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The Collapse of Women’s Health and Work

March 7, 2023

The World Health Organization, United Nations, UNICEF, non-governmental organizations and governments are all publicly promoting equity, inclusiveness and diversity. At the same time, these organizations were leading lockdowns and mandates that disadvantaged women disproportionately, especially those with a low salary, in health and income.


Many of the women who lost paid work have not returned to paid work.

Graph FRED_women_labor_participation

Meanwhile, employed women with disabilities have risen dramatically. 

Graph: civilian_labor_force_women_with_disabili

Also among employed Canadians disability rises had the highest prevalence during the pandemic, for women aged (16-54 years). For decades it has been known that women are more likely to have health limitations over their lifetime. Moreover, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has created an environment where more determinants of poor mental health are exacerbated for women. Disaggregated data on the highest excess mortality and disabilities in women worldwide can be expected.


Psychological stress, fatigue, exhaustion, and high toxin exposures are associated with poor liver function and immunological aging. Immune aging can promote cancer, heart disease and other related inflammatory conditions and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines by an overrepresentation of senescent cells and less naïve cells. Not a virus but a weakened immune system has become the highest risk for public health caused by various pandemic measures suppressing a healthy human physiology.


Chronic psychological stress


Negative effects of the pandemic measures on mental health will be far-reaching, with women being more affected than men. Women are two times more likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety and psychotropic drugs prescribed. 

Studies are showing that between 20-70 percent of the health workforce, with women being 70-80 percent of the global paid health workforce) are struggling with mental health issues (stress, insomnia, depression, distress and post-traumatic stress syndrome). Women, especially nurses, have disproportionately been affected during the pandemic. 

Unfortunately, health inequality starts in young girls. New research from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly three out five high school girls in the US who were surveyed reported feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, a roughly 60 percent increase over the past decade. 


It often seems that medicalization of mental health is occurring among women, without proper investigation of underlying causes.

The latest Women in the Workplace report found that 42 percent of the women said they were always or almost always burned out. That is extremely high and might drive women out of the paid workforce entirely or cause them to dial back their careers to something that is more manageable. 


The widespread intensity of burnout has led many women to look for new careers that are less demanding and, in some cases, drop out of the paid labor force entirely. Women experience many hurdles in the workplace, hurdles made worse by the pandemic. Part of the burnout is family-related. Since the pandemic started, women are doing considerably more caregiving of children and elderly relatives than they were before the pandemic. 


In many countries women work longer hours a day (paid and unpaid) than men. A Harvard opinion in 2015 “Only the overworked die young” warned of a greater risk for heart attack or stroke in people who are overworked. Women are overrepresented in low wage jobs in sectors that are all large employers for women, women of color and disabled women. These sectors had the first and most long-lasting mandates for mask wearing, frequent testing and vaccinations and are among the most impacted by the lockdowns. 


Long Covid


Long Covid symptoms were found to be most increased among healthcare workers and could be related to long-term measures and masking in particular. Women are often twice as much symptomatic and diagnosed than men for Long Covid not only in the acute phase but also at follow-up. FAIR Health Inc, an American health insurance company saw the highest incidence in women aged 36-64 years (40 percent of the total number of Long Covid patients) with memory loss (40.0 percent) and sleep disorders (36.6 percent) being the most common symptoms beyond 2 months of infection. 


Drug side effects 


Sex differences in the body’s responses to medication have long been overlooked. Until 1995 women were banned for participation in clinical trials, and drugs were mostly tested on males only. Yet, a government report describes eight out of ten of the drugs pulled from the market posed greater health risks for women than men. The issue is compounded because women are frequently disregarded when they express medical concerns. 


Women are more likely taking medications (psychotropic medications and birth-control pills) than men and seem to be more sensitive and two times more likely to experience serious side effects. Drug and alcohol use and corresponding side effects are also different for women. Research suggests liver enzymes work at different speeds in men than in women. 


Vaccine side effects 


An existing body of literature as well as recent studies after genetic Covid-19 vaccine injections and post-bacterial or viral vaccine injection show that females have around a twofold higher incidence and severe Adverse Events (local and systemic reactions) reflecting greater inflammatory responses among females than males. 


