Strep A

Sun
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has become the first secondary school student to die from the Strep A winter bug surge which is sweeping the country.
The lad, a Year 8 pupil at a private school, had blood poisoning caused by the more serious bacteria called invasive Group A Strep.
At least six children are now known to have died from the illness which usually only causes a mild sore throat and temperature — but in extreme cases can lead to a life-threatening infection.
The other deaths were children of primary school age.
Millions of parents across the UK were on alert last night after health chiefs nationwide urged them to look out for symptoms and act promptly.
The pandemic lockdown is being blamed for the outbreak because children were shuttered away — creating a lower immunity to infections.

Express
A 12-year-old boy has become the first secondary school student to die from Strep A in the current wave that is being experienced in the UK.
The child was a year 8 pupil from Colfe’s School, a private institution in Lewisham, southeast London. Another child from the same school is understood to currently be in the hospital.
Speaking to The Sun, the headmaster of the school, Richard Russell, described the pupil’s death as a “huge shock”.
In a letter to parents, the headmaster reassured families that the risk to their children from Strep A was low.
He said: “Blood tests identified the student had blood poisoning (septicaemia) caused by Group A streptococcus (GAS), which led to invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS).
“The GAS bacterium is very common and usually causes mild illness such as scarlet fever, which can be treated with antibiotics.

ITV News
Health officials have warned parents to watch out for signs of Strep A infection after six children died from the virus in England and Wales.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there has been a rise in invasive Group A Strep this year, particularly in children under 10.
Since September, there have been five deaths of under-10s in England. A separate case has been reported in Wales, taking the known UK total to six.
Dr Colin Brown from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told ITV News: “Parents shouldn’t be overtly worried – the number of children overall with severe disease is small and the overall number of fatalities, albeit sad indeed, are low.”
However, the UKHSA has told parents to seek medical help as soon as possible if they detect signs in their children, in order to stop the infection becoming serious.

Mail
Britain was today rocked by fears of another killer bug, with health chiefs preparing to issue a warning to parents over the symptoms of Strep A.
Four children have now died in less than a month from the usually-harmless bacterial infection, sparking concerns it may be spreading silently in schools. Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, today became the latest victim of the growing Strep A outbreak, which has already claimed the life of Hannah Roap, a seven-year-old girl from Wales. Her devastated parents told how their ‘hearts had broken into a million pieces’.
Two other unidentified children passed away after picking up the infection in recent weeks.
GPs have warned of ‘unusually high’ levels of Strep A ever since schools went back in September. Symptoms are usually mild, including a fever, muscle aches, vomiting and a sore throat. It can also cause scarlet fever.
In exceptionally rare cases, the bug — spread in the same way as Covid, through close contact such as sneezing, kissing and touching — can penetrate deeper into the body and cause life-threatening problems such as sepsis. It is treatable with antibiotics, however.

Times
Families of children who have died or are battling for their lives after contracting strep A infections have told other parents to act urgently if they spot any symptoms linked to the virus.
Their warnings came as the number of children who have died after contracting the infection since September reached seven last night.
The family of Camila Rose Burns, 4, posted an image of the little girl online in which she is seen fighting for her life on a ventilator in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
In a message to others on Facebook, Camila’s aunt, Laura Daniels, wrote: “Please pray for our little Camila and please everyone look out for the signs. Trust YOUR instinct and don’t think you have time to wait!”

Migrants

Independent
The government is yet to begin construction of promised reception centres that were planned to house up to 8,000 migrants, despite a worsening accommodation crisis.
The plan was announced to fanfare more than a year ago, promising “swift delivery”, but no new facilities have been set up and almost 50,000 asylum seekers and refugees are now being housed in hotels at a cost of £6.8m a day.
Former home secretary Priti Patel raised the matter of the delay in a written parliamentary question this week, asking her successor Suella Braverman “what progress she has made on the introduction of asylum reception centres”.
In a brief response, the immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the government “continued to develop proposals” but gave no further detail.
The Independent understands that a list of potential sites for reception centres across the country was drawn up under Boris Johnson’s government, but that the Treasury – then headed by Rishi Sunak – did not approve the funding requested by the Home Office.

Times
Albanians who abuse Britain’s anti-slavery laws to avoid deportation could be returned and have their claims heard in their home country as part of a new deal between the two nations.
Illegal migrants from Albania could also be removed back to their home country before appeals against rejected asylum claims are heard.
The plans are expected to be part of a new fast-track returns agreement that moved a step closer last night after Rishi Sunak spoke to Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, yesterday.
The pair “agreed that more needed to be done to address illegal migration and tackle organised crime together”, Downing Street said. There has been a sudden rise in Albanians entering the UK illegally via small boats this year.

