Some very sad news hit us at talkhealth along with the rest of the UK on Sunday: that Sir Terry Wogan had died of cancer at the age of 77. The legendary broadcaster had a short battle with cancer and had told friends that he hoped to beat it. After the deaths of fellow national treasures David Bowie and Alan Rickman earlier in January, this is the third high-profile cancer death already this year. talkhealth would like to add our condolences to those already sent out in the last couple of days.
The Zika virus is know to be carried by a certain kind of mosquito commonly known as the Yellow Fever Mosquito
Last week, we mentioned the growing threat of Zika, a virus that originated in Africa and has spread in recent years to South America, and is expected to spread throughout the Americas in the coming months. It has been linked with birth defects including microcephaly – the underdevelopment of brains in new-born babies. Yesterday, after an emergency meeting, the World Health Organization declared Zika a ‘public health emergency of international concern,’ and compared the spread of the disease to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and 2015. Among other measures, pregnant women are being warned to avoid travelling to areas affected by Zika.
After those two very sad stories, a couple of more positive stories have also struck us this week. For one thing, there have been a number of reports that Kate Winslet’s admission on national TV that she often wets herself has inspired women all over the country to be more open about their own bladder control. And, similarly, there’s been the high-profile success of a campaign called Time to Change, encouraging people (particularly young people) to talk about their mental health and striving to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health problems. Celebrities such as Cara Delevingne, Emma Stone, and JK Rowling have been sharing their own mental health experiences. Anything that gets people talking more openly about their health certainly gets talkhealth’s approval!
Let us know what you think of these stories in the comments section below. How did the death of Sir Terry affect you? How serious a threat do you think the Zika virus represents? And have you been inspired to be more open about your health by a celebrity telling sharing their experiences?
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This is the talkhealth blog spot, where we post on a wide range of health conditions, topics, issues and concerns. We post when we see something that we believe is of interest to our visitors. Our posts do not reflect any particular view or standpoint of talkhealth, but are merely to raise attention and awareness.
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I was very saddened too to hear of the death of Sir Terry Wogan, what a legend who I am sure will never be forgotten. He was a lovely humble gentleman and I enjoyed hearing his voice on the morning radio at Radio 2 he always had the ability to make any dreary morning feel cheerful. My heart goes out to his wife and family. I feel at my age almost 62 people slipping away from me and its sad David Bowie was also an important part of my youth, loved his music, what a guy. The world is a sadder place just now, I can imagine David Bowie and Freddy Mercury doing a wonderful rendition of Under Pressure up in heaven x
on February 4, 2016 at 2:24 pm Angie GardinerThanks for your reply Angie. And thanks for that lovely image – perhaps Sir Terry can be their DJ!
on February 5, 2016 at 9:08 am talkhealthHaving recently lost my husband to cancer I was saddened to read about Terry Wogan. My husband was told for 7 months that he had arthritis, even though he had lost over 2 stone in weight, and then had to use a wheelchair. I constantly asked for a scan but was told ‘no need arthritis can be very debilitating’. I finally “demanded” a referral which we got 5 weeks later and was told he had Stage 4 cancer, I was devastated. My husband died 4 weeks later. Hearing of the three celebrities who have died from cancer this year brings it all back, it’s a terrible disease, and for loved ones watching it eat them away is just heart breaking.
on February 6, 2016 at 3:03 pm Eileen KearinsThanks for sharing your story, Eileen. Cancer really is a terrible disease, and the more we talk about it, the more we realise how many people it affects.
We’re also very sorry to hear about the battle you seem to have had with doctors. It seems like this is exactly the sort of thing that we should be talking about, to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
on February 8, 2016 at 9:20 am talkhealth