Generally, adult females mount stronger innate and adaptive immune responses than males. This results in a faster clearance of pathogens and greater vaccine efficacy in females than in males but also contributes to their increased susceptibility to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. For instance, 80 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in females. Sex differences in immune responses to vaccines could be caused by genetic, hormonal, microbiota, nutritional, and environmental factors, or a combination.

Several studies on the Covid-19 vaccines with people with autoimmune diseases and analysis of an aging population (especially elderly) and frail people reported low protection. 


Drug-vaccine interference


The interaction and side effects of the use of multiple medicines and concentrations used is mostly unknown, while some medicine might even have more disastrous side effects than any benefits, as it seems to be the case for psychotropic drugs. 

A recent study suggests psychotropic drugs, with immunosuppressant capabilities, interact with the PEGylated LNP of Covid-19 mRNA therapeutics. Medicated severe psychiatric illness showed immune malfunction with limited vaccine response and protection for severe Covid-19 disease. 


During the pandemic the use of psychotropic medicine increased most for women. The rapid release of the new therapeutic PEGylated LNP mRNA vaccines heightened the concerns about adverse effects and drug-vaccine interactions. Chemotherapy, anticonvulsants, and anti-malaria were documented to interfere with the mRNA vaccines. Much less was known about other drugs. 


A study showed that 42 percent of the vaccinated women experienced menstrual changes. A heavier flow after the shots was more likely to be related to nonwhite and older, hormonal contraception, a diagnosed reproductive condition, fever, or fatigue as side effects or previous pregnancy.


A relation of menstrual length and systemic inflammation have been described in the various phases of fertility. An increase in pre-term stillbirths was observed in the first year of the pandemic. Stroke risk rises in women with recurrent miscarriage, stillbirth and low income, and endometriosis is maybe causally associated with ischemic stroke. Recent studies reported that previous Covid-19 infection significantly increases the risk for adverse events following vaccinations.


Remarkably, the possible negative effects on women’s fertility (menstrual changes) after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout were suppressed by medicine adverse reporting organizations at first reporting. Although a relation with the Covid-19 vaccines or lockdowns has not been proven, an observed decline in newborn babies is worrisome. 


The Covid19 mRNA vaccines had  never been tested on pregnant women before they received Under Emergency Authorization and were advised by many doctors worldwide for pregnant women. Data from a later Pfizer trial with pregnant women have not been made publicly available.


Use of LNP mRNA vaccines should be halted, more investigation is needed


At this stage the risk benefit of the pandemic measures and pharmacologic interventions should be urgently investigated especially in the context of the seemingly devastating effects on women’s health, in light of an infection that has a current mortality comparable or even lower than that of the flu, and studies showing more deaths from non-Covid like heart infarction or stroke among the once- and two times-vaccinated as compared to the unvaccinated. 


Immune exhaustion emerges after a third dose and a risk for autoimmune diseases like Guillaume Barre, Bell’s palsy, Small fiber peripheral neuropathy , a large cluster of myositis, and a potential role of the spike protein in neurodegenerative diseases. In this context, especially the rise in the use of psychotropic medicine, the use of birth pills by many women and their known risk for thrombosis, stroke, heart attack, and sudden death is worrisome. A possible drug vaccine interaction needs to be investigated.


Even public health officials who previously pushed the Covid-19 vaccines recently recognized in a paper published in Cell that deficiencies of the current Covid-19 vaccines became apparent as SARS-CoV-2 strain variants have emerged, questioning whether any vaccine against respiratory viral infections can ever work well enough. The number of medical doctors and scientists speaking out to pause the use of the Covid-19 vaccines for all ages until results of thorough investigations have been made publicly available is increasing daily. 


The Covid response caused an economic blowback with long lasting consequences.


Many studies have demonstrated that equal numbers of women and men in organizations and society yield in more well-being, stronger innovation, better decision-making, inspiring workplaces, and economic growth. In the US women’s labor force participation increased threefold since 1920 to 58 percent. 


