Latest news with #IFPA
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
New miscarriage counselling service: trauma and grief that dare not speak its name
The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) announced earlier this month that it is expanding its counselling service to include women and couples who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. As part of a HSE-funded pilot project, anyone who has two or more miscarriages in a row is entitled to eight free counselling sessions. 'We've supported the sexual and reproductive health of people in Ireland since 1969, providing specialist counselling throughout that time,' says the IFPA's counselling director, Clare O'Brien. IFPA counselling director Clare O'Brien. 'We're delighted to have received HSE funding that enables us to become the first State-funded organisation to provide the psychological care women and couples need following miscarriage.' This care is sorely needed. Every year, approximately 14,000 women in Ireland have a miscarriage, meaning about one in every four pregnancies ends in loss. According to the Irish Examiner's women's health survey, some 58% of women report that the availability of support in the aftermath of miscarriage is poor. Women and couples have turned to organisations like the Miscarriage Association of Ireland and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Ireland or to independent therapists. 'There was nothing integrated alongside medical care, up until now. Women who have experienced recurrent miscarriage, and their partners, will now be referred to our specialist counselling services by their local maternity hospital,' O'Brien says. The custom of keeping pregnancies secret until after the first scan at 12 weeks can complicate how people grieve, O'Brien acknowledges: 'In other countries, people share their happy news much earlier. But here, the norm is to wait until after that first scan. Because many miscarriages happen in the first trimester, this means many couples won't have told anyone they are pregnant, which makes it harder to share that they have lost their baby.' Couples can grieve alone, as a result. 'And they do so in such individual ways,' says O'Brien. 'Miscarriage can cause sadness, anger, confusion, guilt, numbness, uncertainty, and fear for the future. There are so many unanswered questions about what happened and why. It's a very difficult time for people.' Alice Sheridan: 'The ripple effect of miscarriage goes on for miles. It's the loss of a life and all its possibilities." Photograph: Moya Nolan No heartbeat Alice Sheridan is a 45-year-old from Skerries in Dublin. She believes many women and couples are 'silently screaming and no one is hearing them'. 'The ripple effect of miscarriage goes on for miles. It's the loss of a life and all its possibilities. For some, it's the loss of the prospect of parenthood. It's a whole future that gets abruptly and violently taken away,' she says. Sheridan speaks from experience. She married in 2009, became pregnant three months later, and gave birth to her son, Jack, in 2010. 'I sailed through that pregnancy,' she says. However, when she and her husband tried for another baby, it took them four years to conceive. 'We were so excited, but at the eight-week scan, we realised there was no heartbeat,' she says. 'We'd lost our baby.' Over the next four years, the couple had two more pregnancies, but both ended in miscarriage. None of the pregnancies progressed beyond eight weeks, meaning Sheridan never developed a baby bump. 'In many ways, I felt this mirrored how our grief wasn't seen,' says Sheridan. 'The grief that follows miscarriage isn't always recognised by society. Lots of people don't know what to say to people who have lost pregnancies, so, often, they don't say anything at all.' Jennifer Duggan, Chairperson of the Irish Miscarriage Association at her home in Carrigaline, Co. Cork. Picture: David Creedon Relying on one another Jennifer Duggan is a 40-year-old from Carrigaline, in Cork, who also knows the pain of miscarriage. When she married at 23, she never imagined she would have difficulty starting a family. 'We married in 2007 and were pregnant at the start of 2008,' she says. 'I was already starting to show when we had our first scan at 12 weeks.' They were devastated when that scan failed to find a heartbeat. Their baby had stopped growing at eight weeks. Having been reassured by doctors that their miscarriage was 'just one of those things that happens as part of women's reproductive life', Duggan and her husband soon started trying again. They experienced another loss before having their son Dáithí in 2009. Two years and two more miscarriages were to follow, before their daughter, Síofra, was born in 2011. 