Rising Tuberculosis Rates: Who Is Most Vulnerable?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne illness that many deem to be a relic of the past. Yet, after years of decline in high-income nations like the UK and US, TB diagnoses are on the rise.

According to the UK Health and Safety Executive, tuberculosis cases in the UK are projected to increase by 13% in 2024, reaching a total of 5,480 diagnoses.

Although this number is relatively modest compared to other high-burden nations, England remains just below the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for “low incidence” status, which is defined as 10 cases per 100,000 people.

These statistics, along with similar trends in the US, indicate that our progress has plateaued, hindering our path to TB eradication.

A Wake-Up Call

So, is tuberculosis making a resurgence? In short, it never fully disappeared.

Tuberculosis remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, claiming approximately 1.23 million lives in 2024 alone—more than HIV and malaria combined—and ranks among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

According to WHO, over 10 million individuals contract tuberculosis each year, with a shocking quarter of these going undiagnosed and untreated. The COVID-19 pandemic has further hampered years of progress in TB control, but it’s only part of the picture.

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, spreading through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes, sings, or speaks.

Common symptoms include a persistent cough lasting three weeks or more, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and fatigue. While TB commonly affects the lungs, it can impact any organ in the body.

Despite the availability of effective treatments for decades, they remain imperfect. A cure requires months of antibiotics, which can be difficult to access in certain regions. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine offers some protection to young children against severe forms of TB, but it does not reliably prevent the contagious lung disease prevalent in adults.

It’s crucial to note that most individuals who inhale the bacteria do not fall ill. An estimated a quarter of the global population is infected with tuberculosis, with their immune systems keeping it dormant. Latent tuberculosis can be detected through skin and blood tests, and preventive antibiotics are often prescribed to avert progression.

Individuals with weakened immune systems, including those with HIV or diabetes, those undergoing cancer treatments, and those on specific medications for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, are at heightened risk of developing TB.

Tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs but can also impact lymph nodes, bones, brain, kidneys, and spine.

An Unbalanced Burden

Tuberculosis is closely linked to poverty and the living and working conditions of individuals. Factors like overcrowded or poorly ventilated housing, homelessness, low income, malnutrition, smoking, and alcohol dependence can elevate vulnerability to TB.

People in disadvantaged communities tend to be more frequently infected and less often diagnosed early, resulting in generally poorer health outcomes. Social stigma, healthcare system gaps, and misinterpretation of symptoms can also delay treatment.

Consequently, a human-centered model that merges medical care with psychotherapy and financial and social support is increasingly recognized as vital for effectively combating tuberculosis.

While TB impacts individuals of all genders, WHO data indicates that men aged 15 and older carry a disproportionately heavy burden, with an estimated 54% of TB cases in 2024 occurring in men, compared to 35% in women and 11% in children and adolescents.

Men also encounter greater barriers to diagnosis and treatment, with a 45% higher mortality rate after initiating treatment compared to women.

These disparities stem from various factors, including elevated rates of smoking and alcohol consumption among men, as well as occupational hazards and gender norms that deter them from seeking care.

Women and individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities face their own distinct challenges. A gender-sensitive and human-centered approach is crucial for achieving the goal of tuberculosis elimination for everyone.

The WHO’s first rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis revolutionized detection, offering results in under two hours and identifying rifampicin resistance, one of TB’s most effective treatment drugs.

A Turning Point

The good news is that scientific advancements are leading the fight against tuberculosis to new heights, with quicker diagnoses, shorter treatments, and promising vaccines.

Rapid molecular tests like Xpert MTB/RIF and Truenat can identify tuberculosis and drug resistance within hours instead of weeks. AI-assisted chest X-rays are also enhancing early detection in areas lacking radiologists.

Treatment regimens have become both shorter and safer. Current TB treatments may only take one month, while some drug-sensitive cases require four months, and drug-resistant cases can be treated in six months.

Vaccine research is progressing as well, with candidates like M72/AS01E entering late-stage clinical trials. Although these advancements signify considerable progress, ensuring equitable access for all, especially in low-resource settings, remains a significant challenge.

Research from Liverpool’s Tuberculosis Research Center highlights that stigma, discrimination, poverty, and structural barriers significantly affect the experiences of those living with TB.

Understanding the lived experiences of TB patients, as well as the obstacles and enablers in their treatment trajectories, is essential to ensure that no one is left behind.

