Health

Food banks warn of smaller parcels due to HGV supply shortages

Food banks have said they will have to shrink the size of the parcels they give to struggling families owing to declining stock levels caused by the HGV crisis, supply shortages and a collapse in public donations.

A combination of declining food bank stocks and an expected explosion in demand for charity support after universal credit is cut this week has led some to prepare emergency measures to eke out food supplies further, including making parcels smaller and offering less variety.

Several reported they were already spending hundreds of pounds a month to replenish storerooms depleted by a fall-off in deliveries of surplus food from supermarkets and a big decrease in food donations from the public.

A survey of 68 UK food banks carried out by the Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan) in mid-September and seen by the Guardian found two-thirds reporting food shortages and more than 80% anticipating running low on food stocks in the near future.

“Simply put, we are running out of some types of food because we can’t afford to buy them and they are not being donated any more,” a south-east London food bank reported.

Food banks are anticipating a big rise in the number of people who come to them for assistance over the coming months as a result of the end of the £20-a-week universal credit benefit from 6 October, the end of furlough and steep rises in energy bills.

FareShare, a food charity that normally handles 150 tonnes of supermarket surplus food a day, distributing it to charities and food banks, said bulk deliveries to its warehouses were down by a third because of HGV driver shortages.

It said it saw “no sign of things changing” and it has made an emergency call for volunteer hauliers “who are able to take on additional work”. Last year FareShare distributed 55,000 tonnes of surplus food, equivalent to 132m meals, to more than 10,000 UK charities.

“As a result of the issues facing the haulage industry we estimate that up to 30% of the food we would normally expect to receive into our warehouses on an average day is at risk of not reaching us, and therefore at risk of not reaching the vulnerable people we support,” said Lindsay Boswell, the chief executive of FareShare.

Ministers announced a £500m winter hardship fund last week but charities described it as a “temporary sticking plaster”. “The government is relying on food bank teams to cobble together reduced size emergency parcels and local authorities to stretch paltry sums as they attempt to fill an ever-widening gap,” said Sabine Goodwin, an Ifan co-ordinator.

Loaves and Fishes food bank in East Kilbride is gearing up for an estimated 50% rise in demand for charity food by Christmas. Public donations have shrunk in recent months, it says, as people “have less for themselves and less in their cupboards”.

A generous cash gift had helped ease the strain locally, said the manager Lesley Davidson, but supermarkets did not always let it buy food in the quantities it needs. “It keeps me awake at night because I have 100 families who rely on me,” she said.

The food bank has stopped buying tuna and tinned meat as it could not justify the expense and is considering reducing the amount of pot noodles, milk and coffee, she added. “We always try to give a very generous parcel, with a nod to good nutrition, but we are going to have to reduce the size of food parcels.”

Andy Thornton, of Harlow food bank in Essex, has seen a dip in individual food donations. It has six months of food reserves but is worried. “We are not despondent because we have money for a rainy day, but it is amazing how little £1,000 buys when you are feeding hundreds of people.”

Jane Calcutt, the manager at Kettering food bank, said it had had to buy in donation staples. “A year ago our storeroom was full of pasta and baked beans; I had to buy baked beans last week.”

Health

Sierra Leone reports first case of monkeypox

Sierra Leone has reported its first confirmed case of mpox since the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its highest alert level for the potentially deadly viral disease last year.

According to the National Public Health Agency, the patient is a 27-year-old man from the rural district of the Western Zone, near the capital Freetown.

“Health teams are actively tracing and investigating to identify potentially exposed persons and to prevent further spread,” the agency announced in a social media post.

The confirmed case was detected on January 10, though health officials have not specified the variant affecting the patient.

Mpox, caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, presents with high fever and skin lesions known as vesicles.

The disease was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970 and had mainly been limited to a dozen African countries before spreading more widely in 2022, including to regions where the virus had not previously circulated. The WHO declared its highest alert level for the disease in 2024.

In response, Sierra Leonean health authorities have swiftly activated containment measures. The infected patient has been placed in isolation while contacts will be monitored for 21 days. Surveillance efforts have been increased in all areas visited by the patient.

A public awareness campaign has been launched, and health workers are being equipped with protective gear and trained in prevention techniques to curb further spread.

Sierra Leone was previously one of the hardest-hit countries during the Ebola epidemic, which claimed around 4,000 lives, including nearly seven percent of the nation’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016.

Health

Risk of HMPV infection in Nigeria moderate- NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the risk of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in the country is moderate.

HMPV, which was first reported in 2001 in the Netherlands, is a single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that causes symptoms similar to the common cold and influenza including cough, fever, nasal congestion, and fatigue, with an incubation period of three to six days.

It causes severe complications like pneumonia in infants, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems and spreads through respiratory droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces.

China is currently experiencing an outbreak of the virus, sparking global concern. India has also reported at least two cases of the virus.

In an advisory issued, the NCDC said the agency, in collaboration with the ministry of health, is closely monitoring global developments. The agency said as of January 6, 2025, data from surveillance does not indicate any unusual increase in respiratory infections, including those caused by HMPV.

“However, given the global trends in HMPV cases, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is proactively implementing measures to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capacity.

In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), conducted a dynamic risk assessment for Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV).

The assessment classified the risk of HMPV for Nigeria as moderate. This evaluation will inform and guide preparedness efforts, decision-making, and response strategies to mitigate potential impacts.”

The NCDC said it is also collaborating with port health authorities to ensure robust preparedness at all international points of entry (PoEs).

“In addition, quarantine facilities are being identified and prepared to manage any suspected or confirmed cases if required. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) materials are being deployed to PoEs to ensure adherence to hygiene and safety protocols. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials are being developed and distributed to raise awareness and provide clear guidelines for frontline staff and travelers at PoEs.

The National Influenza Sentinel Surveillance (NISS) sites across the six geopolitical zones monitor Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) which is already testing for COVID-19, will now also start testing for HMPV. Provisions will be made to increase the number of tests conducted. Additionally, laboratories in states with international airports will be supported to enable them to test for HMPV.”

Health

WHO declares new COVID outbreak in China global health emergency

The World Health Organization, WHO, has declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, a global health emergency.

The WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus made the announcement at a press conference in Geneva.

WHO’s emergency committee on the epidemic had reportedly met Thursday afternoon and recommended designating the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, PHEIC.

The decision had been “almost unanimous,” Didier Houssin, chair of the emergency committee, said at the press conference.

“The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries,” Tedros said at the press conference.

“Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it. Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.”

Tedros also outlined recommendations made by the emergency committee to control the outbreak, including accelerating the development of vaccines and drugs and combatting the spread of misinformation.

This is the sixth time WHO has used that label, Public Health Emergency of International Concern, PHEIC. since the designation was introduced 15 years ago.