Category: Health

The purchase of more than 150,000 doses of mpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic will help ensure the UK is well prepared for any cases of clade I mpox that may enter the country….reports Asian Lite News

The Government has ordered more mpox vaccine doses to help boost the country’s resilience against clade I mpox, as it also continues to support the international effort to control the disease.

The purchase of more than 150,000 doses of mpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic will help ensure the UK is well prepared for any cases of clade I mpox that may enter the country. This purchase will enable the NHS to vaccinate those that may be at higher risk of coming into contact with mpox, with separate rollouts across all 4 devolved nations.

The vaccine will be offered to those eligible in stages as it becomes available over time and based on clinical need.

The purchase of this vaccine comes amid growing concern over the spread of clade I mpox which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) after an upsurge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and parts of Africa.

The government is at the forefront of the international response, through early, critical support to the DRC, the epicentre of the mpox outbreak, and through leading investment in multilateral organisations that are essential for responding to health emergencies.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said, “The government is taking action to boost the UK’s resilience against clade I mpox, while providing critical support to countries at the centre of the outbreak. No cases of clade I mpox have been detected in the UK, but we are taking steps to ensure the country is prepared with a robust vaccination programme that protects those who may be at high risk. Across government, we are closely monitoring the spread of this virus overseas and are proud to be at the forefront of the international response, including through our early support to the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, said, “There are no cases of clade I mpox confirmed in the UK and the risk to the general UK population of being exposed to mpox clade I is currently considered low. However, we are preparing for any cases that we might see in the UK and vaccination plays a vital part in our defences. Alongside vaccination, we have been working rapidly to ensure that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.”

Last month, the Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, visited the DRC and announced over £3 million of UK funding to partner with UNICEF in order to bolster efforts to tackle mpox and cholera outbreaks in the DRC, helping to prevent the further spread of mpox to neighbouring countries. Through our new partnership with UNICEF we will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities, raising awareness of mpox, boosting the DRC’s response by strengthening surveillance of mpox, and help to prevent the further spread of mpox to neighbouring countries.

As the largest flexible donor to the WHO globally (£340m 2020-2024), the UK supports the WHO to prepare for health emergencies and respond to them quickly. The UK is also providing £3 million to WHO’s Regional Office for Africa for health emergency response.

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The offer was made by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in late July – just weeks after Labour won the election….reports Asian Lite News

Junior doctors in England have accepted the government’s offer of a 22% pay rise over two years, ending their long-running dispute.

Members of the British Medical Association backed the deal with 66% voting in favour. Nearly 46,000 took part in the online ballot. It brings to an end the 18-month dispute, which saw junior doctors take part in 11 separate strikes. But the BMA warned it expected more above-inflation pay rises in future years or there would be “consequences”.

The offer was made by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in late July – just weeks after Labour won the election.

He said he was “pleased” it had been accepted, ending the “most devastating dispute in the health service’s history”. “This marks the necessary first step in our mission to cut waiting lists, reform the broken health service, and make it fit for the future,” Streeting added.

The pay deal includes a 4% backdated pay rise for 2023-24, on top of the existing increase they have already received worth an average of 9% for the last financial year.

A further pay rise worth about 8% will be paid for 2024-25, as recommended by an independent pay review body. That brings the total over the two years to around 22%, on average, for each junior doctor, with the lowest paid set to receive the largest increases. The BMA had been campaigning for a 35% pay increase to make up for what it says are years of below-inflation pay rises.

Industrial action in the NHS is estimated to have cost taxpayers around £1.7 billion during 2023 and 2024. Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the British Medical Association, said it should never have taken “so long” to get to this point. They described the deal as a “modest” above-inflation award – and still left pay below what it had been in 2008.

And they said they in future years the expectation was that pay would continue going up above inflation – and if that did not happen the government needed to be “prepared for consequences”. “We thank all doctors who have seen us through to this point by standing on picket lines and fighting for their worth. The campaign is not over, but we, and they, can be proud of how far we have come.”

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “Health leaders will breathe a massive sigh of relief to know that the dispute has come to a successful resolution. “The last thing our members wanted was the threat of more strikes over what is expected to be a very difficult winter.”

