US plan for $1.6m hepatitis B vaccine study in Africa called ‘highly unethical’

The Trump administration has indicated that it will fund a $1.6m study on hepatitis B vaccination of newborns in the west African country of Guinea-Bissau, where nearly one in five adults live with the virus – a move that researchers call “highly unethical” and “extremely risky”.The news follows an official change in recommendations on hepatitis B vaccines at birth from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which called the shots an “individual” decision, despite decades of safe and effective vaccination and no evidence of harm. It is part of sweeping changes to childhood immunizations by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, which have global repercussions – including cutting funding for programs that bring vaccines to countries around the world.“He has a fixed, immutable belief that vaccines cause harm,” said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Long waits and ‘unacceptable’ lack of data at NHS gender clinics in England, review finds

Doctors treating vulnerable patients with gender dysphoria have no way of assessing whether the NHS treatment provided has worked because outcomes are not systematically recorded, a damning official inquiry into the clinics has found.Waiting times for a first appointment at NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics (GDCs) in England are projected to reach 15 years unless there are improvements, the review found. The number of people seeking treatment is rising significantly and on average patients are already waiting five years and seven months for a first assessment.The review conducted by Dr David Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, was commissioned after last year’s Cass report on gender care for children and young people.Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, took a team to nine NHS England clinics to assess the effectiveness and safety of each service, interviewing staff and patients

Stay at home if you have flu symptoms, experts urge amid fears of second surge

People should stay home over the Christmas period if they have symptoms of flu or Covid, experts have warned amid fears flu cases could see a second surge in the New Year.Flu levels appear to be plateauing, but it is too soon to say whether they have peaked, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As a result, experts are urging people to wash their hands regularly, make sure indoor spaces are well ventilated, get a free vaccination if eligible, and stay home where possible if symptoms develop.An average of 3,140 people were in hospital with flu each day by the end of last week, an increase of 18% compared with the previous week. At the same time last year, an average of 2,629 patients were in hospital, while in 2023 the number was 648

Better to be online than on hold for a GP | Brief letters

As the sole parent of two disabled children who have lots of medical needs, I have found the new GP online booking system an immense improvement (Letters, 12 December). It is efficient and far less stressful for me. My inner‑city practice responds quickly. It is streets ahead of the old system where I was caller No 26 at 9am.Anne McLaughlinManchester Politicians of all stripes have condemned the resident doctors for striking for meaningful progress in getting their pay back to real-terms parity with that prior to the 2008 crash (Officials fear NHS will be hit hard after resident doctors reject latest offer, 15 December)

Badenoch accused of making ‘deeply inaccurate’ claims about violence against women

Kemi Badenoch has been accused of weaponising violence against women and girls and using “dangerous” and “deeply inaccurate” claims in her response to the government’s plan to tackle the issue.In the House of Commons on Thursday, the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, introduced the government’s long-awaited strategy to tackle “the national emergency” of violence against women and girls, saying it did something “that none before it ever has” by making tackling it a priority across local and national government, the criminal justice system and the voluntary sector.Phillips told the Commons: “We are calling violence against women and girls the national emergency that it is. We are committing to halve these horrific crimes within a decade, and today we publish the strategy that sets us on that journey.”After the announcement of the strategy – which will focus on preventing radicalisation of young men, stopping abusers and supporting victims – the Conservative leader said plans to tackle misogyny in schools were being introduced only because “some people in Labour” watched the Netflix drama Adolescence, adding that the focus should be on “people, who come from cultures that don’t respect women, coming into our country”

Study finds 10% of over-70s in UK could have Alzheimer’s-like changes in brain

One in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and older could have Alzheimer’s-like changes in their brain, according to the clearest, real-world picture of how common the disease’s brain changes are in ordinary, older people.The detection of the proteins linked with the disease is not a diagnosis. But the findings indicate that more than 1 million over-70s would meet Nice’s clinical criteria for anti-amyloid therapy – a stark contrast to the 70,000 people the NHS has estimated could be eligible if funding were available.Experts, including those from Alzheimer’s Research UK, have said the findings from the first-ever population-based research into the disease have huge potential for early and accurate diagnosis.“High-quality studies like this are crucial to enhancing our understanding of how blood tests for Alzheimer’s could be used in clinical practice,” said David Thomas, the head of policy and public affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK