Some think a health insurance model should replace the NHS. Ongoing pet insurance issues (eg coverage, comprehensiveness, cost, moral hazard) show how insurance has its own perils.
BBC News - I was left with an £8,000 vet bill when my insurer cancelled my pet policy
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
⏳ With only one week left, this is your last opportunity to contribute your research to the 5 Nations 2026 programme. 👉 5-nations.com/the-conferen...
First imported human case of influenza A(H9N2) infection in the EU.
A human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) infection in a returning traveller from a non-European country where the virus has previously been identified in birds, has been reported in Lombardy, Italy.
bit.ly/3O1bVj6
#AvianFlu
Have you noticed how media stories can be formulaic?
1. Super scary event
2. Heroic responders, desperate measures
3. Who to blame?
This formula distorts the truth.
Not all events are catastrophic. Measures aren't always desperate, & sometimes no one is to blame.
Factual balanced reporting please
FWIW, I don't think the response to #meningitis in #Kent was delayed. If anything, it has been swift, especially when you consider complexity of the situation, painstaking investigations & tests that need to be done, + organising antibiotic dispensing & vaccines, & multi-agency coordination needed.
This year's 5 Nations Health Protection Conference is in Glasgow on June 29-30.
Registration is now OPEN!
Register now & don’t miss the chance to be part of the programme👉5-nations.com/register/
4 weeks left to submit an abstract, so make sure to submit yours on time!
#5Nations
#HealthProtection
#Measles #outbreak in #London isn't just a local risk. People travel. So, outbreaks can & do spread elsewhere. High #vaccine coverage levels offers the best protection as it means the virus will have nowhere to go. There'll be pockets where trust in vaccines is low & tailored efforts will be needed.
Anti-vaccine sentiment is rising, boosted by social media, activism & mis-info. Conventional approaches to address convenience, complacency & confidence factors aren't enough. What else can & should we be doing?
Read our editorial here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@rsph.bsky.social
Sad that UK lost measles elimination status. With insufficient population immunity risk of outbreaks is heightened. It's a nasty illness (pneumonia, encephalitis etc) with long-term consequences (eg deafness, blindness) & it's a killer. Our best defence is achieving high levels of vaccine coverage.
Step 3:
Respond using a key message that
(a) unmasks the technique used, &
(b) relates to the topic raised.
Source: Dubé È, Ward JK, Verger P, MacDonald NE. Vaccine hesitancy, acceptance, and anti-vaccination: trends and future prospects for public health. Ann Rev Pub Health. 2021.
3/3
Step 2. Identify the topic (most arguments against vaccines fit within 5 categories):
- distrust in health authorities and health care providers
- low threat of disease
- lack of effectiveness of vaccines
- unsafe vaccines
- and alternatives to vaccines.
2/3
Step 1. Identify technique used by vaccine critics:
- use of conspiracy theories
- reference to fake experts
- selectivity in evidence used to criticize vaccines (cherry-picking from studies)
- impossible expectations (e.g., a vaccine that is 100% safe)
- misrepresentation or false logic.
1/3
The growing #anti-vax sentiment worldwide is quite concerning.
For my #publichealth colleagues, if there's one article you read on this topic, I'd recommend 👇
#Vaccine Hesitancy, Acceptance, and Anti-Vaccination: Trends and Future Prospects for Public Health www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Neighbourhood social interaction & attachment may buffer the negative impact of living alone on loneliness.
Danish study by Jakobsen published in #PublicHealth journal
@rsph.bsky.social
Read it here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Persistent #inequities and #InverseCare laws for #healthcare #workforce distribution in #England appear largely unchanged over the past 20 years.
Article by Clarke, Quinn & Peat in #PublicHealth
@rsph.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New analysis from WHO on vaccine safety based on available evidence found that no causal link exists between vaccines & autism spectrum disorders.
Childhood vaccines don't cause autism but they do protect kids against some pretty nasty diseases that you wouldn't want.
www.who.int/news/item/11...
#UKHSA has identified a new recombinant #mpox virus in England containing genetic elements from clade Ib & IIb mpox in a returning traveller from Asia. www.gov.uk/government/n...
...versus current GP #influenza -like illness rates where rates were <20 per 100,000 for week up to Dec 4. www.gov.uk/government/s...
As you say, flu vax important especially for high risk groups, and I don't doubt ongoing NHS pressures and capacity which is a separate matter.
...2/2
Agree reporting of #flu this season seems disproportionate.
Useful to compare historical weekly all age GP influenza-like illness rates (esp 1999/2000 season) (as reported by RCGP surveillance) with rates well over >200 per 100,000 webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/202204...
... (1/2)
🧵 Is it a super flu year? Who knows, but I think the current reporting is stupid.
A pissed off thread using data.
Firstly - here are today's headlines and some from the last 3 years... spot the difference. 1/10
The evidence was reported to be limited & inconsistent.
Medication reviews focused on #deprescribing were linked with reduced mortality in community settings but not in hospitals.
Behavioral & educational-behavioral interventions may be effective in reducing hospitalizations.
2/2
#Polypharmacy in the #elderly is a common issue with considerable consequences.
An umbrella review of meta-analyses of RCTs published in #PublicHealth #RSPH journal explores the evidence on interventions to manage polypharmacy in older adults
👇
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/2
Avoiding corporate amnesia in health systems – the need for organizational memory.
Topical in England as major changes to #NHS management takes place & runs the risk of loss of organisational memory embedded in its staff.
Editorial in #publichealth #RSPH
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A bright red WHO graphic with the title “Don’t” in a white speech bubble. Below it are text bubbles: • “Don’t use antibiotics for common cold, flu and sore throats. They don’t treat viruses.” • “Don’t share it with others.” • "Don’t save antibiotics for later.” At the bottom, bold text reads: “Make smart choices.” and “Protect life-saving medicines for everyone.”
To keep antibiotics effective for everyone, here’s what NOT to do:
❌ Do not use antibiotics for colds, flu or sore throats. Antibiotics do not treat viruses.
❌ Do not share your antibiotics with others.
❌ Do not save leftover antibiotics for use later.
Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4otAEcV
Mind the (widening) gap: why public health must engage with AI now.
"Without deliberate engagement, AI risks reinforcing existing inequities."
Interesting commentary by @martinmckee.bsky.social and colleagues in the latest edition of Public Health
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#Flu circulating in UK earlier than previous years. Links to #H3N2 subtype with speculation of a "bad" flu season ahead. Still early days & some uncertainty, but initial analysis by #UKHSA shows reassuring vaccine effectiveness vs severe disease for this year's vaccine. www.gov.uk/government/n...
Significant association between chemsex &
- syphilis (pooled OR: 1.741)
- gonorrhea (pooled OR: 1.784)
- chlamydia (pooled OR: 1.429)
Interventions needed to address chemsex behaviors, including harm reduction strategies, STI prevention programs & culturally competent healthcare services.
2/2
Association of #chemsex and risk of #chlamydia, #gonorrhoea, and #syphilis infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Latest article in #PublicHealth journal by Satapathy P et al.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@rsph.bsky.social
1/2
📰News!📰Great to see our collaborative research shared by
GOV.UK!
Thousands with undiagnosed hepatitis and HIV found in A&E testing.
Read more ➡️ tinyurl.com/y7h3d926 @jhorwood.bsky.social @nhsengland.bsky.social @ukhsa.bsky.social
Quite like the AI generated comic that summarises an old paper of mine on the access barriers to health care for chronic #HepatitisB in #migrant #Chinese communities in Western countries. Might make reading academic papers much more attractive!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....