@andrewleedr
Professor of Public Health, SCHARR, the University of Sheffield. Editor in Chief, Public Health (journal of the Royal Society for Public Health). Views my own. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/smph/lee-andrew-professo
This year's 5 Nations Health Protection Conference is in Glasgow on June 29-30.
Registration is now OPEN!
Register now & don’t miss the chance to be part of the programme👉5-nations.com/register/
4 weeks left to submit an abstract, so make sure to submit yours on time!
#5Nations
#HealthProtection
#Measles #outbreak in #London isn't just a local risk. People travel. So, outbreaks can & do spread elsewhere. High #vaccine coverage levels offers the best protection as it means the virus will have nowhere to go. There'll be pockets where trust in vaccines is low & tailored efforts will be needed.
Anti-vaccine sentiment is rising, boosted by social media, activism & mis-info. Conventional approaches to address convenience, complacency & confidence factors aren't enough. What else can & should we be doing?
Read our editorial here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@rsph.bsky.social
Sad that UK lost measles elimination status. With insufficient population immunity risk of outbreaks is heightened. It's a nasty illness (pneumonia, encephalitis etc) with long-term consequences (eg deafness, blindness) & it's a killer. Our best defence is achieving high levels of vaccine coverage.
Step 3:
Respond using a key message that
(a) unmasks the technique used, &
(b) relates to the topic raised.
Source: Dubé È, Ward JK, Verger P, MacDonald NE. Vaccine hesitancy, acceptance, and anti-vaccination: trends and future prospects for public health. Ann Rev Pub Health. 2021.
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Step 2. Identify the topic (most arguments against vaccines fit within 5 categories):
- distrust in health authorities and health care providers
- low threat of disease
- lack of effectiveness of vaccines
- unsafe vaccines
- and alternatives to vaccines.
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Step 1. Identify technique used by vaccine critics:
- use of conspiracy theories
- reference to fake experts
- selectivity in evidence used to criticize vaccines (cherry-picking from studies)
- impossible expectations (e.g., a vaccine that is 100% safe)
- misrepresentation or false logic.
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The growing #anti-vax sentiment worldwide is quite concerning.
For my #publichealth colleagues, if there's one article you read on this topic, I'd recommend 👇
#Vaccine Hesitancy, Acceptance, and Anti-Vaccination: Trends and Future Prospects for Public Health www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Neighbourhood social interaction & attachment may buffer the negative impact of living alone on loneliness.
Danish study by Jakobsen published in #PublicHealth journal
@rsph.bsky.social
Read it here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Persistent #inequities and #InverseCare laws for #healthcare #workforce distribution in #England appear largely unchanged over the past 20 years.
Article by Clarke, Quinn & Peat in #PublicHealth
@rsph.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New analysis from WHO on vaccine safety based on available evidence found that no causal link exists between vaccines & autism spectrum disorders.
Childhood vaccines don't cause autism but they do protect kids against some pretty nasty diseases that you wouldn't want.
www.who.int/news/item/11...
#UKHSA has identified a new recombinant #mpox virus in England containing genetic elements from clade Ib & IIb mpox in a returning traveller from Asia. www.gov.uk/government/n...
...versus current GP #influenza -like illness rates where rates were <20 per 100,000 for week up to Dec 4. www.gov.uk/government/s...
As you say, flu vax important especially for high risk groups, and I don't doubt ongoing NHS pressures and capacity which is a separate matter.
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Agree reporting of #flu this season seems disproportionate.
Useful to compare historical weekly all age GP influenza-like illness rates (esp 1999/2000 season) (as reported by RCGP surveillance) with rates well over >200 per 100,000 webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/202204...
... (1/2)
🧵 Is it a super flu year? Who knows, but I think the current reporting is stupid.
A pissed off thread using data.
Firstly - here are today's headlines and some from the last 3 years... spot the difference. 1/10
The evidence was reported to be limited & inconsistent.
Medication reviews focused on #deprescribing were linked with reduced mortality in community settings but not in hospitals.
Behavioral & educational-behavioral interventions may be effective in reducing hospitalizations.
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#Polypharmacy in the #elderly is a common issue with considerable consequences.
An umbrella review of meta-analyses of RCTs published in #PublicHealth #RSPH journal explores the evidence on interventions to manage polypharmacy in older adults
👇
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Avoiding corporate amnesia in health systems – the need for organizational memory.
Topical in England as major changes to #NHS management takes place & runs the risk of loss of organisational memory embedded in its staff.
Editorial in #publichealth #RSPH
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A bright red WHO graphic with the title “Don’t” in a white speech bubble. Below it are text bubbles: • “Don’t use antibiotics for common cold, flu and sore throats. They don’t treat viruses.” • “Don’t share it with others.” • "Don’t save antibiotics for later.” At the bottom, bold text reads: “Make smart choices.” and “Protect life-saving medicines for everyone.”
To keep antibiotics effective for everyone, here’s what NOT to do:
❌ Do not use antibiotics for colds, flu or sore throats. Antibiotics do not treat viruses.
❌ Do not share your antibiotics with others.
❌ Do not save leftover antibiotics for use later.
Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4otAEcV
Mind the (widening) gap: why public health must engage with AI now.
"Without deliberate engagement, AI risks reinforcing existing inequities."
Interesting commentary by @martinmckee.bsky.social and colleagues in the latest edition of Public Health
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#Flu circulating in UK earlier than previous years. Links to #H3N2 subtype with speculation of a "bad" flu season ahead. Still early days & some uncertainty, but initial analysis by #UKHSA shows reassuring vaccine effectiveness vs severe disease for this year's vaccine. www.gov.uk/government/n...
Significant association between chemsex &
- syphilis (pooled OR: 1.741)
- gonorrhea (pooled OR: 1.784)
- chlamydia (pooled OR: 1.429)
Interventions needed to address chemsex behaviors, including harm reduction strategies, STI prevention programs & culturally competent healthcare services.
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Association of #chemsex and risk of #chlamydia, #gonorrhoea, and #syphilis infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Latest article in #PublicHealth journal by Satapathy P et al.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@rsph.bsky.social
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📰News!📰Great to see our collaborative research shared by
GOV.UK!
Thousands with undiagnosed hepatitis and HIV found in A&E testing.
Read more ➡️ tinyurl.com/y7h3d926 @jhorwood.bsky.social @nhsengland.bsky.social @ukhsa.bsky.social
Quite like the AI generated comic that summarises an old paper of mine on the access barriers to health care for chronic #HepatitisB in #migrant #Chinese communities in Western countries. Might make reading academic papers much more attractive!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
... and in the UK as well.
The research authors note
- difficulties communicating urgency of adolescent mental health (AMH) at national level
- inconsistent intersectoral collaboration
- & lack of clear leadership for AMH.
Need for expansion of advocacy networks beyond government & cultivation of strong leadership
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Despite #suicide being the 3rd leading cause of death among adolescents in #Mexico, #mentalhealth services are neglected.
This study examines challenges encountered by key stakeholders for the prioritization of adolescent mental health.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@rsph.bsky.social
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The research authors conclude:
- Policies that rely on individual agency are less effective. - There is a need to develop effective policies to protect children from #foodmarketing and #socialmedia exposure which may increase the risk of both obesity and eating disorders.
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What do kids think of England's public health #obesity policies & weight monitoring?
👉They perceive no real benefits, pay little attention to them, but note potential negative impacts.
Read more in this qualitative study in #PublicHealth @rsph.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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