National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures show link between deprivation and health. 

A boy born in 2018 in one of the 10% most deprived areas of Scotland will live for 13 years less than a boy from the most affluent areas. The gap for girls is 9.6 years. 

There is clear evidence in the data tables published by NRS of the reason for this. A boy born in the poorer areas can expect to spend almost a third of his life (29.2%) in poor health.  While, for girls it is 34.5%. 

At the other end of the scale, an affluent baby boy will have ill health for just 13.1% of his life, with a slightly higher figure (14.9%) for girls. 

Women living in the 10% least deprived areas can expect to spend 23 more years in good health than those in the 10% most deprived areas. For men, the difference in healthy life expectancy is 22.5 years.

The figures are a stark reminder that deprivation has a significant effect on life expectancy, and an even greater one on healthy life expectancy.

Life expectancy in Scotland has been the lowest of any UK country since 1982.

NRS Statisticians are now working with NHS Health Scotland to help identify the reasons for stalling life expectancy and ultimately divert resources to help Scots live longer and healthier lives. 

There is good news within the report however. The lowest rates of stillbirths and children dying in their first year.

Glasgow will host a major United Nations climate change summit next year, if a UK bid is successful.

The UK and Italy have lodged a joint bid to host the 26th Conference of the Parties, known as COP26. It has been proposed that the UK would host the main conference, with a preliminary meeting held in Italy.

While Turkey is still in the running for the event, the UK is now seen as the clear favourite.

If that bid is successful, the event would take place at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) at the end of 2020 and would be held at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) on the banks of the River Clyde.

Up to 30,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference.

Lasting for two weeks, it would be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, with up to 200 world leaders expected to attend for the final weekend.

Former energy minister Claire Perry, who is the UK-nominated president for COP26, said: “As one of the UK’s most sustainable cities, with a record for hosting high-profile international events, Glasgow is the right choice to showcase the UK’s commitment to the environment.

“In 2020, world leaders will come together to discuss how to protect our planet and set the direction for the years to come.”

Under UN rules, next year’s COP26 will be held in a European country.

Members of the Scottish Obesity Alliance have written to the First Minister to urge the Scottish Government to restrict price promotions on food and drink products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS).

The letter, calls on the First Minister to take action and commit to legislation to regulate multi-buy price promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar and salt in Scotland in this autumn’s Programme for Government.

The letter notes that “Scotland has some of the highest incidences of obesity across OECD countries”, and goes on to state that 29% of adults and 13% of children aged two to 15 years old are living with obesity, and even more are living with overweight and are at high of risk of being affected by obesity later in life.

The letter also reminds that “whilst the rate of childhood obesity levels has slowed down, it has not stopped or started to decline”, before going on to call the situation a “major public health crisis.”

The letter is co-signed by 20 leading national health charities, medical royal colleges, campaign groups and professional bodies with an interest in health and public health working in Scotland.

Gordon Matheson, public affairs manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Carrying too much weight is the most common cause of avoidable cancer in Scotland after smoking and is a major public health crisis.

“Scotland cannot afford any delays in bringing forward legislation to tackle the price promotion of junk food. The need for regulation is compelling and the public is supportive. Now is the time for the Scottish Government to act."

You can read the letter here.

Three years after the measles virus was eliminated from the UK, the country has lost its “measles-free” status with the World Health Organization.

The UK initially achieved WHO measles elimination status in 2017, based on data from 2014-2016.

However, in 2018, there was a marked increase in the number of confirmed measles cases, with 991 confirmed cases in England and Wales, compared with 284 cases in 2017.  

Furthermore, the same strain of measles virus (called B3 Dublin) was detected for more than 12 months across 2017 and 2018. Based on this, WHO determined that the UK could no longer be consider as ‘eliminated’ and that transmission of measles had been re-established.

Measles can be prevented through two doses of the MMR vaccine – something that is offered free by the NHS to all young children in the UK.

While coverage of the first dose in the UK has reached the WHO target of 95% for children aged five, coverage of the second dose is at 87.4%. 

A blog published by Public Health England on August 19, 2019, reviewed the reasons for the WHO’s change in the UK’s status, and ongoing efforts to protect the British population from the measles virus.

The NHS Long Term Plan includes a range of measures to maintain and increase uptake of both MMR doses. These include a fundamental review of the GP contract for vaccination and immunisation, and improved local co-ordination to support improving immunisation coverage in each area which can help target those groups who have low uptake. 

The latest annual report issued by the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s shows that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water is high at 99.90%.

In 2018, a total of 319,124 regulatory tests were carried out in on Scotland’s drinking water. Of those taken from samples at consumers’ taps, 99.90% met the required standards, slightly reduced on previous years. Scottish Water take and analyse samples of drinking water from across Scotland 365 days a year.

