Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north London

A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment.Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can spread very easily among people who are not fully vaccinated. While many people recover, the illness can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation and, in rare cases, long-term disability or death.Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “Our latest data shows we are now seeing a big measles outbreak in north-east London, mostly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 in schools and nurseries, with some being hospitalised

Challenges of being a GP in remote areas | Letter

Regarding your report (Lake District village struggles to find GP – despite ad pledging ‘we’ll never run out of beer’, 11 February), Coniston’s situation is not a question of marketing flair but of structural pressure in rural general practice.Findings from a recent survey of our member doctors working in rural and remote areas underline the scale of the challenge. One in four doctors told us that working in a single-handed practice has negatively affected their wellbeing or contributed to burnout.A striking 71% believe rural and remote healthcare is not properly understood by government and policymakers. Doctors have told us that there is a “lack of rural-proofing policy”, with services increasingly centralised and general practice described as “defunded and salami-sliced”

Jess Phillips calls for Epstein files to be catalyst for long-term legislative change

Institutions can be persuaded to take action on violence against women and girls only when some sort of “calamity” or “political scandal” hits the headlines, Jess Phillips has said.Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said she wanted to use the momentum from the Jeffrey Epstein files to push for long-term legislative change and greater support for survivors, rather than quick-fix reactive policy announcements.Writing for the Guardian, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley said: “If repentance and sorrow is all we achieve out of the courage of the Epstein victims, we will have failed. Change is all that will suffice.“The long-term strategy of the government must be exactly that – long term

‘It matters if you have a parent with an expensive house’: how Australia’s great wealth transfer threatens faith in the fair go

Kim Day has got word that her mother-in-law is dying. At last. It’s good news for one half of Kath and Kim, the noughties comedy series that delighted international audiences with its satirisation-come-celebration of the comforts, proclivities and aspirations of middle Australia. By series three, Kim (Gina Riley) is struggling; she has a new baby and is living in her mother Kath’s (Jane Turner) house in Fountain Lakes – a mottled-brick, wide-lawned every-suburb. But her mother-in-law on the Gold Coast is rich

‘We almost lost you in the night’ - the life-threatening rise of measles in the UK

Saijal Ladd’s week in hospital remains a blur. The very worst days still feel like a fog, punctuated by two nightmarish memories. First, attempting to speak to a consultant to discuss if she should be rushed to ICU, but being unable to form words through her breathlessness. And later, a family member’s exhausted face mouthing: “We almost lost you in the night.”The 53-year-old had called an ambulance when what she had assumed was flu became so severe she could barely walk, and she experienced diarrhoea and violent vomiting

Social media misleads young on gender transitioning, says UK review leader

The expert who led the review into youth gender identity services has said young people are being misinformed by “unrealistic” portrayals of transitioning on social media.Hilary Cass, the British paediatrician whose review of NHS gender care led to a significant shift including a ban on puberty blockers, warned of “unrealistic images and expectations on social media” when it came to “what transition would really mean and how hard it would be”, including “quite intensive medical treatments” and “sometimes quite brutal surgeries”.Lady Cass told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “There are a tiny number of people who will never be comfortable with their biological sex, with the gender associated with their biological sex. For them, a medical pathway is the only way they’re going to live their life comfortably.“We don’t understand why that is, but we have to try to help those people thrive as much as the young people who are going to grow out of this