'Looking at us from the outside, people probably thought we had planned the perfect family: A boy followed by a girl two years later,' says Jennifer. 'They would never have guessed we had lost four babies along the way.' Both had come from large families, so they yearned for more children. 'But we held off for a while, after Síofra, for fear of something going wrong,' says Duggan. 'But, eventually, the want for another baby grew bigger than the fear.' They had two more miscarriages before they sought help from a fertility clinic. 'They told me my ovarian reserve was low and recommended we try IVF with donor eggs,' says Jennifer. 'But that didn't feel right to us, so we decided to try one last time, and, happily, we had our son Oisín in 2015.' Looking back on it now, Duggan can see how traumatic the pregnancy losses were: 'My husband and I really relied on one another for support. Our family were great at looking after us, but friends often struggled to know what to say. I started trying for a family at the age of 24, when none of them were at that stage of life.' She found the peer-to-peer support offered by the Miscarriage Association of Ireland helpful. 'Because members had been through it themselves, they understood the jealousy I'd feel at others being pregnant or the sadness I'd feel coming up to the due date of a baby I'd lost. They got what I was going through,' says Duggan, who is now chairperson of the association. Alice Sheridan: 'The grief that follows miscarriage isn't always recognised by society. Lots of people don't know what to say to people who have lost pregnancies, so, often, they don't say anything at all.' Photograph: Moya Nolan Grieving alone Sheridan benefited from counselling after her miscarriages: 'It helped me process my loss and figure out what the future would look like for me and my family.' Sheridan found the experience so beneficial that she decided to retrain as a counsellor: 'I wrote my thesis about the disenfranchised grief many feel after miscarriage. People don't always recognise the profound loss involved and how women and couples need that loss to be acknowledged.' Acknowledging that loss is what the IFPA's new counselling service plans to do. 'It's difficult to say what the demand will be, but we do know that one in four women experiences miscarriage and our team of eight counsellors will be there to support them,' says O'Brien. 'All of us are accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy or the Irish Association for Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy and have decades of experience. Women and couples will be able to choose between in-person counselling at six centres throughout Ireland or sessions over the phone or Zoom.' These sessions will aim to validate people's bereavement. 'The grief that accompanies miscarriage is real and deeply felt,' says O'Brien. 'We don't want anyone to feel isolated and alone. We want them to know they can speak to us about their loss, frustrations, and fear, without judgement and with total confidentiality and support.' In the meantime, if you know someone who has experienced pregnancy loss, O'Brien has advice on how to support them. 'Sit with them and listen to what they have to say,' she says. 'Don't feel you have to suggest something to fix the situation, as they have just had a huge loss that can't be fixed. And remember that practical help — like childcare, cooking meals, doing shopping or cleaning the house — can make a big difference when people are going through something as physically and emotionally taxing as pregnancy loss.' If you have experienced miscarriage and want to avail of free counselling from the IFPA, ask your healthcare professional to refer you to the service. Click here to read our National Women's Health Survey. The Irish Examiner Women's Health Survey 2025 Ipsos B&A designed and implemented a research project for the Irish Examiner involving a nationally representative sample of n=1,078 women over the age of 16 years. The study was undertaken online with fieldwork conducted between April 30 and May 15, 2025. The sample was quota controlled by age, socio-economic class, region and area of residence to reflect the known profile of women in Ireland based on the census of population and industry agreed guidelines. Ipsos B&A has strict quality control measures in place to ensure robust and reliable findings; results based on the full sample carry a margin of error of +/-2.8%. In other words, if the research was repeated identically results would be expected to lie within this range on 19 occasions out of 20. A variety of aspects were assessed in relation to women's health including fertility, birth, menopause, mental health, health behaviour, and alcohol consumption.
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Miscarriage: It can be really hard when you don't know what to expect
The vast majority of women who suffer a miscarriage in Ireland feel unsupported by doctors, and have criticised a lack of counselling around such trauma. Only a third of women feel their GPs provide enough support in the aftermath of miscarriage, with family and friends picking up the slack in two thirds of cases. Similarly, just a third believe support from healthcare professionals to be good. The Irish Examiner National Women's Health Survey, conducted by Ipsos B&A, found that one in four women experience miscarriage. Among women who have experienced fertility issues, the figure rises to almost 50%. In the survey of 1,000 women in Ireland, aftercare support receives the loudest criticism. Six in 10 women said the availability of supports such as counselling is lacking. A similar number reports that follow-up from healthcare providers is insufficient. Jennifer Duggan, chairperson of the Miscarriage Association of Ireland, said the findings align with the organisation's experience: 'They, unfortunately, tally with what we hear ourselves from women we speak to." Almost half criticised the quality of information provided by healthcare professionals, citing it as poor or very poor. 'It can be really hard when you don't know what to expect. "You might be told that you may bleed heavily, but you don't know how heavy is too heavy, or how painful is too painful," said Ms Duggan. It can be really scary and frightening to go through that with little to no information. Naomi Collins, 45, from Galway, had her first miscarriage when she was 10 weeks pregnant. At the hospital, she was told that the spotting would progress to miscarriage and that she should go home and wait for it to happen. 'That was the extent of the help I got in the hospital, and nobody checked up on me after that. That was disappointing,' she said. 'The overwhelming feeling was that I felt hollow." Naomi Collins from Corrandulla, Co Galway, miscarried at 10 weeks. Picture: Ray Ryan Given that one in four women miscarry, she said: "There are an awful lot of people who are not aware whatsoever that the woman sitting next to them at work has had a miscarriage, the woman next to you on the bus has had a miscarriage." Some green shoots are emerging in follow-up care. The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) announced earlier this month that it is expanding its counselling service to include women and couples who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. The HSE-funded pilot project is available to anyone who has two or more miscarriages in a row, offering up to eight free counselling sessions. "The grief that accompanies miscarriage is real and deeply felt," says the IFPA's counselling director, Clare O'Brien. We don't want anyone to feel isolated and alone. We want them to know they can speak to us about their loss, fear and frustrations without judgment — and with total confidentiality and support. In April, University College Cork's Pregnancy Loss Research Group (PLRG) made a series of resources available to women who experience miscarriage. The resources include accessible booklets that answer questions such as what happens next and what supports are available, and provide details of other women's lived experiences. In response to the survey's findings on miscarriage, Professor Keelin O'Donoghue, PLRG lead and obstetrician at Cork University Maternity Hospital, said: "Pregnancy loss is a common life experience for many women. "Everybody will experience it differently and will have different needs in their care and support after it happens. "The awareness of what is needed and why this is important is improving, but slowly, and there is much more work to be done across society, policy, health services, and communities with regard to pregnancy loss care and supports more generally." Resources are available on the Pregnancy Loss website —
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Deli meat, cucumbers top list of 'really risky foods' you might have in the fridge
Print Close By Gretchen Eichenberg Published May 27, 2025 Cucumbers, deli meat and eggs are just a few of the everyday grocery items that made a list from Consumer Reports of "10 Really Risky Foods Right Now." It's based on the number of illnesses and deaths in 2024, how widespread the outbreaks were, the number of recalls and the amount of food recalled. There was a 41% jump in food recalls due to possible contamination with salmonella, E. coli and listeria in 2024 compared with the year before, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. FEWER FOOD RECALLS YET MORE AMERICANS SICKENED IN 2024 THAN PREVIOUS YEAR, SAYS NEW REPORT Each year, Consumer Reports ranks the 10 foods linked to the largest U.S. recalls and most serious illness outbreaks caused by bacterial contamination. The company uses data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Max Teplitski, chief science officer for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), told Fox News Digital the conversation about outbreaks is complicated. Every year, new technology improves the ability to detect outbreaks and therefore issue recalls that reach the public, he said. "Now that we have molecular tools, we can connect two seemingly different cases," Teplitski said. "And once you have two cases, you have an outbreak." Every year, new technology improves the ability to detect outbreaks. That doesn't make one food on the list riskier going forward, he said. Consumer Reports measures what has happened in a particular year. PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST E. COLI AND KNOW WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR "The way these data and studies are generated is looking at the