#Polio immunisation campaign

[suchananewsblog]

Polio is back in Indonesia, sparking vaccination campaign

Polio is back in Indonesia, sparking vaccination campaign

Children in faculty uniforms and toddlers with their dad and mom lined up Monday for polio vaccinations in the Sigli city sq. on the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, after 4 kids had been discovered contaminated with the extremely contagious illness that was declared eradicated in the nation lower than a decade in the past. The virus was first detected in October in a 7-year-old…

[xnewsinfo]

WHO has confirmed 18 circumstances of polio in Afghanistan this yr, all however two within the south of the nation. File photograph | Photograph credit score: AP The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the UN mentioned on Monday (16 September 2024). Afghanistan is considered one of two nations the place the unfold of this doubtlessly lethal and crippling illness has by no means been stopped. The opposite is Pakistan. Information of the suspension was relayed to UN businesses simply earlier than the September immunisation marketing campaign started. No motive was given for the suspension and no consultant of the Taliban-controlled authorities was instantly accessible for remark. A senior World Well being Group official mentioned he was conscious of discussions to desert house-to-house vaccinations and as a substitute perform immunizations in locations reminiscent of mosques. WHO has confirmed 18 circumstances of polio in Afghanistan this yr, all however two within the south of the nation. This is a rise from the six circumstances recorded in 2023. “The World Polio Eradication Initiative is conscious of current coverage discussions to maneuver from house-to-house vaccination campaigns to site-by-site vaccination in some components of Afghanistan,” mentioned WHO’s Dr Hamid Jafari. “Companions are within the technique of discussing and understanding the scope and impression of any adjustments to present coverage.” Polio campaigns in neighbouring Pakistan are periodically marred by violence. Militants assault vaccination groups and the police assigned to guard them, falsely claiming the campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise youngsters. The suspension of the September marketing campaign is a significant blow to the eradication of polio in Afghanistan. Final August, WHO reported that Afghanistan and Pakistan have been persevering with to implement an “intensive and synchronized marketing campaign” targeted on enhancing vaccination protection in endemic areas and on offering an efficient and well timed response to detections elsewhere. “Throughout a nationwide marketing campaign in June 2024, Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination technique for the primary time in 5 years, a tactic that helped attain nearly all of focused youngsters,” WHO mentioned. However southern Kandahar province, dwelling of Taliban supreme chief Hibatullah Akhundzada, has used site-to-site or mosque-to-mosque vaccination campaigns, that are much less efficient than going to individuals's houses. In response to WHO, Kandahar nonetheless has a lot of weak youngsters as a result of house-to-house vaccinations should not being carried out. “General inclusion of girls in vaccination campaigns stays round 20% in Afghanistan, resulting in insufficient entry to all youngsters in some areas,” it mentioned. “Any setback in Afghanistan poses a danger to the programme in Pakistan on account of excessive inhabitants motion,” the WHO warned final month. The suspension of the marketing campaign is the newest hurdle in what has turn into a troubled international effort to cease polio. The initiative, which prices about $1 billion annually, has missed a number of deadlines to eradicate the illness and technical errors within the vaccination technique set out by WHO and its companions have been pricey. The oral vaccine has additionally inadvertently sparked outbreaks in dozens of nations in Africa, Asia and the Center East and now accounts for almost all of polio circumstances worldwide. This was most just lately seen in Gaza, the place a child was partially paralyzed by a mutated pressure of polio first detected within the oral vaccine, marking the primary case within the territory in additional than 25 years. Revealed - September 16, 2024 04:54 pm IST

[decentralvaccine]

WHO: Polio Vaccinations For Children In Gaza Exceed Target

The World Health Organization (WHO) says polio vaccinations of children in central Gaza have "surpassed the target" in the first two days of its immunisation campaign.

Dr Rik Peeperkorn, the UN agency's representative in the Palestinian territories, said 161,030 children under the age of 10 were vaccinated on Sunday and Monday - above the projection of 156,500.

The difference was probably the result of an underestimate of the population crowded into the area, he explained.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a series of localised pauses in the fighting to allow health workers to administer vaccines after Gaza's first confirmed case of polio in 25 years left a 10-month-old partially paralysed last month.