The pandemic policy resulted in the biggest setback in women’s participation in paid work and gender equality for a generation and undermines women’s security and resilience to shocks and ability to pay for health services when needed. An expected further collapsing health system, and at the same time an increase in disabilities and elderly people, suggests that even more women will leave the workforce in the near future to fulfill (unpaid) care and domestic work. 


The economic fallout has a harsher impact on women who disproportionately are represented in sectors offering low wages and the least secure jobs.


Globally, women lost $800 billion in income, and accounted for more than 64 million jobs lost in 2021, which is 5 percent of the total jobs of women whereas men had a 3.9 percent loss of jobs. The US IZA from October 2020 suggested that women are 24 percent more likely to permanently lose their jobs than men and their labor income will fall by 50 percent more than men’s. In the health care sector itself, the realms that have yet to recover their losses – nursing homes and long-term care – women entirely dominate in employment. 


Health is the biggest economic sector, employing 234 million people worldwide, the majority being women delivering health services to around 5 billion people. The overall employment is expected to grow 13 percent from 2021 to 2030, much faster than other occupations. Its growth is being driven by an increasing number of older people and by the expansion of the global middle class.


Women are 80 percent of the world’s nurses and 90 percent of the frontline health workers. When women’s contribution to all types of care (not just health care) is considered, the immense value of women is rising to $11 trillion or 9 percent of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product). However, women have had enough, as is described in a previous article, the Great Resignation in a Collapsing Health System. 


More than nine in ten (93 percent) women have seen a doctor or health care provider in the past two years. One in four (24 percent) women report having had problems paying medical bills in the past months and over half (57 percent) of them say this was due at least in part to the Covid pandemic. Large shares of lower income women report (9-20 percent) being in fair or poor health.


Transformative change for a healthy world


The pandemic proved a society’s reliance on women both on the front line and at home, forming the backbone of society. Women play a crucial role in surviving and preventing natural crises and building strong and resilient communities. In a healthy world it is important women will be heard. 


A recovery from the biggest medical disaster in history is an opportunity for change with full participation and the contribution of women in paid work, decision-making and leadership. The priority is investment in safe cost-effective health systems strengthening women’s health and social protection to rebuild trust, public health, and economies with opportunities for all – and no more disruptions such as lockdowns, mask- and vaccine mandates that have so devastated women. 


