News
Government unveils plans for meningitis B vaccination for all two-month-old babies
Children let down by poor adult awareness of mental illness THOUSANDS OF young people with a mental health problem are at risk of ‘slipping through the net’ due to adults lacking awareness on how to recognise the signs and symptoms, a survey has found. The poll of 2,105 adults in the UK found that 38% were not aware of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and more than half were worried about raising the issue with a child or parent for fear of being mistaken. The survey was commissioned by a group of national child and adolescent mental health organisations, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the RCN. More than 850,000 children in the UK are diagnosed with a mental health problem. Without better education for adults, thousands of young people are at NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Immunisation programme will reduce number of deaths and prevent serious long-term problems the only licensed vaccine, and, if plans go ahead, the UK will be the first country to introduce a MenB immunisation scheme. DH deputy chief medical officer John Watson said infants under one year old are most at risk of MenB, with the number of cases peaking at about five or six months of age. ‘It is fatal in about one in ten cases, and can lead to long-term health problems such as amputation, deafness, epilepsy and learning difficulties,’ he said. RCN general secretary Peter Carter said the plans are ‘an important development’, adding: ‘The RCN is keen to play a part in helping prepare nursing staff for this addition to the vaccination programme and in promoting best practice among health professionals involved in its delivery.’
risk of alcohol and drug misuse, self-harm and suicide, the group warns. It has launched the website MindEd, www.minded.org.uk, to give adults information on recognising children and young people’s mental health issues. RCN general secretary Peter Carter said adults’ poor understanding of mental health issues can ‘have damaging consequences’ for children and young people’. ‘Front line nursing staff across the UK are seeing increasing numbers of children and young people with serious mental health problems,’ he said.
Latest figures show rise in reported cases of scarlet fever PUBLIC HEALTH England (PHE) says there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of scarlet fever, with 3,548 new cases reported since September last year.
The announcement comes weeks after the charity Meningitis Now presented the DH with a petition of more than 36,000 signatures from doctors, nurses, scientists and members of the public calling for the vaccine’s introduction. The charity says MenB kills more children under five than any other infection. It has estimated that nearly 700 cases overall could have been prevented since January last year. Charity founder Steve Dayman called it a ‘monumental announcement’. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health immunisation expert David Elliman said: ‘Children’s lives will be saved and some children will be spared severe preventable disability.’
Science Photo Library
By Jennifer Sprinks ALL INFANTS at two months of age will be vaccinated against meningitis B under UK government plans for an immunisation programme following independent advice. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the UK’s health departments, says evidence shows that the Bexsero® vaccine is effective in preventing meningococcal B (MenB) in infants. It called for its routine use in an immunisation programme for babies, subject to a cost-effective price. It also recommended introducing a one-off scheme to vaccinate three and four month olds. The JCVI concluded that vaccination would reduce cases of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, and lead to fewer deaths, limb amputations and brain injury caused by the disease. The Department of Health (DH) is negotiating with Novartis, which produces
Numbers of scarlet fever cases have more than doubled
The latest figures compare with an average of 1,420 cases for the same period in the previous ten years. Scarlet fever, an infectious disease caused by group A streptococcus bacterium, mainly affects children and is most common between the ages of two and eight. Given the increase, PHE is advising healthcare professionals to be of aware scarlet fever symptoms when assessing patients and ensure they provide appropriate treatment to halt the spread of infection. April 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 3
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Government unveils plans for meningitis B vaccination for all two-month-old babies
Children let down by poor adult awareness of mental illness THOUSANDS OF young people with a mental health problem are at risk of ‘slipping through the net’ due to adults lacking awareness on how to recognise the signs and symptoms, a survey has found. The poll of 2,105 adults in the UK found that 38% were not aware of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and more than half were worried about raising the issue with a child or parent for fear of being mistaken. The survey was commissioned by a group of national child and adolescent mental health organisations, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the RCN. More than 850,000 children in the UK are diagnosed with a mental health problem. Without better education for adults, thousands of young people are at NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Immunisation programme will reduce number of deaths and prevent serious long-term problems the only licensed vaccine, and, if plans go ahead, the UK will be the first country to introduce a MenB immunisation scheme. DH deputy chief medical officer John Watson said infants under one year old are most at risk of MenB, with the number of cases peaking at about five or six months of age. ‘It is fatal in about one in ten cases, and can lead to long-term health problems such as amputation, deafness, epilepsy and learning difficulties,’ he said. RCN general secretary Peter Carter said the plans are ‘an important development’, adding: ‘The RCN is keen to play a part in helping prepare nursing staff for this addition to the vaccination programme and in promoting best practice among health professionals involved in its delivery.’
risk of alcohol and drug misuse, self-harm and suicide, the group warns. It has launched the website MindEd, www.minded.org.uk, to give adults information on recognising children and young people’s mental health issues. RCN general secretary Peter Carter said adults’ poor understanding of mental health issues can ‘have damaging consequences’ for children and young people’. ‘Front line nursing staff across the UK are seeing increasing numbers of children and young people with serious mental health problems,’ he said.
Latest figures show rise in reported cases of scarlet fever PUBLIC HEALTH England (PHE) says there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of scarlet fever, with 3,548 new cases reported since September last year.
The announcement comes weeks after the charity Meningitis Now presented the DH with a petition of more than 36,000 signatures from doctors, nurses, scientists and members of the public calling for the vaccine’s introduction. The charity says MenB kills more children under five than any other infection. It has estimated that nearly 700 cases overall could have been prevented since January last year. Charity founder Steve Dayman called it a ‘monumental announcement’. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health immunisation expert David Elliman said: ‘Children’s lives will be saved and some children will be spared severe preventable disability.’
Science Photo Library
By Jennifer Sprinks ALL INFANTS at two months of age will be vaccinated against meningitis B under UK government plans for an immunisation programme following independent advice. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the UK’s health departments, says evidence shows that the Bexsero® vaccine is effective in preventing meningococcal B (MenB) in infants. It called for its routine use in an immunisation programme for babies, subject to a cost-effective price. It also recommended introducing a one-off scheme to vaccinate three and four month olds. The JCVI concluded that vaccination would reduce cases of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, and lead to fewer deaths, limb amputations and brain injury caused by the disease. The Department of Health (DH) is negotiating with Novartis, which produces
Numbers of scarlet fever cases have more than doubled
The latest figures compare with an average of 1,420 cases for the same period in the previous ten years. Scarlet fever, an infectious disease caused by group A streptococcus bacterium, mainly affects children and is most common between the ages of two and eight. Given the increase, PHE is advising healthcare professionals to be of aware scarlet fever symptoms when assessing patients and ensure they provide appropriate treatment to halt the spread of infection. April 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 3
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
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