[modernearly123]

Empowering Students Through Community Service at the Modern School ECNCR-Delhi

Empowering Students Through Community Service at the Modern School ECNCR-Delhi At The Modern School, Best Preschool in New Delhi, education transcends the traditional boundaries of the classroom, extending into the broader realm of real-world experiences. Our institution is deeply committed to nurturing well-rounded individuals who excel academically and develop a profound understanding of their responsibilities towards society. Service learning is the most effective way to achieve this holistic development. By integrating community service projects into the educational experience, we provide students with unique opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills meaningfully.

These initiatives empower students by fostering a strong sense of responsibility and empathy, qualities that are essential for their growth into conscientious and engaged citizens. Through service learning, students learn the value of giving back to their communities, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and gain a greater appreciation for the diverse needs and challenges faced by different segments of society.

Eradicating Polio: School Initiative to Immunize Young Students In a determined effort to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) by vaccinating all children under the age of five, The Modern School, Best Preschool in New Delhi, undertook a significant initiative to immunise its youngest students on March 5, 2024. Recognizing the importance of early immunisation in preventing the spread of this debilitating disease, the school collaborated with healthcare professionals to organise a comprehensive vaccination drive.

On the day of the initiative, trained health workers administered polio drops to children in Nursery and Kindergarten within the safe and familiar environment of the school premises. Parents and guardians were encouraged to bring their children to participate in this vital health campaign. The school also provided educational materials to raise awareness about the importance of polio vaccination and its role in protecting children from lifelong paralysis and other severe health complications.

Class S3's Heartwarming Visit to Spread Smile Foundation The students of class S3 from The Modern School, ECNCR-Delhi, had a meaningful and enriching visit to the Spread Smile Foundation, an NGO dedicated to supporting underprivileged children. During their visit, the students engaged in various fun-filled outdoor games, creating a joyful and interactive atmosphere. They also took the time to converse with the children, learning about their daily lives and routines, and fostering a sense of empathy and understanding.

To further enrich the experience, the students shared their knowledge and talents through a series of activities. They recited poems, enacted a play, and demonstrated several scientific experiments, captivating the young audience and sparking their curiosity. This visit not only provided the children at the NGO with memorable moments of joy and learning but also offered the visiting students a profound lesson in appreciating the simple, happy moments in life.

Moreover, the visit instilled in the students the values of selfless service and community development. As a token of love and solidarity, the students presented useful items such as stationery, books, and games to the children at the NGO. This gesture was warmly received and highlighted the importance of generosity and giving back to the community. Through this visit, the students of class S3 experienced firsthand the impact of kindness and the significance of contributing positively to society.

Donation Drive by The Social Service League and Interact Club in Collaboration with GOONJ From February 5 to February 10, 2024, The Social Service League and Interact Club of The Modern School, ECNCR-Delhi, partnered with the NGO GOONJ to initiate a heartfelt donation drive aimed at uplifting the entire community and fostering a sustainable and supportive environment. The drive focused on collecting essentials such as warm clothing, blankets, and stationery items for underprivileged children, reflecting the school's commitment to social welfare and community support.

The drive concluded on February 10, coinciding with the Parent-Teacher Meet, where parents generously contributed to the cause. The overwhelming support from parents demonstrated the community's collective effort towards making a positive impact.

Volunteers and cabinet members diligently sorted and packaged the donated items for delivery to GOONJ’s collection center, showcasing their dedication to social welfare and sense of duty towards the community. Students developed a strong moral foundation and a sense of responsibility toward building a more compassionate and just society by participating in donation activities.

Ongoing Initiatives: Building a Better Tomorrow Beyond these specific events, The Modern School, Best Preschool in New Delhi regularly engages students in various community service activities such as plantation drives, blood donation drives, and campaigns to reduce plastic usage. Each initiative is designed to instil a sense of duty and care toward the environment and fellow human beings. By participating in these projects, students develop critical life skills, including teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving, while also fostering a deep-seated empathy for others. At The Modern School, ECNCR-Delhi, we believe that education should not only prepare students for successful careers but also inspire them to make a positive impact on the world around them.

