Musings From Abroad

Study reveals thousands of UK children in grave danger

Uncontrolled consumption of sugar has put thousands of UK children at health risk, a recent survey reveals

Published

5 years ago

June 18, 2018

Uncontrolled consumption of sugar has put thousands of UK children at health risk, a recent survey reveals.

The study shows that children in UK have consumed more than a year’s worth of sugar in less than six months, public health figures showed.

While four-to-ten-year-olds should not have more than the equivalent of five to six sugar cubes per day, they are consuming 13 on average, according to data from the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

This means children will have around 4,760 cubes of sugar by the end of the year — more than double the maximum recommendation.

Too much sugar is blamed for high obesity rates in children and dental decay.

The British Department for Health agency is urging parents to try to cut back on sugary drinks, cakes and biscuits.

“We’re barely halfway through the year and already children have consumed far more sugar than is healthy — it’s no surprise this is contributing to an obesity crisis,” said Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE.

“Snacks and drinks are adding unnecessary sugar to children’s diets without us even noticing,” Tedstone said.
“Swapping to lower- or no-added-sugar alternatives is something all parents can work towards.”

In spite of the publicity around the sugar levy, which began in April, sugary drinks such as colas, lemonades and juices are still one of the biggest sources of sugar in children’s diets.

They account for 10 per cent of sugar consumed by children, as do buns, cakes, pastries and fruit pies.

Biscuits are almost as big a problem, making up nine per cent of children’s intake, with spreads, jams and table sugar also contributing nine per cent.

Other big sources of sugar include breakfast cereals (eight per cent), chocolate confectionery (seven per cent), and yoghurts, fromage frais and other dairy desserts (six per cent).

Fruit juice and smoothies can count as one of the five fruits and vegetables everybody is encouraged to eat per day, but they contain a lot of natural sugar.

PHE said that one serving a day of no more than 150 ml is enough, which should be drunk with a meal not as a snack.

PHE suggests parents should swap their children’s sugary drinks for water, lower fat plain milks, sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks.

It also offered ideas on its Change4Life website. It said that lower sugar snacks include fruit, plain rice cakes, toast, fruit teacakes, malted loaf or bagels with lower-fat spread.

The Obesity Health Alliance said PHE’s figures were alarming.

“These startling figures highlight the need for further robust action from government in their upcoming second edition of the Childhood Obesity Plan.

“A package of measures including restrictions on the advertising of junk food to children, action on price promotions on unhealthy products and clearer food labelling will help parents to make healthy choices and ensure their children have the healthiest possible start in life,” said its lead, Caroline Cerny.

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Musings From Abroad

WHO announces second malaria vaccine

Published

13 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu has called for the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes.

Tedros made the recommendation during a briefing in Geneva on Monday, recalling that “almost exactly two years ago, WHO recommended the broad use of the world’s first malaria vaccine called R21/Matrix-M.”

Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases, killing nearly half a million children under the age of five every year. In July, WHO and some of its partner agencies revealed that around 18 million doses of the first malaria vaccine would be delivered to 12 African countries. The road is now cleared by WHO for the second use of the vaccines.

“Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that WHO is recommending a second vaccine called R21/Matrix-M to prevent malaria in children at risk of the disease,” Tedros said. R21/Matrix-M, created by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, will be accessible by the middle of 2024, with doses costing between $2 and $4.

“WHO is now reviewing the vaccine for prequalification, which is WHO stamp of approval, and will enable GAVI (a global vaccine alliance) and UNICEF to buy the vaccine from manufacturers,” Tedros said.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, said it had already produced more than 20 million doses in anticipation of WHO’s recommendation.

“We will ramp it up as per what the demand requirements are,” he said in an interview. “We hope that by the end of 2024, there will be zero mismatches of demand and supply, with our supply coming into the system.”

By 2026, 40–60 million doses of the malaria vaccine will be required annually, and by 2030, 80–100 million doses will be required, according to estimates from the WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi.

Musings From Abroad

Germany to support ECOWAS with $86 million

Published

3 days ago

October 1, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will receive 81 million euros ($85.9 million) in support from Germany’s Development Ministry for peacekeeping and economic growth.

“The crises in West Africa require regional solutions. In addition to actively mediating in crises, ECOWAS also actively works to prevent crises, according to Development Minister, Svenja Schulze, who met with an ECOWAS delegation on Friday in Berlin.

Germany enjoys a positive reputation in many African countries thanks to its long-standing alliance with nations like Niger and Nigeria, although it has fallen out with the Malian government, which is notorious for its counter-posture to the West. Hundreds of German soldiers are also on missions across the West African sub-region, which has now become a breeding ground for terrorists.

But the case is different when it comes to economic relations. In 2021, German companies invested around $1.6 billion (€1.68 billion) in Africa, which was “encouraging but still far from enough.” In terms of Germany’s total direct foreign investment around the globe, only around 1% ends up in Africa.

China has led the chart for investment into the continent in recent years. While Chinese investment shows the fastest growth, and expanding, the significance of German enterprises for African economies is shrinking.