Cornwall farmers to get support vaccinating badgers in new scheme
Farmers in Cornwall will soon be able to administer badger vaccinations themselves to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) will work with farmers across the region as part of government plans to end badger culling.The programme will launch later this year and comes as new figures show the number of badgers culled in England in 2024 fell by 12% compared to 2023.A total of 4,110 badgers were also vaccinated against the disease in England last year, an increase of more than 1,000 from 2023.
'Hardship and stress'
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said the figures show "the clear progress we are making" to deliver a bTB eradication package "to end badger culling by the end of this parliament"."Bovine tuberculosis has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long," he added."It has placed dreadful hardship and stress on farmers who continue to suffer the loss of valued herds and has taken a terrible toll on our badger populations."
Dr Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer, said: "The disease is on a very positive downward trajectory following years of hard work, as vaccinations continues to increase and we remain committed to take a data-led and scientific approach as we transition to fully adopting non-lethal control methods for managing this insidious disease."Last August, a four-year pilot vaccination programme showed the percentage of badgers testing positive for bTB in Cornwall in the study area dropped from 16% to 0%.
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The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Are YOU eligible for free fat jabs on the NHS? As GPs start dishing out Mounjaro – all you need to know
THEY are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times. And from Monday, so-called ' fat jab s' will be made available to many more Brits on the NHS. In what marks the dawn of a new era, GPs will begin prescribing the weight-loss jab Mounjaro in the first anti- obesity rollout of its kind. More than three million people are thought to be eligible for tirzepatide - the active drug in Mounjaro - the strongest jab on the market. Health chiefs hope it will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis which has seen rates double since the 1990s. Injections including Ozempic and Wegovy have previously only been available for type 2 diabetes or through specialist slimming clinics. Family doctors will now be encouraged to prescribe them in a bid to get more people on the meds. Experts hope widespread use will slash work sick days and boost the economy, while reducing rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia. But demand for the drugs is already huge and NHS clinics cannot dish them out fast enough. Here is everything you need to know as the rollout begins: What is Mounjaro and what has it been used for so far? 5 FOR anyone who has missed the frenzy, Mounjaro, aka tirzepatide, is the newest weight loss injection used on the NHS. It has been around since 2022 and triggers fullness hormones in the gut to prevent hunger and over-eating. This works the same as older jabs Wegovy and Ozempic, all known as GLP-1 agonists, but a recent trial showed it is more effective. A head-to-head study in the New England Journal of Medicine found Mounjaro caused 20 per cent weight loss over 18 months, while semaglutide – the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic – led to 14 per cent. All the jabs were originally invented to treat type 2 diabetes but trials found they could also cause major weight loss. Pharma firms have cashed in on the discovery and UK prescriptions have skyrocketed. NHS prescriptions of Mounjaro in England surged from just 3,300 in 2023 to 1.1million last year, and more than a million people are estimated to be buying it online. Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons Who will be eligible in the new rollout? THE new rollout starting on Monday will allow GPs to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, starting with those patients whose weight places them at greatest health risk. Top of the list will be those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher and four weight-related health conditions. A BMI of 40 is roughly equal to weighing 16st (102kg) for an average height 5'3' woman, or 19st 6lbs (123kg) for an average 5'9' man. Weight-related conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease. Patients will likely be expected to have tried diet and exercise first before being offered a jab. Many are likely to miss out, as some 13.5million adults in England are obese but only 3.4million are estimated to be eligible in the rollout. How will the rollout be run and what is new? 5 WHAT'S new is that the rollout will be the first run by NHS primary care, led by GP surgeries. In theory this should make life easier for patients – but GPs will not be able to meet the huge demand. NHS bosses have admitted it will take a staggering 12 years to treat everyone who is eligible. Just 220,000 extra people are likely to get Mounjaro by 2028. Private prescriptions, costing about £100-£150 per month, already vastly outnumber that and are rising. Health Secretary Wes Streeting wants a faster rollout and more widespread use of the drugs but patients must also receive regular check-ups and lifestyle help. Officials are investigating whether they can dish them out through pharmacies or the NHS app to take a load off GPs. Professor Jason Halford, of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: 'These drugs have the potential to help millions. 'If the government and NHS are serious about prevention they need to reconsider their position on the speed of the rollout of these drugs.' Professor John Deanfield, a heart doctor at University College London, added: 'These drugs provide a real opportunity to delay many diseases of ageing all at the same time and potentially transform society. 'I hope it won't take 10 years to do something that is so needed.' What if my GP says no? MANY people are expected to miss out and some surgeries are already pouring cold water on patients' hopes. Fairhill Medical Practice in Kingston upon Thames said: 'Once we are able to prescribe weight loss injections they will be offered to those with the highest medical need only, which may mean that a lot of patients will be disappointed.' Millions who meet the prescription criteria will simply have to be denied the drugs because doctors are so busy. On top of everything else England's 6,300 doctors' surgeries have to deal with, they do not have the capacity to offer the necessary long-term supervision for millions more people at once. Experts reckon private prescriptions will rocket even more as frustrated patients give up waiting. If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services. Known as tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services, they may prescribe the jabs after other weight loss attempts. Many people are expected to find it easier to go private, with the injections widely available from high street pharmacies like Boots, Superdrug, and even Asda. Olivier Picard, of the National Pharmacy Association, said: 'NHS provision won't meet demand straight away, so