[warningsine]

Immunisation is considered one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, saving millions of lives each year, and benefiting the health of the wider community through herd immunity.

Yet, there is as much reason to worry as to celebrate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world witnessed a strong disruption in routine immunisation, leading to an increase in outbreaks of diphtheria, measles, polio, and yellow fever in over 100 countries. On the one hand, this can be explained by challenges with the supply of vaccines and the reduced availability of healthcare workers due to confinement policies, illness, and the diversion of activities to COVID-19.

But declining confidence in vaccines also played a role. Indeed, vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate, is a key barrier to immunisation and a major threat to global health.

Some make the case that vaccine demand can be actively promoted through communication campaigns. While there is a large body of evidence on what and how to communicate, less is known about who should communicate.

Recent studies from the US suggest that the public vaccination of high-profile politicians may boost vaccine confidence.

But systematic information on such vaccine role modelling is lacking. And it’s unclear to what extent results apply in different settings.

In a recently published study we set out to close these gaps.

We used the Democratic Republic of Congo as our case study. Vaccine confidence strongly declined in this country during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is acause for concern, as Africa is already lagging behind the rest of the world in achieving universal vaccination coverage.

Our focus was to understand the extent to which the vaccination of a president in public view increased vaccine uptake.

We concluded from our findings that it does, but under two conditions. Firstly, citizens must see the president as trustworthy. And secondly, the president’s vaccination must be communicated as widely as possible and include parts of the country or communities where there is low media access.

Where these two conditions aren’t met, vaccinating public village leaders or respected older adult community members might be a more effective approach to increasing vaccine uptake.

Presidents and vaccines

We found that around the world, 168 out of 173 leaders explicitly supported the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, 139 leaders (80%) made their own COVID-19 vaccination public and 108 leaders (78% of those vaccinated) distributed a picture or video of their vaccination.

President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC received his COVID-19 vaccine live on Congolese television on 13 September 2021.

Vaccination rates in the country were low. By March 2022, only 5.7% of the population had received at least one vaccine dose, and just 1.03% were fully vaccinated. A number of factors were behind these low numbers:

low confidence in COVID-19 vaccines

a combination of limited healthcare services, poor transport infrastructure, and concerns about the safety of the AstraZenica vaccine, making the DRC unable to use most of the 1.7 million vaccine doses it received under the global Covax scheme for poorer countries

broader governance issues, including rampant corruption and political instability.

DR Congo is ranked near the bottom of the Human Development Index, occupying place 180 out of 193 countries. This indicates low levels of health, education and income. Our research took place in the country’s east, which has been plagued by violence for over two decades.

In addition, the region was facing an outbreak of the Ebola virus disease when COVID-19 hit.

Within this context, we analysed the potential of President Tshisekedi to act as a vaccine ambassador and influence COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

In September 2021, we conducted a survey with 600 people in six villages of Lubero territory, in the province of North Kivu. Lubero is a remote and mostly rural area with poor public infrastructure and little access to media or news outlets. COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available in the study area.

Our survey started before Tshisekedi got vaccinated.

We asked: “Let’s assume a vaccine against coronavirus was available for you; would you take it?”.

While 98% of respondents said they had vaccinated their children against diseases such as tuberculosis, polio or measles, only 22% indicated they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine.

From answers to open questions we learned that this mismatch can largely be explained by respondents’ general lack of trust in the COVID-19 vaccine and its efficacy, and the fear of potentially mortal side-effects.

We further found low levels of institutional trust. Only 17% of respondents indicated they trusted the president when asked to what extent they believed he represented the best interests of the Congolese population.

Respondents also reported low phone ownership and access to media. In the week prior to the survey, 91% of respondents did not watch television and 57% did not listen to the radio.

Prior to asking about COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, a random third of respondents received the prompt: “Assume the president, Félix Tshisekedi, were to take the vaccine live on television”.

