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The Independent
2 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Young women ‘at risk' of preventable cancer after low vaccine uptake
Low uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among children is increasing the risk of cervical cancer for young women in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reports. Significant regional disparities exist in vaccine coverage, with London showing the lowest uptake rates for both girls and boys, while areas like the South East and Northumberland have the higher rates. The HPV vaccine, typically administered to children in Year 8 or 9, is vital for preventing cervical cancer and also offers protection against other cancers and genital warts. Health experts, including Dr. Sharif Ismail from UKHSA, stress that the vaccine is a powerful tool for cancer prevention and urge parents to ensure their children receive it. NHS England aims to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040, a goal contingent on increased HPV vaccination rates and consistent participation in cervical screening.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Cervical cancer rates soaring in deprived areas after low vaccine uptake
Young women across certain regions of England are facing an elevated risk of cervical cancer, a direct consequence of alarmingly low uptake rates for the preventative human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, health experts have cautioned. Analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) underscores this critical public health concern, revealing that insufficient vaccination among children is leaving many women vulnerable to the disease. The disparity is stark: cervical cancer rates are already 65 per cent higher in England's most deprived areas compared with the least, according to figures from Cancer Research. HPV refers to a group of common viruses, typically transmitted through sexual contact, which often present no symptoms but can lead to various cancers, including cervical cancer. Around 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7% of cervical cancers. The HPV jab is given to boys and girls when they are in Year 8 and is key to wiping out cervical cancer in the UK. Some children receive it in Year 9. The jab also protects against genital warts and head and neck cancers, such as those in the mouth or throat. UKHSA data for 2023/24 in England shows inequalities in uptake of the jab in some regions. By Year 10, HPV coverage in girls was lowest in London (64.9%) and highest in the South East (82.7%). Among boys, it was also lowest in London (58.9%) and highest in the South East (77.3%). Meanwhile, at local authority level, Year 10 vaccination levels in girls ranged from 38.7% (Lambeth in London) to 97.6% (Northumberland). Among boys, it ranged from 28.2% (Lambeth in London) to 92.2% (West Berkshire). The HPV jab delivers a significantly stronger immune response if given before the age of 16, though getting it when older as part of a catch-up programme still creates a strong response. Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: "The HPV vaccine, now just a single dose offered in schools, is one of the most powerful tools we have for cancer prevention. "Every vaccination represents a young person with better protection against the devastating impact of HPV-related cancers, and we must do more to ensure that no teenage girl or boy, young woman or man is denied that protection no matter where they live. "Although we have seen some increase in the number of young people being vaccinated, uptake is still well below pre-Covid pandemic levels. "Over a quarter of young people - many thousands - are missing out on this potentially life-saving vaccine. "We're calling on all parents to return their children's HPV vaccination consent forms promptly. "This simple action could protect your child from developing cancer in the future." Dr Ismail said any young adult up to age 25 who missed their school jab can speak to their GP about catch-up options. He also urged women to still attend cervical screening to ensure they are being checked for changes that could lead to cervical cancer. In 2023, the then head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, said cervical cancer would be wiped out in England by 2040. Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: "Thanks to the power of research and the efforts of NHS staff, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is in sight. "This progress hinges on people's access to two life-saving offers - HPV vaccination and screening. Together, they give the best protection against the disease. "Beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, so I encourage all parents and guardians to ensure young people don't miss out on getting the HPV vaccine. "And if you receive your cervical screening invite, don't ignore it." Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: "The NHS HPV vaccination programme has already helped save thousands of lives and we need to go further to boost uptake of HPV vaccines and cervical screening to help eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. "If we can ensure that almost every Year 10 girl in some areas is protected and extremely unlikely to ever develop cervical cancer, we need to match this in every part of the country."