For effective human-centered TB care, collaborations between governments, researchers, and affected communities are underway, integrating clinical care with education, mental health support, and financial assistance. Yet, there’s still much more to achieve.

The UK’s recent pledge of £850 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2027 to 2029 reaffirms this commitment, contributing to efforts that have reportedly saved 70 million lives since 2002.

However, it is important to note that this pledge reflects a 15% decrease from the previous financial cycle, which adds to the sobering reality of diminishing development funding impacting progress in the fight against tuberculosis.

Reductions in international aid have weakened tuberculosis programs in heavily burdened nations, with repercussions likely to extend beyond borders. Persistent political will and investment in locally relevant, people-centered strategies are crucial to achieving the goal of TB elimination for all.

So, should you be concerned about contracting tuberculosis? If you reside in the UK, generally the answer is no. TB remains rare, and infection risk for most individuals is minimal unless they have had extended, close contact with someone infected.

If your cough persists for over three weeks, particularly when accompanied by symptoms such as fever, weight loss, or night sweats, consult your physician.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Could the Internet Go Dark? Exploring the Vulnerable Systems That Connect Our Modern World

Posted on October 26, 2025 by

Waking up to a world without internet might seem liberating, but you may find yourself pondering your next steps.

If you have a checkbook handy, consider using it to purchase some groceries. Should your landline still function, you can reach out to your employer. Then, as long as you still remember how to find your way without modern navigation, a trip to the store is possible.

The recent outage in a Virginia data center highlighted that while the internet is a crucial component of contemporary existence, its foundation rests on aging systems and physical components, leading many to question what it would take for it to come crashing down.

The answer is straightforward: a streak of bad luck, deliberate cyberattacks, or a combination of both. Severe weather events can knock out numerous data centers. Unexpected triggers in AI-generated codes at significant providers like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft could lead to widespread software failures. Armed interventions targeting critical infrastructure could also play a role.

Although these scenarios would be devastating, the more significant concerns for a select group of internet specialists revolve around sudden failures in the outdated protocols that support the entire network. Picture this as a plumbing system that manages connection flows or an address directory that allows machines to locate one another.

We refer to it as “the big one,” but if that occurs, having a checkbook on hand might be crucial.

Something substantial could commence When a tornado swept through Council Bluffs, Iowa, it ravaged a set of low-lying data centers critical to Google’s operations.

This region is known as us-central1, one of Google’s data center clusters, vital for various services including its cloud platform, YouTube, and Gmail (2019) power outages reported here took place that affected users across the United States and Europe.

As YouTube cooking videos become glitchy, dinner preparations go awry. Employees worldwide rush to update emails that suddenly vanish, resorting to face-to-face communication instead. US officials noted a deterioration in certain government services before refocusing their efforts on a new operation against Signal.

While this situation is inconvenient, it doesn’t signify the end of the internet. “Technically, as long as two devices are connected with a router, the Internet functions,” states Michał “Risiek” Wojniak, who works in DNS, the system linked to this week’s outage.

However, “there’s a significant concentration of control happening online,” points out Stephen Murdoch, a computer science professor at University College London. “This mirrors trends in economics: it’s typically more cost-effective to centralize operations.”

But what if extreme heat wipes out US East-1, part of the Virginia facility housing “Data Center Array,” a crucial node for Amazon Web Services (AWS), the epicenter of this week’s outage, as well as nearby regions? Meanwhile, a significant cluster in Europe suffers a cyberattack. frankfurt or London. As a result, the network may redirect traffic to a secondary hub (a less-frequented data center), which subsequently faces capacity issues akin to a congested side road in Los Angeles.

Aerial view of the Amazon Web Services data center known as US East-1 in Ashburn, Virginia. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Alternatively, if we shift focus from disaster scenarios to automation risks, increased traffic might unveil hidden bugs within AWS’s internally revised infrastructure, possibly an oversight from months prior. Earlier this summer, two AWS employees were let go amid a broader push towards automation. Faced with an influx of unknown requests, AWS begins to falter.

The signal will falter, and so will Slack, Netflix, and Lloyds Bank. Your Roomba vacuum becomes silent. Smart mattresses may misbehave, just like smart locks.

Without Amazon and Google, the internet would be nearly unrecognizable. Together, AWS, Microsoft, and Google command over 60% of the global cloud services market, making it nearly impossible to quantify the number of services reliant on them.

“However, at its core, the Internet continues to operate,” remarks Doug Madley, an expert in internet infrastructure who studies disruptions. “While the usual activities may be limited, the underlying network remains functional.”

