Parents to sue over MMR vaccine deaths

The parents of six babies who died shortly after being vaccinated with the MMR vaccine in Nambia are seeking Legal Assistance to help sue the health ministry. This comes after a national Measles/Rubella vaccination campaign was launched throughout the country for all persons aged between nine months and 39 years in July 2016. It is understood that, “21 babies countrywide have died since 2006 after receiving the vaccines which are normally administered to children at six weeks and 12 weeks in what has been termed sudden infant death syndrome - five of these cases recorded in July this year in Windhoek alone were caused by complications arising from the ongoing measles/rubella vaccination exercise”.

UK GPs put patients at risk

“Patients are being put at risk by GPs being forced to carry out complex consultations in 10 minutes or under”, says British Medical Association, in yet another example of how the UK’s medical system is failing patients. By way of a solution the doctors union has called for more funding to allow GPs to spend at least 15 minutes with each patient, which in our view, is highly unlikely to make any difference at all. Doctors like Rangan Chatterjee are paving the way for a new style medicine. One in which patients are educated and guided to make better diet and lifestyle choices, through empowering, health promotion programmes. Only when the healthcare system embraces disease prevention strategies and patients are encouraged and supported to take control of their own health will the strain ease on GPs.

The Childhood Obesity Plan

Following numerous delays, the government’s childhood obesity plan has finally been published, but not everyone is happy with what they see. It was only last month that Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, labelled the obesity crisis as “the new smoking”, whilst UK Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt has described the rise in childhood obesity as a “national emergency”. However, what has been delivered to tackle this crisis is, in the words of David Buck, “certainly slimline at a mere 13 pages, but it is no tonic. - This is a telling omission, and indicative of the extreme narrowness with which those in the upper tiers of government appear to understand obesity, its causes, effects and therefore its solutions.” Much more needs to be done to tackle the childhood obesity crisis before it spirals yet further. More practical information on nutrition for children can be found in our Food4Kids Guidelines, which have been designed specifically to combat childhood obesity, maintain energy levels, create sufficient nutrition for a developing brain and body and support a healthy future.

100s of unvaccinated US children to be sent home from school

It is expected that hundreds of children in California will soon be sent home from school as a result of the new mandatory vaccination bill that recently came into force. This school year, kindergarteners and seventh graders must show proof of the full suite of immunisations, before being allowed to participate in their education. The new law means that parents are no longer able to use personal or religious beliefs as a reason not to vaccinate, completely abolishing any room for vaccination choice.

A more sustainable future

The Iowa Utilities Board have recently approved plans for what will be America’s largest wind energy project capable of powering 800,000 homes once completed by 2019. "Wind energy helps us keep prices stable and more affordable for customers, provides jobs and economic benefits for communities and the state, and contributes to a cleaner environment for everyone," explains Bill Fehrman, CEO of the utility company behind the project. Wind farms certainly have their detractors who have labelled them an environmental hazard, but now there is even concern for human emotional health due to the low frequency hum which triggers a part of our brain that senses danger.

EU’s continues to reject health claims

A new study has recently been published showing that a massive 90% of all health claims submitted for review are rejected by the EU. Between 2008 and mid-2015 around 3,108 health claims were processed in total, out of these only 261 were actually authorised for use, despite many of these rejected claims falling under Article 13.1 of the nutrition and health claims regulation. Article 13.1 refers to ‘General Function Claims’ made on the basis of generally accepted scientific data.