Canine malaria: New tick disease is spreading

The most important news in the BRIGITTE ticker

What moves the world? What moves the BRIGITTE editors? In this ticker we summarize the most important news for you in March.

March 21, 2023

Caution: Ticks spread new disease among dogs

Borreliosis, TBE and Co.: all diseases that can be transmitted by ticks. From spring the torture starts again. And not only should we beware of the small parasites, dogs also need protection. In Germany, another disease is now being added: babesiosis, also known as “canine malaria”.

Last year, the clinic for small pets at Freie Universität Berlin (FU) had to treat a number of animals for babesiosis, reports Professor Barbara Kohn in the “Märkische Zeitung”. In 2019 alone there were 49 cases at the clinic. Another 73 cases from 2019 to 2021. A total of five cases have been counted since the beginning of this year.

Above all, the change in climate favored the spread of diseases that did not otherwise exist in Germany. Babesiosis is mainly transmitted by the brown dog tick and the alluvial forest tick. Canine malaria can have devastating effects on our four-legged friends. If you notice the following symptoms in your dog, then you need to see a vet as soon as possible:

March 13, 2023

Galeria Kaufhof closes 52 more department stores

Galeria Kaufhof is one of the last large department store chains in Germany. According to the General Works Council, a further 52 of their 129 houses are now to be closed. This means that more than 5,000 people are threatened with dismissal. It was a “pitched black day,” according to the panel. Initially, no statement had come from the company itself, according to “Zeit Online”. A creditors’ meeting on March 27, 2023, at which the restructuring plan will be put to the vote, should bring final clarity.

The department store chain has been in crisis for years. Some time ago, a wave of employees had to leave the company. Then the houses were burdened with official requirements during the corona pandemic – during this time they had to take advantage of state aid. The decline in purchasing power then hit the former department store giant even harder. The current inflation from Russia’s war against Ukraine only exacerbates the situation.

Airport strike: tens of thousands of travelers affected

Delays and cancellations – many travelers in Germany have to be prepared for this today. Verdi is calling on employees at several airports to stop working. At the airports in Hamburg, Hanover and Berlin-Brandenburg at BER, the all-day warning strikes began during the night.

The background is the collective bargaining for employees in the public sector at the federal and local level, local negotiations for employees in ground handling services and the nationwide collective bargaining for employees in aviation security. Airports advise travelers to check flight status with their airline.

March 8, 2023

International Women’s Day: Equality “still 300 years away”

Today is International Women’s Day. A day that draws attention to the oppression and inequality of women and girls around the world. The two-week sessions of the UN Commission on Women’s Rights started on Tuesday. The United Nations deal there with violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan, Iran and many other countries. In his speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres complained that real equality between women and men was “still 300 years away”.

According to a recent YouGov survey, which was published on Wednesday, almost three quarters of women in Germany do not feel that women and men are equal. 62 percent of those questioned do not believe “that men and women in Germany currently have the same rights and the same status in society and are treated equally in every respect”. 73 percent of the women surveyed agreed with this statement, while only 48 percent of the men agreed.

The respondents perceived particularly large differences at the workplace. Here, 61 percent of women and girls said they were “rather not” or “not at all” equal. For the representative survey, YouGov interviewed a total of 2,170 people in Germany.

March 7, 2023

6.2 percent of school leavers do not have a degree

The frightening result of the study by educational researcher Klaus Klemm on behalf of the Bertelsmann Foundation: tens of thousands of young people finish their schooling every year without having at least a secondary school diploma in their pockets. Although there is progress in some federal states, the proportion of school leavers without a degree has stagnated at around six percent for years. “In view of the growing shortage of skilled workers, our society cannot afford to let these people fall through the cracks,” says Klemm.

In 2021, around 47,500 schoolchildren ended their schooling without a secondary school leaving certificate – this corresponded to a proportion of 6.2 percent. In 2011 it was 6.1 percent. By 2013, the rate had fallen to 5.7 percent, since then it has been rising again, except for a “kick” in 2020, which according to the study is due to a “restrained approach to school performance” during the stressful pandemic.

Boys and adolescents with foreign nationality are particularly at risk. According to the study, as of 2020, girls accounted for only 38 percent of school leavers without a degree.

March 6, 2023

More and more women are suffering from pancreatic and lung cancer

The risk of dying from cancer has continued to fall within the EU and Great Britain in recent years, writes “Die Zeit” with reference to the journal “Annals of Oncology”. But one concern remains: Doctors are reporting increased deaths from lung and pancreatic cancer in women. The scientists assume that the age-adjusted number of deaths as a result of lung cancer will increase by a little more than one percent – in the case of pancreatic cancer by 3.4 percent. About a quarter to a third of the latter deaths are attributed to smoking.

Overall, the researchers, led by Carlo La Vecchia from the University of Milan, estimate that around 1,262,000 people in the EU and around 172,000 in the UK will die of cancer in 2023. In absolute numbers, that is more than 53,000 cancer deaths more than in 2018, but this is due to the rapidly aging society – the risk of cancer is generally higher in old age. Adjusted for age, the numbers will fall again this year. For men by almost 6.5 percent and for women by a good 3.7 percent. For Germany, the experts predict that in 2023 almost 131,000 men and around 110,000 women will die of cancer.

March 1, 2023

Every fifth full-time employee receives a gross salary of EUR 2,500 or less

Every fifth full-time employee in Germany has to make do with a gross salary of 2,500 euros or less. This emerges from a response from the Federal Ministry of Labor to a request from left-wing faction leader Dietmar Bartsch, according to the NOZ. According to this, in 2021 4.7 million full-time employees in Germany were earning less than 2,500 euros gross. This in turn corresponds to 21.9 percent of all full-time employees.

Depending on which tax class and social security contributions apply to the person, not much is left over net. With tax class 1 it is about 1,700 euros net. The rent index in Germany is currently 11.56 euros per square meter. For a 60-square-meter apartment, the rent is just under 700 euros. If you look at Hamburg, the rent index is already 15.6 euros per square meter – more than 930 euros have to be paid for 60 square meters of rent. In Berlin it is 26 euros, which results in a cold rent of 1,500 euros.

In the past, it was always said that a reasonable rent should not be more than a third of the salary. For most, that is no longer possible. Dietmar Bartsch called the numbers “a sign of poverty for our country” and demanded: “We need higher wages in Germany.” Not only that life cannot really be financed with such a salary, poverty in old age is also inevitable. “We need a wage offensive in Germany that at least compensates for inflation. The unions’ demands are justified.”

Even more news

That was the news in February 2023.

Sources used: noz.de, zeit.de, zdf.de, yougov.de, welt.de, maz-online.de, inFranken.de

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Bridget