You might believe the biggest risk lies in attacks on undersea cables. While this notion captivates think tanks in Washington, little action has materialized. Undersea cables incur regular damage, Madley notes, with the United Nations estimating between 150 to 200 faults occurring annually.

“To significantly impair communication, a vast amount of data must be disrupted. The undersea cable sector often asserts, ‘We manage these issues routinely.’

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Subsequently, a group of anonymous hackers targets a DNS service provider, a key player in the Internet’s directory system. For example, Verisign manages all online domains ending with certain “.com” or “.net” suffixes. Other providers oversee domains like “.biz” and “.us.”

According to Madley, the likelihood of such a provider being taken down is minimal. “If anything were to happen to VeriSign, .com would vanish, which presents a strong financial motivation for them to prevent that.”

Collectively, AWS, Microsoft, and Google dominate over 60% of the global cloud services market. Photo: Sebastian Boson/AFP/Getty Images

To genuinely disrupt the larger ecosystem, a colossal error involving fundamental infrastructure beyond Amazon or Google would be required. Such a scenario would be unprecedented; the closest parallel occurred in 2016 when an attack on Dyn, a small DNS provider, brought down Guardian, X, among others.

If .com were to disappear, essential services like banks, hospitals, and various communication platforms would vanish too. Although some elements of the government’s internet structure remain intact, such as the U.S. secure messaging system Siprnet.

Yet, the internet would persist, at least for niche communities. There are self-hosted blogs, decentralized social networks like Mastodon, and particular domains like “.io” or “.is.”

Murdoch and Madrid contemplate a drastic scenario capable of eliminating the rest. Murdoch alludes to a potential bug in the BIND software supporting DNS. Meanwhile, Madrid emphasizes testimonies from Massachusetts hackers who informed Congress in 1998 about a vulnerability that could “bring the Internet down in 30 minutes.”

This vulnerability pertains to a system one layer above DNS: the Border Gateway Protocol, directing all web traffic. Madley argues that such an event is highly improbable, as it would require a full-scale emergency response, and the protocols are “incredibly resilient; otherwise, we would have already experienced a collapse.”

Even if the internet were to be entirely shut down, it’s uncertain whether it would ever reboot, warns Murdoch. “Once the Internet is active, it doesn’t get turned off. The method of restarting it is not well understood.”

The UK previously had a contingency plan for such a situation. Should the internet ever be disabled, Murdoch notes, individuals knowledgeable about its workings would gather at a pub outside London and brainstorm the next steps.

“I’m not sure if this is still true. This was years ago, and I couldn’t recall the exact pub.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Gaming as Life: How Therapists Leverage Video Games to Support Vulnerable Children

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

oWhen Russia’s invasion of Ukraine commenced, Leksii Sukhorukov’s son was just 12 years old. For months, their family endured trauma and uncertainty. Sukhorukov had to leave his job in the entertainment sector, which included virtual reality and video games, leading to isolation from friends and family. Amid all this chaos, his son found solace in Minecraft. No matter the turmoil outside, he could enter Mojang’s block-building game to escape.

“After February 24, 2022, my perspective on the game shifted dramatically,” Skorkov reflects. He discovered a community of Ukrainian children playing together online. Some lived under Russian occupation, while others resided in government-controlled regions frequently targeted by missile strikes. Many had become refugees, yet they managed to connect, support each other, and construct their own worlds. Isn’t that fascinating? I felt compelled to explore how video games could be harnessed for this purpose.”

Sukhorukov, who holds a degree in psychology, chose to return to his roots, aiming to integrate his gaming experience with mental health practices. He is now the MC of the Ukrainian National Psychological Association’s Cyber Psychology Department. In 2023, he launched HealGame Ukraine, a project focused on utilizing video games for mental and emotional health support. “Currently, in collaboration with the Donetsk National Institute of Technology, we are developing a Minecraft server aimed at bringing together Ukrainian children who feel particularly isolated due to the conflict,” he explains. “The server will be facilitated by psychologists and social workers, and we also plan to create a Minecraft project for children with special educational needs.”

