12/02/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

Guernsey is in the grip of the worst flood waters are on the rise.

Guernsey is in the grip of the worst outbreak of whooping cough for three

decades. That's according to the latest health report. Medical

experts say all children and pregnant women should be immunised.

And as Mike Wilkins reports, there's been an alarming rise in other

preventable diseases as well. The sound of a child with whooping

cough is distressing and unmistakeable. You have to go back

to the early '80s when this public information was made to match the

current rates of infection. Babies are most at risk, suffering from

bouts of uncontrollable coughing, which in some cases can lead to

death. The increase in Guernsey has been dramatic, there were 36 cases

last year, this compares to an average of just three a year over

the previous decade. In fact the latest figures reveal that 2013 saw

the worst outbreak for 30 years So why now? The whooping cough vaccine

is effective but its protection isn't permanent. That may be because

the immunity people have waned, but it does mean that parents may be at

risk of passing the disease on to children and it is most dangerous in

infants, and here we had our first case of infant whooping cough for

quite some time. It is important that people take of these

opportunities, immunisation is safe, simple and effective. But it's not

just whooping cough that's got health experts concerned here.

Illnesses that many thought were long gone are actually making an

unwelcome return. For example in 2012 there were more cases of the

potentially fatal scarlet fever in Guernsey than for more than half a

century. We have come a long way since whooping cough victims were

treated in the compression chambers. But while there have been huge

improvements in the reduction of deaths from the likes of measles,

diphtheria and polio over the last century, the island's health chief

says there's no time for complacency and is encouraging people to get

immunised. Meanwhile Guernsey's Medical Officer of Health also found

in his report that islanders are suffering from alcohol related liver

deaths. But there have been some improvements in people's drinking

habits. This statistics on alcohol consumption are actually going down

in Guernsey, which is very good and positive. That doesn't mean to say

that we are complacent. We hope we're going into a new strategy that

we can put into a new campaign. Meanwhile, Jersey could lead the way

in using technology in the health service. Hospital boss Helen O'Shea

told business leaders the multi`million pound hospital make

over is an opportunity bring more technology into medicine. It's hoped

things like iPads, iPhones and the latest medical equipment could be

used to treat patients remotely It is just a platform for us to be able

to say what sort of things can we create, how innovative can we be in

terms of how technology can help us deliver better health care in

future. We know technology is moving on at a rapid pace, and we also know

that we have the perfect opportunity, when coding and

refurbishing, to make sure that hospitals build the models of care

around recent technology. Guernsey states have voted to allow

rubbish that can't be recycled be exported. The Public Services

Department has drawn up a short list of where the waste could be exported

to. It also gives new powers to the Douzaines for collection and

enforcement. Condor is preparing to pay other

ferry companies to take its passengers to France from the UK.

The company can't sail to St Malo at the moment, because its crew are on

strike over pay and conditions. Today French workers hoisted the

Breton flag on board the Rapide in an act of defiance. They are

demanding that the company should be re`registered in France ` and that

he crew should have the right to social security and pension

payments. Condor says it will take travellers to England, then pay for

them to sail to France from Plymouth or Portsmouth. Details yet to be

finalised. After long delays, Jersey's

independent police authority is finally ready to get to work. The

Independent group will liaise with senior officers and politicians to

monitor the force's success and bring it to account when needed

Earlier today, it's Chairman, Advocate Jonathan White, told me why

composition of the group was key. We have appointed somebody under 3 . I

was very keen that we should have somebody under 30 who is a

percentage of the use of the island. But I think we all have

responsibility for things, each of us will take slightly different

areas, so we can build a greater knowledge and greater expertise

which will enable us to discharge our responsibilities. How

independent is it going to be? You will always have naysayers who say

you will come down on the police's side. It needs to be genuinely

independent. It needs to be separate from the police, it needs to be

separate from the Minister, who still controls the purse strings. If

we are to do a proper job, we have got to work with the police when

they do everything well, but we have to be willing to criticise when we

think they have done something wrong. Why now? The problems we have

heard around some events mean that policing was brought much more into

public focus. With the changes we have seen in the police, the police

force itself is headed in the right direction. But some more public

accountability is a good thing and we can provide that.

