Smileband health topics

The measles outbreak that has rocked five regions of England has now infected 140 people, new figures reveal. Some 47 confirmed cases of the life-threatening infection have been reported in the West Midlands. 

And 35 people have now been struck down with measles in West Yorkshire, 29 in Cheshire and Liverpool, 22 in Surrey and seven in Greater Manchester. 

The figures, released by Public Health England, have prompted officials to urge parents to ensure their kids are vaccinated against it. 

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, believes the outbreak could be down to travellers coming back to the country from Europe. Italy, Germany and Romania are all currently being rocked by epidemics of measles, which is a highly contagious viral infection. 

She added that in order to avoid an epidemic in the UK, parents should vaccinate their children against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).

However, measles vaccination rates in children have been dropping consistently in recent years - and are now below recommended levels. Dr Ramsay said: 'The measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in England are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe.

'People who have recently travelled, or are planning to travel to Romania, Italy and Germany and have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly at risk.'

'This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age. 'Children and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two doses should contact their GP practice to catch-up.'

The outbreak comes just months after European health leaders declared that the 'elimination' of measles had been achieved in the UK. Government officials announced their 'delight' at the ruling, by the European Regional Verification Commission. 

The elimination of measles or rubella can be verified once a country has sustained 'interruption of endemic transmission' for at least 36 months. 

To prevent a measles outbreak, it is recommended that 95 per cent of the population is immunised against the infection.

Only 91.9 per cent of children were vaccinated against measles between 2015 and 2016, according to NHS immunisation statistics.

This is compared to 94.2 per cent in 2014 to 2015 and 94.3 per cent in 2013 to 2014.

The World Health Organization (WHO) claims people's fear of vaccines, along with complacency, means many, particularly young children, are unprotected. 

Slowing rates could be down to disgraced gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield's theory in 1995 that the MMR vaccine is linked to bowel disease and autism.

His controversial study, which was published in The Lancet, has since been retracted and his views have been widely discredited. 

The WHO warned last year that measles was spreading across Europe in regions where vaccination rates are low, mainly Germany, Italy and Romania.

Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed there were 19,000 measles cases between January 2016 and November 2017.  

The highest number of cases in 2017 were reported in Romania, where 7,759 people suffered, followed by Italy with 4,775 cases and Germany with 898 sufferers.

The outbreak across the EU led to at least 46 deaths. 

Smileband general news

The Irish are much more genetically diverse than previously believed and have Viking and Norman ancestry - just like the English, according to new research. A comprehensive DNA map of the people of the Emerald Isle has for the first time revealed lasting contributions from British, Scandinavian and French invasions. 

The findings are significant because they could be used in future studies to identify the genetics underlying various traits and diseases in specific regions.

An estimated 80 million people worldwide claim Irish descent - almost half of them Americans who regard it as their main ethnicity. 

It has long been assumed this means the blood in their veins is Celtic - but geneticists now say the truth is much more complicated. Their latest research has uncovered a previously hidden DNA landscape, shaped through geography and historical migrations. 

The findings, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, could also shed fresh light on genetic diseases - and lead to better treatments. 

In both the UK and Ireland, for example, prevalence of multiple sclerosis increases the further north you go. 

And compared with the rest of Europe, the Irish have higher rates of cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and galactosemia, a serious metabolic disorder that prevents the breakdown of sugars in dairy, legumes and organ meats. 

In the 10,000 years since Stone Age cavemen first arrived, the Irish have established distinct cultural regions. 

But previous studies had identified no clear genetic groups within the population. 

Now researchers have found 23 distinct Irish genetic clusters, separated by geography by comparing mutations from almost 1,000 Irish genomes with over 6,000 from Britain and mainland Europe. 

These are most distinct in western Ireland, but less pronounced in the east, where historical migrations have erased the genetic variations. 

When the researchers took into account genetic contributions from people with British ancestry, a clear trend arose, showing this input dropping off in populations to the west. 

They also detected genes from Europe and calculated the timing of the historical migrations of the Norse-Vikings and the Anglo-Normans to Ireland, yielding dates consistent with historical records. 