We measured the impact of this prompt by comparing respondents’ stated vaccine acceptance to that of a randomly selected control group and found that trust moderated the results. For those who reported trusting the president, we found that the survey experiment boosted vaccine acceptance by 25 percentage points. Instead, for those who mistrusted the president, vaccine acceptance was lower among those who saw the prompt, by 6 percentage points.

To our surprise, the president got publicly vaccinated while our survey was in progress. Given low media access in our study region, only 18% of those interviewed after the broadcasting of Tshisekedi’s vaccination reported being aware of it. When comparing respondents with similar socio-economic profiles, access to media and levels of trust, we found that being aware of the president’s vaccination increased vaccine acceptance by 20 percentage points.

Policy implications

Our findings highlight that to serve as a vaccination model:

the leader should be perceived as trustworthy by citizens

the vaccination should be widely communicated.

When trust in national leaders is lacking, or news on their actions is inaccessible, other leaders might be more effective in boosting vaccine acceptance.

[hardynwa]

2.3m children receive polio vaccine in Anambra — Commissioner

The Anambra State Government said 2.3 million children under the age of 0-59 months have received the polio vaccine in the first phase of the Outbreak Response Exercise in September. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, disclosed this on Thursday during a press conference to flag off the second phase of the polio immunisation campaign in Awka. Obidike said the first phase of the campaign, which was held from September 16 to 19, targeted over 1.5 million children, but it recorded 140 percent coverage as over 2.3 million children got vaccinated. According to him, the campaign is implemented by the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency in partnership with the World Health Organisation and other partners. He added that the second phase of vaccination was still in response to the outbreak of the polio virus in a neighbouring town, Nkanu West, in Enugu State. He said, “We encourage parents and caregivers to present their children to be immunised to strengthen their immunity against the virus. “We are also integrating routine immunisation during this four-day exercise as well as birth registration for children to help the state government with data to plan for their healthcare. “So, it is an all-encompassing campaign. The vaccines are safe and free of charge. We are hopeful that the campaign will be as successful as we had in the first phase. “We urge the media to take the news out there so that people can understand the need to vaccinate their children against the disease. Vaccinated children live healthy and longer.” Also speaking, the state Coordinator of WHO, Dr Adamu Abdul-Nasir, congratulated Anambra for exceeding the target and recording top in the South-East in the first phase of the vaccination exercise. Abdul-Nasir said, “We want to commend the state government for its political will and proactive measures in preventing the polio virus from spreading to the state. “In this second phase, WHO is supporting the state with logistics and allowances for over 9,000 personnel who will be going to homes, churches, markets, streets and schools to administer the vaccines. “We are also supporting hard-to-reach communities to ensure that all eligible children get vaccinated”. Earlier in her address, the Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, Chisom Uchem, said the state had taken delivery of over two million doses of the polio vaccine for the OBR-II campaign. Uchem said the vaccination would start on Saturday, November 11, and end on November 14 in the 21 local government areas of the state. “These few days, we will go all out to the nooks and crannies of the state to strengthen and surpass what we recorded in the first phase of the vaccination,” she said. Read the full article

[rnewspost]

Pakistan launches year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign | Health News

The three-day drive aims to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five against the viral disease. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has launched its first nationwide anti-polio campaign for the year, aiming to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five to protect them from the viral disease. The three-day campaign started on Monday in more than 150 districts of…

[latestnews2024]

Pakistan launches year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign | Health News

Pakistan launches year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign | Health News

The three-day drive aims to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five against the viral disease. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has launched its first nationwide anti-polio campaign for the year, aiming to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five to protect them from the viral disease. The three-day campaign started on Monday in more than 150 districts of…

[latestnews23]

Pakistan launches year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign | Health News

Pakistan launches year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign | Health News

The three-day drive aims to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five against the viral disease. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has launched its first nationwide anti-polio campaign for the year, aiming to immunise more than 44 million children under the age of five to protect them from the viral disease. The three-day campaign started on Monday in more than 150 districts of…

[automatismoateo]

Religious suicide bomber attacks Pakistan police guarding polio vaccination team, kills four. via /r/atheism

Religious suicide bomber attacks Pakistan police guarding polio vaccination team, kills four.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/blast-targeting-police-patrol-injures-over-20-pakistan-official-2022-11-30/

A Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber rammed a police escort for a polio vaccination team in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing four people and wounding more than 30, police said, just two days after the militants ended a ceasefire.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack near the city of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in a statement received by Reuters.