The BBC TV show Who Do You Think You Are is being credited with a surge

in islanders trying to find out more about their family history. Now

Jersey Library expanded its archive section to aid the search. Our

reporter Emma Chambers went to check out their services. This is my

family. Dad, my mum and my sister taken on a blustery day last year. I

have come here to find more about my family history. Your

great`grandfather's father was a cold bearer, his mother lived at

home, looking after the children. It also tells us where his parents

were, they were all born in Jersey but his parents, their own fathers

came from Yorkshire and Kingston. You don't have their ages and where

they were born. So finally get my great, great, great grandfather was

from England, that is a new resource? We always had sensors

reports for Jersey, but this gives us the UK census information as

well. Is there a specific area people are looking more into

nowadays? Looking for the anniversary of the First World War,

people are looking at military history bit more. We have records

that allow you to look up your military ancestors. Some of that is

an ancestry as well. But it is in more detail on the forces records.

I've even come away with names and information I didn't know. If you

want to do the way, you can do this at the Jersey library. That is it

from me. I am back tomorrow evening. The Channel Islands whether next.

We have had a very stormy day across the islands. The highest gust was

around 67 mph across Guernsey. Everywhere else, 50 to 60 mph. The

very wet weather has now moved out of the way, tomorrow is generally

quieter, still windy, and you showers around but hopefully some

dry weather and sunshine as well. One or two of showers might have the

odd rumble of thunder, they will keep coming until dawn tomorrow

Tomorrow is quite a cold day, they will be some sunshine but also some

sharp showers. A top temperature of around eight degrees, feeling colder

because of that brisk westerly wind. On Friday, we have a new area

of low pressure. Windy conditions again. Blustery into the start of

the weekend. Good evening. What an incredible day

of weather it has been. We saw gusts of wind up to 108 mph in the West of

Wales. The wind is easing down a notch or two but we still have a

high-level amber warning from the Met Office for the strength of the

wind over the next few hours over quite a large swathe of the UK.

Northern Ireland, northern England and down across Wales, there is

still potential for damaging and disruptive gusts of wind. This huge

curl of cloud is bringing wet and windy weather across much of the

West of Europe. It curls back across the north of the UK and that's the

centre of the area of low pressure with the strongest winds just to the

south of that. Let's focus on the winds over the next few hours. The

ease down by a notch or two but still blustery conditions over most

of Wales. High seas around the coast and gusting up to 70 mph. Easily

around the 80 mph mark across much of northern England. Across the

Pennines this evening and overnight, travelling will be treacherous. Wind

and rain at lower levels will produce a lot of spray. You don t

have to go to high up the Pennines to see that turned to snow. One way

or another, further disruption to travel is more than likely. BBC

local radio will keep you up-to date on where you are and where you are

trying to get to. The centre of the low system moves northwards. Pretty

heavy snow developing across the hills of Scotland with several

centimetres by dawn. A bit of snow for Northern Ireland and wintry

showers drifting across the southern counties. A risk of ice with most

races are seeing the temperatures a degree or so either side of

freezing. A cold, windy start Thursday but I think it be a better

day. No persistent rain to be seen. There should be some spells of

sunshine for many of us, as well. Does it last until the end of the

week? I'm afraid not. It goes downhill on Friday. This low

pressure will head our way. Lots of isobars on the chart later in the

day. Gusts of 60, 70 or 80 mph, with rain spreading northwards.

Significant snow for parts of Northern Ireland and southern

Scotland. Windy into the start of the weekend. Saturday has outbreaks

of rain. On Sunday, something of a respite. The winds will ease down

and it should