Lighthouse…Moment from Oleksii Sukhorukov’s Wonderworld project, where kids create towers to connect with each other on Minecraft servers. Photo: оacy

Play has been a foundation of child therapy for nearly a century, thanks to pioneers like Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, and Virginia Axlein. However, the integration of video games into therapy has been spearheaded by a new generation of practitioners who grew up gaming since the early 2010s. In 2011, Massachusetts-based therapist and gamer Minecra Grova published “Reset: Video Games and Psychotherapy,” a guide for clinicians seeking to understand gaming culture’s impact on adolescents. This piqued the interest of UK counselor Ellie Finch. Growing up with Mega Drive games, she began contemplating how to incorporate games into therapy after engaging with titles like Nie and Minecraft in 2012. However, the onset of the pandemic halted her plans.

“I transitioned from in-person youth counseling to online sessions overnight,” Finch recalls. “There are limitations to providing counseling via video calls, and I noticed many of the children were gamers. I began discussing video games with them.

Minecraft has shown to be particularly effective for several reasons: it’s one of the most popular games globally, with over 200 million players, making it familiar and accessible to many kids. Its open and creative structure allows players to express themselves freely, gathering materials to construct homes, explore, and fend off zombies.

Finch creates a private Minecraft environment exclusively for her and the children she works with. Clients can dictate parameters; some may prefer no hostile characters and opt for creative mode, while others desire a flat sky landscape. “I often begin the first session by asking my clients to design a safe space in their world,” Finch states. “This could be a house, castle, or underwater observatory. Their creations reveal much about their inner world right from the start.”

The ideal home… Ellie Finch guides clients in building a secure home within Minecraft. Photo: Microsoft/Ellie Finch

Therapists can navigate the game in various ways, allowing for a non-directed format where they follow the client to develop trust and employ therapeutic skills to decode the ongoing dynamics. “Minecraft provides a sense of adventure,” Finch notes. “Clients might wish to explore caves, swim underwater, battle hostile mobs, or construct intricate machines, opening a multitude of possibilities.

Therapists can also employ commands that engage clients in therapeutic or psychoeducational tasks. Recently, Sukhorukov and Ukrainian psychologist Anna Schulha, along with nonprofit Martesezer Werke, orchestrated a quest called Wonderworld for Ukrainian refugees aged 11-13 in Germany. These children, often feeling isolated and burdened by forced migration, participated in sessions where they had to find envelopes containing Minecraft-related resources hidden around their living spaces and nearby parks. They then utilized these resources in the game to create cakes and other items.

“At the conclusion of each session, we encouraged kids to reflect on the positive emotions and experiences they encountered during the game,” Skorkov shares. “It’s fascinating to observe the kids’ constructions and the choices they make. Are they vibrant and open, or concealed underground? How do they navigate this gaming realm?

Finch resonates with the notion that creativity within video games serves as a medium of communication, akin to drawing or building with LEGO. “The kids have shown me their fears and feelings of entrapment by guiding me into dark caves. They constructed slime block trampolines to relieve tension. Teenagers have utilized the game to venture outside their ‘safe spaces’ and explore unfamiliar territories beyond the guidance of therapists and trusted adults. In 2024, she plans to collaborate with the Cambridge University Faculty of Education on a project named ‘Chasm: Creating Accessible Services Using Minecraft’ to showcase these therapeutic uses.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/EsEuxDReV3k?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="Therapeutic Adventures in Minecraft with Ellie Finch" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

Today, an increasing number of therapists are exploring the potential of video games in diverse ways. Drawing influence from Sukhorukov, they’re doing essential work that elucidates the digital landscape, cyber trauma, and the realities children face in gaming.

It’s not just about Minecraft. Games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Animal Crossing are also becoming therapeutic tools. Regardless of the game, therapy is essential in reflecting the increasingly digital lives of our youth. “For individuals raised in a tech-rich world, digital play isn’t merely a pastime,” Stone asserts. “They utilize platforms, programs, and devices as their primary forms of creativity and connection, amplifying the foundations of psychotherapy rather than replacing them.

Finch is currently contemplating extending video game therapy to adults, recognizing that this approach can be beneficial across all ages, given her lifelong devotion to gaming.

For Sukhorukov, a profound dynamic exists between Ukrainian children and Minecraft. The therapeutic impact is expanding throughout the nation. “If you search for the term ‘майнкрафт’ on Ukrainian YouTube, you will find numerous videos created by Ukrainian children and teenagers within Minecraft. They reflect lives intersected by war, with military parents, loved ones, or displaced companions. The war has fragmented their connections, affecting every Ukrainian child.

“Moreover, there’s something else that may be challenging to convey. The homelands of many Ukrainians—Volnovakha, Sievierodonetsk, Soledar, Mar’inka, Bakhmut—only exist in Minecraft. Children lack the capacity to articulate their experiences in extensive articles about these realities.

