Brace for early flu season in England and get vaccinated, say experts

The flu season could be coming early this year, public health experts in England have said, adding that those who are eligible for a free vaccination should take up their offer.According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), an increase in flu levels in England is being driven by cases among younger adults and schoolchildren.It comes as Japan’s health authorities declared an influenza epidemic, with a higher than usual number of infections for the time of year.A report by the UKHSA suggests that while flu levels are rising in England, they remain within baseline – or typical – seasonal ranges. But it added that the levels were similar to those seen when the flu season came early in 2022-23

UK woman who travelled with husband to assisted dying clinic will not face charges

A woman who accompanied her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland has been told she will not face charges.Louise Shackleton, 59, handed herself in to police on her return from a Dignitas clinic after the death of her husband, Anthony, last December. North Yorkshire police said this week that although the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was evidence of assisted suicide, it was not in the public interest to prosecute her.In England and Wales, “assisting a suicide” is a crime with a maximum sentence of 14 years. A similar law is in place in Northern Ireland

Experts urge UK to ban cigarette filters to protect health and environment

Cigarette filters do not work and are a major source of plastic pollution that should be banned by the UK government, experts have said.In an editorial in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, researchers argue that ministers should use a forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill to “ban filters in the interests of public health and the environment”.“Cigarette filters were designed to give the false impression of safety,” said Dr Katherine East, associate professor in public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who is lead author on the editorial.“In reality, they do not reduce toxicant exposure and may even increase harm, because they lead people to inhale deeper and for longer and can embed harmful fibres and microplastics in the lungs. They are also a major contributor to the global plastic waste crisis

‘Gruesome videos’: social media pushes distressing news to children, experts say

More than half of children who get news from social media are left worried and upset after seeing content that involves war, violence and death, according to new research that found social media companies are “pushing” distressing news to children who are not seeking it.Videos of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the Liverpool parade car-ramming attack, scenes from wars, shootings, stabbings and car crashes have recently been pushed into children’s feeds, research by Internet Matters, an online safety organisation, has found. As a result, 39% of those who saw distressing content described themselves as very or extremely upset and worried by it.More than two-thirds of children are getting news from social media apps including TikTok and Instagram, but 40% do not follow news-focused accounts and are instead coming across stories through recommendation algorithms. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of those who get news from social media have seen a worrying or upsetting story in the past month

English councils to remain poorer than in 2010 despite funding rise, says report

Councils in England will still be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were in 2010 despite Labour’s funding increases, according to analysis by the Institute for Government (IfG).Funding cuts from 2010 to 2019 were so severe that they left gaps that could not be filled even by five years of above-inflation increases, leaving local authorities increasingly reliant on emergency funding and capable of providing only legally mandated services, the report shows.The government increased local authority funding by more than 4% in real terms this year, and has promised an increase of more than 1% above inflation each year for the next three years. However, the IfG report suggests the damage done by years of cuts is so severe that many people will not notice any difference to their local services.Stuart Hoddinott, the author of the report, said: “Most public services struggled when spending was cut during the early 2010s, but few as much as local government

Who’s to blame for the NHS’s blame culture? | Letters

Jeremy Hunt’s article (Here’s the direct effect of our NHS blame culture: babies die. Tragedy after tragedy, it can’t go on, 9 October) will be welcome to many, especially those healthcare professionals who have had to endure the intimidating mistrust and adversarial working culture he describes.What is missing from his account is the seminal role of government’s NHS reforms in creating these problems. In particular, the creation, then proliferation, of commercialised and competing autarkic NHS trusts and outside providers over many years. This has generated a growing culture of corporate defensiveness and reputation anxiety