Despite international efforts, the Ebola virus was officially put on the same scale as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and remained at the number one spot in the top 20.  Since 30 September, five cases have been identified in the US which has caused severe panic by politicians, hospital workers, and civilians alike and, thus, has led to extreme scrutiny of US health system preparatory measures and public information outlets. In an effort to protect Britain from Ebola and a pledge to differentiate Britain’s Ebola efforts from the failed US techniques, David Cameron called for screening at all international airports, and hospitals were asked to run Ebola drills. Virologists reporting to The Independent said that these techniques may help but ‘will not result in zero risk’. On the flipside, the WHO has announced that by mid-2015 there will be millions of doses of the Ebola vaccine available internationally. Until then, optimism must be revitalised by happier news, such as Nigeria successfully eradicating their communities of the deadly virus in mid-October or the British Ebola survivor returning to his nursing duties in Africa in order to help others. 

October’s biggest news focused on GP services / issues  as it jumped to rank five. Several concerns were reported by GPs asking for more resources and claiming that they are unable to deliver on political promises due to staffing issues and doctor shortages, as reported by the Financial Times. Backing up these concerns, a study conducted by the Royal College of General Practitioners among 600 GPs, showed 90% of staff was aged 60 or older and thus are reaching retirement age. The mix of high rates of retirees and low retention has led to patients experiencing increased waiting times, rushed visits and missed diagnoses.  In response, The Observer reported that political figures have told GPs to ‘stop moaning’ as their complaints are turning future doctors away from the profession. In an effort to raise morale and promote better care, the NHS started offering cash rewards to doctors who diagnose Alzheimer’s disease correctly and has bumped salaries up to £100 per hour for weekend shifts. 

Frankenstein science hit the world of pregnancy in October as the first successful birth from a womb transplant took place in Sweden. Since this scientific victory, five British women have signed up to be given womb transplants with the hopes that they may be able to give birth by 2017, according to The Daily Mail. Furthermore, the Swedish doctor who conducted the first womb transplant is now researching how to grow wombs in a lab. This extreme science advancement and research has brought pregnancy onto the top 20 radar at number 11. 

The call to ban mental health Halloween costumes was recognised by ASDA and Tesco who withdrew their Halloween ‘patient’ costumes from stores nationwide. Mental health  remains a key issue on a national, and even international, scale. In an anonymous poll, adults claimed to be suffering from mental health problems at work for fear of talking to their bosses and, thus, losing their jobs. Additionally, it was reported that by age 15, 50% of mental health problems will have already been identifiable, yet only 6% of the government and NHS money for mental health goes to teenagers. While this hot button issue has always been shrugged to the bottom of the political and health agendas, the tragic death of Robin Williams and the current problems with Amanda Bynes have caused questioning over the public view of mental illness and the dire need for greater vigilance.

And finally,  insights into what it’s like to live with a mental illness are being mirrored in artistic expression outlets, such as art, music, film and even dance. A ballet performance by Ludovic Ondiviela titled ‘Cassandra’ has taken the lead in trying to further public understanding of these everyday illnesses. If you’d like to know more about mental health in ballet, check out Aurora’s Balletfanatic blog post titled Ballet: an effective healthcare communications channel? We’re interested to see if this expression awareness technique becomes a trend; pirouette on over to our website, have a click, and let us know what you think!