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Metro
09-07-2025
- Health
- Metro
All my son wanted was his prescription - the next day he died
Hopping out of the front passenger seat, I walked around the car to give my son, Charlie, a hug goodbye. It was June 26, 2021 and my husband, Richard, and I had just dropped him home. Charlie was looking forward to a relaxing night alone, eating takeaway and watching football. 'I love you,' I said. 'See you tomorrow for a Sunday roast?' He smiled, then walked off towards his flat. That was the last time I saw my son. Within just a few hours, Charlie was dead at 32. From a very early age, Charlie was always telling jokes and making people laugh. He was also a bit of a wind-up merchant to his four sisters, but we all loved him. At 14, he randomly started getting seizures. He didn't actually tell anyone except one of his friends at the time because he loved playing rugby, water polo, and cycling and he thought seizures could jeopardise that. Then it happened one day when he was at home. His sister, Lily, found him on his bedroom floor and ran down to tell me. We called for an ambulance and he was taken to Barnet Hospital, which is when I was devastated to find out from him that it had been going on for months. Within days, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Over the years, Charlie tried at least 10 different types of medication to manage his condition, with little success. As a result, he'd have seizures monthly or even weekly, which resulted in broken noses or teeth, as well as split eyebrows and cheeks. More often than not, they came on randomly, which I know felt very frustrating for him. But some things like hot weather, exercise, or stress could induce them too. Then he started on a breakthrough drug called Fycompa that changed everything, aged 30. The seizures slowed right down and never really came on unprovoked anymore. He was finally in a good place. But it all came crumbling down in 2021. On Thursday June 24, Charlie received a notification that one of his recent contacts tested positive for Covid-19 so he needed to self-isolate. The problem was, he had planned to travel back to Brunel University of London – where he was studying occupational therapy – on Friday, which was two hours away. He was going to the campus pharmacy to pick up his repeat prescription, as he would run out of medication on Friday evening. But he could now no longer go due to travel restrictions. On Friday, Charlie contacted his GP to arrange an emergency refill, but this was never issued. By Friday, he had run out of medication and called me in a panic asking what to do. Calming him down, I suggested he call 111 because I'd received an urgent prescription from them before. Around 10:30am, he called and the operator told him they'd send it to his local pharmacy, Superdrug. Nervous that he'd be breaking Covid-19 rules about isolating, he asked if I'd come with him to pick it up. So Richard and I – as well as our grandchild, who we were babysitting at the time – got into a car and drove 20 minutes to meet him at the pharmacy. Richard and the baby stayed in the car, while I greeted Charlie, who was clearly already fed up with the whole situation. I went inside and was flatly told no prescription had been sent. Last year, on March 10, we lost our beloved colleague Sarah Whiteley. Sarah was a fantastic journalist; she was Metro's parenting columnist and a valued member of our first-person and opinion desk. Sarah died aged 39 from SUDEP - sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. It is thought that every year around 1,000 people die from causes related to epilepsy. With support from Sarah's family, Metro is fundraising for two very important charities: SUDEP Action and Epilepsy Action. Sarah was so incredible at helping other people share their experiences; she was a born storyteller and we hope to do her proud and raise money in her memory. Charlie ended up calling 111 a further two times – around 11:30 and midday – and even had the 111 handler talk directly to the pharmacist, but they eventually told us there was probably 'some sort of supply issue' and that a clinician would need to call us back to see what they could do. By this point, Charlie was stressed and frightened. Desperate for an alternative to continuing a fruitless search, we went to Charlie's girlfriend's flat while she was away in Manchester that weekend to see if she had any spare medication. We found two expired 6mg pills, but Charlie's dosage had since increased to 8mg. He decided to try to make them last by taking one each night until he could get to a pharmacy when they opened again on Monday. Charlie just wanted to go home to relax and calm down, even though I insisted that he should stay with us or I was happy to stay with him. That's when we drove him home and I hugged him for the last time. I actually spoke to him a few hours later after I called to check in on him. He told me that the London Ambulance Service had come back to him – a 'comfort' caller from 111, not a doctor – but nothing came of it so he was just unwinding by watching football and ordering a takeaway. The next morning, I messaged and called him but there was no reply. I immediately knew something bad had happened. By 1pm, Richard and I made our way to Charlie's flat but there was no reply to our knocks on the door, so we called the police. Once they arrived, they went inside and initially wouldn't let us follow them. When we eventually got in, we saw Charlie lifeless on the floor next to the sofa, with his uneaten takeaway on the coffee table. I actually recall a moment where I