Push for more take-up of flu vaccine before Christmas
Public Health England (PHE) is urging those over 65 and pregnant women to get the flu jab. This comes after a “fall in take-up compared to this time last year”. Paul Cosford, medical director at PHE stated, “only around 40% of pregnant women and over-65s had been vaccinated so far. With the colder weather and increase in festive social gatherings, the risk of the flu spreading is increased.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46482988
Xanax: Treatment for addiction rises sharply in children
Public Health England this week have stated that the number of children being treated for “addiction to tranquillisers has doubled in a year”. Xanax, and copies of it, are the dominant factors in this ‘sharp rise’. Furthermore, 46% of the 15,583 children “treated for substance misuse are being helped with alcohol issues”.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46472308
Record numbers of over-65s are getting sexually transmitted infections as cases of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia are on the rise
Recent figures have revealed that over-65s in England diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) are at an all-time high. It is speculated that the rise of popular dating apps, better “health and drugs such as Viagra” are keeping more people sexually active for longer. This rise in online sexual activity does raise multiple concerns, including the increased difficulty “in getting in touch with past partners to warn them when people get diagnosed.”
NHS told to ditch ‘absurd’ fax machines
The government have banned the NHS from buying fax machines from next month and has been told to “phase out the machines entirely by 31 March 2020”. This change has been welcomed by many, with a fixated point on improving patient safety and cybersecurity by many medical professionals. In the past, this technology has received numerous insults, such as ‘absurd’, ‘archaic’ and ‘stuck in the dark ages’.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46497526
Type 2 diabetes now affects nearly 7,000 young Britons
In the past few weeks, it has been revealed that “nearly 7,000 children and young Britons under 25” have been diagnosed with the chronic condition type 2 diabetes. The figures, from Diabetes UK, has highlighted the fact that the condition is “more aggressive” in younger people than in older individuals.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/22/ty...