Mail
Albanians exploiting the UK’s modern slavery laws to avoid deportation could be returned and have their claims heard in their home country as part of a new deal between the two countries.
Illegal migrants could also be sent back to Albania before they are able to appeal against a rejected asylum claim as part of a new rapid returns agreement Rishi Sunak is hoping to sign with the nation’s prime minister, Edi Rama.
There has been a dramatic rise in the number of Albanians crossing the Channel in small boats, and they accounted for a third of arrivals from January to September this year.
Plans for a fast-track returns agreement moved a step closer last night after Mr Sunak spoke to Mr Rama on the phone, The Times reported.
In a press release, Number 10 said the pair ‘agreed that more needed to be done to address illegal migration and tackle organised crime together’.

BBC News
Almost 20% of unaccompanied child migrants from Albania taken in by Kent County Council this year have disappeared, the BBC has found.
The local authority took in 197 Albanian children up to 31 October, 39 of whom have gone missing.
Ecpat UK, which campaigns to protect children from exploitation, said the figures were very concerning.
The council said it had worked closely with the Home Office and police to safeguard vulnerable children.
The figures were obtained by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request.
The council said 197 Albanian children processed at the Home Office’s Kent Intake Unit came into its care between 1 January and 31 October.
It added that, as of 7 November, 39 were recorded as missing. However, it said some of those children would have since turned 18.

Guardian
Almost a fifth of lone Albanian child refugees have gone missing, an English council has revealed. Kent county council took in 197 unaccompanied children from Albania between 1 January and 31 October of this year and, of those, 39 are missing.
The figures were revealed after a freedom of information request by the BBC.
The council had previously announced it could no longer take in any more children between June and November 2021 and between August and December 2020. Each time they said its services were overwhelmed and called on other authorities to take in more unaccompanied children.
Albanians have accounted for the largest number of people coming in small boats across the Channel this year, making up more than 12,000 of the arrivals.
Kent county council said when a child goes missing it works closely with police and the Home Office to find them. A spokesperson said: “With the significant increase and recognised vulnerability of Albanian unaccompanied children, safeguarding protocols take place at point of referral. Even then it can be very challenging to prevent all children from going missing.

ITV News
Albanians should be barred from claiming asylum in the UK as they are coming from a “demonstrably safe” country, the Immigration Minister has said.
Robert Jenrick said such individuals should be “excluded from the right to claim asylum” as he warned that current levels of migration into the UK were “unsustainable”.
His comments came as the Home Office declined to comment on a report in The Sunday Times that ministers are working on legislation which could ban asylum seekers who enter by illegal routes from ever settling in the UK.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman was reported to be urging Rishi Sunak to back plans to put every illegal migrant into detention on arrival.

Strikes

Mail
Brits will be hammered by a wave of strikes every day until Christmas in a new ‘winter of discontent’ – as MPs urge rail barons to suspend walkouts that could cost the economy £1.7billion.
Rail workers, including Eurostar staff, nurses, ambulance staff, teachers, security guards handling cash, cleaners, porters, driving examiners, airport workers, rural payments officers and civil servants are planning action that will affect every day over the festive season.
Millions will have their lives disrupted by the coordinated walkouts, which are set to cripple essential public services in the run up to Christmas.
Of particular concern is a NHS Christmas walkout on December 20, which some fear could bring the health service to a standstill.

Sun
JUST 48 hours are left to avoid Christmas-wrecking train strikes — as ministers draw up plans to rip up tax breaks for unions.
RMT chief Mick “the Grinch” Lynch aims to lead more than 40,000 workers in mass walkouts — both before and after Christmas.
The TSSA train union is also staging walkouts in crippling, coordinated action.
One person involved in the talks said: “We are approaching D-Day”.
Another said: “It is the last chance to call off the strikes and save Christmas.”

Express
The festive period is set to see strike action across a number of sectors including road workers, rail workers, nursing staff and airport personnel.
The Government has said that approximately 2,000 military personnel are on stand-by to be drafted to support services being hit by strikes. Volunteers, civil servants and military members are already being trained up to takeover services including Border Force at ports and airports.
A number of others may be deployed as emergency service providers including ambulance drivers and firefighters.
While the military have not yet been deployed, the Government said that the personnel “are part of the range of options available should strike action in these areas go ahead as planned”.

Mail
Passengers at Heathrow Airport will face festive chaos after baggage handlers voted to strike on the second last Friday before Christmas.
Ground handlers employed by a private contractor at the London airport will strike in a 72-hour row over pay, as Britain prepares itself for a ‘winter of discontent’.
There will be around 350 members of Unite who work for Menzies that will walk out from 4am on Friday December 16.
Across the same dates, rail workers, Eurostar staff, bus drivers and driving examiners are also on strike in what will be a weekend of misery for Britons.
Passengers have been warned that more travel chaos looms as the union confirmed that their action will lead to some flight disruption. It will come as schools break up for Christmas and families look to escape the capital for the festive period.

