As one pestilence (coronavirus) finally subsided in the UK, the country found itself afflicted by another old adversary … no, not Yersinia pestis (causal agent of the Black Death/Bubonic Plague in 1348–9 and 1665–6 most notably), but economic inflation. The British economy was indeed plagued by high inflation rates during the 1970s when the annual rate peaked at around 26 per cent. After the last ten years of stable, low inflation and historically low interest rates (UK base rate was only 0.1 per cent at its pandemic low point), inflation began to rise rapidly during 2021 and at the time of writing has now reached 10.1 per cent. The Bank of England has responded by incremental rises in the bank base rate to try and hold inflation down, but a rise to 1.75 per cent currently has not yet achieved the desired effect.
This alone would be enough to unnerve anyone with a substantial mortgage or borrowing burden, but to this must be added the trade restrictions implicit in Brexit which are impeding trade with the European Union, price rises across the board and in particular an unprecedented rise in energy costs which have been exacerbated by embargoes on Russian gas and oil following the invasion of Ukraine six months ago. With winter on the horizon people on low and modest incomes are facing a real problem of how they will pay their energy bills. The government has announced a £400 (A$684) non-repayable grant to every household in the country to help with bills over the coming winter. No further support measures will be announced until Boris Johnson’s successor as prime minister is appointed in early September. Back in the 1970s industrial unrest was the norm as workers fought for pay rises to offset inflated prices, the same is now happening today with strikes currently ongoing on the railways, with refuse collectors, dock, and postal workers. There are murmurs of a general strike before too long and maybe even some civil unrest.
Vets, though receiving above average wages are not immune to inflationary pressures and wage concerns have been expressed by the chairperson of the British Veterinary Union (BVU) Suzanna Hudson-Cooke. The BVU represents the interests of employed vets, nurses and ancillary staff and is a branch of the large Unite union which has 1.4 million members nationally. Dr Hudson-Cooke recently stated that pay rises for employed vets were insufficient to address the rising cost of living. She feared that poor pay will affect vets’ well-being and drive more people out of the veterinary sector exacerbating the current employment crisis. Some of the large, corporate veterinary groups have recently announced wage rises: IVC Evidensia announced a 6 per cent increase for staff from October on top of a raise in January and Medivet plans to pay all its registered nurses (RVNs) at least £30,000 p.a. (A$50,000) from next May. CVS Group has said it plans to pay its lowest paid workers at least 3 per cent above the compulsory National Minimum or the National Living Wage of £9.18–9.50/hour (A$15.70–16.25/hour).
The UK has reported its first case of the transmission of Brucella canis from an imported pet to its owner. Although the zoonotic risk of B. canis is low in the UK, the increasing importation of dogs from endemic areas in Eastern Europe, for welfare and pedigree price reasons, makes the chance of transmission here ever more likely. Currently testing for B. Canis is advised, rather than compulsory when importing, though groups like the British Veterinary Association are now calling for compulsion. The case in question involved a pregnant German Shepherd cross imported from Belarus in March. B canis generally causes assorted reproductive problems in dogs, but it can be entirely asymptomatic. Human infection typically occurs by direct contact with birthing or abortion materials and leads to non-specific symptoms including fever, lethargy, lymphadenopathy, joint pain, and headaches. In this case the human contact, a 61-year-old female, required two weeks’ hospitalisation to recover. Three of her four other dogs also contracted the disease and all of them were euthanised. Treatment is not advised and there is currently no vaccine available for dogs or people.
Finally, something more uplifting to finish with. Scottish veterinary surgeon Laura Muir (29) has had a spectacular sporting summer. The 2018 Glasgow university graduate and professional athlete claimed a bronze medal in the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA in July. She followed this with the gold in the 1500m and a bronze in the 800m at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in early August and retained her 1500m title at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany later in the month. Muir, understandably, spends all her time preparing for her triumphs on the track and none in the surgery or on the farm. Though I imagine the ability to run 1.5km in well under four minutes might have an application somewhere?