thought I saw his eyelashes flickering, so I shouted for the police to call an ambulance, but they assured me they had checked and Charlie was dead. The flickering was caused by a breeze from the open window. I ended up just lying on the floor and holding him, crying. SUDEP Action provide key services for those who have been affected by epilepsy and SUDEP. They offer free bereavement support to those who have lost a loved one to SUDEP, counselling and assist grieving families during the inquest process. SUDEP Action is passionate about providing information about SUDEP to help reduce risk to those living with epilepsy, as well as driving research to prevent future deaths. You can donate to SUDEP Action here It was the worst day of my life. When Charlie's body was released, we had a funeral for him. The church was filled with an outpouring of grief and love. In the ensuing months, we pushed for an inquest to identify exactly what went wrong. I even gave evidence and said that the Superdrug pharmacist 'wasted' my son's last day on earth, which I still stand by. Heartbreakingly, we also heard recordings of conversations Charlie and I had with NHS 111 where he pleaded with handlers: 'It's an emergency, do you understand?' The inquest concluded in February this year and the coroner highlighted 'a significant number of failures'. Notably that the GP didn't escalate the emergency prescription, that the pharmacist didn't communicate that he was actually locked out of his system so couldn't complete the 111 request, and that he only had two of the three drugs that Charlie needed. The biggest thing I was shocked to learn throughout this whole process is that certain medications can be requested in emergencies without a prescription – so long as you can prove you need it and you've previously been prescribed it. Charlie could've done that and then received five days of medication to tide him over – but not once was this mentioned to us on either day. Charlie could've been saved. If my son hadn't been failed by so many people, he'd be sitting with me now watching the tennis. This is why – with the help of SUDEP Action – I have created the Charlie Card (Get your Charlie Card from info@ which is an information card you can take to a pharmacist that quotes the Human Medicines Regulations Act 2012 in order to help get emergency medicines. More Trending And we're taking our fight to Downing Street now because we want Wes Streeting to make this knowledge more readily available. I want people to understand that Charlie's death was preventable. My loving and funny son could still be here if we knew this information. View More » As told to James Besanvalle Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: I've worked with a lot of celebrities – Gregg Wallace was the worst MORE: I put Momcozy's pregnancy pillow to the test to see if it could break my bad habit MORE: Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning was monumental – but I left disappointed Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Superbug That Can Feed on Plastic Is Spreading in Hospitals
A nasty bacterial superbug that kills hundreds of thousands of people per year is spreading through hospitals — and it feeds on something surprising, scientists have now found. Researchers from the Brunel University of London have found, per a new study in the journal Cell, that the bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa appears to "digest" medical plastic. Associated with more than 559,000 deaths globally per year, this drug-resistant bug is, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, believed to cause other illnesses like pneumonia or urinary tract infections. People often seem to develop it after surgery, but until this study, researchers weren't aware that it might be living or feeding on medical plastics. By analyzing a strain of the bacteria taken from a patient's wound swab, the microbial researchers found that P. aeruginosa seems specifically to survive longer on polycaprolactone, a plastic used in all kinds of medical interventions ranging from sutures, stints, and surgical mesh to wound dressings, drug-delivery patches, and implants. In Brunel University's press release about the "world-first" research, study leader Ronan McCarthy said this finding suggests that medical professionals should rethink how bugs spread throughout hospitals and other healthcare settings. "Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria," McCarthy said. "Pathogens with this ability could survive for longer in the hospital environment." The study also, as the professor noted, "means that any medical device or treatment that contains plastic" — including the ventilators some pneumonia patients need and catheters necessary for UTIs — "could be susceptible to degradation by bacteria." Beyond its ability to break down such important medical tools, the researchers also found that the enzyme they isolated appears to grow stronger biofilms, or outer layers that help bacteria resist antibiotics and make them harder to treat, after digesting plastic. Though there will obviously need to be more study to figure out how best to head off this plastic-eating menace, there's a 200-year history of pathogenic adaptation behind P. aeruginosa that suggests it may eventually circumvent any such measures. Still, McCarthy pointed out that scientists "need to understand the impact this has on patient safety." "Plastic is everywhere in modern medicine," he said, "and it turns out some pathogens have adapted to degrade it." More on bacteria: Mysterious Bacteria Not Found on Earth Are Growing on China's Space Station