Separately, the army said it killed 10 militants in Balochistan on Tuesday, but did not clarify whether they were TTP or Baloch separatist fighters.

Police official Azfar Mehsar told reporters that the bomber rammed his vehicle into the police truck, detonating the explosives and forcing the police truck to plunge into a ravine.

The suicide bomber's victims included a policeman, a woman and a child, and some of the wounded were in a critical condition, another police official, Abdul Haq, told Reuters.

One of the wounded men died at the hospital, said an official, Wasim Baig, adding that 15 police officers were among the wounded.

Islamist militants in Pakistan often target polio vaccination teams, having spread rumours that the immunisation effort is a Western tool to spy on them and make Muslims infertile.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and vowed to press on with the vaccination campaign.

Although Pakistan kept relations with the Afghan Taliban during the long insurgency to drive western forces out of Afghanistan, it has been fighting the TTP in its own borders for years, even though the outfit has ties to the Afghan Taliban.

The TTP wants to overthrow Pakistan's government to replace it with a governance system that subscribes to their own harsh interpretation of Islamic laws.

The Pakistan army has conducted several operations against the militants in their strongholds in lawless districts along Afghan border in recent months.

Submitted November 30, 2022 at 01:51PM by Leeming (From Reddit https://ift.tt/Be7Lo5R)

[nextnewsorg]

Afghanistan begins first polio vaccination drive for children since Taliban takeover

Afghanistan begins first polio vaccination drive for children since Taliban takeover

Taliban take measures during a march as women take part in to support Taliban in Kabul. Bilal Guler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Afghanistan on Monday launched a nationwide polio immunisation campaign – the first since the Taliban returned to power – aiming to protect about 10 million unvaccinated children from the crippling disease, a top official said. The campaign aims to reach children…

[coochiequeens]

JALALABAD (Reuters) -Gunmen killed three female polio vaccination workers in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, officials said, adding that a blast had also rocked the provincial health department headquarters but left no casualties.

Ghulam Dastagir Nazari, head of the immunisation programme at Afghanistan’s Health Ministry, told Reuters the explosion took place at the entrance to the health department for the province of Nangarhar late on Tuesday morning.

Around the same time unknown gunmen shot vaccination workers at two separate locations in Jalalabad, killing two volunteers and one supervisor in the polio immunisation programme, all of them women, he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the main insurgent movement, the Taliban, said they had no role in the attacks.

A wave of assassinations has hit urban centres since peace talks began between the Taliban and the Afghan government last year in Doha, many of them targeting professional women as well as government employees, media and civil society members.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. Afghanistan kicked off a polio vaccination programme this week, backed by the U.N. chidren’s agency UNICEF.

Rabia, a 20-year old vaccinator in Jalalabad who asked that only her first name be published for security reasons, told Reuters she was in a state of shock.

“Today I am very worried, I do not think my family will allow me to work as a polio vaccinator anymore, because they are afraid that one day I will be killed too,” she said.

U.S. Charge D’Affaires Ross Wilson said: “Attacking vaccinators is as heartless as it is inexplicable.”

“This campaign is an important step to protect Afghan children from facing an infectious disease that can cause debilitating paralysis,” he said on Twitter.

Three female journalists were killed in Jalalabad this month, an attack claimed by Islamic State. The government blames most targeted killings on the Taliban, who deny carrying out assassinations.

Militant groups including the Taliban have targeted health workers in the past. The U.N. mission to Afghanistan warned last year that health workers were increasingly at risk after a series of attacks. One attack on a Kabul maternity ward in May killed twenty-four people.

Women are being killed and children are being endangered because of mens fanaticism.

