Europe’s Booze and Junk Food Crisis: 284,000 Liver Deaths a Year Spur New Tax Demands
A major new report is sounding the alarm on Europe’s escalating health crisis, revealing that liver disease now kills 284,000 people annually across the continent. Experts are now calling on governments to sharply raise taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food to curb the deadly toll [137094].
The report warns that liver-related illnesses are creating an “escalating and unsustainable burden” on health services, criminal justice systems, and social services. The proposed tax hikes are designed to target the very products driving the epidemic, with experts arguing that the extra revenue must be high enough to cover the massive costs these items impose on society [137094].
This push for higher taxes comes as separate data shows that the UK is “going backwards” in health. A new study by the Health Foundation reveals that people in Britain now spend fewer years in good health than they did a decade ago. The measure, known as “healthy life expectancy”—the average number of years a person lives without a serious illness or disability—has actually dropped in the UK, even as it has risen in most other wealthy nations [133891].
The findings highlight a worrying decline in overall public health, with experts warning that the trend is sharp and alarming [133891].
Meanwhile, Germany’s Cabinet has approved a draft health care law aimed at lowering insurance rates, which Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz called “historic.” However, doctors’ associations and patient protection groups warn the plan is essentially a set of austerity measures that could reduce care quality rather than improve affordability [136453].
On a global scale, efforts to combat disease are being reshaped by technology. In malaria-hit countries, public health systems are struggling to do more with less money. Experts now argue that working smarter—not harder—is the key. The Malaria Consortium advocates for a more strategic approach, such as combining multiple life-saving services into a single patient visit, dramatically improving results and saving more lives with limited resources [136787].
In El Salvador, an app is now being used to screen users for chronic illnesses, sending those at risk to private labs for tests and specialist consultations. The system also uses artificial intelligence to assist with diagnoses, though it has raised concerns about cost and the security of patient data [135504].
Across Africa, the Academy of Public Health has inducted new leaders to address the sharp increase in non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The Academy is calling for stronger digital innovation and shared leadership among nations to create a united response to these long-term health challenges [13670].