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Deadly Hospital Superbug Could Eat Patient's Dressings, Implants and Sutures
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A potentially deadly hospital superbug is able to feast on and break down medical-grade plastics—including those used to make implants, sutures and wound dressings. This is the conclusion of a study by researchers from Brunel University of London, England, who warn that this trick could allow the bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to survive longer both within patients and on surfaces around hospital wards. The common hospital-acquired, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection is known to cause infections in the blood, lungs and urinary tract after surgery. While symptoms can vary depending on the site of infection, they can include pus discharge, aches, cough, fever, tiredness, confusion and shock. Notably, the bacteria is known as a major cause of catheter-related urinary tract infections (UTIs) and ventilator-associated pneumonia—both of which are associated with plastic-based medical equipment. The findings challenge the long-held assumption that pathogens are unable to degrade medical plastics, say the researchers. "Plastic is everywhere in modern medicine—and it turns out some pathogens have adapted to degrade it," said paper author and biomedical researcher professor Ronan McCarthy. He added: "We need to understand the impact this has on patient safety." Pictured: an artist's impression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, main, and plastic medical equipment, inset. Pictured: an artist's impression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, main, and plastic medical equipment, inset. ivan68 / quantic69/iStock / Getty Images Plus In their study, McCarthy and colleagues isolated an enzyme known as Pap1 from a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that was originally sampled from a patient's wound. In lab tests, the enzyme degraded 78 percent of a sample of polycaprolactone (PCL) within just seven days. PCL is a plastic commonly used in drug-delivery patches, stents, surgical mesh, sutures and wound dressings. This capacity, the team says, allows the bacteria to consume PCL as its sole source of carbon. Moreover, the researchers found that Pseudomonas aeruginosa can use broken-down plastic fragments to form tougher biofilms—coatings of protective slime that can increase antibiotic resistance and make infections harder to treat. With signs of similar enzymes seen in other pathogens, the team fears that other medical-grade plastics may also be vulnerable to becoming a bacterial feast—including such commonly used materials as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane (PUR). These compounds are used, for example, to make bone scaffolds, breast implants, bandages, catheters, dental implants and wound dressings. McCarthy said the findings mean that we need to reconsider how pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa exist in hospital environments. "Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria. Pathogens with this ability could survive for long in the hospital environment," McCarthy added. "It also means that any medical device or treatment that contains plastic could be susceptible to degradation by bacteria." Further studies will be needed, the researcher added, to determine how many pathogenic bacterial species use plastic-degrading enzymes, as well as what impacts such might have on their virulence. Going forward, McCarthy concluded, we may need to switch to using different, harder-to-digest plastics in medical applications, alongside factoring in the possibility of plastic-degrading enzymes playing a role in unexplained, long-lasting outbreaks. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about superbugs? Let us know via science@ Reference Howard, S. A., Dios, R. de, Maslova, E., Myridakis, A., Miller, T. H., & McCarthy, R. R. (2025). Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates can encode plastic-degrading enzymes that allow survival on plastic and augment biofilm formation. Cell Reports.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
More than 100 chemicals polluting South harbours
Researchers have found more than 100 unique chemical pollutants in two UK harbours, raising concerns about their impact on analysis of seawater, seaweed and shellfish from Langstone and Chichester harbours found chemical pollutants surged more than 100-fold after sewage found 105 unique pharmaceuticals, pesticides and illegal week Environment Agency data showed raw sewage was released into England's rivers and seas for a record 3,610,000 hours in 2024. The researchers were from Brunel University of London, the University of Portsmouth and Imperial College London, working with citizen scientists from the Clean Harbours study took 339 samples from 21 spots in the harbours, both Sites of Special Scientific Interest, during the spring and autumn of can slip through some wastewater treatment plants throughout the year but the autumn sampling coincided with rainy days, which caused combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to drive sewage into surface waters. "CSO discharges were an obvious source of chemical pollution in these waters," said Dr Thomas Miller from Brunel University of London, who led the study. "Our study found that some chemicals increased by over 100-fold in water after these discharges, making them a high risk to aquatic wildlife." An insecticide regularly used on domestic pets in flea and tick medication, Imidacloprid, was the highest risk based on levels found in surface water."Out of so many chemicals detected, the presence of pet tick and flea treatments in the harbours was especially concerning," said Dr Leon Barron, from Imperial College London."We urgently need to reassess the practice of blanket preventative treatment of our dogs and cats to help bring the risk down."The team's work will be published in the journal Environment International on Alex Ford, from the University of Portsmouth, added: "The impact of these contaminants we are yet to fully understand, but it's clear from our data that they increase substantially under storm events which discharge untreated sewage." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