[bpod-bpod]

Vaccine Victory

As the world awaits the development of vaccines against SARS-Cov-2, efforts against another devastating virus bring home the benefits of immunisation. Following extensive vaccination campaigns and four years with no new cases, the World Health Organization recently declared Africa free of wild poliovirus. Once feared worldwide, poliovirus causes poliomyelitis, an incurable disease which can lead to paralysis, but is preventable with vaccination. Pictured, a doctor administers oral polio vaccines in Nigeria, wild poliovirus’ last holdout in Africa. Easier delivery makes this oral vaccine a popular tool, yet it has a major drawback: containing a weakened form of poliovirus, it can sometimes trigger its own outbreaks, especially in communities with poor sanitation and low immunisation rates. Several countries are dealing with vaccine-derived infections, and wild poliovirus remains in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so the fight against polio continues, but this progress brings hope that the virus can eventually be consigned to history.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Image by CDC Global on Flickr

World Health Organization

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

News published in Nature, August 2020

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[dnewstrending]

Dwelling Stone Basis intensify Polio immunization marketing campaign in Ashaiman

Dwelling Stone Basis intensify Polio immunization marketing campaign in Ashaiman

The Dwelling Stone Basis, a non-profit group by dancehall artist Stone Bwoy has intensified the marketing campaign on the continuing polio immunisation in Ashaiman with free well being screening for the residents. Addressing the media in Ashaiman, Dr. Louisa Satekla, Govt Director of the Basis said {that a} new string of the polio virus has been detected, therefore the necessity to immunize all…

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.

While The Trouble and I are eating dinner, we like to watch something light-hearted that will make us smile. We’ve just finished re-watching every season of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ (by the end, I was ready to waste Sheldon), and we are now going to re-watch every season of ‘Modern Family’ (which almost made me choke on my dinner the other night!) While The Trouble has been busy, I’ve been watching ‘Uncoupled’, which I enjoyed and, while I’m working, she watches ‘The Flash’ in our front room. Can you see how different we are?

I work from home Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Naturally, I do not sit motionless for hours on end. A very beautiful HR woman told me NOT to sit in the same position for more than 30 minutes so, every half an hour, I get up and walk about, make another cuppa, powder my nose or just shake my booty! Working from home is blissful but you need to be business-like about it!

Yesterday, I had a MAMMOTH task to do. I’ve got to admit: I was struggling. Naturally, in these situations, you have to talk to yourself. The mammoth task is NOT going to go away or conveniently disappear. At some point, it needs to be done, and this is why some mammoth tasks DON’T get done; most people do NOT like hard work! I said to myself (in my best Mr. T voice), “Listen, fool, stop bugging about this mammoth task because there’s another task just round the corner!” Indeed. A Wesker’s work is never done.

You literally couldn’t make this up. Earlier in the week, I talked about the UK’s polluted rivers. The greedy and hapless water companies have been dumping raw, untreated sewage into our rivers, while paying themselves and their shareholders huge amounts of money (like they’re doing a good job!) And now children aged one to nine and living in Greater London will be offered a polio vaccine after the virus was detected in sewage. The virus, which can cause paralysis, has been found 116 times in London's wastewater since February. The urgent immunisation campaign will see nearly a million children offered the vaccine, including those already up to date with their jabs. The alarm was first raised in June after a series of tests at Beckton Sewage Works, which serves north and east London. More detailed analysis of the sewage system has since found the virus in: Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. This is what happens when you put profit above people.

This story from The Guardian on Monday, “Incidents of DIY dentistry, including people using superglue to stick homemade teeth to their gums, are increasing across Britain as more than nine in ten NHS dental practices are unable to offer appointments to new adult patients. According to a survey by the British Dental Association and the BBC, 91% of NHS practices across England were not accepting new adult patients. The survey also found that of the practices that were not taking on new adults in England, only 23% had an open waiting list, and 16% said the waiting time was at least a year, or were unable to give an estimate as to how long it would be.

One of the major problems with intelligent people is that you can’t tell them shit! They know it all! It takes a special quality to sit and listen and evaluate and re-evaluate but, even then, the intelligent person will say, “I have to go with my instincts!” And what can you say? The intelligent person always has a rational, logical argument why they’re about to do something really stupid!

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all.