From today, if you are between 28 and 38 weeks pregnant you will be offered a Whooping Cough vaccine through your GP surgery. Your immune system will make antibodies that will be passed onto your baby in the womb, protecting them until they can be vaccinated at two months of age.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways. The condition usually begins with a persistent dry and irritating cough which progresses to intense bouts of coughing. These are followed by a distinctive ‘whooping’ noise which is how the condition gets its name.
About 50,000 people in the UK require some form of ongoing treatment for kidney failure, of which about 7,000 are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. The average wait for a kidney transplant in the UK is 1,000 days.
Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012, 1107 lives were saved in the UK through a heart, lung, liver or combined heart/lungs, liver/kidney or liver/pancreas transplant.
Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis risk permanently damaging their intelligence, attention span and memory. Stopping or reducing cannabis use fails to fully restore the lost IQ.
When choosing sunscreen, take into consideration: Broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays), waterproof, longlasting and Sun Protection Factor (SPF – the higher the number, the greater the protection).
The European Health Insurance Card is free and lets you get state healthcare at a reduced cost or sometimes for free in all European Economic Area countries. It will cover you for treatment that is needed to allow you to continue your stay until your planned return.
To treat sunburn, apply a cold compress to the affected areas, apply a cooling gel or aftersun lotion, and avoid sun exposure until the discomfort resolves.
To prevent sunburn, stay out of the sun between 11 and 3pm, cover yourself up with a hat and long but light clothes, and apply sunscreen to exposed skin.
Sunburn is a burn to living tissue, such as skin, produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun’s rays. Normal symptoms consist of red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness.