Latest news with #publicHealth
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Ireland's ‘unhealthiest region': Limerick and the midwest suffering extreme health inequality
A child is woken up in the middle of the night by gardaí raiding their house. The child's parents are on the wrong side of the law, battling with addiction, poverty and unemployment. The child goes to school the next morning, exhausted, anxious and stressed. As a result, they're unable to focus on their education, affecting their learning, life path and – most surprisingly – their health. This, according to Dr Anne Dee, consultant in public health medicine, is a situation children in some areas of the midwest region – Limerick , Clare and north Tipperary – experience due to levels of extreme deprivation. But these adverse childhood experiences, she says, are more than just about poverty or crime. Such incidents, she says, are a significant determinant for the health of the people in the area. READ MORE 'Internationally, we know well that people who live in areas of deprivation or who are unemployed, or who have poor levels of education, or poor housing, that they have poorer health,' Dr Dee says. 'People who live with disadvantage are more likely to have chronic disease, which is heart attack, asthma, diabetes, respiratory disease.' According to the 2022 Census, the population in the midwest is more deprived than the national benchmark. We have double standards around what is acceptable and what is not, who we need to consider and who we need to dismiss — Dr Anne Dee In 2022, the most recent year for which figures are available, 24 per cent of the population in Limerick were considered disadvantaged, very disadvantaged or extremely disadvantaged; 21 per cent in Clare; and 23 per cent in north Tipperary. 'Children are more prone to having adverse childhood events if they're living in poverty. If their father or their parents are unemployed. If their communities are unsafe. If we can start changing that, we can create communities and environments that are much more healthy.' In light of this, Dr Dee, the recently-appointed president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), is leading a new project in the midwest that seeks to examine the social determinants of poor health and reduce them. Under the project, which is sponsored by the newly-elected mayor of Limerick John Moran, and Sandra Broderick, regional executive officer in the HSE, the 'big players' in education, employment, the probation service, Tusla, the HSE and other organisations will come together to try to improve the health of the region. 'Data from Scotland would show that about 30 per cent of children who have more than four adverse childhood experiences will go on to potentially succeed in life. Seventy per cent of them will not. They'll either end up dead, incarcerated, addicted or with chronic mental illness,' Dr Dee says. 'It's about looking at our population of children and saying, how can we change the trajectory of their life in terms of outcomes? There are really excellent healthcare initiatives but they're not across the whole population. We need to make sure that where the need is greater, there is extra available.' The midwest consultant analysed a random sample of emergency department attendances at hospital in Limerick, and coded them by deprivation. 'We were able to show if you lived in extreme deprivation or severe deprivation, you were around 2.5 times more likely to use the emergency department than if you lived in an area of affluence,' she says. 'They were also more likely to be hospitalised and more likely to wait to be seen than people from other areas of deprivation.' These people are 'not spurious' users of the health system, she says, adding that often wait until they're at crisis point before seeking help. There is a lack of trust among many of these vulnerable groups, and the project aims to mend that, she adds. Part of the problem, she says, is the prevalence of a culture of blame. 'Instead of judging them for their behaviour or telling them they need to stop smoking, stop drinking, stop eating rashers, we need to start supporting these communities to be able to function much better,' she says. The unemployment rate in Ireland is 4 per cent, according to the CSO, but in parts of Limerick city it's up about 70 per cent. 'It's not just that people are lazy. It a very, very complex mix of poor educational attainment, intergenerational problems like addiction, no history of employment in living memory, a fear of authority or mistrust,' she says. But how has this situation occurred? Dr Dee says Limerick in the 1800s and 1900s had 'a lot of poverty'. 'I just feel, and I think quite a number of people would agree with me on this, that it hasn't always been the priority when it comes to government funding,' she says. Adding to this, future planning in health and other sectors such as housing is often based on population, Dr Dee says, though she admits work is ongoing in this area. She believes, instead, health planning must be based on need. 'They [policymakers] haven't traditionally taken a lot of heed of the deprivation level within that population. So everybody gets the same. So you'll hear some areas consistently crying out, saying 'we haven't enough' and that's because their need is greater,' she says. There are specific cohorts of people who are particularly deprived, she says, including those with disabilities, or members of the Roma or Travelling communities. The Census 2022 estimated the White Irish Traveller population as 0.6 per cent of the total population in Ireland. In the midwest, this is 0.9 per cent, and in the west Limerick community health network, the proportion is four times the national average. The life expectancy of members of the Travelling community is 10 to 15 years less than those in the settled population. Having worked in a leprosy hospital in Nepal 30 years ago, Dr Dee sees parallels in terms of the stigma directed towards Travellers and those with infectious diseases, and the impact that has on these people in relation to interacting with various systems in society. 'If you suffer from leprosy in most communities where people get leprosy, you will be stigmatised for having leprosy. And we look at that in the West and we say 'oh, that's really bad that people would be stigmatised for just having a bacterial infection',' she says. 