we fully expect that many people will continue seeking it privately.' Advice for people buying them privately BUYING the drugs online might seem like the faster fix – but buyer beware. Slimming success stories are everywhere but so, too, are tales of horror. Many patients have been duped by dodgy sellers, suffered severe side effects or even died after taking jabs they bought online. Bargain prices, easy tick-box applications, or prescriptions with no follow-up, should all be red flags to online shoppers. Many pharmacies have been rapped for giving them away to people who do not meet the obesity criteria, potentially putting their health at risk. Dose strength is partly based on size and pretending you are fatter than you are could mean you end up with a medication too strong for your body, raising the risk of serious side effects. The most common side effects from the injections include feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea or other gut troubles. If not treated properly people can suffer more serious impacts like dehydration, gallstones, pancreatitis or allergic reactions – and more than 100 deaths in the UK have so far been linked to the jabs. The General Pharmaceutical Council issued new rules in February to say that all pharmacies must verify a patient's height and weight, and conduct at least a video call – if not face-to-face appointment – before prescribing weight loss injections. Dr Emily Pegg, associate vice president at Lilly, which makes Mounjaro, said: 'This is still a prescription-only medicine, should only be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional and needs to be dispensed by a registered pharmacy. 'It is not something that people should be able to buy by just going out and going on to a social media site and clicking a button and it gets delivered to them. 'That is not appropriate and is probably illegal. 'Patient safety is a high priority.' Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. Future of fat jabs WHILE the Mounjaro rollout is expected to kick off with a whimper and not a bang, it is hoped it will mark the beginning of a new era in weight loss medicine. Brits have been getting gradually fatter for decades and no medication or government policy has managed to beat the bulge. The drugs appear super-effective, reasonably priced and relatively safe, and could help millions slim down after failed diets. They are expected to reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia. And studies increasingly show they improve health in other ways on top of weight loss, too, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. NHS medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, believes they could one day be as transformative as cholesterol-lowering statins, which have slashed heart attacks since they were rolled out decades ago. Prof Powis said: 'I think over time it's highly likely that these drugs will become more widespread. 'I think there will be a combination of increased evidence of positive outcomes and costs dropping, and we will learn better how to deploy them. 'This is very exciting – we're in the foothills of learning how to use them.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The 'game-changing' £21 item that sells every two minutes has shoppers floored with incredible results: 'This is brilliant - no more shaving'
MailOnline readers can enjoy an extra 10 per cent off ANSWR's viral Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop, a bestselling alternative to shaving this summer. The Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop is proving to be a hugely popular method for getting rid of unwanted hair, with users saying they'll 'never go back' to shaving their legs. ANSWR Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop The ANSWR Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop is a game-changing hair removal tool, using a glass surface to gently slough away both hair and exfoliate the skin for soft, silky legs and arms. Best used on large areas of skin, the tool also targets dull skin and KP, also known as strawberry skin, for legs that are always holiday-ready. Now 20 per cent off in the brand's sitewide sale, readers can get an additional 10 per cent off with the code discount by using the code SUMMERSKIN10 at checkout. Act fast, as this special offer ends on June 26 2025. £20.81 (save £2.31) Shop Working with a circular rubbing motion on the skin, it promises to remove hair from the surface of the skin while also removing dead skin leaving the skin feeling baby-like. Perhaps best known for their viral At-Home Keratin Treatment, the ANSWR Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop is about to earn its keep in your beauty drawer this summer, too. Currently on sale for 20 per cent off thanks to the brand's storewide Summer sale, MailOnline readers can get an additional 10 per cent off with the code SUMMERSKIN10. The unique device has already converted scores of shoppers from razors and waxing, helping them say goodbye to painful nicks and 'strawberry' legs thanks to the use of friction to help remove hair from the surface of the skin while also removing dead skin. Highly rated by customers, the incredibly easy to use 'drop' has been designed with exfoliation in mind for smooth, soft and silky legs that you won't be able to stop touching. When used in circular motions, the glass surface gently sloughs away both hair and skin for soft, silky legs and arms. When used in circular motions, the glass surface gently sloughs away both hair and skin for soft, silky legs and arms. And while it is a gentler alternative to shaving or waxing it's also proved a winner with those with Keratosis Pilaris (KP), dryness, or strawberry skin, as with regular use it can improve the appearance and softness of the skin. For the best results, the ANSWR Hair Removal Drop should be used on dry skin. Simply buff the drop onto the desired area and you'll be able to watch in awe as hair and dead skin cells fall off in a matter of seconds. Currently on sale for £23.12, MailOnline readers can get an a further 10 per cent off with the code SUMMERSKIN10 taking the cost down to £20.81. Lasting up to six months, it's a cost-effective form of hair removal while also providing a sustainable alternative to traditional razors by replacing an average of 12 razors. 'This is brilliant- no more shaving - instant smooth and feels fabulous. Already recommended to several people. I love it and I'll never go back to shaving my legs again!'. Another agreed, adding: 'My legs are so smooth and no red raised marks anywhere! I braved shorts for the first time in years! Definitely highly recommend. Thank you again for a superb life changing product.' A third penned: 'A fantastic product that leaves legs hair-free and feeling like silk. So much better than shaving or waxing, it's so quick and easy and completely pain free. Love it!'. With one sold every two minutes, it's a great time to see what the hype is about for the hair removing device. Don't miss out on an extra 10 per cent off the ANSWR Exfoliating Hair Removal Drop with the code SUMMERSKIN10.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Warning over hundreds of deaths during weekend heatwave
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