Your Health This (British) Week

The United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a majestic place.  A place of tremendous history and natural beauty. But before you decide to move house, consider the following:

Damp, moldy homes may increase the risk for depression. And boy does the UK know damp? They had one of the soggiest summers on record. It rained nearly 400mm in some places between May 22 and the end of July. That’s damp.

There has been a surge in the case of measles here, an oh-so predictable outcome of parents refusing to vaccinates their babies after the whole Autism-MMR vaccine scare. Run for the hills. I mean doctor’s office.

Typhoid is also making a comeback in the UK, mostly because un-vaccinated tourists acquire it while abroad in exotic destinations and then bring it round to share. How nice. Next time just bring some coconut candies.

Speaking of tourists, Britain’s so-called ‘health tourists’, people who come to use the nearly free health care system here (it’s true, no one asks you for insurance or ID or anything), threaten to bankrupt the floundering National Health Service.  They even considered telling airlines from parts of Africa and Asia to ban heavily pregnant women from flying to the UK. Yikes.

Not to mention that the Brits are getting as fat as Americans and even their children drink like fishes.

AND AND AND. My tube line is shut down in the evenings for engineering works and and a Tube Strike started today at 5pm. That’s certainly enough to make you want to fling yourself in front of a car, which I am convinced cannot be good for your health.

*Inkling magazine and its editors would like to remind you that this is a humorous column. Anna does not really believe the UK is in the dark ages - one look at the searing brightness of the f’d up US health care would convince her of that. She might have to eat some Twiglets to recover from her daily existence here, however.  And no, she refuses to admit that this entire column was spurred on by dislike of her transit situation. That would be petty.