So far, medicine regulators in the UK, US and Europe have all agreed that the potential benefits of Covid vaccination far outstrip the potential harms. It’s very reassuring. But for people under 30, there is a low risk. And who … Read More
Malaria vaccine in sight to protect children as 400,000 people die each year
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine team isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s now moved on from Covid and is focusing its skilled attention on malaria. Despite many efforts, malaria has proven to be elusive from vaccine control and still kills 400,000 people … Read More
Fears Covid could turn into a disease of poverty by entrenching inequalities
Covid has unmasked poverty to reveal the most appalling inequality, at home and abroad. Here in the UK we can see with our own eyes the inequalities in treatments, vaccination rates, deaths and education. Abroad, catastrophic repercussions of overcrowding and … Read More
Why we must do everything we can to guard against airborne particles of Covid
As time goes on we are learning more and more about the transmission of coronavirus, especially in airborne particles – basically by breathing in the virus from the air. When we do that we’re inhaling “aerosols”. Distance is important here … Read More
Covid vaccine booster jab this summer will help UK avoid a brutal winter surge
The idea of having booster jabs isn’t a new one. We have (or should have) boosters of flu vaccine every year and anyone who travels abroad would be well-advised to have a tetanus booster every five years. So the idea of a … Read More
Why we must make Covid-19 passports fair worldwide
On the one hand, Covid-19 passports, which declare your coronavirus status, sound like a great idea, paving the way for moving around freely once again. But is it that simple? I don’t think so. There are some choppy waters to be navigated … Read More
There’s a danger that drinking has got much worse during Covid lockdowns
The word “spike” has become so familiar to us in the last year due to spikes in Covid-19 infections and admissions to hospitals. But there have been other ones running in parallel – spikes in alcohol deaths. Especially between April … Read More
It’s important to discuss and get to the bottom of painful taboo toilet troubles
Since receiving a reader’s email about chronic diarrhoea, I’ve had more worried messages. It is a cause of embarrassment for many people but it’s so difficult to live with and, if accompanied by pain, as in ulcerative colitis, can be … Read More
We are failing our children by not prioritising their mental health enough
I remember thinking last year that we were letting down people at both ends of their lives – when deaths in care homes were spiralling out of control and our children were suffering from lost school time and separation from … Read More
Breast cancer treatment is still a postcode lottery with UK survival rates too low
I remember my first case of breast cancer to this day. She was a young woman of 33 and she was very upset at the prospect of losing her breast. Yes, in those days the inhuman operation of total mastectomy … Read More