retroactive or prospective data analysis," he said. Below are the 10 risky foods on the list. 1. Deli meat A case of listeria in liverwurst at a Boar's Head plant contributed to the biggest outbreak of foodborne illness last year, causing the company to recall 7 million pounds of deli meats. Due to the handling of sliced meats at the processor and then the deli counter, there is a greater risk of bacterial infection. Deli meat is one of the items the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) monitors to protect consumers. Certain people should be especially careful when it comes to eating cold cuts, according to Beverly Lopez, food safety specialist for the FSIS. "The group at greater risk for foodborne illness, particularly deli meats, includes infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, older adults and people with weakened immune systems," she told Fox News Digital. "These groups are more susceptible to severe illness or complications." 2. Cucumbers Both whole and sliced cucumbers sold in grocery stores were involved in outbreaks in 2024. But Teplitski said he doesn't think it's anything specific to cucumbers. Like other produce, cucumbers are grown in open fields and therefore subject to pathogens that are present in soil, he said. He recommends that shoppers avoid any produce that looks damaged or bruised, as they could more easily be infected if the skin is broken. CUCUMBER SHORTAGES IN ICELAND BLAMED ON TIKTOK CRAZE: 'FIRST TIME WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS' Thoroughly washing all produce is an important way people can protect themselves, he added. 3. Raw milk and cheese Pasteurization kills bacteria and viruses in dairy products by heating them to 161 degrees Farenheit. But raw milk and cheese, often consumed for the health benefits of being "unprocessed," can be left vulnerable to salmonella and E. coli. That's what happened in two separate outbreaks at raw farms last year. NATIONAL RAW MILK REGULATIONS LIKELY COMING WITH NEW ADMINISTRATION, SAYS RAW FARM BOSS Even though the FDA requires raw dairy products to be aged for 60 days to kill bacteria, there's still a chance someone could get sick consuming them. 4. Cotija and queso fresco cheese Soft cheese, which includes Brie, is a perfect breeding ground for listeria because of its high water content and low acidity, according to the CDC. Rio Lopéz Foods battled a years-long outbreak with its cotija and queso fresco cheese that affected 11 states, FOX Business previously reported. CHEESE DISCOVERED INSIDE COFFIN WITH ANCIENT MUMMIES DATES BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS Hard cheese like cheddar and Parmesan are safer options. 5. Eggs Salmonella wreaked havoc in 12 states during an outbreak at Milo's Poultry Farms last year, while Handsome Brooks Farms eggs, sold at Costco, were recalled with no illnesses reported. Salmonella can be present inside the egg and on the shell, according to — so don't use eggs with broken shells and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw eggs. LIQUID EGG FOOD PRODUCTS ARE RECALLED, MAY HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED NATIONWIDE Cook eggs until they are firm, not runny, to kill any bacteria that may be present. 6. Onions Some people who ate McDonald's Quarter Pounders, with their signature raw slivered onions, became sick due to an E. coli outbreak last year. (The FDA investigated whether Taylor Farms , which supplied the onions to McDonald's in the areas where the E. coli outbreak occurred, was the source of the contamination. McDonald's removed beef and onions from its supply chain after the CDC informed them of the outbreak, and Taylor Farms issued a recall of yellow onions in Oct. 2024, FOX Business reported last year. Beef was ruled out as the source.) Again, produce items are subject to contamination through soil and water. ARE ONIONS SAFE TO EAT AFTER THE E. COLI OUTBREAK? WHAT YOU MUST KNOW In addition to careful washing, Teplitski recommends keeping produce separate, starting at the grocery store, to prevent cross contamination from one item to another. 7. Leafy greens Fresh spinach and a romaine-iceberg lettuce mix caused two E. coli outbreaks after they were shipped to restaurants and schools last year, according to Consumer Reports. Some types of fruits and vegetables are consumed more than others in a typical diet, Teplitski said, such as cucumbers, onions and leafy greens. Teplitski said it's "just a numbers game sometimes." IS A SALAD ALWAYS A BETTER CHOICE THAN A SANDWICH? THINK TWICE ABOUT THAT "Some vegetables and fruits are consumed much more rarely, so they're less likely to appear on those tables," he said. "But if we look at the totality of the millions of pounds of cucumbers and leafy greens and onions that are consumed daily by Americans, the risk of illness is trending close to zero." 8. Organic carrots Organically grown produce is not immune to bacteria from the soil and water. Bagged carrots – a household staple for many – from Grimmway Farms were the subject of a recall last November. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER Washing and peeling raw vegetables can reduce the potential for bacteria on the surface, but cooking is a safer bet. 9. Organic basil This savory herb, packaged by Infinite Herbs, was contaminated with salmonella and sickened people in 14 states. Teplitski said the produce industry has invested nearly $50 million into understanding the causes of outbreaks, how human pathogens persist in the environment and how wild and domestic animals can contribute to negative food safety outcomes. For more Lifestyle articles, visit "What I can say is that today, the fresh produce is the safest it's ever been in human history," he said. "We continue to learn and invest in the tools to make food safer from the field all the way to the plate." 10. Cooked poultry and meat Though cooking is a way to reduce the presence of viruses and bacteria, cooked items that are handled and processed can pick up pathogens. "Perishable food such as meat, poultry and egg products must be handled safely from purchase through consumption to prevent foodborne illness," Lopez said. Two leading causes of foodborne illness are eating raw or undercooked foods — and allowing food to remain at an unsafe temperature too long, Lopez said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "For example, leaving cooked foods out to cool after cooking or leaving perishable foods out of the refrigerator for more than two hours," she said. "Everyone should be mindful of safe food handling." Print Close URL