Source: www.theguardian.com

How to Safeguard the Most Vulnerable in Digital Healthcare

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

from AI algorithm to detect early cancer“Doctor in your pocket” Video consultation on smartphoneNext-generation healthcare technologies are being announced one after another at a rapid pace.

For example, as recently announced in the UK, users of the NHS app will now be able to collect medicines from pharmacies without having to visit a medical centre, and the usual paper slip given by a doctor will now be replaced by a barcode within the app. will be replaced by

Innovations like these have brought tremendous benefits to millions of patients. However, these benefits of digitalization are not evenly distributed. According to his Ofcom report in 2023: 1 in 13 households do not have access to the internet And a similar proportion do not have a computer at home. But even within connected households, the so-called ‘digital skills gap’ means many people may still struggle.

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Imagine this typical case. Dorothy and Bill are retired factory workers in their mid-70s. They have their home computer connected to their TV and have a machine that allows them to (almost) send e-mails to their daughter who lives abroad.

It’s hard to use, but I love watching my family’s news come through the TV screen. However, I don’t use my computer much for other purposes because websites take a long time to load. Bill has a smartphone and receives photos of his grandchildren through an instant messenger app, but he doesn’t know how to send them back.

Prompted by a text message from their doctor, the couple confirms they have internet access and enters their email address. A few weeks later, I received a message inviting Bill for his annual checkup and treatment for shingles. However, subject lines are unclear and long messages are impersonal and difficult to understand.

The couple had only ever received emails from their daughter, so they thought the message from their doctor was spam and deleted it. As a result, Bill neglected medical checkups, ran out of blood pressure medication, and was left susceptible to shingles.

digital skills gap

The problem is that entry-level home computing is primarily designed for basic gaming and simple email exchange, and it’s not easy to interact with data-intensive web platforms or send high-resolution images of body parts. It is not intended for this purpose. The same goes for budget-level data bundles offered by mobile phone providers.

For people like Dorothy and Bill to navigate the digital health space, they need not only better technology, but also technical skills to interact with technology, such as comfortable typing, using a mouse, and navigating drop-down menus. Skills are also required.

Also important is “information literacy.” This is the ability to recognize when information is needed (such as an old address or login code) and how to provide it. Second, health literacy, or the ability to find, understand, and use health information and online health services.

Generally, individuals are either digitally equipped, technologically proficient, information literate, and health literate, or they simply are not. There is very little in between. And as A major analysis from the University of Oxford found that, the more indicators a person has of a disadvantage (low income, older age, preference for a language other than English, to name a few), the harder it is to access digital services. Several of these factors combine to make it even less likely that these disadvantaged patients will be able to connect to health services through digital means.

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Unfortunately, such inequalities are nothing new. In fact, it was 53 years ago that British physician Julian Tudor Hart first proposed the Reverse Care Act, a principle that was developed to protect people who need health care the most: the poor, the less educated, It was argued that people (older people and people with frequent illnesses) are healthier. It is the least likely that you will receive it. There is no easy solution to the “digital reverse care” method. A person who lacks the necessary digital skills may be willing to go to the local library for computer training, but with an empty bucket he can safely “replenish” the complex skills he has missed. You shouldn’t think about it.

What is the solution?

What should NHS organizations do to ensure everyone gets a fair contract in today’s digital world?

First, digitally supported services should be designed or improved primarily for patients who have difficulty accessing them. A service that works for someone who is not familiar with or unable to use a computer or smartphone will almost certainly work for someone else. “Digital navigators” – human staff who can help patients find directions about services if needed – can be a big help here.

Second, healthcare providers need to look beyond the binary when assessing people’s digital connectivity and skills. Instead of asking patients if they have an internet connection, you should ask them to describe what they are actually comfortable doing with technology and customize their care package accordingly.

Third, for the most disadvantaged patients, those with complex health and social care needs, there is no need to use technology at all, especially when their needs are not adequately met by technology. Keep in mind that your approach may be the most appropriate. technology. For these patients, their records can be marked with electronic flags that remind busy staff to use no technology or provide a technology-free option.

And finally, we need to see digital exclusion first and foremost as a moral issue. NHS founder Nye Bevan said: “No society can legitimately be called civilized if the sick are denied medical assistance because of lack of means.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Report Warns UK Vulnerable to Cyberattack that Could Shut Down Country at Any Time

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

The UK is unprepared for a major ransomware attack and could face an outage “at any time”, according to a new report.

Parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy (JCNSS) has been accused in a report of shifting responsibility for tackling ransomware attacks away from the Home Office, which is politically prioritizing other issues. He said it should be given to the Cabinet Office and directly supervised by the deputy prime minister. Minister.

The report claimed that former Home Secretary Suela Braverman “showed no interest” in the issue and instead focused on illegal immigration and small vessels.

Russian ‘Star Blizzard’ spy accused of years-long cyber attack on UK

Ransomware is a cyber attack in which a hacker infiltrates your system, locks access to your data and files, and demands payment to release the files or prevent the leak.

It has been used in many high-profile cyberattacks, including: Want to cry Attacks on the NHS in 2017.

In a report, JCNSS said the UK’s regulatory framework is inadequate and outdated, warning that much of the country’s critical infrastructure relies on legacy IT systems and remains vulnerable to ransomware. ing.

The report notes that even though government agencies such as the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) have warned of ransomware attacks from groups linked to Moscow, Beijing and Pyongyang, among others, there are They say they are not investing enough in safety measures.

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As part of its report, the commission has requested a private briefing from the NCSC on its preparations to protect the UK from cyber-attacks ahead of the next general election, citing concerns about potential interference with the democratic process. did.

Dame Margaret Beckett, Chair of JCNSS, said: ‘The UK has the dubious distinction of being one of the most cyber-attacked countries in the world.

“It is clear to the committee that government investment and response to this threat is not the best in the world, leaving us exposed to devastating costs and destabilizing political interference.

“When a large-scale, devastating ransomware attack is likely to occur, failure to meet this challenge rightly qualifies as an inexcusable strategic failure.

“If the UK is to avoid having its wealth held hostage, ransomware will become a more pressing political priority and more resources will be committed to tackling this pernicious threat to UK national security.” That is extremely important.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We welcome the JCNSS report and will publish a full response in due course.”

“The UK is well prepared to respond to cyber threats, including investing £2.6 billion under our Cyber Security Strategy and rolling out the first ever government-backed minimum standards for cyber security through the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials. The scheme is taking strong steps to strengthen its cyber defences.

“We also sanctioned 18 criminals who spread large quantities of ransomware this year, removed malware that infected 700,000 computers, and condemned the unprecedented ransom payments signed by 46 countries. He became a leader in international statements.”

A government spokesperson said: “We welcome the JCNSS report and will publish a full response in due course.”

“We also sanctioned 18 criminals who spread large amounts of ransomware this year, removed malware that infected 700,000 computers, and condemned the unprecedented ransom payments signed by 46 countries. He became a leader in international statements.”

Source: news.sky.com

UK News: Government Urges Targeted Vaccination for Individuals Most Vulnerable to Gonorrhea and Monkeypox

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

British scientists are urging the government to implement routine vaccines for those most susceptible to monkeypox and gonorrhea, marking the world’s first immunization program against the latter. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) has recommended to Rishi Sunak that both programs be offered opportunistically to those who need it most.

Professor Andrew Pollard, Chair of the JCVI, expressed, “The UK’s gonorrhea prevention program is a world-first and is expected to significantly reduce gonorrhea levels, which are currently at record highs. In addition, we recommend implementing routine monkeypox vaccinations to prevent a recurrence of the outbreaks seen in early 2022. Both vaccines should be offered to those at highest risk.”

The JCVI also advises that recommended vaccination programs against gonorrhea should primarily target gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, who are at higher risk of contracting the disease. This comes in light of a 50.3% increase in gonorrhea diagnoses in 2022 compared to 2021, totaling 82,592 cases, according to Health and Safety Executive sexually transmitted infection (STI) statistics. Additionally, the number of gonorrhea cases in the UK last year was reported to be up by more than a fifth from pre-pandemic levels.

Greg Fell, chairman of the Association of Public Health Officers, told Sky News: “The recent rise in sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea is extremely worrying and today’s advice from the JCVI is undoubtedly a prudent course of action. However, this increase in numbers is also a result of more people visiting clinics and other diagnostic services for testing, which has led to higher demand for sexual health services.”

“As we said in June, we are concerned that the current level of funding for sexual health services provided by public health grants in England will not be able to meet this increase in demand. The new vaccination program will therefore be planned with this in mind and backed by appropriate funding and resources to ensure that existing services remain intact and people can be vaccinated in a timely and dignified manner as needed.”