'But at the same time, with the same breath, we talk about Travellers in a way that is very stigmatising. We have double standards around what is acceptable and what is not, who we need to consider and who we need to dismiss.' Though her pilot project is focused on the midwest due to its deprivation profile, Dr Dee believes healthcare should be provided in this way across the country – particularly in light of the spiralling homeless crisis . The most recent figures from the Department of Housing, from May, showed there were a record 15,580 homeless people, of which 4,775 are children. Dr Dee says the country has yet to see the true health crisis that will arise from this. 'The life expectancy of somebody living in homelessness is around 40. That would be street homeless; I don't think we've measured the kind of new homelessness,' she says. 'I can assure you all of these children growing up in homelessness are gathering up such enormous levels of adverse childhood experiences. The effects of poverty on children are long-term. The effect of adverse childhood events on children are long-term. The effects of both are additive.' Are we not setting these children, and other vulnerable groups, up for failure? 'We absolutely are. Absolutely. It really, really behoves us to do some serious prevention in the area of social determinants of health.'
CBS News
18 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Deadly flesh-eating bacteria in Florida waters: Vibrio cases decline, but danger persists, data show
Four people in Florida have died this year from Vibrio vulnificus, a rare flesh-eating bacterium found in warm, brackish seawater, among 11 confirmed cases, according to state health officials. That number is down from 2024, when infections peaked with 82 cases and 19 deaths. Health officials linked that spike to Hurricane Helene. Since 2016, Florida has recorded 448 cases and 100 deaths tied to the bacteria. The 2025 deaths have been reported in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough, and St. Johns counties. Additional cases have also been confirmed in Duval, Escambia, Lee, Manatee, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties, as well as a second case in St. Johns. Vibrio vulnificus infections are uncommon, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 80,000 Vibrio cases and 100 related deaths occur each year in the United States. The bacterium poses a heightened risk to individuals with weakened immune systems or chronic health conditions. Here are some key facts about Vibrio vulnificus, according to the CDC: For more information, visit the CDC's Vibrio page.
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Another person dead in London, Ont., legionnaires' outbreak
Another person has died and 20 more are sick from legionnaires' disease in London, Ont., pubic health officials warn. That brings the outbreak to a total of two people dead and 64 sick since it was declared by the Middlesex-London Health Unit less than a week ago, on July 8. The patients have ranged in age from 23- to 93-years old, but health officials still don't have an exact source of the deadly bacteria, or whether it is linked to an outbreak that killed two people last year. On Monday, officials released a map to indicate the general area most impacted by the outbreak, though it takes in a large chunk of the city. "Despite this cluster of cases, the overall risk to the broader community remains low, particularly for individuals who are not at higher risk," officials said. "Homes and businesses in the area remain open and are expected to follow all recommended health and maintenance protocols. Residents are not discouraged from continuing their daily routines in this area." The blue circle of the map represents a six-kilometre radius around the average location of all home addresses of reported cases, and is a snapshot in time, health officials say. "The 6-kilometre radius may not reflect the actual distribution or movement patterns of individuals affected by the outbreak," the health unit said in an emailed statement. " Although this map shows where the greatest density of cases reside, there are confirmed Legionnaires' cases outside of this area." 1 dead, over 40 sick as legionnaires' outbreak spreads in southeast London, Ont. 5 days ago Duration 3:04 One person is dead and more than 40 people have become ill in an outbreak of legionnaires' disease in London, Ont. Legionnaires' disease is caused by legionella bacteria, naturally found in water sources such as hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems or parts of air-conditioning systems. Legionella is not transmitted from person to person. If the bacteria are aerosolized or misted into the air (via wind or fans), people may inhale the bacteria and become unwell. Most people exposed to legionella don't get ill, but some may experience Pontiac fever, a mild, flu-like illness that commonly resolves itself. Individuals who are older, have lung problems or are immunocompromised are at greater risk of serious infection. Health officials defended taking so long to release a map of the area, saying it took time to gather sufficient information to get a map together and that the priority was working with property owners and operators of water-cooling systems to clean and maintain their systems as a precautionary measure. "Legionella aerosolizes and travels significant distance. The source of the Legionella spread has not yet been found," officials said.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
West Nile Virus found by Southwestern Public Health
A mosquito trap in Woodstock has tested positive for West Nile Virus. According to Southwestern Public Health, this is the first mosquito trap to produce a positive test in the Southwestern Public Health region in 2025, and the virus was detected as part of routine testing. The health unit said traps are set up across Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas to monitor and test for the presence of West Nile Virus in the region. Public health recommends removing standing water around your property to reduce mosquito breeding environments.