Smileband health topics

Melioidosis or glanders is caused by the bacteriaBurkholderia mallei. This disease most commonly affects horses but humans can also be affected. Common symptoms include fever, muscle aches, chest pain, headaches and light sensitivity.

 

There are usually four types of infections that can occur:

• Localized infections
• Pulmonary infections
• Bloodstream infections
• Chronic infections

There has not been a naturally occurring case of glanders in the United States since the 1940s.

 

Transmission

Transmission occurs through contact with the tissue or bodily fluids of infected animals through cuts or abrasions in the skin or through mucosal surfaces.

Transmission may also occur through inhalation of infected aerosols or dust contaminated by an animal.

Incubation period ranges from 1 to 21 days. Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

There has been no human-to-human transmission reported in the US.

Prevention for Patients
Special precautions should be taken for individuals who need to have contact with an infected animal.

Specific groups such as veterinarians, horse caretakers, laboratorians, equine butchers, and abattoir workers can be at increased risk.

Public Health Actions
Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case. 

Smileband general news

Police carrying out a raid on a suspected drugs den nearly bit off more than they could chew after stumbling into a four-foot-long caiman crocodile and a number of dangerous snakes during their search. Among the potentially lethal snakes included cobras, copperheads, pythons, a Madagascan giant hognose snake, and even a scorpion was found elsewhere in the property at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

At least another seven snakes were found dead.

Detective Inspector Steve Nelson, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'The reptiles were held in very poor conditions and sadly a number had died.

'As officers we come across many different finds during our investigations and these are among the more unusual.

'We contacted the RSPCA, whose specialist handlers removed them from the house. 'Those that survived are now in the care of the RSPCA's Reptile Rescue centre in Brighton.

'We are working together with the charity as part of the investigation into how these wild animals came to be kept in such conditions.' 

A 36-year-old man from Basildon, Essex, was arrested on suspicion of cannabis production following a raid on an industrial unit, keeping a dangerous animal without license and animal cruelty offences.  

He was released on bail until February 13 pending further enquiries. 

Smileband general news

White British children are performing worse at GCSE than children whose first language is not English, official figures show. Government statistics released today revealed the Average Attainment 8 score per pupil, which measures the achievement of a student across eight different subjects.

White British children scored 45.9. It was a drop on last year's score of 49.8 and means they performed worse than students whose first language is not English, who scored 46.8.

Chinese pupils topped the table, with an average score of 62.6, while Indian students came second on 55.4.

Students from a Black Caribbean background scored 40.5 and Gypsy/Roma students came bottom on 18.

The average for all students was 46.3. 

The figures come amid major changes to England's exams system, including the introduction of a new grading system, which has meant the data includes English and maths GCSE results awarded new 9-1 grades while other subjects received traditional A*-G grades.

School leaders said the new grading system affecting English and maths has complicated the way school performance is calculated, as it has to be worked out using a combination of old and new grading systems.

One in EIGHT secondary schools in England falls below minimum standard - with 80 more that last year failing to make the grade

More than a quarter of a million children are being taught at under-performing secondary schools, official figures show.

One in eight of England's mainstream secondaries - 365 in total - fell below the government's minimum standards in 2017, according to new statistics.

This is up from 282 schools, just under one in 10 - the year before.

According to Press Association analysis of the data, it means 260,783 schoolchildren are now being taught at under-performing secondaries - about one in 12 (8.6%), compared to 206,991 (6.8%) in 2016.

Smileband general news

Across the globe, millions of families are split between two houses due to a divorce or separation.  While the parents stay grounded in their own houses, it is the children who must pack up and divide their lives between the two. This can be incredibly exhausting for a child at any age, from a preschooler who always seems to forget his favorite teddy bear at the mom’s house to the high schooler who doesn’t get why she can’t stay out as late when she’s at dad’s house.  

When there isn’t a good level of symmetry between their two houses, the children tend to become confused and frustrated. In turn, this creates conflict not only between the two parents but also between parents and children. Giving your child a sense of stability and equilibrium between your two houses will play a significant role in easing their stress and reducing conflict between all family members. Doing so begins in one place: opening lines of communication between your two houses.