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Angela Rayner must learn lessons from housebuilders if she wants to succeed
In my corner of south-west London, it is impossible to avoid Berkeley Homes. Their boards are everywhere, popping up with new developments of apartments and houses. For the SW postcodes read right across London, Birmingham and the south-east. Berkeley has got them cornered and as today's company figures show, it is powering ahead, leading an industry that has been struggling with red tape, rising costs, shortage of suitable sites and an uncertain market. Berkeley has always been a firm built on disciplined execution and rigid control of costs. Under CEO Rob Perrins, that focus has been even more firmly enforced. It's a tightness that is reflected in the news that Perrins is to move up to become executive chair of the Berkeley Group, on the retirement of Michael Dobson. Chief executive since 2009, Perrins has overseen a period of sustained strong performance and growth. The City is not always approving of CEOs switching to chair, but in this case it makes perfect sense: Perrins knows the company, market and industry backwards; he's also au fait with the complex and often fraught regulatory landscape. To appoint someone from outside at this moment of great change, with a government committed to driving house building on a huge scale, seems madness. If anyone knows what requires unlocking to make that key policy even remotely achievable it is Perrins. It's likely Berkeley shareholders will listen to the reasons for and approve. There is simply too much risk involved in going down another route, why take the risk? Investors, though, are just one audience. The other people who should fall upon Perrins' experience and knowledge are ministers. Here we start to come up against the block of old Labour ideology, based on a fixated view that practitioners like Perrins are solely motivated by money, that all they are interested in is securing ever greater profits. It's not just senior Westminster politicians who think like that but local councillors. They view much of what the likes of Berkeley do and suggest with suspicion. Instead of leaning on the private sector – the folks who after all commit the cash, take the gamble and actually build and sell the properties – for advice and working together with them, there is a tendency to keep a distance, to hear, to nod politely and do next to nothing. That, certainly, has been the pattern previously, which is why so little has been achieved. Government targets for new homes are not a recent phenomenon; they have been set many times in the past and nowhere near met, so much so that they have come to hold a fantasy, pie in the sky, wouldn't it be wonderful, aspect. It's a cycle that must be broken if the country is to have any chance of resolving a deepening crisis and from Sir Keir Starmer 's point of view, if he is going to have any prospect of adhering to a central Labour pledge that will impact upon the next election. Which means that Angela Rayner, the minister charged with making it happen, should look closely at what Perrins is saying and act. Of course Perrins is pursuing a financial return. It would be negligent of him not to; it's what is expected of him and his colleagues; they must deliver or else. That's how business operates and no-one is pretending otherwise. Equally though, the one cannot succeed without the other. Rayner and her team need the housebuilders; the housebuilders need Rayner and her team. They should both be pulling in the same direction. The government's mission is to build 1.5m homes. Essential to achieving that are brownfield sites and occupying a vital position is London. It's our only world city, the one that enjoys the strongest economy and offers the greatest potential for growth. Unfortunately, too many politicians look askance when London is mentioned. They are not from London and they are devoted to levelling up, which in London's case translates into levelling down. The London figures suggest a micro-crisis within a larger crisis – private housing starts for the last 12 months amount to just 8,700 and completions are expected to drop to 7,000 - 8,000 in 2027. They are pitifully low. London is where people want to live, it's where the jobs are, it's where foreign capital is heading – yet not enough is being done to help. Berkeley and its ilk face a double whammy in London: costs have risen by over 40 per cent since 2016, but the price of flats is flat. Make that a triple: as if that was not heady enough, the regulatory burden has increased. Much of it is well-intentioned – post-Grenfell, fire safety has become a major concern – but it all adds up. At the same time, public services are placed under ever greater strain, which inevitably puts increased pressure on the private purse. These days, councils desire, expect, far more for their buck. From their side, there is too much take and insufficient give. Planning, which is in their gift, is as hidebound as ever, more so with the issuing of unrealistic priorities that take little account of market conditions and operational strictures. So tortuous is the planning process that shamefully, appeal is now the default. One change that would yield instant benefits, which Perrins keenly advocates, is for councils to use Section 106 agreements rather than the Community Infrastructure Levy, or CIL. The latter is a standardised, non-negotiable charge assessed on development size and style, whereas the 106 is negotiated and site-specific. In others words, the 106 can be made to fit what is being proposed. Hard-up councils though, prefer the cash, hence the popularity of the CIL. But that tariff, which is what it is, may not sit fairly with the developer. Projects are being lost through the councils' failure to compromise. An urgent rethink – or as this government prefers, a reset – is required and the housebuilders, with Perrins to the fore, must be a more equal party to those discussions.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Climate change blamed for UK heatwave amid 32C temperatures