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
Hot Tick Summer Is Here. Here's What You Need to Know and How to Stay Safe
Summer in the U.S. is now in full swing. That means plenty of outdoor fun, Sun, and, unfortunately, for many of us, tiny eight-legged ticks to avoid. Ticks and the many illnesses they carry, like Lyme disease, are a growing public health threat. Just this week, for instance, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 2025 so far has seen the highest number of tick-related emergency room visits recorded since 2019. And though the worst tick species are especially common in the Northeast, disease-carrying populations are steadily spreading further across the U.S. What's more, scientists are still continuing to discover new viruses and bacteria spread by ticks that can potentially sicken people. With Americans firmly in the middle of hot tick summer, Gizmodo reached out to Dennis Bente, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. We spoke to Bente about why ticks are becoming a bigger problem, the best ways right now to protect ourselves against them, and the potential innovations that could eventually help us beat back the tick menace. The following conversation has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity. Ed Cara, Gizmodo: I live in the northeastern U.S., and my friends and family, especially dog owners, often complain about needing to look out for ticks sooner than they used to. Is the tick season really getting longer and larger? And what seem to be the major reasons why? Maps Show North America's Growing Tick Invasion Bente: Yes, your friends and family are absolutely correct in their observations. The tick season in the Northeastern United States has indeed become longer and more intense, with multiple scientific studies confirming both the expansion of tick activity periods and the growth of tick populations. What was once a relatively predictable seasonal threat has evolved into a year-round concern in many areas. The evidence shows that ticks are now active in winter due to climate change, with adult deer ticks active at temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit [-10 degrees Celsius]. This has led to a year-round need for vigilance, as ticks now emerge whenever the ground is unfrozen and temperatures exceed freezing, extending their season beyond traditional months. Climate warming accelerates tick development, increases survival, and enables northward expansion at about 28 miles [45 kilometers] per year, especially in the Northeast. Factors like recovering deer populations, reforestation, landscape fragmentation, and fire suppression have also promoted tick populations by providing ideal habitats and microclimate regimes that favor tick survival. Gizmodo: When it comes to tick germs, people are probably most familiar with Lyme disease. But there are plenty more out there. What are some of the lesser-known tickborne diseases that keep you up at night? And are these diseases, like Lyme, becoming more common? A New York Man Was Killed by a Rare Brain-Infecting Disease Spread by Ticks Bente: While Lyme disease dominates public awareness of tickborne illnesses, it represents just the tip of a much larger iceberg. Powassan virus (POWV) stands out as perhaps the most frightening tickborne pathogen in North America. This flavivirus can cause severe encephalitis with mortality rates approaching 18.8% and devastating neurological consequences in 72.7% of survivors. Unlike other tickborne diseases, POWV can be transmitted within just 15 minutes of tick attachment, giving victims almost no opportunity for preventive tick removal. There are also other less-known viruses. The Heartland virus emerged in 2009 and has since been documented in over 60 cases across 14 states, with an estimated mortality rate of 5-10%. Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first identified in 2014 and remains poorly understood. Only 5 human cases have been reported in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, but blood tests suggest that it is much more widespread. Borrelia miyamotoi causes hard tick relapsing fever, a disease that often goes undetected despite being transmitted by the same ticks that carry Lyme disease. Between 2013 and 2019, 300 cases were identified through surveillance in just nine states that conduct active monitoring. This likely represents massive underreporting, as the disease is often misdiagnosed. There is also Ehrlichia and the spotted fever group rickettsiae, which represent a growing and increasingly