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Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Drugs minister said Glasgow's drug consumption room works
Maree Todd said it is important the Scottish Government is not "cloth-eared" to residents' concerns. She said, however, there is no evidence to back up claims of increased crime, littering and sightings of discarded needles in Glasgow's east end, where the facility is based. READ NEXT:Outcome of inspections at 8 of Glasgow's homeless hotels revealed The minister toured The Thistle and said she believes the facility will "make a difference" to Scotland's high rate of drug deaths, and that it has already saved lives and helped catch contaminated drugs that could spread across the UK. Asked if she is concerned about some residents reporting a rise in crime and discarded needles since its opening, she said: "Of course it worries us. "The safe consumption drug facility was sited here because it was already an area where these challenges occurred. "So there was lots of street usage and lots of littering challenges. "In time, I would expect that the challenges faced by the community will reduce as the confidence in this facility increases." READ NEXT:Legendary author to make appearance at Glasgow store Asked if she accepts crime and needle sightings have gone up, she added: "I'm not sure the statistics bear that out. "I think it's really important that we're not cloth-eared to the concerns that the local community are raising. "It is causing them concern. They think there has been an increase in crime, and they think there has been an increase in littering. "We need to pay attention to that, and we need to reassure them on that front. Whether that is actually what has happened, or whether the increased focus is what is making people worried about that, I'm not sure." She added it is "important" that "appropriate treatment" is not "stigmatised".
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Covid alert! New 'ultra-catchy Frankenstein' variant has rocketed four-fold in just a month...experts warn it could be most infectious yet
A new Covid variant dubbed 'Stratus' has soared to dominance in the UK, with experts warning it could drive a wave of new infections. Stratus—scientifically known as XFG—is thought to be more infectious than previous Covid strains due to mutations that help it evade the immune system. Now, data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), shows Stratus has now become the dominant Covid strain in England. The variant has gone from accounting for about 10 per cent of all Covid cases in May to almost 40 per cent three weeks later in mid-June. Stratus—a descendent of the already super virulent Omicron—is what is known as a Frankenstein or 'recombinant' strain. This means it emerged when a person was infected with two Covid strains at once which then became a new hybrid variant. Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University told MailOnline both two strains of Stratus, the original XFG and spin off called XFG.3, are 'rapidly spreading'. 'The increased competitiveness of XFG and XFG.3 is likely due to new spike mutations which make these variants more able to evade the immune response,' he said. 'Given that immunity to Covid is waning in the population due to a decline in uptake of the spring booster jab and the reduction of Covid infections in recent months, more people will be susceptible to infection with XFG and XFG.3. 'This could lead to a new wave of infection but it's difficult to predict the extent of this wave.' However, he added that there is currently no evidence Stratus causes more severe illness and getting a Covid vaccine was 'very likely' to offer protection from severe illness and hospitalisation. Stratus' rise comes just a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the strain a 'variant under monitoring'. This designation means health authorities across the globe have been asked to help track the variant due its rising spread in different countries and the potential public health implications. Whilst assessing the overall risk of Stratus as 'low' the WHO said evidence pointed to the variant having significant growth advantage compared to other strains with it now accounting for 22 per cent of cases recorded globally. Nimbus—another new Covid variant also tipped to drive a wave of new infections —has also soared in recent weeks. That strain has gone from just 2 per cent of cases in April to 17 per cent in June, according to UKHSA data. However, overall Covid cases are on the decline compared to recent weeks. Just 5.4 per cent of Covid tests analysed by UKHSA in the week ending June 29 were positive for the virus. This is a slight fall from the 7 per cent of tests that came back positive the week prior, which as the highest positivity rate recorded so far this year. Neither Nimbus nor Stratus are thought to cause new symptoms compared to previous strains. However, medics have warned that anyone with a 'razor blade' throat could have Nimbus. Dr Michael Gregory, regional medical Director for NHS England in the North West recently said: 'The variant looks to be spreading rapidly within communities, with top symptoms being a "razor blade" sore throat and swollen neck glands.' But any Covid infection with the virus can still be deadly, especially for more vulnerable groups like the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
WHO pushes countries to raise prices on sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50%
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is pushing countries to raise the prices of sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50% over the next 10 years through taxation, its strongest backing yet for taxes to help tackle chronic public health problems. The United Nations health agency said the move would help cut consumption of the products, which contribute to diseases like diabetes and some cancers, as well as raising money at a time when development aid is shrinking and public debt rising. "Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have," said Jeremy Farrar, WHO assistant-director general of health promotion and disease prevention and control. "It's time to act." The WHO launched the push, which it called "3 by 35" at the UN Finance for Development conference in Seville. WHO said that its tax initiative could raise $1 trillion by 2035 based on evidence from health taxes in countries such as Colombia and South Africa. The WHO has backed tobacco taxes and price rises for decades, and has called for taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks in recent years, but this is the first time it has suggested a target price rise for all three products. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the conference that the taxes could help governments "adjust to the new reality" and bolster their own health systems with the money raised. Many low and middle-income countries are coping with cuts to aid spending led by the United States, which is not attending the Seville conference. The U.S. is also in the process of withdrawing from the WHO. FROM $4 to $10 As an example, the initiative would mean a government in a middle-income country raising taxes on the product to push the price up from $4 today to $10 by 2035, taking into account inflation, said WHO health economist Guillermo Sandoval. Nearly 140 countries had already raised tobacco taxes and therefore prices by over 50% on average between 2012 and 2022, the WHO added. Sandoval said the WHO was also considering broader taxation recommendations, including on ultra-processed food, after the agency finalises its definition of that type of food in the coming months. But he added that the agency expected pushback from the industries involved. 'It's deeply concerning that the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to disregard over a decade of clear evidence showing that taxing sugar-sweetened beverages has never improved health outcomes or reduced obesity in any country,' said Kate Loatman, executive director of the International Council of Beverages Associations, adding that the industry was working on options to support health. 'The World Health Organization's suggestion that raising taxes will prevent alcohol-related harm is misguided,'said Amanda Berger, senior vice president of science and research at the Distilled Spirits Council, adding that it would not prevent alcohol abuse. The tax initiative is backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and involves support for countries who want to take action.
