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How many young people must
die or suffer by ignoring a free meningitis vaccine?
WITH a number of meningitis deaths
already being reported at UK universities since the start of the academic year,
charity Meningitis Now is asking why are so many young people are choosing to
ignore a free vaccine that could save their life?
As it launched its annual Student Awareness Week,
on 24 October 2016, the charity has been
asking students to learn from the fact that, up until the end of August 2016, only
17.4% of 17 and 18 year olds in England had received the vaccination and that
nearly ½ a million 1st year students remain at risk.
Cases of deadly Men W have been increasing
year on year, from 22 in 2009 to nearly 200 cases in the past 12 months. A
Meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccination was introduced in 2015 to combat this
rise, but sadly numbers continue to grow.
Despite the increasing risk and the recent deaths of a number of students across
the UK, the uptake of MenACWY remains very low, with just 17.4% in England,
whilst in Wales the average uptake is a concerning 30.9%. By contrast,
Scotland’s programme through schools has been highly successful.
Liz Brown, Chief Executive at Meningitis Now
said:- “With a number of students having already contracted and died from
meningitis this semester, my simple message to young people and parents, where
they still have influence, is that it is not too late to take action that could
be lifesaving; get the MenACWY now and protect yourself by getting to know the
signs and symptoms of the disease”.
The awareness week is backed by businesses, universities, parents and young
people with direct experience of the disease across the UK.
Charlotte Hannibal had just returned to
university in Nottingham when she contracted Men W. She thought she had the flu
when she began to experience symptoms including feeling cold, a sore throat and
a bloating feeling in her stomach.
Charlotte spent 17 days in an induced coma and woke unable to remember what had
happened to her. She said:- “I was left with severe memory loss; I
couldn’t remember being ill at all. My hearing was also damaged. I had both legs
amputated below the knee and lost all my fingers on my left hand and have
recently undergone a kidney transplant. I’m now just very grateful to be alive
and well.”
Charlotte is one of many volunteers speaking
out about the risk of meningitis to students as part of Student Awareness Week.
The campaign aims to make sure students know the signs and symptoms of the
disease and get the free, lifesaving MenACWY vaccine.
To support the campaign follow Meningitis Now on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
and use the hashtag #ACWYnot.
Or to find out more visit:-
FightForNow.Org.
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New fruit and veg market
plan moves forward
A new £7 million food hub to house
Liverpool’s fruit, vegetable and flower market is set to be built in Gillmoss.
A report to the council’s Cabinet, on Friday, 28 October 2016, is recommending a
contract be awarded to Willmott Dixon to construct the new facility at
Stonebridge Business Park.
The new 80,000 square feet market will include parking, a café and public
toilets, replacing the existing rundown building off Edge Lane in Old Swan.
It will complement other nearby developments including the new £12 million
Geopost DPD parcel facility which has created 250 jobs and new industrial units
being built by St Modwen and scheduled for completion in February 2017.
There is also the potential for meat and fish traders; based in a building off
Prescot Road not owned by the City Council; to transfer to the new location in
a further phase of the development.
It is the latest phase of a significant investment programme which has already
seen a new Great Homer Street ‘Greatie’ market opening, while the
revamped St Johns Market will open on 14 November following a £2.5 million.
Cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said:- “This
is a really exciting scheme which I know traders are delighted with.
The existing market is in a really poor condition and the number of traders has
been dwindling for a very long time, so we have been working hard to identify a
new site which will put it on a solid footing and enable it to expand in the
future.
We are also confident that we will be able to transfer the popular Sunday market
and car boot sale over to the new location.
This is all part of our wider aim of driving up the standard and quality of
Liverpool’s markets now we’ve taken back control of them.”
Around 10 acres of the fruit, vegetable and flower market’s existing site is set
to be redeveloped as a new home for a Merseyside Police Patrol Hub, while also
providing space for the Force’s vehicle repair facility, currently based at
Smithdown Lane. Some land will also be used to rebuild the neighbouring St
Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, while the remaining 9 acres fronting
Prescot Road is set to be used for new housing.
