Tag: health

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Water bills reporting does not add up Scottish charges which are lower for better water

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From BBC Business today: The average annual water and sewerage bill is expected to rise by 6% in England and Wales, up £27 to £473, says suppliers’ trade body Water UK. In Scotland, water and waste charges will go up by 8.8%, a rise of £36. From BBC Scotland yesterday: Water bills in Scotland will increase by 8.8% from April. Scottish Water said the rise was needed to provide “significant investment” in replacing ageing infrastructure and improving services. The publicly-owned company dismissed reports that it was already planning similar-sized increases for a further two years beyond 2024. This year’s increase … Continue reading Water bills reporting does not add up Scottish charges which are lower for better water

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Not one case of measles in Scotland for three years, 95% vaccination and the Herald’s health correspondent tries to suggest it’s like the West Midlands here too

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I’m indebted to for As a genuine and scary surge in measles cases after plummeting vaccination rates among young children explodes in parts of England, especially London and the West Midlands, the Herald’s Helen McUrdle, yesterday, asks: Measles, MMR, vaccine hesitancy: How at risk is Scotland? and suggests: The West Midlands region of England is in the grip of its worst measles outbreak since the 1990s, while uptake of the MMR vaccine in Scotland is at it lowest level since records began in 2014. Her report is packed full of England’s data and a Roald Dahl story. There’s no sign … Continue reading Not one case of measles in Scotland for three years, 95% vaccination and the Herald’s health correspondent tries to suggest it’s like the West Midlands here too

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More on MMR immunisation in Scotland – latest research

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By stewartb Let me share some other positive insights on MMR immunisation, this time from a recent peer reviewed research paper: Source: McQuaid F, Mulholland R, Sangpang Rai Y, Agrawal U, Bedford H, Cameron JC, et al. (2022) Uptake of infant and preschool immunisations in Scotland and England during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study of routinely collected data. PLoS Med 19(2): e1003916. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003916 ‘We found that early uptake of infant and preschool immunisations (within 4 weeks of a child becoming eligible) ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE DURATION OF THE FIRST LOCKDOWN PERIOD IN SCOTLAND, RESULTING IN THOUSANDS MORE CHILDREN RECEIVING THEIR … Continue reading More on MMR immunisation in Scotland – latest research

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Measles outbreak – Surely the Herald would not cherry pick dates?

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By stewartb The absence of news coverage of measles from a Scotland perspective in the relevant section of the BBC News website is worthy of note. After all, BBC Scotland supposedly provides a public service and arguably, issues of public health relevant to children merit greater attention. BBC Scotland COULD communicate the significance of Scotland’s relatively high rate of MMR vaccine take-up and provide evidence – for context and perspective – which would encourage even higher levels. It’s not as if BBC Scotland has always been ‘disinterested’! From its News website dated 25 June 2019 we find this headline: ‘MMR … Continue reading Measles outbreak – Surely the Herald would not cherry pick dates?

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Scotland’s ‘safest in UK’ measles vaccination rates not worth comparing in the media unlike drug deaths

johnrobertson834

The Guardian today has: UK measles outbreaks: why are cases rising and vaccination rates falling? BBC London has: Mum urges vaccine push and shares how son died after catching measles The UK Mail has: UK GRIPPED BY MEASLES CRISIS The Mail in Scotland has only WhatsApp cover-ups and BBC Scotland focus on the same plus catching up on Michelle Mone. What is the actual situation in Scotland with regard to measles vaccination rates compared to rUK figures? Well it’s pretty newsworthy you’d think. Typically in the West Midlands, they’d see no cases but in the last month they’ve had 50! … Continue reading Scotland’s ‘safest in UK’ measles vaccination rates not worth comparing in the media unlike drug deaths

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The Campaign to blame the SNP for Covid deaths contrary to the facts is underway

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When the otherwise excellent Open Democracy seems to have swallowed the myth, much loved by Anas Sarwar, that Covid 19 deaths in care homes were the result of hospital discharges of untested patients into them, you know the campaign to turn around the story of Scotland’s better pandemic performance, is well on the way. Yesterday, they had: Care home deaths soared as Holyrood took two months to introduce testing for outgoing hospital patients, inquiry hears. Donald Macaskill, the chief executive of Scottish Care, which represents the country’s independent social care sector, said he warned the then-secretary for health and sport, … Continue reading The Campaign to blame the SNP for Covid deaths contrary to the facts is underway

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Misleading the public on hospital operations in Scotland for cheap political gain

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In the Herald’s health newsletter and big on their website, today: It is fairly obvious that clearing the elective waiting list backlog depends on ramping up the number of patients getting into theatre for surgery. Yet the results of a new workforce survey, published today, highlight that a lack of available theatre spaces is (alongside stress and burnout) the number one gripe for the nation’s surgeons. Indeed, the most recent available data for Scotland illustrates just how much patient turnover continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. As of November 2023, a total of 25,922 operations were scheduled for theatre in … Continue reading Misleading the public on hospital operations in Scotland for cheap political gain

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SNP Government protecting Scotland from deadly measles outbreak spreading across Europe and ‘third world’ UK

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Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this. After the bombing of Yemen, this was the top story at 6pm on BBC News. The focus was on the West Midlands after describing a surge in cases across Europe and attributing this to a fall in vaccination rates. No Scottish data were presented and Reporting Scotland at 6.30pm clearly felt no need to inform let alone reassure. Typically in the West Midlands, they’d see no cases but in the last month they’ve had 50! Globally infections, according to the WHO had gone up from less than 1 000 to … Continue reading SNP Government protecting Scotland from deadly measles outbreak spreading across Europe and ‘third world’ UK

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Why are radioactivity in food safety standards in Japan up to 100 times more protective of consumers than they are in the UK?

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In the National, today, form the above SNP MP, Allan Dorans and extended and well-researched piece on the presence of radioactivity in seafood and larger mammals on the Ayrshire coast, resulting from leaks in the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plan in Cumbria, just down the coast and subject to tidal flows. Here’s the chunk that most made me think: In 2016, researchers at Glasgow University reported ‘enhanced’ radioactivity levels, in shellfish catches, at a number of coastal locations in Cumbria, near the Sellafield plant, and on the west coast of Scotland, including the village of Maidens, in my Ayrshire constituency.[i] The … Continue reading Why are radioactivity in food safety standards in Japan up to 100 times more protective of consumers than they are in the UK?

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NHS Scotland staffed and equipped for 98% of operations to be done on time despite major increases

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From Public Health Scotland yesterday: The number of planned operations has been steadily increasing since pandemic restrictions first affected provision of services in March 2020. In the 12 months to November 2023, there was a 11.3% increase in the number of planned operations compared to the previous 12 months. This compares to a 16.8% year-on-year increase when comparing year ending November 2022 to year ending November 2021.  Of all planned operations during November 2023 in NHSScotland, 820 (3.2%) were cancelled by the hospital based on clinical reasons, 737 (2.8%) were cancelled by the patient, 582 (2.2%) were cancelled by the … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and equipped for 98% of operations to be done on time despite major increases