The Health News United Kingdom August 16 2017
Overview
- Public health officials have warned that japanese fungus or also known as candida auris which is resistant to drugs has spread to at least 55 hospitals across the UK. New guidance from Public Health England (PHE) warns that as of last month, 20 separate NHS trusts and independent hospitals have detected more than 200 cases of patients infected with candida auris.
- As the number of both men and women admitted to hospital for an eating disorder rose by 70% in the last 6 years. At least 725,000 people in the UK of all ages, genders, and backgrounds have an eating disorder.
- Seven million adults in the UK are thought to have at least one of these disorders that has never been diagnosed or treated – leaving them at higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, dementia or sudden death. Millions are to be offered checks at GP surgeries and pharmacies in an NHS drive to prevent heart disease and early deaths.
News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 16th of August 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News
“Japanese fungus” which is resistant to drugs has spread to at least fifty five hospitals across the United Kingdom, public health officials have warned. The National Health Service trusts have been ordered to carry out deep cleans of all affected areas after more than two hundred patients were found to be infected or carrying the potentially fatal pathogen. Infection experts are alarmed by the spread of the fungus, which has been likened to a “superbug”- because it has already proved resistant to the main three classes of drug treatment. The fungus, called Candida auris, was first identified in Japan in two thousand nine, in the ear canal of a seventy-year-old woman. Since then it has spread rapidly around the globe, emerging in at least five continents, with the first UK case detected in two thousand thirteen. Healthy patients can usually fend off the fungus, though they may carry it. It is those with compromised immune systems who are most likely to contract a bloodstream infection, which can prove fatal, or cause major disabilities such as hearing loss.
New guidance from Public Health England or PHE warns that as of last month, twenty separate NHS trusts and independent hospitals have detected more than two hundred cases of patients colonised or infected with C.auris. In addition, more than thirty five hospitals have identified patients found to be carrying the fungus following transfer from elsewhere, officials state.
The three largest outbreaks “have proved difficult to control, despite intensive infection prevention and control measures,” the guidance warns. The Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield NHS Foundation trust in London has been the worst affected, with the first and largest outbreak in Europe.The infections led to the closure of its intensive care unit for two weeks last summer, more than a year after the start of an outbreak which went on to affect fifty patients. High numbers of cases have also been seen at Kings College Hospital Foundation trust and Oxford University Hospitals Foundation trust, officials said, with all three outbreaks now declared over. Global studies have found six in ten of those infected with the fungus die – though it has not been shown whether the infection has caused the deaths.
As the number of both men and women admitted to hospital for an eating disorder rose by seventy percent in the last six years Andrew Radford, chief executive of Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity which is based in Norwich, tells how early treatment is vital. At least seven hundred twenty five thousand people in the UK of all ages, genders, and backgrounds have an eating disorder. These serious mental illnesses can have a devastating impact, but recovery is possible, especially if the person is treated early.
This isn’t always easily done – people with eating disorders are often dismissed as vain, attention-seeking, or lacking willpower. No one chooses an eating disorder – their treatment of food is often a way to cope with difficult thoughts or feelings, or to feel in control.
The thoughts that fuel the illness differ from person to person, and treatment should address this as well as any physical issues. Eating disorders are very complex, and can be difficult to understand even for those suffering from them. Others may not realise there’s something wrong. Often, it’s someone else who notices they’re ill, so widespread awareness of early signs and willingness to give support is vital. The first signs instead relate to thoughts and behaviour – you might notice things like increased focus on food, social withdrawal and secrecy, difficulty focusing, tiredness, mood swings, and anxiety about eating around others. Someone may start exercising more, have beliefs about their size that don’t match what others see, or disappear to the bathroom after meal times.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4787402/Blood-tests-chemists-7-million-undiagnosed.html
Millions are to be offered checks at General Practitioners surgeries and pharmacies in an NHS drive to prevent heart disease and early deaths. The strategy aims to raise dramatically the detection of ‘silent killer’ conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and irregular heartbeats. Seven million adults in the UK are thought to have at least one of these disorders that has never been diagnosed or treated – leaving them at higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, dementia or sudden death. Now, NHS England has ordered local health authorities to ensure they identify those at risk and get them the correct treatment.
Under the blueprint, doctors will be urged to install blood pressure machines and heart rate monitors in waiting rooms so patients can test themselves. GP surgeries will also be expected to trawl their lists to identify patients who may have a potentially fatal irregular heartbeat – atrial fibrillation – so they can come in for tests. High street pharmacies will be expected to play a role by providing free blood pressure checks on request. They will also join GPs in offering pin-prick blood tests to diagnose high cholesterol, for which statins are usually prescribed.
The measures – designed to prevent thousands of deaths a year – will be backed by hard-hitting campaigns on Facebook and local radio, telling adults to get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Doctor Matt Kearney, director for cardiovascular disease prevention at NHS England, said: ‘We could prevent hundreds of strokes and heart attacks if we improved identification and treatment of these conditions – at least hundreds, potentially a lot more.
Heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes, is the second biggest killer in the UK after cancer and claims one hundred sixty thousand lives a year. But doctors behind the scheme say thousands of these deaths could be prevented by detecting more patients who have the underlying problems.They also suspect many people previously told that they have high blood pressure or high cholesterol are on the wrong medication or none at all.
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