Business Wire
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
BHMI Enhances the Concourse Financial Software Suite® to Support the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA)
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BHMI, a leading provider of back-office payment solutions, today announced that its Concourse Financial Software Suite has been updated to support compliance with the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA). The IFPA, enacted in June 2024 and set to take effect on July 1, 2025, prohibits payment card networks, issuers, acquirer banks, and processors from assessing or receiving interchange fees on portions of electronic payment transactions that represent state or local taxes and gratuities. Under the new law, merchants must communicate tax and gratuity amounts either at the time of authorization or settlement, or through a post-transaction rebate process, which allows up to 180 days for submission of the relevant data. In support of the IFPA, Concourse's configurable rules engine identifies the applicable portions of a transaction so that Concourse clients can configure their fee and settlement rules to incorporate the new law's requirements to exclude the application of interchange fees when not allowed. 'This is a great example of why Concourse is recognized as one of the most flexible back-office payment solutions on the market,' said Lynne Baldwin, President of BHMI. 'Thanks to our powerful, configurable rules engine, Concourse is purpose-built to adapt quickly to new regulatory mandates and evolving industry requirements.' About BHMI BHMI is a respected provider of software solutions for managing the back-office processing of electronic payment transactions. The company's flagship product, the Concourse Financial Software Suite, offers a dynamic and flexible solution for processing a wide range of payment types, including debit cards, credit cards, mobile payments, P2P, real-time payments, ATMs, and POS. Concourse provides essential back-office functions such as automated reconciliation, fee assessment, settlement and dispute management. Its continuous processing architecture and powerful rules engine make it an ideal solution for organizations looking to modernize and optimize back-office payment operations.
Zawya
08-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
IFPA reacts to 30% tariff on South Africa fresh produce, warns of global impact
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has voiced strong concerns following the announcement by US President Donald Trump on 2 April that a 30% tariff will be imposed on South African fresh produce, effective 9 April. This move is part of a broader tariff strategy, which includes a 10% tariff on imports from all countries worldwide, starting 5 April, and additional tariffs targeting approximately 60 countries. South Africa's Presidency has responded, highlighting the need for urgent trade negotiations with the US to reach a new bilateral trade agreement that would be mutually beneficial. A commitment to fair trade IFPA's chief global policy officer, Alexis Taylor, comments: 'IFPA firmly supports fair and thriving international trade. Fair trade expands markets, drives prosperity, and ensures access to fresh, nutritious foods worldwide. "The global trade of fresh produce is essential to the health and well-being of people in every nation, and we are concerned about the broad application of tariffs on global trading partners and the resulting disruptions to supply chains, market stability, and food prices worldwide. "Additionally, the risk of retaliatory tariffs from other countries further exacerbates these issues, creating a cycle of trade barriers that harm consumers and producers alike. While targeted use of tariffs can be a tool for addressing inequities between trading partners, the broad application of this blunt tool often disrupts markets, raises consumer costs, and places unnecessary strain on growers and producers across the supply chain.' Taylor adds: "Fresh produce trade is uniquely complex, shaped by seasonal and regional factors that require a well-functioning market for year-round availability. Once businesses lose market share, reclaiming it is difficult—if not impossible—dealing a lasting blow to an industry vital to food security and economic stability.' Challenges for SA producers Jane Strijdom, IFPA Southern Africa country manager, remarks: "The imposition of these tariffs will be a major setback for the fresh produce industry. South African producers are already navigating numerous economic and logistical challenges. "Adding a 30% tariff on top of these existing pressures will hamper their ability to compete fairly in the global market. We support the South African and United States governments to negotiate urgently on a workable solution for fresh produce's global supply chains." IFPA has encouraged businesses to stay informed about the evolving situation and access resources on their website regarding the impact of tariffs. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
