Health & Wellbeing

There are many common respiratory viruses seen in children, which most will have had by the time they turn two. However, with the reduction in transmission of viral infections last year, there is an increasing number of young children who have never been exposed to these common viruses.

This can lead to bronchiolitis, an infection of the lower airways that can make the airways inflamed and mucusy.

Staff at The Priory and Edgbaston Hospitals in Birmingham have been recognised for the vital work they did to deliver lifesaving treatment to cancer patients during the pandemic. The prestigious ‘Hospital Group’ award is presented to an organisation that has shown excellence in its delivery of care, in addition to innovation and transformation in challenging circumstances.  

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has a huge task ahead of him to deliver millions of booster jabs in the run-up to Christmas.

While speaking outside a vaccination hub at St Thomas' Hospital in south London, Javid realised his questioner had yet to get a third dose, despite now being eligible under the revised three-month gap.

Nearly two thirds of A&Es across the UK had ambulances waiting to transfer patients every day in the past week, according to a new survey from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

The latest RCEM survey covers the period 8 November to 14 November 2021 and was sent to Clinical Leads in Emergency Departments across the UK and received 70 responses.

Africa’s sharp increase in diabetes is clashing with the COVID-19 pandemic and poor access to vaccines. Africa’s death rates from COVID-19 infections are significantly higher in patients with diabetes, according to a preliminary analysis which the World Health Organization (WHO) presented in advance of the World Diabetes Day.

“COVID-19 is delivering a clear message: fighting the diabetes epidemic in Africa is in many ways as critical as the battle against the current pandemic,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

At the Kingston Public Hospital, Rupert Dixon appeared to be on the mend. He was recovering from two hospitalizations and a surgery after taking the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. But things took a turn for the worse in the days after - when Mr. Dixon died of a stroke.

His death certificate stated that thrombosis, after taking the Covid-19 vaccine, contributed to his death. Before the vaccine, 68-year-old Rupert Dixon said he’d never been ill.

South Africa has complained it is being punished - instead of applauded - for discovering Omicron, a concerning new variant of Covid-19.

The foreign ministry made the statement as countries around the world restricted travel from southern Africa as details of the spread emerged. Early evidence suggests Omicron has a higher re-infection risk.

With Boris Johnson announcing new travel and face mask rules in response to two cases of the omicron variant being identified in the UK, the PM said that, from today, people must wear masks in shops and on public transport. This morning, we sought the views of small business owners around the UK.

Dr Jackie Mulligan, Founder at ShopLocalOnline.org, says: "I think the reintroduction of travel and face mask rules is the right decision.

Only 27% of health workers in Africa have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving the bulk of the workforce on the frontlines against the pandemic unprotected, a preliminary analysis by World Health Organisation (WHO) shows.

Analysis of data reported from 25 countries finds that since March 2021, 1.3 million health workers were fully vaccinated, with just six countries reaching more than 90%, while nine countries have fully vaccinated less than 40%. In sharp contrast, a recent WHO global study of 22 mostly high-income countries reported that above 80% of their health and care workers are fully vaccinated.

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the UN’s international 16 Days of Action campaign against gender-based violence.

Councillor John Cotton looks at how Birmingham is working towards making its public spaces safer for everyone. Walking home from a friend’s house, from work, from a night out – wherever home may be – should be something anyone can do without fear of attack or abuse.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have now confirmed there is avian influenza A(H5N1) in the wild bird population in Walsall.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is now urging people in Walsall not to touch any sick or dead wild birds in the borough – with avian flu confirmed in the swan population in the Stubbers Green area.

“If it wasn’t for all the support that we’ve received we might still be in a very deep and dark place,” says mum Sharn.

She says the day she received the diagnosis about her daughter Maya’s condition was the worst day of her life. “‘Your daughter is blind’ were four words that changed my life forever. I heard them when Maya was just nine weeks old – it felt like someone had crushed me.

Young people aged 16 and 17 can now get a second dose of the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine, and are being urged to book theirs as soon as it is due.

Previously only adults were offered a second dose, but eligibility has now been extended to 16 and 17-year-olds. They are able to have their second dose 12 weeks after their first jab, or eight weeks after if they are at high risk from Covid-19 or they live with someone who is more likely to get infections.

EcoTherapy is about going out into nature. Of course, this is not always possible.

So, Ann Palmer has hit on a way of bringing nature into heart, mind, body and spirit by writing and singing EcoSongs. She puts celebratory, positive, empowering, uplifting eco-lyrics to famous out-of-copyright song-tunes, anthems, carols and hymns.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021, which ran from 18-24 November, called on policymakers, healthcare providers and the general public to ‘spread awareness, stop resistance’ to the prescribing and use of antibiotics.

To coincide with WAAW, UKHSA released The English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance which includes national surveillance data on antimicrobial prescribing, resistance and stewardship.

Recently qualified students are pinning their hopes on a nursing career after receiving their University of Wolverhampton nurses’ badges at a moving ceremony recently. 

The 60 pre-registration student nurses, who were based at the University’s Walsall Campus, all qualified during the Covid-19 pandemic. The students completed their Master’s and undergraduate degrees in Adult Nursing as well as Learning Disability Nursing and Children’s Nursing undergraduate degree courses earlier this year.