Author: dr. Carla Peeters

First published at Brownstone Institute


The (Lack of) Health in Young Women

By Carla Peeters • March 13, 2025
Many countries now face a growing problem with an aging population and declining childbirths. Too many infants still die unnecessarily before the age of five years. Countries increasingly struggle to keep their economies stable. While Public Health experts communicate to focus on healthier future generations, declining health in young females is ignored. The healthiest generation with a flourishing economy is achieved by a holistic strategy addressing Young Women’s Health as a Public Health priority. The Healthiest Generation of the World in 2040 A Federation of Organizations involved in Public Health in the Netherlands has the ambition to reach the healthiest generation of the world in 2040 . Health is aimed at all levels; mental, social, and physical. To achieve this goal, the Netherlands needs the healthiest young females of the world. In contrast, data analysis from the Netherlands shows the opposite; the health of young women is declining fast. In other Western countries, it won’t be much better. The health of young women has worsened worldwide; it is time to face reality. Women’s bodily functioning and metabolism differ from men and need specific female-adapted health support. While many health problems in a population could be prevented when young females are supported for optimal health prior to pregnancy, this is not a priority of Public Health Agencies. Good health for the next generation starts with a strong and resilient immune system before pregnancy and during the first 1,000 days around pregnancy, birth, and postpartum breastfeeding. Childbirth and children’s health are declining; the number of women dying during pregnancy (within 42 days after labor) is increasing, as well as the number of abortions. Without change, these conflicting trends may develop into a disaster touching all levels of society. The Public Health Future Outlook of the Netherlands predicts that close to 12 million people will have a chronic condition by 2050. Young Women’s Health Is Declining Around half of the young people aged 6-25 years in the Netherlands experience mental health problems. Moreover, 47% of the people aged 15-44 years are diagnosed with at least one chronic disease, with young women more often diagnosed than men. When diagnosed with a chronic disease, people work less, experience more sick leaves, and are less productive. Unfortunately, not being able to work contributes to poorer health and income. An even larger percentage of young people (79%) still suffer from a negative impact of the pandemic, with women and lower-educated individuals hit hardest and experiencing mental problems like emotional exhaustion, stress, and hyperactivity. A recent study published in PNAS showed a faster aging of the brains of young females as compared to young males, which might be related to chronic stress exposure. Students experience more stress than before due to worries about inflation and the high costs of living. Within the EU, the Netherlands has grown into the most expensive country to live in. Unfortunately, there is much more that is troubling the health of young females. Increased Drug Use and a Dangerous Beauty Myth During the pandemic, the use of antidepressants increased by 16% for those aged 16-24 years and for children. Women are prescribed antidepressants earlier and take them twice as much as men. While the positive effects of SSRI have been criticized repeatedly and women report more side effects than men, these medicines are still frequently prescribed by medical doctors. One in four young people in the Netherlands use Ritalin or Concerta ( methylphenidate ) without a medical prescription to improve concentration and study results. Most people are unaware of the potential risks, like sudden death, that are well-known as a potential side effect. Research has shown that 5.5-22.5% of the young have used ADHD medication without a doctor’s prescription. Furthermore, in mid-2023, a worrisome increase in NSAID like paracetamol (Tylenol or Acetaminophen) and ibuprofen use was observed, especially in young girls, increasing the risk for poisoning. The use of antibiotics like amoxicillin increased for children 0-10 years (55%) and for those aged 11-20 years with 50%. As 2023 was the first year after the pandemic with all festivals open to the public, an increased use of party drugs (like ecstasy ) among those aged 16-35 years was noticed with regularly registered symptoms of poisoning. The online and interconnected world exposes the risk of cyberbullying among young people. Ironically, many are feeling lonelier than ever before and are struggling with their weight and self-confidence, setting them up for poor health as adults. The beauty myth is another danger. During the years 2019-2022, the use of fillers increased by 80%, and the use of Botox doubled among young women. Exposure to microplastics, nanoplastics, and nanoparticles has increased. Furthermore, the concentration of PFAS/PFOA in Dutch drinking water is found to be above the norm and may decrease the fertility of both women and men. On the other hand, the use of oral hormonal contraceptives by young girls diminished in the Netherlands, with only a slight increase in the use of an intrauterine hormonal device. Recent studies showed that there is an increased risk, although small, of myocardial infarction or stroke when using hormonal contraceptives. The use of an intrauterine device with levonorgestrel did not show the risk. Given the extensive and ongoing reliance of millions of young women on these drugs, ensuring their safety remains a critical responsibility of the medical community. As well as medical doctors informing young women of potential harm based on the latest scientific literature by informed consent. Over the past 4 years, girls and young women have been exposed to repeated HPV vaccinations and Covid-19 mRNA vaccines within a short period of time, for both of which side effects in women have been reported to be more frequent and severe. Possible interactions and/or interference with these vaccines and long-term effects on the immune system and microbiome have not been investigated beforehand. Neither was knowledge available when it started in 2021 on the possible risks and short- and long-term effects when four vaccines before 22 weeks of pregnancy were introduced. Nutritious Food Not Affordable for Many The importance of daily consumption, as recommended by the WHO, of 400 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, milk products, and eggs for a