As per the World Health Organization, all but 1% of the world's population is exposed to unhealthy air and also exceeds the WHO limits for pollutants. However, there are some parts of the world where aur quality has improved through policies that limits pollution, while in other parts, it has not reached the desired results.

For US, more than 25% of the population is exposed to "unhealthy" air as per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is according to the report by the climate non-profit First Street Foundation. By 2050, the number of people exposed to "unhealthy" air will increase by more than half. The worst days of air pollution, reports BBC, "hazardous" or maroon under the EPA's system will rise by 27%.

Why are we talking about this today? It is because of the recent wildfire in California, which started on January 7. This is also one of the factors that is spiking the PM2.5 levels. It has increased by up to five micrograms per cubic metre in the western US in the past decade.

What is PM2.5?

It is a type of air pollution which is made of particulate matter and measures 2.5 micrometres across or less. It is roughly 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. These particles are made with a mixture of solid and liquid substances, which varies in their chemical composition, including carbon, metals, and organic compounds.

These specks of airborne soot, dust and other substances can also trigger inflammation, which could also damage your brain.

As per a 2021 study titled The Changing risk and burden of wildfire in the United States, a quarter of US's PM2.5 pollution was caused by wildfire smoke. In 2023, US also witnessed a significant dip in air quality and visibility as smoke from wildfires north of the Canadian border entered across the continent. In May 2024, Canada also saw a start to its wildfire season, and one town was evacuated in British Colombia.

Wildfire smoke and its effects

Wildfires do not only affect those who live near forests, peatlands, and grasslands, but also to the cities and environment in general. It can send plumes up to 14 miles or 23km into the stratosphere, and from there, it can spread all over the globe. For instance, in 2023, the Siberian wildfires released smoke that travelled across the Pacific Oceans to reach Alaska and Seattle.

Other than PM2.5, wildfire smoke is also harmful to immune cells in lungs, and the toxicity could be four times greater than particulates from other types of pollution.

Another 2019 study titled Effects of Atmosphere Processing on the Oxidative Potential of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosols found the toxicity of smoke doubled in the hours after it was first emitted and reached four times greater toxicity at its peak.

Health Impact

There have been research that shows how pollution affects your brain. It can lead to impaired judgment, poorer performance in school and even higher levels of crime, as per the 2018 study by the London School of Economics.

Other health concerns include weight gain. There have been researches that links airborne pollution such as PM2.5 to obesity. The studies have found that children who live in most polluted areas are twice as more likely to have obesity. Some studies also find the link of air pollution harming our sense of smell. As per an Italian study from 2022, titled Association between environmental air pollution and olfactory functioning among Italian adolescents and young adults in Northern Italy, noses of teenagers and young adults became less sensitive to odors after being exposed to nitrogen dioxide, which is a component in traffic fumes.

Chickenpox vaccines in UK is now available for all young children on the NHS. This is the first time such protection against chickenpox has been offered. The vaccine will combine with the existing MMR jab, which is given at 12 and 18 month of age that is already known to protect against measles, mumps and rubella. Children up to the age of six can catch up on doses when invited.

What Is The New Chickenpox Vaccine?

The new vaccine is called the MMRV vaccine, where the V stands for varicella, this is another name for chickenpox. It is also expected to reduce the many thousands of families affected by the infection each year and prevent the most severe cases. As of now, parents would have to pay £200 to buy a vaccine privately to protect their children.

From January 1, the MMRV vaccine was introduced into the standard list of children's vaccinations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scotland announcing a rollout start date in early January.

How Common Is Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is very common among young children. Some of the common symptoms include itchiness, spotty rash which blisters then scabs over. Children could feel unwell for several days along with fever and muscle aches.

"For some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal," said Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunization at the UK Health Security Agency.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus, which is why the letter “V” has now been added to the standard MMR vaccine. The illness mainly affects children, but anyone can catch it at any age.

Also Read: NHS Rolls Out Chickenpox Vaccine For Kids— What Parents Should Know

During the pandemic, chickenpox cases fell sharply due to lockdowns and reduced social contact. As a result, experts believe natural immunity to the virus across the population remains lower than usual.

Although uncommon, complications can include serious bacterial infections such as group A streptococcus, brain swelling known as encephalitis, lung inflammation called pneumonitis, and even strokes. Very young babies under four weeks old face a higher risk of severe illness, as do adults who have never had chickenpox before.

Why Is The NHS Rolling It Out Now?

Until now, chickenpox vaccination was not routinely offered to all children because of long-standing concerns about shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus, which can lie dormant in the nervous system for years before reactivating later in life, often when immunity weakens due to age, illness, or stress.

In 2009, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization decided against a nationwide rollout, fearing it could increase shingles cases among middle-aged adults. At the time, it was thought that natural exposure to chickenpox helped protect against shingles later on. More recent research from the United States, however, has challenged and largely dismissed that theory, paving the way for the NHS decision.

Micro-habits. What are they? Many claim that these micro-habits can, in fact transform your life. Every new year, we come up with goals and ambitions, while some changes could be long lasting ones, some are small, almost like mundane habits. These habits are not much demanding, but they can fit into your lives seamlessly and change your life, for good.

They do not bring instant transformation, but could help you stay healthier and in fact, live longer.

Here are some micro-habits that you too can adopt.

