, to be published by Lund Humphries in September.
Zawya
06-02-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Why effective sugar-sweetened beverage taxation is overdue in Nigeria
Dr. Francis Fagbule, a public health dentist and lecturer at the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, emphasizes in this interview by SADE OGUNTOLA that addressing noncommunicable diseases in Nigeria requires a holistic approach, including the implementation of appropriate pro-health taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages. Excerpts: WHY is a sugar-sweetened beverage tax important, particularly with studies warning about rising health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria? Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) refer to any liquids, powders, or other concentrated forms that contain natural or added sweeteners, not limited to and including various forms of sugars like brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, and sucrose. SSBs is a commonly used terminology for drinks that contain added sugar or what we call 'free sugar.' This includes soft drinks, sweetened tea, fruit juice, and energy drinks. These include soft drinks, sweetened tea, fruit juices, and energy drinks, where sugar is added during production. Even fruit juices, when concentrated, fall under this category due to their high sugar content. Honey, though natural, also qualifies as a sugar-sweetened beverage because it contains a significant amount of concentrated sugar. Whether in natural, powdered, or processed form, excessive consumption of these drinks results in a high sugar intake. Locally produced beverages such as kunun and zobo also fall within this category as far as sugar is added to them. Now, there's something important we need to understand. Let me use a 50cl bottle of soft drink as an example; it can contain up to 12 to 14 cubes of sugar. The problem is that these drinks offer no nutritive value. So, when you take a bottle of soft drink, you're essentially consuming 12 to 14 cubes of sugar with no useful nutrients for your body. Similarly, while honey is natural, it still contains a lot of calories, so people need to take it in moderation. The key difference is that sodas and energy drinks offer no nutritional benefits and instead contribute significantly to health problems. Now, why sugar-sweetened beverage taxation? The idea is that when the price of the product is high, the demand for it will come down. What is important is that individuals need to reduce their consumption of these products because the more they consume them, the higher the risk of health problems that they cause. What can the government do to encourage people to reduce their intake? That is where the SSB tax comes in. It is part of what is known as a pro-health tax, aimed at improving public health. When an SSB tax is implemented effectively, it reduces SSB consumption, leading to better health outcomes for the people. We need it now more than ever. In recent years, hardly a day goes by without hearing news of people collapsing and dying. These incidents are often caused by non-communicable diseases such as stroke, heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, etc. The proportion of people with these diseases is rising rapidly in Nigeria, and research supports this trend. A 2020 study revealed that one out of every three adults (32.5per cent) have hypertension, representing a significant increase from 8.6percent in 1995. The same can be said for diabetes mellitus, obesity, and other non-communicable diseases. Data from industry and other studies have shown a significant increase in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages over the past decade. Many people now opt for junk foods and drinks, which are high in sugar, instead of preparing and eating healthier meals at home. This trend has contributed to the rise in non-communicable diseases. To combat this growing challenge, it is crucial to encourage people to reduce their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through sugar-sweetened beverage taxation. The SSB tax has been implemented in over 100 countries across the globe, including South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, and it has resulted in a reduction in their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Will sugar-sweetened beverage taxation affect the incidence of tooth decay from the point of view of a dentist? Parents often warn that sweets or chewing gum containing sugar can cause problems for children's teeth. The same applies to sugar-sweetened beverages because of the added sugar in these drinks. However, the effect of sugar-sweetened beverages on teeth is even worse than sweets or chewing gum. This is because carbonated drinks tend to be acidic, which causes the teeth to wear away gradually. Habitual consumption of sugary drinks will eventually lead to tooth decay and has also been linked to gum diseases. This is why we consistently advise reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to prevent dental problems. When people reduce their consumption of these drinks, the associated health problems such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and dental caries will also decrease. Many people often ask, 'Can children take these drinks? Can they consume as much as they want?' The answer is no. It is important to note that we already get all the sugar our body needs from the regular meals we eat. So, how much added sugar is too much? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an adult should consume no more than six cubes of sugar per day. To put this in perspective, a 50cl bottle of soft drink contains about 12 cubes of sugar: twice the recommended daily intake for an adult. For children, the recommendation is even lower. In fact, children below the age of two should not be given sugar-sweetened beverages at all because they cause harm. The problem with non-communicable diseases is that the effects are not immediately visible; they develop slowly over several years. Unfortunately, when they manifest, they often persist for life. By giving children these drinks now, we are indirectly creating serious health problems for their future. Taxation is one proven way to address these challenges. In countries where sugar-sweetened beverage taxation has been implemented, there has been a noticeable reduction in the associated health problems, including dental caries, obesity, and diabetes. In 2021, the Federal Government introduced the SSB tax. It was embedded in the Finance Act of 2021. It levies a 10 Naira tax on each litre of all non-alcoholic and sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks. Is it enough of a deterrent to people not taking sweetened drinks in excess in Nigeria? First, it's important to clarify the difference between a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax and a general sugar tax. People often confuse the two. A sugar tax would apply to a broader range of products, whereas the Finance Act of 2021 specifically introduced the SSB tax, which levies 10 Naira per litre of non-alcoholic, sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks. Now, let's break this down: currently, a 50cl bottle of soft drink costs about 400 Naira. The 10 Naira per litre tax translates to just an additional N5.0 per 50cl bottle, making the new price N405.00. That is hardly enough to deter anyone from purchasing it. In fact, when people buy drinks, they often leave with a change of N50 or N100, meaning the tax has little to no impact on consumer behaviour. The goal of SSB taxation is to reduce consumption. For it to be effective, the tax needs to significantly influence the price. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that SSB taxation should increase the retail price by at least 20% to achieve a meaningful reduction in consumption. For instance, if a 50cl bottle currently costs 400 Naira, a 20 per cent tax would raise the price to about 480 Naira. Countries are also encouraged to study how sensitive their populations are to price increases to determine the appropriate tax rate. In Nigeria, the current SSB tax amounts to less than one percent of the prices of some drinks such as energy drinks and fruit juices. To see the intended health benefits, this tax must be increased significantly and adjusted as a percentage of the product's cost rather than a fixed amount such as 10 Naira per litre. Fixed rates are easily eroded by inflation, making them less effective over time. So, do you need a review of the SSB taxation embedded in the Finance Act of 2021? Exactly. There needs to be a review. First, we must consider the current economic climate because the situation in 2021 is very different from what we have now. The current 10 naira per litre excise duty is too small and unlikely to deter consumption. Hence, it should be increased for it to be impactful. A recent study pioneered by The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of Economies of Africa (CSEA), reported that an SSB tax of about 39 per cent (130 Naira per litre) would yield a significant reduction in per capita SSB consumption, cause a reduction in SSB-associated health problems, and be a major source of income to the government. I must also add that the revenue generated from this tax should be earmarked for health and for funding health programs in the country, which is currently not the case. Secondly, the tax should possibly be made in the form of dedicated legislation. The Finance Act, while a law, is subject to yearly revisions, making it vulnerable to lobbying efforts by the industry to have it removed. If the SSB tax becomes a standalone piece of legislation, it will be far more difficult to repeal. Additionally, we need to strengthen this pro-health tax by clearly distinguishing between taxes on essential commodities and those meant to discourage the consumption of products with no nutritional value. Sugar-sweetened beverages clearly fall into the latter category. Strengthening this distinction will help to ensure that the effectiveness of the tax in reducing consumption and improving public health. Talking about pro-health law, are there other products that Nigeria is taxing because of health concerns? As a public health professional, we often focus on the common risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These include tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets (where sugar-sweetened beverages fall), physical inactivity, and environmental factors. Pro-health laws are not new; they have been around for years. For example, tobacco taxation on cigarettes and other tobacco products has been implemented and shown to have significant effects, particularly in countries where it is well-enforced. Similarly, Nigeria already taxes alcoholic beverages as part of its efforts to address NCDs. However, when it comes to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), there are still loopholes. The current taxation is not robust enough to make a significant impact on reducing consumption. Globally, there is now an increasing focus on addressing other areas of unhealthy diets, such as industrialized trans-fatty acids, which are also linked to NCDs. For Nigeria to achieve meaningful health outcomes, the government and stakeholders must address all these risk factors comprehensively. What are some other potential drawbacks of the SSB tax in Nigeria presently? One potential drawback is the spread of misinformation, particularly in the media. I strongly believe much of this misinformation is industry-sponsored, aimed at swaying public opinion and pressuring the government to reverse the tax. For instance, claims have been made that the SSB tax will lead to massive job losses. Similarly, I recently read an editorial in one of the national dailies where the writer absurdly claimed that the 10 Naira per litre SSB tax would cause the cost of SSBs to double. These claims are simply untrue. Some people may also feel apprehensive about the SSB tax because they are unaware that, unlike other taxes, the SSB tax; like other pro-health taxes; is specifically designed to improve public health. Such misinformation creates unnecessary fear and confusion. It is, therefore, crucial to provide the public with accurate information about the purpose and benefits of the SSB tax. The reality is that the benefits of SSB taxation far outweigh any perceived drawbacks; it is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Are we to prioritize the profits of a few industry board members or owners over the lives and health of the people? Certainly not, public health must always come first. In fact, in countries where the government bears the cost of healthcare, implementing effective taxation policies is far easier. The health problems caused by excessive SSB consumption place a far greater burden on society than any corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities these industries may claim to perform in communities. Is the SSB tax alone sufficient to combat obesity and related health issues in Nigeria? Definitely not. While the SSB tax is an important step, it is not enough on its own to combat obesity and related health issues. Other pro-health taxes, such as those on tobacco and alcohol, also play a role in addressing these challenges. However, a holistic approach is required. The SSB tax is just one of the government's interventions, and it must be complemented by other measures. For instance, there should be aggressive public health campaigns to enlighten people about the health risks associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). The environment also needs to be improved to discourage their consumption. The SSB industry often targets children, so we must ensure that schools are completely free of SSB products. Additionally, legislation is needed to regulate misleading advertisements and ensure that the industry provides accurate labelling on their products. Many people would be shocked to learn that a single 50cl soft drink may contain as much as 12 to 14 cubes of sugar. Accurate information is crucial so people can make informed choices. While the SSB tax takes the lead, it must be supported by these complementary actions to maximize its impact. Only then can we effectively combat obesity and Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