Maintaining communication between your two houses will greatly improve your odds of achieving the level of stability you want to give to your children. Discuss and set common ground rules that apply within each home such as how late the kids can stay out at night, how much television they can watch after school, or what kinds of snacks they are allowed to eat. When the lifestyle rules change drastically between the two houses, it’s easy for the children to get confused about what they can do where, or they may favor one house more than the other just because they can get away with more there. When there is a better balance of rules between the two houses, the children will lead a much more stable lifestyle. Communicate with your co-parent about what those rules should be, where the rules may differ, and what should be done if the rules are broken. Having similar discipline practices between homes will help the children better understand what to expect at home and not to favor one house over the other.

Communication doesn’t only include discussing house rules, but it also should include discussion about the items within the two houses. It’s hard for a child of any age to pack up everything they may want or need for a week at one home, then have to do it all over again the next week. Talk to your co-parent about how you can better equalize what the kids have between their two houses. Supply each house with adequate toiletries, school supplies, and clothes for the kids. If your children have favorite items that they can never live without, help your children pack and ensure that those items are always in their bags when they leave your house.

Finally, communication isn’t only essential between just the two parents, but between parents and children. Talk to your kids about what they need in order to create that symmetry and equilibrium between their two houses. Communicate about the custody schedule and when they will be staying at one house or the other, especially when it comes to the holidays. If kids know what to expect and are not having surprise custody exchanges popping up all the time, they will feel more settled and secure. 

Communicating between two houses about all of these things might not be so easily done by phone or email, especially when conflict is a constant problem between co-parents. Seek counsel from a family law professional who is trained to help mediate communication and decisions made between co-parents. Also, consider using an online application that is more tuned to aiding the communication needs of families split between two houses

Smileband general news

Scientists have discovered the mummified body of a wealthy Swiss woman who died of syphillis is a distant relative of boris Johnston. 

The woman's body was uncovered in Basel in 1975 during renovation works to the city's Barüsser Church. 

Mystery has surrounded her identity ever since, with no gravestone to determine who she was.

But over 40 years later, DNA experts have finally revealed the woman is Anna Catharina Bischoff - one of the UK's Foreign Secretary's ancestors. Mr Johnson is yet to comment on the findings, but is fully aware of his Swiss ancestry, referring to them on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? as 'posh toffs'.

The Foreign Office told MailOnline Mr Johnson does not wish to comment on the findings.  

As for Anna Catharina herself, she was part of the wealthy Basel family the Bischoffs and married a church minister, the BBC reports. She lived in Strasbourg, France, for most of her life, where she looked after people with sexually transmitted diseases. 

Through her work she contracted syphilis, returning to Basel for intensive mercury treatment -  but her efforts to find a cure were in vain.

She died of suspected mercury poisoning in 1787 aged 68.  

The key to finding out who she was came in 2017, when Swiss archives were uncovered showing the body had been exhumed once before - in 1843.

Experts suspected she came from a wealthy family as many of the city's richest residents were buried in churches like Barüsser.

Her coffin, unmarked, was also found in front of the altar, a sign of great respect and importance.  But the papers gave them even greater reason to believe she was one of the Bichoffs.

Scientists managed to extract DNA from the mummy's big toe and compared it to living relatives of the Bischoffs.

When the results came in, it was a 99.8 per cent match.

Once her identity had been revealed, experts traced her family tree.

Anna Catharina had seven children, but only two survived childhood. One daughter, also called Anna, married Christian Hubert Baron Pfeffel von Kriegelstein.

Skipping five generations of Pfeffel von Kreigelstein's, the historians discovered Marie Luise von Pfeffel married Stanley Fred Williams.

Their daughter married a man called Osman Wilfred Johnson Kemal, whose son is Stanley Johnson - recent star of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Here and father to the Foreign Secretary, 53.

Mr Johnson, 72, is also the father of Mail on Sunday columnist Rachel Johnson, 52, who was recently evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother House.