Latest news with #HealthSecurityAgency
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Telegraph
I don't need interfering traffic wardens telling me how to behave
We've been waiting for this moment for eight months. Until a few weeks back, in our patch just off Exmoor, it had been raining since around September 20. Raining, blowing, chilling our bones and sogging our fields. I don't need official statistics to tell me about precipitation levels. I run a supper club from my old cow shed and, during autumn and winter, a spring mysteriously appears. Water floods the floor and I duly pump it out. I stopped pumping a couple of months ago. And now, some warm weather would be nice so my guests can dine on the outer part of the barn, which, unusually, they couldn't last month as it was too cold. Now there is sun, lots of it, glorious lashings of the stuff, drying the ground, the fields and the footpaths. The wedding season is upon us, soon the thwack of tennis balls will echo around the All England Club at Wimbledon and at Ascot this week, temperatures reached 32C. And it's not over yet – the UK Health Security Agency has issued a four-day amber heat health alert which began on Thursday and will stretch to this Monday. But nanny is not amused, nanny is concerned, nanny is on the warpath. Not mine, but ours, the state nanny. Nanny state has dusted down her cloak of hysteria and is back storming the wards. Here comes the advice, sorry, the warnings. The NHS website declares 'when it's hot, there are health risks'. The same advice, presumably for when it's cold. Dare I ask if it offers advice for when the weather is sort of normal, there being health risks the moment you wake up in the morning, if indeed, you managed to make it through the night. 'The main risks posed by a heatwave are,' it continues, ' not drinking enough water ', which it explains is a thing called 'dehydration'. There's a link so you can feast yourself on more detail. And then the statements of the obvious rise to a glorious crescendo. There are tips: 'Keep out of the heat… wear a hat… avoid activity that makes you hotter… cool yourself down… have cold drinks.' There's also a helpful list of vulnerable people, which includes older people and people with serious illnesses. Who'd have thought such people might need extra care? Good job we have nanny to keep us on track. The mercury tips 30 degrees celsius and government agencies warn us to lie down, stay inside and douse ourselves with water. This, in spite of the fact that when this warm weather stops in a week or so and it starts raining again, we'll all be off to Greece and Spain and the south of France where the mercury will be nudging 40 degrees. And because the NHS won't be on hand, nanny state won't be parading the beaches and issuing dire warnings, we'll all get it horribly wrong. We'll go out in the sun and, as soon as the breakfast buffet has been cleared, drink as much alcohol as possible in an attempt to both enjoy ourselves and forget that we come from a country run by interfering traffic wardens.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Covid alert: Catchy Nimbus variant DOUBLES in just one month, as total infections reach highest level this year
A highly contagious Covid variant is on the rise in the UK, with official data suggesting rates have doubled in a month. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that 8 per cent of Covid tests analysed at the start of June were positive for the new 'Nimbus' strain. This is up from just 4 per cent in mid-May. Nimbus, known scientifically as N.B.1.8.1, is thought to be the most contagious variant of the virus yet with experts warning it could drive a wave of new cases this summer. Other data collected by the agency shows the total number of tests coming back positive for any type of Covid has increased to 6.8 per cent as of June 15, the latest available data. This is up from 5.6 per cent last month and represents the highest figure recorded so far this year. Both figures are likely to be an underestimate of how far Nimbus and Covid in general is spreading given how testing has been massively reduced from the height of the pandemic. In its weekly report UKHSA laso said there had also been a slight increase in hospital admissions for Covid to just over 1.5 admissions per 100,000 people.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Four-day heat health alert issued for most of England as temperatures set to soar to 32C
Heat health alerts have been issued for large parts of England later this week as temperatures are set to soar as high as 32C. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued seven yellow heat health alerts which come into force at 12:00pm on Wednesday and last until 6pm on Sunday. The yellow alert covers the following areas:
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Final decision due on Porton Down science labs
A decision is finally expected on whether to move hundreds of government science jobs out of Wiltshire to Essex. The Health Security Agency at Porton Down researches how to tackle the world's most infectious diseases, and prepare the UK for future pandemics. Over the last 15 years plans have been worked up to relocate its 900 workers to new facilities in Harlow, but the estimated costs have spiralled - ministers expect a final decision in Wednesday's government spending review. The MP covering Porton Down - Conservative John Glen - said: "It's taken 10 years to still be in doubt whether this should still happen and the costs have gone up six-fold." The National Audit Office reported the cost of the whole project is estimated to be £3.2bn, a figure more than 500% higher than the initial forecast of £530m. When it was officially announced in 2015 that the labs would move to Harlow, Essex, the MP there at the time said he was pleased and it would "bring thousands of jobs". Speaking to the BBC this week, Mr Glen said the new build would be "dressed up" as a world-class hub. "But Porton Down already is world-class," he said. "We've already got the world's best scientists doing amazing collaborative work." More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire He added staff get paid to do work for other countries, including the US, and when unions asked workers there several years ago, most did not want to move. He said: "There's an established pattern of activity there. We do need more investment but not the extent of building and refurbishing an unsuitable lab in Harlow." Scientific work has been going on at Porton Down for 100 years, but much the infrastructure is old. However, Mr Glen said there had been "additional investment" because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the government needs to "be realistic". "This is an opportunity to save money, to reverse George Osborne's ambitious decision but still invest in science and an established rhythm of work," he said. No construction work has started at the Harlow site, which is being maintained by staff to keep it secure. The government said it had been considering options and whether building a new facility is still viable. It estimates if the Harlow centre is built, it will not open before 2036 - some 15 years behind schedule. When Health Secretary Wes Streeting was asked about the possible move in March, he said: "[This] has been running around the system so long that it is now used in a case study for senior civil servant recruitment," he said. "The worst decision is indecision. "It has plagued us for too long and I hope we can soon report back to the house with a decision on that for everyone's benefit." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Deadly pathogen research hub remains unbuilt despite £400m spend Work paused on dangerous pathogens research facility Site purchase promises thousands of jobs Public Health lab move confirmed Can this laboratory help stop the next pandemic?
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Will Porton Down government science labs actually move?
A decision is finally expected on whether to move hundreds of government science jobs out of Wiltshire to Health Security Agency at Porton Down researches how to tackle the world's most infectious diseases, and prepare the UK for future the last 15 years plans have been worked up to relocate its 900 workers to new facilities in Harlow, but the estimated costs have spiralled - ministers expect a final decision in Wednesday's government spending MP covering Porton Down - Conservative John Glen - said: "It's taken 10 years to still be in doubt whether this should still happen and the costs have gone up six-fold." The National Audit Office reported the cost of the whole project is estimated to be £3.2bn, a figure more than 500% higher than the initial forecast of £530m. When it was officially announced in 2015 that the labs would move to Harlow, Essex, the MP there at the time said he was pleased and it would "bring thousands of jobs".Speaking to the BBC this week, Mr Glen said the new build would be "dressed up" as a world-class hub."But Porton Down already is world-class," he said."We've already got the world's best scientists doing amazing collaborative work." He added staff get paid to do work for other countries, including the US, and when unions asked workers there several years ago, most did not want to said: "There's an established pattern of activity there. We do need more investment but not the extent of building and refurbishing an unsuitable lab in Harlow."Scientific work has been going on at Porton Down for 100 years, but much the infrastructure is Mr Glen said there had been "additional investment" because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the government needs to "be realistic"."This is an opportunity to save money, to reverse George Osborne's ambitious decision but still invest in science and an established rhythm of work," he said. No construction work has started at the Harlow site, which is being maintained by staff to keep it government said it had been considering options and whether building a new facility is still estimates if the Harlow centre is built, it will not open before 2036 - some 15 years behind Health Secretary Wes Streeting was asked about the possible move in March, he said: "[This] has been running around the system so long that it is now used in a case study for senior civil servant recruitment," he said."The worst decision is indecision."It has plagued us for too long and I hope we can soon report back to the house with a decision on that for everyone's benefit."