The report also highlights that the number of water quality incidents requiring detailed investigation by the DWQR has reduced in 2018, suggesting that Scottish Water’s efforts to improve is paying off.

Sue Petch the Drinking Water Quality Regulator said:

“Scotland’s consumers can be reassured that the quality of drinking water supplied to their taps by Scottish Water continues to be high.

“In spite of this, further improvements are still needed. I expect Scottish Water to ensure water quality continues to get better across Scotland.”

A full copy of Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2018 is available at www.dwqr.org.uk

Publicly funded leisure centres in all local authorities in Scotland have now banned the sale of high-energy soft drinks to young people under the age of 16.

The restriction will apply to soft drinks with an added caffeine content of more than 150mg per litre.

Community Leisure UK, the umbrella body for over 85% of Scotland’s publicly funded leisure and cultural facilities, has worked with the Scottish Government to introduce the restriction in the 1,300 facilities they represent.

The seven local authorities not covered by Community Leisure UK have also banned the drinks.

This new ban builds on the Scottish Government’s ban of high-energy drinks to under 16s in hospital retail units, a move that was matched by all NHS-run catering sites.

In addition, many larger retailers and supermarkets have already voluntarily stopped selling energy drinks to under 16s. 

Energy drinks are soft drinks that contain higher levels of caffeine than other soft drinks, and may also contain a lot of sugar. Research by the World Health Organisation suggests that excessive consumption of energy drinks by children is linked to negative health outcomes such as headaches, sleeping problems, irritation and tiredness.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “I welcome the leadership shown by all publicly-funded leisure centres in restricting the sale of energy drinks to young people.

“This builds on our recent ban of energy drinks to under 16s in all hospital retail units and NHS-run catering sites.

“The Scottish Government recognises that consumption of energy drinks is a significant concern to parents, healthcare professionals and young people. This ban delivers on the promise we made in our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan last year and we have committed to a consultation on restricting the sale of energy drinks to under 16s later this year.”

Kirsty Cumming, Community Leisure UK Engagement and Policy Manager for Scotland, said:

"After working closely with both our members and colleagues at Scottish Government, Community Leisure UK is delighted that all members in Scotland have chosen to ban the sale of energy drinks to young people under 16.

“This is an important step in protecting the health of young people across Scotland and we are proud to support the Scottish Government's promise made in the Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan." 

The independent review into the Buchanan and St Ambrose High School campus at Coatbridge has concluded that the schools are safe and that there is no link between the school campus and illness.

As part of the review, water, soil and air samples from the former landfill site were assessed, along with the integrity of the methane membrane, which was installed as a safety measure during construction of the campus.

The report finds:

·       water samples all pass drinking water quality standards. The review recommends North Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Water should further sample water in the coming months to address some minor quality issues

·       the methane membrane under the school building was installed correctly and no landfill related gases were detected at that time and now

·       fifty soil samples were taken from soft landscaped areas, fifteen from raised beds and tested for various contaminants. The concentrations measured in soils, with the exception of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at one location, are not of concern

·       elevated levels of PCB were found in one sample pit on the periphery of the site. The review recommends North Lanarkshire Council completes a full and independently verified removal of the chemical as soon as possible

·       the review recommends a site recovery group, made up of site users and community leaders, to provide an open and transparent channel for any concerns to be raised regarding the well-being of those on the campus

If the work at that sample pit is being done by North Lanarkshire Council and independently verified to remove any residual risk or to otherwise render the area concerned safe, the review would support the schools opening next week.

Public health consultant Dr Margaret Hannah, who co-led the review, said: “Many people were concerned about possible health risks from the previous use of the campus site. We listened carefully to the concerns of parents and teachers and worked with various experts in their field to determine the areas to test within the campus.

“Our principal finding is that the schools are safe, the site is safe and there is no link between the school and the reported health issues. However, we have made recommendations for some work to be carried out in order to provide further public reassurance.

“One of our recommendations includes convening a site recovery group to provide an open channel to share information and allow any concerns to be raised regarding the well-being of those on the campus. Working together is key to restoring public confidence and we hope our findings will help all the communities in Coatbridge and beyond work towards common goals and in the best interests of the pupils and staff.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I am grateful to the Review Team for their work over the last two months. This has been a complex and challenging set of circumstances to review in such a short timescale.

“The report provides reassurance to parents, pupils and staff of the school that there are no links between ill-health and the campus.

“The review also finds, however, that North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire did not handle this issue at all well. They did not engage with parents sufficiently early or in an inclusive manner. The recommendations will ensure statutory bodies engage far more proactively with parents, staff and pupils to rebuild the trust and learn lessons from this for the future.

“Children should enjoy school life and I hope this is the case for pupils at Buchanan and St Ambrose High Schools.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced on 12 June an independent review into reported health and safety concerns at the campus.