Junior doctors in Wales recently voted in favour of an improved pay deal, while in Northern Ireland talks are ongoing and no strike action is currently planned. Junior doctors did not take industrial action in Scotland after they accepted a pay offer from the devolved government last year. The announcement comes ahead of the title of junior doctor being dropped in favour of the term resident doctors from Wednesday. Streeting agreed to the change during the talks.

The term junior doctor has long been disliked by the BMA, which believes it did not reflect the experience and standing of junior doctors – some of whom can have eight or more years experience.

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The senior royal said she was looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a “few more” public engagements in the coming months when she can….reports Asian Lite News

Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, on Monday, in a video message, announced that she has completed her chemotherapy treatment and is now focussed on “staying cancer-free”.

The 42-year-old future Queen, in a similar video message back in March, revealed her cancer diagnosis, saying she would be stepping back from royal duties to focus on her treatment for the undisclosed form of cancer.

In the latest, more intimate footage, the Princess spends time with her husband, Prince William and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – at their Norfolk family home in eastern England.

“As the summer ends, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” said Kate.

“Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” she said in the candid video.

The Princes of Wales shared that the past few months reminded her and her husband, heir to the British throne, to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, “which so many of us often take for granted”.

“Of simply loving and being loved. Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said.

The senior royal said she was looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a “few more” public engagements in the coming months when she can.

“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time.” “Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion have been truly humbling. To all those who are continuing their cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright,” she concluded.

According to Kensington Palace, the video was filmed in Norfolk last month and includes footage of the royal family enjoying time together in the woods and on the beach, playing cards, and having a picnic.

Kate Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton are also filmed playing games with the family. In a departure from the norm, Kate and William can be seen cuddling each other and William kissing his wife on the cheek.

According to their palace office, the Princess of Wales is expected to work from home and gradually undertake a few public engagements in the coming months. Her next major event is expected to be when she joins other royal family members at the annual World War Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph in central London in November.

Prince Andrew to pay costs or move out of Windsor mansion

The Duke of York will have to pay his own costs for the upkeep and security of the Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor if he is to remain living there. Substantial subsidies from King Charles III and the Royal Family are not going to be available indefinitely for his accommodation in the 30-room house in Windsor Great Park.

Prince Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estate to stay in the house until 2078. But it’s suggested he has to be self-financing if he wants to fulfil the requirements to keep up the maintenance of the 19th Century listed building.

The pressure to move Prince Andrew, who lives in the house with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has been called the “Siege of Royal Lodge”.

And the sense of a prince under siege is likely to increase with a new Amazon film to be released next week about his 2019 Newsnight interview, which will re-ignite questions about his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However sources suggest that moving out of Royal Lodge – perhaps to a smaller property such as Frogmore Cottage once used by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – is about long-term financial pragmatism rather than family disagreements.

It’s said that with Prince Andrew in his sixties there will be a plan needed for affordable accommodation for him in the future, not just now but in 10 or 20 years. If he can privately fund the high costs of the maintenance and the security for a building on the grand scale of Royal Lodge, then he can remain, but if not then it seems that he will need to consider living elsewhere, as the current financial support from the King is not going to continue.

If the prince moved out, it’s suggested that the historic Royal Lodge could be used as a commercial asset by the Crown Estate, rented in some way that would work with the security considerations of a house on the Windsor estate.

Prince Andrew’s lease on the property began in August 2003 – in the year following the death of its previous occupant, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The prince had approached the Crown Estate about acquiring the lease – and renting it to Prince Andrew as a paying tenant was seen as financially preferable to using it as a “grace and favour” residence for the Royal Family.

The house had been in need of renovation and the arrangement saw Prince Andrew taking on that initial cost, more than £7.5m at the time, rather than the Crown Estate having to pay for repairs. He had also made a one-off payment of £1m to his landlords, the Crown Estate, the independent body that manages crown property, according to documents from the National Audit Office which examined the arrangements in 2005.

There was also the option of a one-off payment of £2.5m as a way of buying out the annual rental. With its proximity to other royal residences, it was also thought that leasing it to Prince Andrew was a better arrangement in terms of security, rather than offering the house to the “wider market”.

The 75-year lease agreement prevents Prince Andrew from gaining financially from any increase in the value of the house – and apart from the prince the lease can only be subsequently assigned to his daughters or his widow. If Prince Andrew wants to terminate the lease, it will revert to the Crown Estate.

But there was a clause that if he left the house within 25 years of the start of the lease he would receive compensation for his original payment on repairs – with that amount shrinking each year.

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