23-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
You've probably never been worried about sinkholes – here's why you should be
Sinkholes are no longer rare – it's time to ask what's making them worse. For most of us, sinkholes are the stuff of science fiction movies – terrifying, but rare. That illusion collapsed this week in Godstone, Surrey, when two five-metre-deep holes suddenly opened up in a residential street, forcing the evacuation of 30 homes. Experts suspect a water main burst beneath the road and eroded the soil, in combination with the fact that the region's underground soils were once the home to the town's sand quarry. Dr Philip Collins, deputy dean of the College of Engineering at Brunel University of London, explained quite simply that the underlying sand likely became very 'weak when it becomes wet' and that, combined with some clay-rich layers in the Godstone sand, that likely would 'heave and shrink over time'. The reason behind the formation then may be very localised. But as scientists investigate, the incident serves as a reminder that sudden ground collapses are not as rare now as they once seemed. Around the world, sinkholes are appearing more frequently, and there is a budding understanding of how climate change might be driving these formations, with changing rainfall conditions, both when the underlying soil is too wet and too dry. In January 2021, a sinkhole in Naples swallowed a hospital car park, causing power outages and temporary disruptions at the Ospedale del Mare, which had a Covid-19 recovery unit. In 2022, sinkholes swallowed roads and farmland in parts of China, including Guangxi and Hunan. Scientists have linked increasing sinkhole activity in some regions to changing rainfall patterns and groundwater depletion. In May 2023, a long-dormant sinkhole in Daisetta, Texas, first formed in 2008, suddenly expanded overnight by 150 feet, raising concerns for nearby homes and infrastructure. From Europe to the US and Asia, sinkholes are appearing in new areas, and this seems to be happening with greater frequency, as extreme weather and human activity make the ground more unstable. Sinkholes happen when underground layers of soil or rock weaken and collapse, often due to shifts in water levels. Picture a sponge drying out and shrinking, then suddenly being soaked with water. It softens, buckles, and caves in. Climate change is intensifying both extremes – droughts that deplete underground reservoirs and storms that overwhelm the land with too much water too quickly. In north-eastern Spain, researchers found a consistent link between sinkholes and drought periods. When underground aquifers dry up, air pockets replace the missing water, leaving the surface fragile. The next heavy rain, instead of replenishing the ground, saturates the weakened soil and triggers collapses. A similar pattern has been observed in Florida, where hurricanes bring record-breaking rainfall after months of dry conditions, causing land to crumble weeks after the storm has passed. Following Hurricane Ian in 2022, sinkholes began appearing across central Florida, swallowing roads and backyards long after the floodwaters had receded. Unlike hurricanes or wildfires, sinkholes do not come with forecasts or evacuation warnings. We can't monitor them like we do the weather. For the most part, like they did this week, they open without notice. This makes them extremely dangerous in urban areas where underground infrastructure and ageing roads combine with a drought or over-extraction of underground water. And after this week, they now take up way too much rent-free space in my head. The financial cost of these disasters is rising as well. In the US, sinkhole-related damage now exceeds $300 million annually. In China's Shaanxi province, more than 20,000 sinkholes were recorded between 2000 and 2020, a number that continues to grow as rainfall patterns shift. In the Middle East, excessive groundwater extraction has led to increased sinkhole activity in Iran, Jordan, and the Dead Sea region, where over 6,000 sinkholes have formed due to falling water levels. This is part of what climate change looks like. It might not be the part you thought to expect and may not have directly contributed to this week's sinkholes in Godstone, but it is increasingly part of the patchwork of climatic uncertainty. We are not just at risk from heatwaves and melting ice caps, but changes in rainfall patterns literally seep into the soil and make the very ground we walk on increasingly unstable. Although there are multi-input efforts to model and improve geological stability around the world, it's still very hard to predict or prevent sinkholes from forming. We can, however, start treating them as a symptom made potentially worse and far more common by our much larger addiction to burning fossil fuels and our general neglect of the uniquely changing Earth around us, both above our heads and below our feet.
