A breakdown of recent community health news, in numbers.
403,955 children are currently waiting for essential consultant-led treatment in England.
17,991 children have been waiting more than 52 weeks, while 452 children have been waiting more than 78 weeks.
March 2023 saw the highest number of children on the waiting list since records began. The list has grown by 158,256 since April 2021 – a 39% increase in 2 years.
More than 400 diagnoses of STIs were made each day among young people in 2022, with gonorrhoea and syphilis at record levels.
Overall, Gonorrhoea diagnoses have increased 50.3% from 2021 to 82,592 cases – the highest level in a single year since records began in 1918.
Syphilis diagnoses have increased 15.2% from 2021 to 8692 cases – the highest annual number since 1948.
In 2026 Ireland will introduce health warning labels on alcohol, highlighting risks such as liver disease and cancer. They are the 1st country in the world to make this change.
57% of people aged 16+ agree that governments should use financial tools such as taxes to reduce sugar in certain foods, found a survey by Public Health Wales.
81% think healthy drink options should be the default for children’s meal deals and 70% say advertising of unhealthy food and drinks to children should be banned.
References
BBC. (2023) Ireland to introduce alcohol label health warning. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2j159ld7zvo (accessed 20 June 2023).
GOV.UK. (2023) Gonorrhoea and syphilis at record levels in 2022. See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gonorrhoea-and-syphilis-at-record-levels-in-2022 (accessed 20 June 2023).
Public Health Wales. (2023) Strong public support for government action against obesity. See: https://phw.nhs.wales/news/strong-public-support-for-government-action-against-obesity/ (accessed 20 June 2023).
RCPCH. (2023) Record high: Over 400,000 children waiting for treatment amidst child health crisis. See: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/record-high-over-400000-children-waiting-treatment-amidst-child-health-crisis (accessed 20 June 2023).
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