Cllr Kennedy added:- “We have come up with a comprehensive regeneration
scheme for the site off Edge Lane site which will enable Merseyside Police to
relocate from Smithdown Lane, allows for the much needed redevelopment of St
Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School as well as the construction of new homes on a
brownfield site.”
The final piece of the jigsaw will see the City Council enter into a land swap
agreement with Merseyside Police and see the site at Smithdown Lane used to
expand the City’s 'Knowledge Quarter' as part of 'Project Paddington', with a new
development of office accommodation to attract businesses and jobs.
Subject to planning approval, it is expected that construction of the new market
could start by the end of the year and open in September 2017 as part of the
Stonebridge Cross Mayoral Development Zone.
The cost of borrowing for the build of the new market will be paid for through
rental income from the relocated market traders.
Liverpool City Region Health
Summit
A special summit exploring the region’s
ambition to transform the health and wellbeing of the Liverpool City Region has
taken place.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson and Cllr Andy Moorhead, portfolio lead for
Health, Wellbeing and Social Care for the Liverpool City Region Combined
Authority were joined by more than 200 local authority, health and community
leaders at: The Venue, Huyton.
The Liverpool City Region Health Summit aimed to kick start conversations about
health in the region and the need to change.
Cllr Andy Moorhead opened the Health Summit. He said:- "Everyone in our
many diverse communities should have the equal opportunity to live long, healthy
and happy lives.
The Health Summit is just the start of a conversation to explore how local
leaders and the community can work together to improve these opportunities.
It provided the opportunity to discuss and explore how we can improve the
overall health and wellbeing in the Liverpool City Region, with our residents
being integral to everything that we do.
There is a huge potential that working in collaboration with our community and
our partners this can happen."
Matthew Ashton, Director of Public Health at Sefton and Knowsley, addressed the
Summit on how to improve the health and wellbeing of the City Region. He added:-
"In simple terms healthy people are happier people and happier people are
healthier.
Healthy populations are more economically prosperous populations, and vice versa,
but the average life expectancy in Merseyside is 2 to 3 years lower than
national levels.
This varies substantially across the Liverpool City Region depending on where
you live and is something we all need to look at together and address. Through
the Health Summit we can bring together all our professional knowledge to look
at the challenges and opportunities surrounding health for everyone in the
Liverpool City Region."
The summit also highlighted the challenges facing health services in the region,
including financial challenges and pressures on accident and emergency services.
Clare Duggan, Director for Commissioning Operations, NHS England, added:-
"The Liverpool City Region has a population of more than 1.5 million people and
collectively we all have a duty to ensure the best quality of care for every
single 1 of them.
There is a real opportunity to work with local communities and partners to meet
this collective challenge, to improve and transform our health and care system
over the next 5 years."
You can keep up to date with the latest Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
on Twitter @LiverpoolCRCA
Hospital chaplain holds
memorial service to remember loved ones
THE chaplain of Southport and Ormskirk
Hospital NHS Trust, Rev. Martin Abrams, is leading a memorial service on 6
November 2016, for anyone wishing to remember a loved 1.
The service will be held at 10.45am on Sunday 6 November at Ainsdale Methodist
Church, opposite Ainsdale Village Green. Dr Karen Groves, Consultant in
Palliative Medicine, will also take part in the service.
Martin says:- “There are many ways people like to remember loved ones. For
those who wish to do it in the context of a Church service, and are not involved
in other churches, there is a warm invitation to come to Ainsdale Methodist
Church.
Anyone is welcome at the service and we hope the time together will be gentle,
supportive and encouraging for all. There will be an opportunity to remember
loved ones in different ways, including lighting a candle of remembrance or
placing a flower of remembrance.”
Dr Groves, added:- “Remembering those we have loved and lost is important
to us, and it can be important to continue to celebrate and remember their
lives. November is already a month of remembrance and it seems entirely
appropriate that we also remember those we have cared for here at the Trust.”
Refreshments will be available after the service. |