The primary purpose of the review was to examine the evidence of the history, construction and maintenance of the site as well as provide reassurance to the community. 

An artificial "tongue" which can taste subtle differences between whiskies could help tackle the trade in counterfeit alcohol trade, scientists say. 

In a paper published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Nanoscale, Scottish engineers describe how they built the tiny taster, which exploits the optical properties of gold and aluminium to test the differences between the spirits.

The technology was able to taste the differences between the drinks with greater than 99% accuracy. It was also capable of picking up on the subtler distinctions between the same whisky aged in different barrels and can also tell the difference between whiskies aged for 12, 15 and 18 years. 

Alasdair Clark, of the University of Glasgow's school of engineering, said: "We call this an artificial tongue because it acts similarly to a human tongue – like us, it can't identify the individual chemicals which make coffee taste different to apple juice but it can easily tell the difference between these complex chemical mixtures.

"We're not the first researchers to make an artificial tongue, but we're the first to make a single artificial tongue that uses two different types of nanoscale metal 'tastebuds', which provides more information about the 'taste' of each sample and allows a faster and more accurate response."

“While we’ve focused on whisky in this experiment, the artificial tongue could easily be used to ‘taste’ virtually any liquid, which means it could be used for a wide variety of applications. In addition to its obvious potential for use in identifying counterfeit alcohols, it could be used in food safety testing, quality control, security – really any area where a portable, reusable method of tasting would be useful.”

Researchers poured whisky over a chequerboard pattern of the two metals – which act as "tastebuds" – and researchers then measured how they absorbed light while submerged.

Statistical analysis of the very subtle differences in how the metals in the artificial tongue absorb light – what scientists call their plasmonic resonance – allowed the team to identify different types of whiskies.

The team used the tongue to sample a selection of whiskies from Glenfiddich, Glen Marnoch and Laphroaig.

The research was conducted by engineers and chemists from the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. 

Their paper, titled 'Whisky tasting using a bimetallic nanoplasmonic tongue', is published in Nanoscale.

A practical guide to Asian hornets is now available.

Around 2004, the Asian or yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) was accidentally imported into southern France from China, and it has spread through western European countries with astonishing speed. 

Since 2016 there have been incursions into the UK, including Scotland and these are becoming more frequent as the population on the continent increases in numbers.

If this insect establishes in the UK, it will cause two important problems for humans: they love eating bees, especially honey bees; and if a nest is accidentally disturbed they can be very aggressive.

The handbook is completely up-to-date and covers the biology, spread and control of this insect, including a section on the UK response by Defra via APHA and the National Bee Unit in England.

The handbook is comprehensively referenced, with a glossary and thorough index, and has over 100 photos and illustrations. It is 156 pages, paperback.

It can be bought from the handbook’s website at a price of £16.  

A BBC documentary examines the events surrounding the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) meat scandal and asks if we are still living with the aftermath in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which has killed almost 200 people since 1996. 

Mad Cow Disease: The Great British Beef Scandal looks at how this still incurable and entirely manmade disease came to be a problem. The documentary also looks at how a series of poor decisions failed to stop the infected cattle getting into the food chain.

Since 1996, almost 200 people have died from vCJD, whilst the cattle disease BSE has been responsible for the death of over four million cows. It has cost the NHS over a billion pounds and virtually destroyed the British beef industry in the 1990s.

The story starts in the 1970s, when supermarkets were emerging into the high streets and meat consumption was going through the roof. To help keep up with demand, farmers started feeding cows an artificial protein supplement made from the remains of other animals. 

But in 1985, a new disease called BSE broke out on a single farm in Wiltshire. Nobody has ever discovered what caused the first case of BSE, but it spread across Britain rapidly. The cause of this spread was the meat and bone meal that cows were being fed. Infected animals were being ground up and fed to other animals, causing BSE to pass from cow to cow. By 1989, millions of animals had been infected. 

What happened over the next seven years was a series of poor decisions by the then Conservative government and ministry of agriculture. They failed to stop cattle infected with BSE getting into the human food chain, and also failed to alert the public to the possible dangers posed by the disease. It was only in 1996 – when ten human victims of the human form of BSE – vCJD – had been identified that the government changed its approach. 

There is no simple diagnostic test for vCJD, which was why the surveillance unit has been set up at Edinburgh University comprising neurologists, pathologists and diagnosticians. Attempts have been made to create a test, and most scientists believe the disease is caused by changes in prion proteins.

The number of deaths from definite or probable vCJD between 1995 and 2019 is 178. However, it has a long incubation period and beyond being sure that there will be more deaths, huge uncertainty remains.

