Latest news with #healthauthority
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Parents, beware the devastating consequences of measles
After reading the letters about vaccine misinformation and hesitancy (Measles surge shows why vaccinations are crucial, 20 July), I felt I must write to tell you of one unrecognised cause of the drop in vaccine uptake: when I worked as a community school nursing sister in the 1980s, with 11 state schools and a number of private schools that took up the vaccine service, we had 98% uptake of vaccines in the school setting. This was due to the system of sending letters home to parents requesting their consent and following up by phone, if necessary, by the school office staff. The children came in class batches. Then the local health authority decided that this service should be discontinued and parents were invited to take their child to the local GP surgery for their vaccinations. The uptake plummeted to less than 40% of eligible children due to children not taking the letters home, or parents forgetting or losing the letter – or being unable to take time off to take their child to the surgery. When I asked the GPs at the local health centre what the uptake for the cohort of eligible children was, they looked at their records and were surprised, but reluctant to do anything about it. Health visitors were responsible for, and very successful in, advising new mothers when vaccines were due, where to get them and encouraging uptake. It should be compulsory for all vaccines for preschool children (which includes measles) to be done before a child is admitted to school, as in many other countries. As a midwife, I saw a baby born to a mother who had contact with rubella in early pregnancy. The little girl was born with a body rash, had bilateral cataracts and was totally deaf. She was was very ill. Schools for deaf children may return again for these children if vaccination is not taken up for whatever reason. How StephensLiphook, Hampshire I contracted measles just before the NHS was established. With it came serious ear infections, burst eardrums, etc. There were no vaccines, just ear drops. Over the years the infections and operations continued and now, aged 82, I have no hearing with complications. I beg people to think seriously about vaccination. The consequences of measles can sometimes be devastating. Jean JacksonSeer Green, Buckinghamshire I caught measles aged six in 1953, at a time when parents hoped their children would get it (and chicken pox and mumps) so as to gain immunity. My dad, aged 54, had not had measles as a boy, caught it from me and nearly died. The risk of not vaccinating children is not just to WallLondon
Wall Street Journal
21-07-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Dozens of Palestinians Seeking Aid Killed in Northern Gaza
Dozens of Palestinians are killed in northern Gaza as they come under fire while waiting for aid to arrive from Israel, according to the Hamas-run health authority. Photo: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg News
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
No swimming at 8 Metro Vancouver beaches due to E. coli
If you're looking to beat the heat at a Metro Vancouver beach this week, make sure to check the swimming advisories first. Eight local swimming spots have advisories from Vancouver Coastal Health in place due to high E. coli counts. As of Friday morning, Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver, English Bay, Kitsilano Beach, Second Beach, Sunset Beach, Third Beach and Trout Lake in Vancouver, and Lions Bay are not suitable for swimming. No-swim advisories are issued when a single sample reaches over 400 E. coli per 100 millilitres, or the average of five samples counts over 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres. Signs go up telling visitors not to swim, but the beach itself is safe to enjoy. Several more beaches are undergoing further water testing due to a higher-than-expected bacteria sample result, but remain open for swimming, according to the health authority. They include Jericho Beach, parts of Wreck Beach, Sandy Cove, Sandy Beach, Ambleside Beach and Eagle Harbour. A single reading of more than 235 E. coli per 100 millilitres triggers a 'beach action value investigation' to identify what's causing the higher count, such as a sewage discharge or bird populations nearby, according to VCH. E. coli is found in human, warm-blooded animal, and bird feces. Exposure to high levels of the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness and infection of the ears, eyes, nose, throat and skin. Updates on E. coli counts at beaches in the region can be found on VCH's beach water quality map.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
No swimming at 5 Metro Vancouver beaches due to E. coli
If you're looking to beat the heat at a Metro Vancouver beach this week, make sure to check the swimming advisories first. Five local swimming spots have advisories from Vancouver Coastal Health in place due to high E. coli counts. As of Thursday, Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver, Sunset Beach, Third Beach and Trout Lake in Vancouver, and Lions Bay are not suitable for swimming. No-swim advisories are issued when a single sample reaches over 400 E. coli per 100 millilitres, or the average of five samples counts over 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres. Signs go up telling visitors not to swim, but the beach itself is safe to enjoy. Several more beaches are undergoing further water testing due to a higher-than-expected bacteria sample result, but remain open for swimming, according to the health authority. They include English Bay, Kitsilano Beach, Ambleside Beach, Second Beach, Sandy Cove, Sandy Beach, and Eagle Harbour. A single reading of more than 235 E. coli per 100 millilitres triggers a 'beach action value investigation' to identify what's causing the higher count, such as a sewage discharge or bird populations nearby, according to VCH. E. coli is found in human, warm-blooded animal, and bird feces. Exposure to high levels of the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness and infection of the ears, eyes, nose, throat and skin. Updates on E. coli counts at beaches in the region can be found on VCH's beach water quality map.
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Drowning deaths in France spiked by 58% during heat wave, authorities say
PARIS, July 11 (Reuters) - France's public health authority said on Friday that more than 100 people had died from drowning between June 1 and July 2 this year, an increase of 58% over the same period last year, blaming it on unusually warm weather at the end of June. Sante Publique, the French authority, said 429 total drownings had occurred in France between June 1 and July 2, an increase of 95% over that period last year. "These increases occurred in a context of high temperatures in the second half of June 2025, which led to an increase in people going to swimming areas to cool off," the agency said in a bulletin. Large swaths of Europe, including France, sweltered over a 10-day heatwave ending July 2. Scientists said 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the extreme weather.
