Scabies: UK facing unusually large outbreaks – and treatment shortages appear mostly to blame: Scabies causes a rash, which can be very itchy – particularly at night. Zay Nyi Nyi/ Shutterstock Scabies is an unpleasant skin infection that’s common all around the world. Outbreaks happen regularly – with an estimated 450 million cases occurring globally each …
Drug shortages affected 111 products in the UK thisyear – but the outlook for 2024 may be better: Millions of people across the globe have been affected. Diomedes Cordero Acevedo/ Shutterstock Over the past year there has been a consistent stream of drug supply issues in the UK and internationally. Recent figures show more than …
ADHD drug shortages are affecting patients in the UK – here’s why they’re happening: It's hoped shortages will be resolved soon. DavidPinoPhotography/ Shutterstock Millions of people in the UK who take drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are facing difficulties getting their prescriptions filled due to shortages. These shortages are currently affecting four of …
Physician associates: a solution for healthcare staff shortages or a colonial throwback?: SeventyFour/Shutterstock Before the COVID pandemic, the global health workforce needed as many as 6.4 million more medical doctors, and the gap between demand for health workers and supply is growing. As you might expect, the shortage is most acutely felt in low- and …
Johannesburg has been hit by severe water shortages: new plan to manage the crisis isn’t the answer: Johannesburg and its surrounds, at the centre of the industrial heartland of South Africa, have been hit by severe water cuts. Water interruptions have been happening for years, but they have been scaled up dramatically in recent weeks. …
Ozempic shortages in the UK may last until 2024 – here’s why: Ozempic is intended for use by people with diabetes. myskin/ Shutterstock A global shortage means some people with diabetes are struggling to access the drug semaglutide, which is sold under the brand name Ozempic. The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care has …
How better local employment support could help tackle UK labour shortages: Economically inactive people — those neither working nor actively seeking jobs — could help tackle UK labour shortages. 1000 Words/Shutterstock There has been a rise in “economic inactivity” in the UK among people of working age since the start of the COVID pandemic. Although …
Better quality jobs are what the UK economy needs to end strikes, staff shortages and low productivity: Productivity in the UK over the last 15 years has been described as growing at a “snail’s pace”. Meanwhile, wages lag way behind inflation, and numerous sectors are suffering from staff shortages. One thing that connects these three …
Carmakers are mistaken if they think chip shortages are over – they need to reinvent themselves while there’s time: The chips are down. Ju Jae-Young Finally, carmakers got a break. Those in the UK boosted their output by over 13% in February as supply-chain pressures subsided, especially the persistent global shortage in microchips, also known …
How food shortages affect shopping habits and why people keep switching stores: Loyal customers? Pressmaster/Shutterstock Three-quarters of British shoppers are loyal to their usual supermarket, but the UK retail sector is no stranger to the complex and fluctuating needs of its customers. In the last three years alone, shops have had to deal with Brexit, …
UK food shortages: how growing more fruit and veg in cities could reduce the impact of empty supermarket shelves: British supermarkets are imposing limits on how many salad staples shoppers can buy as supply shortages leave shelves empty of some types of fruit and vegetables. The disappearance of fresh produce is said to be largely …
How ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables could tackle food waste and solve supermarket supply shortages: 'Ugly' produce might be just as delicious but still gets rejected based on looks. Rosie2/Shutterstock The world is facing a significant food waste problem, with up to half of all fruit and vegetables lost somewhere along the agricultural food chain. Globally, …
What is driving current labour market shortages and how older workers could help: Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Many countries are struggling with worker shortages right now as companies in the US, UK and the EU all struggle to fill job vacancies. This is often attributed to pandemic-related phenomena such as the “great resignation” or “great reshuffle”, when …
Why supermarkets are rationing food and how to prevent future shortages: Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Calls for the government to provide better support to UK food producers have intensified recently as supermarkets have been forced to ration sales of some fresh produce. Weather-related disruption has caused supply shortages of vegetables from places including Spain and North Africa. …
Food shortages: five ways to fix ‘unfair’ supply chains: Marian Weyo/Shutterstock UK food prices soared by more than 16% in 2022 as record inflation pushed up the prices of everything from bread to beans. Tesco chairman John Allan recently suggested that suppliers could be using this situation to boost prices. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura …
Antibiotics shortages: what’s causing them and how countries can minimise the impact: i viewfinder/Shutterstock A variety of antibiotics are currently in short supply across Europe. In the UK, for example, the availability of amoxicillin and penicillin, which are used to treat infections such as strep A, is low. Medicine shortages are a significant problem around …
Skills shortages are plaguing South Africa’s economy – policy and social conditions must support their development: Shutterstock Many South Africans argue that the country has a skills crisis. An equal number question why it can’t sort this out by “adopting the German or Swiss approach”. The reason the country isn’t getting the right skills to …
Monkeypox: demand for vaccines is outstripping supply – this is what’s causing the shortages: The smallpox vaccine is currently being used to protect against monkeypox. PhotobyTawat/ Shutterstock Over 30,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in more than 80 countries worldwide in 2022. Most are in countries that have never previously reported monkeypox. While monkeypox …