Searing temperatures of 32C hitting the UK this week have been made 100 times more likely due to human-caused climate change, scientists have warned. A rapid study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group found the current heatwave in the south-east of England was around 10 times more likely than without human activity warming the planet. Dr Fredi Otto, from Imperial College London, underscored the severity, warning that heatwaves are "silent killers" and that the impacts of heat are "severely underestimated", leaving the UK unprepared for the conditions expected to persist into the weekend. Experts highlighted that older people, along with those suffering from heart issues, respiratory illnesses, and conditions such as diabetes, face the highest risk of death. They also noted that heatwaves occurring earlier in the summer are particularly deadly, as the population is less acclimatised to coping with warmer conditions. The researchers also identified wildfires as an "emerging risk" for the UK during summer, with conditions increasingly resembling those found in southern Europe. They urged the public to exercise extreme caution with barbecues, cigarettes, and glass, all of which can ignite fires in the hot, dry weather. This study marks only the second time the WWA, known for its rapid assessments of climate change's role in specific extreme weather events, has analysed a forecasted event rather than one that has already occurred. The analysis, which drew on observations for early summer heat in the south east of the UK, found that a heatwave – defined as three days of temperatures above 28C for the region – in June would be expected once every five years today. But without humans warming the atmosphere by around 1.3C since pre-industrial times, such a heatwave would only have occurred about once every 50 years, the study shows. The heatwave was made approximately 2-4C more intense as a result of the overall warming of the planet, meaning the current weather 'just wouldn't have been a heatwave without human-induced warming', Dr Ben Clarke, from Imperial College London, said. Temperatures had been forecast to hit 32C across the south east on Saturday and had already reached that level on Thursday in London. Heat of that level could be expected in June once in 25 years in the current climate, but only once in 2,500 years in June before industrialisation, the researchers said. While the impacts of temperatures rising above 30C are not as severe as the record-breaking heat topping 40C in some places in July 2022, the researchers warned people were still at risk. They urged people to ensure they were drinking enough water, and to encourage elderly relatives to do the same, avoid areas with high air pollution, keep windows and curtains shut during the day, and consider going to cooler public buildings such as museums to protect against the heat. Dr Clarke, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, said: 'This heatwave is another reminder that our planet has already heated to a dangerous level. 'We're at 1.3C today, but heading for around 3C this century. 'With every fraction of a degree of warming, the UK will experience hotter, more dangerous heatwaves. 'That means more heat deaths, more pressure on the NHS, more transport disruptions, tougher work conditions and poorer air quality.' Dr Otto, associate professor in climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, said: 'We know exactly what has intensified this heatwave – burning oil, gas and coal, which has loaded the atmosphere with planet-heating greenhouse gases. 'It is totally insane we have political leaders in the UK trying to drag us back to the past with calls for more fossil fuels. 'The climate will continue to drive increasingly dangerous heatwaves, fires and floods in the UK until emissions are reduced to net zero globally.' She added that while people working in air-conditioned offices would 'probably be OK' this week, poorer people working outdoors, in kitchens or other hot environments and then returning home to poorly insulated flats would be enduring hot conditions throughout. 'Making our societies more equal is essential to reduce the impacts of climate change,' Dr Otto said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
RNLI warns of cold water risk as temperatures soar
Lifeguards in the South East have warned those enjoying the hot weather this weekend to be wary of cold water shock as seaside temperatures are set to soar to around 30⁰C (86⁰F). Water safety teams from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) say that water temperatures will remain cold enough to be dangerous despite Sussex and Kent nearing the heatwave threshold. Guy Addington, water safety lead for the RNLI in the South East, said those heading to the seaside should choose beaches with lifeguards on them and to stay afloat if they get into difficulty. Amber heat health warnings are in place across the UK until 09:00 BST on Monday as temperatures could hit 31⁰C over the weekend. Mr Addington said: "Heading to the coast in hot weather is a great way to have fun, relax and cool off – but the water can be dangerous. "If you get into trouble in the water, tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then call for help or swim to safety if you can. It's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently." Cold water shock occurs when the body is suddenly immersed in water typically below 15⁰C (59⁰F) and can cause hyperventilation, gasping for air and a rise in heart rate. The impact of the shock can lead to difficulty in swimming, putting even experienced swimmers at risk of drowning. The RNLI provides lifeguards across the South East, including most recently in Brighton and Hove. Ed Stevens, lifeguarding lead for the South East, said: "Our lifeguards have undertaken extensive training to be able to provide an excellent lifesaving service. "It's important to check the times and season dates of your nearest RNLI lifeguarded beach and to listen to any local advice they can give you – they are there to help keep us safe." Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. South East braces for potential heatwave Amber heat health alerts in place as temperatures above 30C likely When is a heatwave really a heatwave? RNLI