Telegraph
Pharmacists will be drafted in to help break NHS strike action and ease winter pressures on the NHS, under plans being considered by ministers.
Chemists could be allowed to diagnose patients with minor conditions and prescribe antibiotics for the first time to try to reduce demand for GP appointments and cut record backlogs.
Ministers are braced for the cancellation of thousands of elective procedures and screening appointments as up to 100,000 nurses walk out later this month over a pay dispute.
On Saturday Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, wrote to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and GMB unions that are threatening the strike action, urging them to maintain minimum staffing levels to protect accident and emergency services, which the unions have refused to ring-fence.
Chemotherapy, critical care, kidney dialysis, paediatric intensive care and neonatal services have been given protection from strikes by the RCN, but others remain at risk on Dec 15 and 20.

Guardian
Ministers were under intense pressure last night to open new pay talks that could avert a devastating series of NHS strikes as health unions suggested a deal could be struck if both sides were willing to negotiate and compromise.
Amid claims from Labour and from NHS sources that ministers appeared to be playing politics and deliberately “spoiling for a fight”, union leaders strongly suggested that an improved, but still sub-inflation, offer similar to that made to Scottish health unions at the end of last month by the Holyrood government – which has led to strike threats being lifted north of the border – could help break the deadlock elsewhere in the UK.
The health unions, led by the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the GMB, are furious that health secretary Steve Barclay is refusing to even discuss any improvement of the government’s offer to health service workers, which is capped at 3% and based on the recommendations of the NHS pay review body.
Officials say that in two meetings since the RCN ballot for action was announced, Barclay has refused to discuss pay levels.

Express
Chemists at pharmacies could be given more powers as 100,000 nurses as set to strikes soon.
Pharmacists may be trained to hand out antibiotics and diagnose minor ailments for the first time during the healthcare strikes this winter. It is one plan ministers are considering in order to ease pressure on the NHS this winter to reside the demand for GP appointments.
Giving pharmacists more responsibility is estimated to cost £400 million and may redirect 65 million GP appointments annually, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
However, this plan is unlikely to be put into effect until after Christmas as it will take time to adequately train pharmacists.
Under the plan, chemists would also have the power to hand out creams for those with skin conditions and diagnose women with urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Education

Telegraph
Rishi Sunak has abandoned plans to expand grammar schools that were being drawn up by Liz Truss.
The Government has no plans to open new grammar schools, the House of Lords heard on Friday.
Baroness Barran, a minister in the Department for Education, said: “The Department’s priority is to concentrate on ensuring that as many children as possible, whatever their ability, have access to an outstanding education, rather than creating more grammar schools.”
During the Conservative leadership election campaign, Sunak said he supported the expansion of existing grammar schools, while Ms Truss said she would lift the ban on new grammar schools.
Kit Malthouse, the former education secretary, had been asked to draw up plans for new grammar schools in England when Ms Truss was prime minister.

Climate activists

Guardian
Just Stop Oil activists tucked themselves into a Harrods display bed as part of a national day of action on fuel poverty in the UK on Saturday.
Footage of the “warm up” demonstrations also showed security guards confronting protesters lying on sofas inside the shop in Knightsbridge, London.
The eco-activists want action over “sky-rocketing” energy bills and were joined by other grassroots movements including Don’t Pay UK and Fuel Poverty Action.
The Harrods protesters said they were “rapidly” escorted out of the department store by about 20 security guards.
Protests were held across the country, including at the British Museum and Scottish Power’s headquarters as part of a national day of action on fuel poverty, organisers said.
Don’t Pay UK said campaigners bedded down with blankets, sleeping bags and hot-water bottles in the foyer of Glasgow-based Scottish Power at about 9am.

Mirror
Just Stop Oil activists tucked themselves into a Harrods display bed as part of fuel poverty protests sweeping the UK.
Footage of so-called “warm up” demonstrations on Saturday also showed security guards confronting protesters lying on sofas inside the shop in Knightsbridge, London.
The eco-activists want action over “sky-rocketing” energy bills and were joined by other grassroots movements, including Don’t Pay UK and Fuel Poverty Action.
They said they were “rapidly” escorted out of the department store by about 20 security guards.
Protests were held across the country, including at the British Museum and Scottish Power’s HQ as part of a national day of action on fuel poverty, organisers said.

Covid

Star
A scientist who worked closely with a lab in Wuhan claims the facility was the source of Covid-19, which was “genetically engineered” with US funding.
The explosive revelations from Dr Andrew Huff, former vice president of EcoHealth Alliance, back up what some experts have believed all along – the deadly virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Dr Huff, giving first look of his upcoming book The Truth About Wuhan to The Sun, said that the alleged cover up constitutes the “biggest US intelligence failure since 9/11”.
“EcoHealth Alliance and foreign laboratories did not have the adequate control measures in place for ensuring proper biosafety, biosecurity, and risk management, ultimately resulting in the lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” he said.
EcoHealth Alliance is a US-based non-governmental organisation that specialises in researching pandemics and infectious diseases.

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