healthy life and joyful social and working life is unknown by many young people. For most of them, it has become unaffordable . (Ultra)processed foods are the cheapest satisfying foods with a well-designed composition of low-cost ingredients, sugar, fat, and salt that change the microbiome. Home, school, commercials, social media, influencers, mobile phones, and retail environments are driving obesity and being overweight in children and adolescents, often concurrent with undernutrition and anemia. A growing body of evidence shows that the billions of microorganisms present in our body are intimately involved in weight gain and loss and immune training and modulation, as well as overall host homeostasis. Around 33% of the population in the Netherlands does not consume fruit and vegetables daily. As of 2024, 7.1% of Dutch children live in poverty, and this number is still growing . More children might be undernourished, which is associated with impaired growth, neurodevelopment, and increased infectious morbidity and mortality. To reverse the problem of malnutrition, the delivery of free meals has recently started at primary schools. Unfortunately, this does not make a difference for the children at secondary schools. While sending funding to developing countries to prevent malnutrition, a similar problem appears in front of our eyes in the Netherlands. The young generation predominantly eats more plant-based foods, as it would improve climate change. Almost 30% of young women prefer to shop for vegetarian food, and 0.7% of the Dutch population is vegan. In addition, the EU introduced novel food products such as insects and worms, lab-grown meat, and Bovaer for cows to reduce methane production, which might affect the human immune system. Almost one in five adolescents vape. Long-term effects are yet unknown. In the Netherlands, vapes with synthetic liquids that taste like cola, vanilla, apricot, etc., have now been forbidden . Although smoking is declining in adults, young women more frequently smoke than boys but drink less alcohol. All internal and external environmental factors may contribute to weakening or strengthening the resilience of the immune system and may therefore influence the period of pregnancy, labor, nursing, and the health of mother and child for future generations. Pregnancy Is Regulated by a Unique Complexity of the Immune System Pregnancy is a unique immunological state. The changes of the immune system in the three stages of pregnancy (very early, mid, and late stage) are meticulously timed. In the very early stage, the immune system adjusts to prevent her body from rejecting the fetus while at the same time still being strong enough to keep out foreign pathogens. In the late stage, the body is preparing for labor, which is driven by an inflammatory response. A full-term pregnancy will follow an immunological clock . Changes in this immune profile could help to predict and possibly prevent preterm labor. Studies show that pathologically-driven inflammation might trigger pre-term birth (before 37 weeks). In the Netherlands, 14.8% of the children born are preterm with 9.7% low birth weight for the duration of the pregnancy (Big2). Interestingly, in the case of a preterm child labor, the inflammatory reaction is more heated as compared to a full-term child labor. Preterm birth is an important indicator of a risk for early death, chronic and infectious diseases, sepsis, stunting, and delayed neurological and brain development. This may manifest throughout one’s lifespan. Very early birth and extreme early birth occur in only 1.5% of the Dutch baby population and are responsible for 50% of the deaths of newborn babies. The number of abortions jumped in two years in 2023 to 39,000, with most by women aged 25-34 years of age. Abortion in the Netherlands is allowed until 24 weeks of pregnancy. The number of childbirths has declined dramatically to 167,504 in 2022. That is 1.49 children per woman, with a mean age of 30.3 years. The number of women breast-feeding is also decreasing. At 6 months, women feeding breast milk lowered from 60% to hardly 30% of the young mothers. Each year, around 661 babies in the Netherlands die. Mothers dying within 42 days after labor are around 11 persons a year with an additional 5 women dying by suicide each year, and not counting women who died from cancer. Over the past years, mothers’ deaths have been increasing worldwide, with the leading cause being heart diseases and blood clots. Pregnant women with stress , depression , or anxiety , as well as obese women with gut inflammation and chronic disease, have altered immune systems and, as a consequence of malnutrition, have an altered microbiome. A weakened immune system suggests an increased risk for preeclampsia, high blood pressure, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes, preterm labor, and/or low birth weight. ‘Gut Feeling’ a Turmoil for Healthy Future Generations The gut presents 70-80% of the immune cells in the human body. In the mucosal layer of the intestine, neuronal cells, endocrine cells, and immune cells cooperate to manage its metabolism and bodily functioning. Recent studies in mice showed villi of the mucosal layer expanding twice its volume during pregnancy and breastfeeding, slowing food passage, improving digestion for an optimal use of available nutrition. The intestinal mucosal layer is strongly connected to various stages of pregnancy with altered gut microbiota, metabolites, and cytokines. These bioactive metabolites modulate and change the ‘innate’ and ‘adaptive’ immune system. Together, the microbial composition and the mucosal layer of the intestine determine long-term health. Mothers’ intestines influence the biodiversity of the microbiome and the resilience of the immune system, which is transmitted to the baby during pregnancy, labor, and nursing. Earlier periods in life facing hunger, extreme stress, or severe diseases may influence health during pregnancy and may transmit to the baby throughout one’s lifespan and even with intergenerational effects. Specific nutrients may have positive effects during pregnancy, labor, and nursing. Sufficient vitamin D , present in sunlight, nutrition (fish, milk products), or supplements, is a prerequisite during this precious time in life for both mother and child. For young women who wish to become pregnant, it is important to learn how to balance the immune system and the microbiome. The immune system of young women could be the most important regulator of the healthiest generations and a population’s workability and income. Author: dr. Carla Peeters First published at Brownstone Institute