complex threat. While Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii) remains the most severe, newly recognized rickettsial pathogens are emerging that can cause similar severe illness. Overall, tickborne diseases are absolutely becoming more common. The evidence is overwhelming: Total tickborne disease cases in the US increased 25% from 40,795 (2011) to 50,856 (2019). Gizmodo: Are there any treatments, vaccines, or other innovations in development that could possibly help us beat these germs? Bente: Yes, there are indeed promising treatments, vaccines, and innovative technologies in development that could help us finally gain the upper hand against tickborne diseases. Here's what's on the horizon: The most significant immediate breakthrough is VLA15, the first Lyme disease vaccine to reach advanced clinical trials in over two decades. Developed jointly by Pfizer and Valneva, this represents a major advancement over previous failed attempts. The vaccine has completed recruitment for its Phase 3 VALOR trial with 9,437 participants enrolled across the United States, Europe, and Canada. Results are expected by the end of 2025, with potential regulatory approval in 2026. Experimental Anti-Tick Vaccine Aims to Stop Bites That Could Spread Lyme Perhaps even more exciting than pathogen-specific vaccines are anti-tick vaccines that could prevent multiple tickborne diseases simultaneously by targeting the tick itself. Researchers have developed mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccines containing cocktails of tick salivary proteins. The most advanced formulation is the 19ISP vaccine. This vaccine causes rapid erythema development in the skin, early tick detachment, and decreased tick feeding by creating an immune response that alerts hosts to tick presence and prevents pathogen transmission when ticks are removed promptly. TP-05 is an investigational oral, systemic formulation of lotilaner developed by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals; it represents a revolutionary approach to tickborne disease prevention. This isoxazoline compound has successfully completed Phase 2a human trials, demonstrating 97% tick mortality within 24 hours of attachment, with a single dose providing protection for at least 30 days. Since ticks typically require 36 to 48 hours of attachment to transmit Lyme disease, killing them within 24 hours provides highly effective prophylaxis with an excellent safety profile in healthy volunteers. Gizmodo: In the meantime, how do we best keep these tiny pests from ruining our time outdoors? Bente: For reliable tick protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends EPA-registered repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE). Research consistently shows that DEET concentrations of 20 to 30% provide the most effective protection, with efficacy rates of 85 to 89% against ticks. Permethrin, readily available in stores, stands out as perhaps the most powerful weapon in your anti-tick arsenal. Unlike repellents that simply deter ticks, permethrin actually kills ticks on contact. When applied to clothing, it can provide protection for up to six weeks or six washes. The effectiveness is remarkable: permethrin-treated clothing has shown nearly 100% protection against tick attachment. A Kidney Transplant Came With an Unwelcome Hitchhiker: A Deadly Tick Germ Your clothing choices can serve as your first line of defense. Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and closed-toe shoes provide physical barriers, and tucking your shirt into pants and pants into socks creates additional protection by eliminating entry points. Stay on trail centers and avoid wooded, brushy areas during peak tick season (April to September). Daily tick checks are the most critical prevention measure. Most tickborne diseases require 24 to 48 hours of attachment for transmission, so quick removal dramatically reduces infection risk. Check your entire body using mirrors, focusing on warm areas: groin, armpits, scalp, behind ears and knees, and waistbands. Check children and pets daily, even after yard time, and shower within 2 hours to wash off crawling ticks. For proper removal, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick close to the skin. Pull upward with steady pressure—don't twist or jerk. Don't squeeze, crush, or burn the tick. Clean the bite area and hands with alcohol or soap. Be sure to photograph the tick for identification if symptoms develop and avoid folk remedies like matches or nail polish—these increase disease transmission risk.