In 2013 researchers reported that one in 2,000 people in the UK were carriers of vCJD, linked to eating contaminated beef. And a report by a committee of MPs in 2014 said tens of thousands of people could be "silent" carriers of the prions that cause the disease.

Despite over 20 years of scientific research, scientists are no closer to discovering a cure for it, or even a test to see who is carrying it. vCJD remains one of the great unsolved medical problems. 

The documentary Mad Cow Disease: The Great British Beef Scandal can be watched on the BBC iPlayer here.

Scots are recycling more food waste than ever according to new reports published by Zero Waste Scotland.

A total of approximately 158,500 tonnes of household and commercial solid food waste was collected in 2017, compared with the 2013 figure of 111,500 tonnes.

The increase had prevented the equivalent of 41,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere – the same as taking more than 22,000 cars off the roads for a year or driving around the world 5829 times.

The findings are from the Scottish anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas sector survey 2017, as well as the Scottish composting sector survey 2017.

Producing electricity, heat and gas from food waste through AD allows us to capture the energy stored in our food that would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated. Using this waste helps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

The rise has been helped by the introduction of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 compelling businesses to recycle food waste. As of 2016, Scottish businesses producing more than 5kg of food waste per week have been required to present food waste separately for collection. 

The increase has also been supported by a growth in the availability of food recycling facilities to Scottish households via their local council, 80% of Scottish households now have access to food waste recycling.

Scotland will have one of the most ambitious climate change laws in the world after committing to a target of net-zero emissions by 2045.

Previous research from Zero Waste Scotland warns that food waste is worse than plastic for climate change. Food waste is a greater cause of global warming because of all the resources and energy that goes into growing and making the food in the first place. If wasted food is then sent to landfill, the impacts are even worse as this produces and emits methane, one of the most damaging greenhouse gases. In the short-term, methane is many times worse than carbon dioxide. 

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said:

“Scotland should be proud, the recycling of more food waste into sustainable energy is an incredible achievement. The rise in recycled food waste is welcome news for Scotland’s economy and for the planet. When we waste food, we also waste the resources that went into growing, processing, transporting and packaging it, so it is hugely important that we use what we have. Of course, some food waste is inevitable – we can’t escape waste of items like fruit and vegetable peel.

“This result is fantastic, but think of all the energy that can be produced from the rest of our unavoidable food waste. We are living through a climate emergency and individuals can have a great impact without even leaving the kitchen by simply using their food waste caddy.”

Children in deprived areas are exposed to significantly more tobacco sales than those from wealthier neighbourhoods. 

This was the finding of new collaborative research between the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, which was published in the journal Tobacco Control.

The researchers used GPS-trackers to follow a group of almost 700 10-and-11-year-olds from across Scotland. 

They found that children from the most deprived neighbourhoods encounter a shop selling tobacco 149 times a week, compared to just 23 times a week for the least deprived.

The researchers mapped the location of all shops selling tobacco products across Scotland and followed the movement of the participants for eight consecutive days. The study identified how often, and for how long, the children went within 10m of a shop selling tobacco. 

The children were part of the Growing Up in Scotland study and both they, and their parents, agreed to them wearing the trackers.

The results between deprived and non-deprived areas were far more polarised than expected, researchers behind the study said.

While previous research has shown that tobacco outlets are twice as common in deprived areas. This study was able to show that children from the most deprived areas were exposed to tobacco retailing six times more frequently than children from the least deprived areas.

Most exposure came from convenience stores and newsagents selling tobacco, with peaks just before and after school. There was also a higher than expected amount of exposure from supermarkets on weekends.

Children from more deprived areas are already more likely to start smoking themselves, and pre-adolescence is a critical period where the path to starting smoking begins.

University of Glasgow's Dr Fiona Caryl, lead author of the research, said the findings provided a "significant contribution" to policy debate on tobacco availability.

She added: "Identifying ways to reverse the normalising effects of ubiquitous tobacco retailing is key to policies aimed at preventing people from starting smoking."

Professor Jamie Pearce, a co-author of the report and an expert in in tobacco-related health from University of Edinburgh said “This exciting and novel work suggests any moves to reduce tobacco availability, whether to reduce the number of retail outlets, or restrict the timing of sales, will have a greater benefit for more deprived groups who suffer the greatest amount of tobacco-related harm.”

Dr Garth Reid, Interim Head of Evidence for Action at NHS Health Scotland, said: “As a national health board working to reduce health inequalities and improve health, we were pleased to support this innovative research into children and young people’s exposure to tobacco products in Scotland. We welcome the findings, which will inform a report that we will publish later this year, considering the implications for health inequalities and tobacco control in Scotland in greater detail.” 

The study, ‘Socioeconomic inequalities in children’s exposure to tobacco retailing based on individual-level GPS data in Scotland’ is published in Tobacco Control. The work was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) and NHS Health Scotland.