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IN THE NEWS
down to discuss the current thinking around diabetes and how healthtech can help.
THE MEDTALK PODCAST NUDGES ITS WAY INTO HEALTHCARE
T
he latest episode of The MedTalk Podcast has the team sitting
The editors discuss what nudge theory is and why everyone with a Fitbit is inadvertently being influenced by it; how healthtech is helping diabetes patients’; and why the FDA had to issue a particularly risqué product warning.
CANNABIDIOL PRODUCTS MISLEADING MILLIONS Millions of consumers are being misled by cannabidiol (CBD) products, according to a new report by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMS). The report highlights how millions of consumers are being misled by marketing surrounding CBD products, signifying stark contrasts in the quality of products currently available. The research analysed 30 products in the UK in a bid to verify the quality of CBD products being sold and to define any areas of concern. The findings showed that almost two-thirds (62%) contained less than 90% of the declared CBD ingredient; that 45% had measurable levels of THC, making them
technically illegal in the UK; and that 11 contained levels of solvents exceeding food safety regulations. One product which retails for £90 was also found to contain no trace of CBD and another product classes as an alcoholic beverage due to it containing 3.8% of ethanol. With an estimated six million people having tried CBD in the UK, the report calls on the industry as a whole to use these results to identify areas of weakness and to secure the supply chain.
UK prime minister urges uptake in vaccinations Boris Johnson has called on health leaders to renew their efforts to increase vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Visiting a hospital in the South West, the prime minister laid out new measures to improve the UK’s efforts into fighting measles. These include having GPs promote ‘catch up’ vaccination programmes; having healthcare professionals promote vaccinations in low uptake areas; and addressing any concerns by parents through a new website that will offer evidence-based vaccination information. Johnson also called for a summit to speak to social media companies to discuss what they can do to promote accurate
information around vaccination. The UK’s vaccination rates remain high but hundreds of cases of measles mean that the country has lost its ‘measle-free’ status. Head of Immunisation at Public Health England Dr Mary Ramsay said: “Losing our ‘measlesfree’ status is a stark reminder of how important it is that every eligible person gets vaccinated. Elimination can only be sustained by maintaining and improving coverage of the MMR vaccine.” “Making it as easy as possible for parents to access vaccines so that they can offer their
children the best possible start in life is a priority for us, DHSC and for NHS England. Through our Value of Vaccines campaign we’ll be using all opportunities to remind people to get two doses of MMR vaccine – whether that’s new parents, school children or younger adults. This will be crucial to the UK achieving elimination status again in future.”
Did you know?
Measles vaccination prevented around 21.1 million deaths between 2000 and 2017.
A high fever is usually the first sign of measles.
Unvaccinated young children are at the highest risk of measles.