Movement

Ensure that movement is non-negotiable in your plan. There have been many studies that say that you no longer need 10,000 steps to achieve your fitness goal. In fact, 4,000 steps per day could help you stay fitter. Your fitness journey could start by ensuing that you ensure your body is under movement, whether it is step count, light stretching between meeting and long hour at desk or ditching that escalator or elevator for stairs.

Light Is A Must

Make sure you give expose yourself to enough light. Natural light is important for your body's circadian rhythm. This also supports better sleep, better mood and sharper focus.

Coffee, But Timely

Your body has cortisol that is naturally released in the morning. This hormone helps you to wake up. However, drinking coffee too early could interfere this rhythm, and you may find yourself crashing later in the day. Make sure you drink water and keep yourself hydrated.

Mindful Eating

Ensure that whenever you are having a meal, you are eating without distraction. This also helps you regulate your appetite and you become more aware of your hunger as your body is better able to give the fullness cues.

A Set Bedtime

Try to ensure consistency of when you sleep. If you sleep at the same time each night, it can help you strengthen your circadian rhythm. This consistency will also affect your mood, concentration and energy. The best part, this will help you avoid the social jetlag.

Read: Not Boarded Any Flight And Still Monday Feels Like A Jetlag? You Are Not Alone

Breakaway From Alcohol

While there is no safe limit for alcohol consumption, if you are pressured about long-term leaving alcohol, try to give yourself a break. Try a 7-day no alcohol week, every now and then.

Listen To Your Cravings

If you are craving something salty, chances are your body lacks magnesium. There are many ways that craving tells you a lot about your body. Ensure that you run a full-body check to know what your body lacks. Fulfill these lacks with supplements, however, do make sure that these supplements are prescribed by your GP.

Read Labels

Mindful eating also comes when you start reading the labels of the food items you are buying. This way, you can know what you are putting in your gut system. Pay special attention for added sugars, processed food, and more.

Keep Your Gut-health Healthy

Go for pro-biotics, easy breakfasts like fermented rice, yogurt, khimchi and more. There are many studies that show the connection between gut health and rest of the body. If you keep your gut healthy, you will keep your body healthy too.

Timely Screening

A routine screening would help you stay one-step ahead of any disease. The key is that early diagnosis could cure the disease sooner without reducing the quality of life.

Hundreds of thousands of children are set to receive an additional vaccine under the NHS routine childhood immunisation programme. Health officials have confirmed it will be given alongside the existing MMR jab, which protects children in England against measles, mumps and rubella.

Chicken pox Vaccine Starts By NHS

The decision follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and will see the current MMR jab replaced with a combined MMRV vaccine. This single injection protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. Studies estimate that chickenpox in childhood leads to around £24 million a year in lost earnings and productivity across the UK. Alongside reducing this impact, the rollout is expected to save the NHS about £15 million each year in treatment costs linked to the illness.

Dr Claire Fuller, National Medical Director for NHS England, said: “This marks a very positive step for children and families, offering protection against chickenpox for the first time and strengthening the range of routine vaccinations we already give to help shield children from serious diseases.

“From now on, the combined vaccine covering measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox will be offered at children’s routine vaccination appointments. This will help keep children healthier, prevent illness caused by these highly infectious viruses, and support the NHS shift from treating sickness to preventing it, while keeping more children safe and in school.”

Recent figures show that around half of children will have chickenpox by the age of four, with nine in ten catching it before they turn ten. Children who develop chickenpox are usually advised to stay away from school until all spots have crusted over, which typically happens about five days after the rash appears.

With the new vaccine in place, fewer children are expected to miss time at nursery or school. This should also reduce the amount of work parents need to take off to look after them.

Who Can Get The Chickenpox Vaccine On The NHS?

Protection against chickenpox is being offered through a new combined vaccine known as MMRV, which replaces the existing MMR jab. The MMRV vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, the virus that causes chickenpox.

• Children born after 1 January 2026 will automatically be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine, given at 12 months and again at 18 months.
• A catch-up programme will also provide one or two doses for older children, depending on when they were born:
• children born on or after 1 January 2025 will be offered two doses, one at 12 months and one at 18 months
• children born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 will be offered two doses, one at 18 months and another at 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024 will be offered one dose at 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 will be offered a single dose later in 2026
• GP practices will contact families directly to arrange vaccination appointments when they are due.

How Does The New Chickenpox Vaccination Work?

Specialists say adding the varicella vaccine to the NHS childhood immunisation schedule will significantly cut the number of people who get chickenpox, resulting in far fewer severe cases.

While the vaccine does not guarantee lifelong immunity, it greatly lowers the chances of catching chickenpox or developing a serious form of the illness. Serious side effects, including severe allergic reactions, are extremely uncommon.

The vaccine is a live vaccine, meaning it contains a weakened form of the chickenpox virus. Because of this, it is not recommended for people with weakened immune systems due to conditions such as HIV or treatments like chemotherapy.

The change brings the UK in line with countries that already include routine chickenpox vaccination, such as Germany, Canada, Australia and the United States.

In the past, there were concerns that vaccinating children against chickenpox could lead to an increase in shingles later in life, but a large long-term study from the US has since shown this is not the case.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government, recommended the introduction of the MMRV vaccine for all children in November 2023.

The government confirmed plans to roll out the MMRV vaccine in August 2025, after new figures showed that none of England’s main childhood vaccinations reached the 95 percent uptake target in 2024 to 2025.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, 91.9 percent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine. This figure was unchanged from 2023 to 2024 and remains the lowest level recorded since 2010 to 2011.