The Alarming Increase in Female Healthcare Worker Suicide

By Carla Peeters • March 13, 2025
The increasing number of suicides and fatal overdoses of women healthcare workers has accompanied rising sickness, disability, and women leaving the sector. The total social and economic costs of a workforce in despair are yet unknown. A shortfall of 10 million healthcare workforce (of whom 80-90% is female) is projected by the WHO for 2030 and is of critical concern. When the health of those who look out for people’s health is at risk, the whole population and economy are at risk. This is an emergency of unprecedented scale that needs attention at the highest Public Health level. Humanity and nutrition instead of medicalization as a coping strategy urgently needs to return in the healthcare sector. Alarming Warnings by Healthcare Workers in Despair Recent studies noticed death by suicide and the risk for fatal drug overdose among women in healthcare is much higher as compared with the general population (1-10). It is not only female physicians, but the risk is even higher for nurses and other healthcare workers, especially for those with the lowest-paid jobs and heaviest mental and physical workload who have been most stretched to the limits (7). Worldwide over the last several years thousands of healthcare workers have died by suicide or fatal overdose leaving family, friends, and the workplace in shock and grief. Suicide and self-harm have substantial social and economic costs (12). One death by suicide was calculated in the UK to cost the economy an average of 1.46 million pounds (13). In 2022 more than 360 nurses attempted suicide, and 72 medical professionals took their own lives in 2020 in the UK as data from the Office of National Statistics indicate. Analysis of mortality data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2007 to 2018 identified 2,374 suicides among nurses, 857 among doctors, and 156,141 in the general population. However, the number of death by suicide or fatal overdose is grossly underreported. The WHO reports that over 50% of suicides happen under the age of 50 years (14). To address this avoidable burden, a better understanding of effective and non-effective strategies is paramount. Even before the Covid pandemic started women in healthcare reported substantial workplace stressors (9-11, 15-16). The past four years have put additional strain on women’s health. This is especially true for those women working as front-liners and first responders in highly demanding stressful situations. Increased complexity of care, understaffing, long working hours, additional bureaucratic tasks, moral injury, diminished autonomy, lack of decision-making ability, and low-paid jobs take a burden on their health. Moreover, women routinely face tougher challenges at work and at home such as institutionalized barriers to career advancement as well as additional pressure for domestic labor by frequently being a caregiver for children and/or parents (9). In all parts of the world healthcare workers are at high risk for violence with 8-38% suffering some sort of violence form in their careers. In 2023 for the first time in history, 75,000 healthcare workers in the US went on strike (17). Women are more frequently diagnosed with burnout, major depression, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, ME/CFS, and Long Covid. Long Covid is more prevalent in healthcare workers (11,18-20). These diagnoses of chronic illnesses have many symptoms in common that are known to exacerbate the risk for suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and suicidal completion beyond occupation and established risk factors such as socioeconomic status and education (7-8,20-24). An Epidemic of Emotional Trauma and Distress Healthcare workers are trying to hide their symptoms by pushing themselves to work despite extreme pain, fatigue, memory inconsistency, exhaustion, and grief of not being able to deliver the quality of care patients need. Being overstressed and with long-term understaffing, healthcare workers hardly take time to eat a nutritious meal. Many have become undernourished, and sleep-deprived. Potential disparities in help-seeking and healthcare access might manifest in non-medical use of prescription drugs among some healthcare workers, which has implications for workers’ safety and well-being (25). Many of the medicines used by healthcare workers might be unprescribed and unnoticed (1-8, 23). Toxic Cocktails: A Danger for Women’s Health Suicides among the healthcare workforce often take place at work. The most frequently used method of suicide is overdose