12 h. ago Global vaccination efforts stall, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases

Global efforts to protect children against diseases like measles, polio and tuberculosis have stalled since 2010, leaving millions vulnerable to deadly infections

Politics

12 h. ago Millions of children at risk as global vaccine rates fall, study finds

Decline blamed on health inequalities, Covid disruption and soaring levels of misinformation and hesitancyMillions of children worldwide are at risk of lethal diseases because vaccine coverage has stalled or reversed amid persistent health inequalities and soaring levels of misinformation and hesitancy, the largest study of its kind has found.Major progress in rolling out jabs to billions of children in all corners of the globe over the last five decades has prevented the deaths of 154 million children, according to an analysis published in the Lancet. Continue reading...

Events

28 h. ago How can RFK Jr ‘Make America healthy again’? He is ignoring the two biggest killers of American children | Devi Sridhar

The US health secretary’s latest report is more interested in vaccine scepticism than the brutal toll inflicted by guns and road traffic accidents“Make America healthy again”. We can all get behind this slogan and agree that much more could be done to improve the health of people living in the US. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health and human services secretary, recently released a report detailing the challenge of the US’s health. About 90% of it outlines the high rates of obesity, mental health issues and chronic disease, 10% covers vaccine scepticism, and 0% looks at solutions or any discussions of the systemic social and economic issues that drive much of the US’s health problems.But what surprised me more was a notable omission of the two biggest killers of American children. American children aren’t just unhealthier. They’re more likely to die in the first 19 years of life because of guns – both homicides and suicides – or in a road traffic accident than children in comparable ...

Events

5 d. ago Cervical cancer rates soaring in deprived areas after low vaccine uptake

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed that low vaccine uptake among children is leaving many women vulnerable to cervical cancer.

Politics

6 d. ago Key crop yields could fall due to climate crisis even if farmers adapt, study finds

Researchers say average daily losses for every 1C the planet heats up could add to equivalent of not having breakfastSome of our critical staple crops could suffer “substantial” production losses due to climate breakdown, a study has found, even if farmers adapt to worsening weather.Rice, maize, soy, wheat, cassava and sorghum yields are all projected to fall by as much as 120 calories per person per day for every 1C the planet heats up, according to new research in Nature, with average daily losses that could add up to the equivalent of not having breakfast. Continue reading...

Society

6 d. ago Throat Cancer Foundation urges immediate action on HPV vaccine inequality

The Throat Cancer Foundation has expressed deep concern following the BBC’s reporting on significant disparities in HPV vaccination rates among young people in Scotland, particularly in the country’s most deprived communities.

Politics

1 week ago Co Antrim woman’s passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok

Grandmother Cheryl Smyth has surpassed her children on the platform, amassing millions of views passing down her cooking and baking skills.

Events

1 week ago Families, pensioners and disabled people due up to £305 in one

More than half a million children and families in Scotland received cash help for heating bills last year.

Economics

1 week ago Ayrshire residents encouraged to raise funds for Mary's Meals with sponsored walk on year's longest day

Mary's Meals helps feed more than 2.6 million children every day.

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill is built on falsehoods about low

Republicans portray those in poverty as lazy people who make poor decisions. They’re using that trope to justify huge cuts to the social safety netAs they race to deliver Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill, Republicans in Congress are using familiar tropes to justify massive cuts to the safety net that will leave millions of low-income children and families without healthcare or sufficient food. The programs, they argue, are rife with waste, fraud and abuse, and the people who use them just aren’t working hard enough. So work requirements are necessary to force the obviously lazy “able-bodied” people to get to work.Here’s the reality check: a majority of those receiving this aid who can work are already working. More than 70% of working-age people who receive nutrition benefits or Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income children and adults that covers one in five Americans, are already working, according to the Government Accountability Office. Those who aren’t w...

Politics

2 w. ago Cuts to UK’s global vaccination funding would risk avoidable child deaths, experts warn

Exclusive: Scientists also say any reduction in Foreign Office funding for vaccine alliance Gavi would harm UK’s soft powerAny cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make British less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned.Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Keir Starmer unveils plan to help one million schoolkids in major tech drive

The Prime Minister will announce plans to help around one million school-age children gain skills in technology under a new TechFirst scheme to help them learn AI and computing skills

Science

2 w. ago You say we need more babies, rightwingers? Come back to me after you’ve fought in the trenches of soft play | Emma Beddington

A ghastly coalition of tech bros and religious conservatives is pushing a baby boom. Let’s see how they feel when they’ve dragged a screaming child out of an excrement-fouled ball pitI absolutely cannot fathom the number of populist rightwing politicians and commentators who have looked at the smouldering mess that is the world currently and thought: “I know what this situation demands – more toddlers.” Population-boosting discourse and policies have spread across Europe (Hungary, Poland, Greece, Italy and beyond), while in the US an unholy coalition of tech bros, religious conservatives, blowhard podcasters and the politicians who pander to them have gone loudly pronatalist. JD Vance used his first speech as vice-president to proclaim: “I want more babies in the United States of America”; Elon Musk called declining birthrates “a much bigger risk to civilisation than global warming”; and Trump is considering various procreation-incentivising policies, including a $5,000 “baby bonus”...

Politics

2 w. ago The £17 million revamp of Scotland’s first children’s hospice

A multi-million pound revamp of Scotland’s first children’s hospice has been announced.

Economics

2 w. ago Dumfries and Galloway Council set to pay nearly £9.5 million for private residential children's care

A lack of capacity means some young people are currently being placed hundreds of miles away in the north of Scotland.

Economics

2 w. ago Declining flu vaccination rates among health and social care workers a 'concern'

The jabs aren't compulsory and some staff may have personal reasons not be immunised

Science

2 w. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves: I saw first hand what the Tories did to kids of my generation

Conservative governments did not care about schools or communities like mine, says the chancellor, as she reveals her motivation behind Labour’s announcement to roll out free school meals for half a million children

Politics

2 w. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves: I saw firsthand what the Tories did to kids of my generation

Conservative governments did not care about schools like mine, communities like mine or the kids I grew up with, reflects Chancellor Rachel Reeves – as she reveals her very personal motivation behind Labour’s announcement to roll out free school meals for half a million of England’s poorest children

Politics

2 w. ago STV Children’s Appeal launches Ignite Fund with 11 charity partners from across Scotland

The STV Children’s Appeal has announced 11 charity partners that will receive multi-year funding and support through its newly created Ignite Fund. The charities will receive a share of over £1 million this year, delivering positive impact on the lives of children, young people and families in Scotland.

Politics

2 w. ago Free school meals for half a million of England’s poorest children

The move, which comes after a major campaign by The Independent, said the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty

Politics