News | Infectious diseases

News

Government advises NHS service providers to hold PPE stocks in response to mpox risk

The NHS Health Security Agency has advised pharmacies to ensure they have adequate stocks of PPE for the assessment and treatment of anyone who may present with suspected clade I mpox virus.…

Published: 21 August 2024

News

More than 10,000 whooping cough cases reported in first six months of 2024

Case numbers of whooping cough in 2024 so far have already exceeded the total number of cases reported in 2012, the last major outbreak of the disease.…

Published: 13 August 2024

News

Rapid UTI test wins £8m Longitude Prize on Antimicrobial Resistance

The winning test uses a urine sample on a smartphone-sized cartridge to identify the presence of a bacterial infection in 15 minutes and the antibiotic required within 45 minutes.…

Published: 13 June 2024

News

MMR vaccinations offered at more than 40 community pharmacies until 2025

Exclusive: There will be 43 pharmacies taking part in a scheme in north west England to vaccinate children and young people who have missed one or both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.…

Published: 4 June 2024

News

Serious shortage protocols for clarithromycin reactivated as whooping cough cases rise

The protocols were first introduced in 2023, and are now due to expire on 21 June 2024.…

Published: 24 May 2024

News

Regulator approves first injectable treatment for prevention of HIV

Cabotegravir has been approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis in the UK in both tablet and injectable form.…

Published: 7 May 2024

News

Hepatitis C ‘micro-eliminated’ at UK’s largest prison

The test-and-treat programme is part of a plan from Welsh government to micro-eliminate hepatitis C in the community and in all Welsh prisons.…

Published: 8 April 2024

Feature

Whooping cough resurgence as vaccination rates slump

Official data on whooping cough show that reports of suspected cases are at a 15-year high in the first three months of 2024, as vaccination rates continue to fall.…

Published: 28 March 2024

News

Community pharmacies to take part in pilot scheme to administer catch-up MMR vaccines

The scheme has been launched in the north west of England to improve MMR vaccination rates, following the measles outbreak at the beginning of 2024.…

Published: 25 March 2024

Opinion

PJ view: Private COVID-19 vaccines should be welcomed with caution

As pharmacies prepare to offer private COVID-19 vaccinations, cost considerations must be made to ensure this does not become a step towards wider health inequality.…

Published: 22 February 2024