or poisoning (1-8). New studies suggest that most overdoses are caused by psychiatric drugs and multiple medications in their system. Co-administration of antidepressants and opioids deliberate or unplanned is common. Women are more likely to be prescribed and take medication like antidepressants and birth control pills and seem to be more sensitive and experience drug side effects than men. Pharmacokinetic interactions may increase the concentrations and severity of side effects of antidepressants (27-28). Studies demonstrate potential side effects of psychiatric drugs and opioids as insomnia, burnout, fatigue, anxiety, pain, and suicidal thoughts (21-25). The risk of opioid-involved overdose death was nearly twice as high experienced by healthcare support workers such as nursing home workers and home health aides as compared to other healthcare workers in the sector (7). The interaction and side effects of the use of multiple medicines and concentrations are mostly unknown. This is especially true for women as most drugs have been poorly studied in women. Some medicine might even have more disastrous side effects than any benefit as seems to be the case for psychotropic medicine (26). Moreover, interactions of psychotropic drugs with immunosuppressive capabilities and Covid-19 mRNA vaccines have been reported (17). Furthermore, pandemic measures that have been mandated for healthcare workers including long-term wearing of medical facemasks (with potential inhalation of toxins) and repeated Covid-19 vaccinations with women reporting more side effects than men (30-31) might have exacerbated potential risks. Recent publications repeatedly reported a global burden of absenteeism related to Covid-19 vaccine side effects which could negatively impact the strained healthcare system and jeopardize patient care (32-33). Medicalization as a Coping Strategy During the pandemic, prescription of antidepressants and use of other over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen (paracetamol) which is often advised to temper vaccine side effects, has grown substantially. Although harmless in low doses, acetaminophen has direct hepatotoxic effects when taken in overdose or a wrong combination and may cause acute liver failure. Accidental or unintentional overdose usually occurs in patients who have been fasting, or are critically ill with a concurrent illness, alcoholism, malnutrition, or have preexisting chronic liver disease (34). Acetominophen (single or combination products) is one of the most used medications in the United States with 25 billion tablets sold in 2016. It is expected that treatment of trauma ailments and increase in chronic illness will fuel the market sales from $9.8 billion in 2022 to $15.2 billion in 2033. However, after a report showed 8,700 poisonings with high rates of hospitalization and liver injury in 2019-2020 with a sharp rise among females, the Australian medicine regulator is considering restrictions on who can buy paracetamol (35). In Sweden, the sale of acetaminophen in supermarkets was banned in 2015 after they experienced an overdose hike. Increased use of over-the-counter and controlled drugs may fuel a rise in acute liver failure. Awareness of potential unintentional irreversible harm is highly needed among healthcare workers and the public, as many new drugs and vaccines have been introduced since the pandemic. Drug Theft and Diversion Job stress and occupational burnout have been associated with increased risk for opioid use disorder which in turn can increase risk for overdose. Those who prescribe or administer medication have ready access to opioids and other controlled prescription drugs. Drug theft and diversion of controlled drugs in hospitals and nursing homes appear to have accelerated worldwide, bringing healthcare workers and patients at risk (36-38). Taking prescription medicine at work, almost 100 healthcare workers have been fired in The Netherlands. Moreover, the problems with understaffing in the Dutch healthcare sector have introduced the use of falsified certificates with people from illegal drug networks entering healthcare organizations pushing the system to more errors and deficits (39). Increasing stress at work and too many night shifts in a row have contributed to a 70% increase in medicine thefts. Almost 50% of calming and sleeping pills were not delivered to patients putting them at risk for suboptimal treatment or contaminations and errors (40). Drug use may gradually become an attractive and convenient coping mechanism. Although professionals often think knowledge of the medicine may control their use, dependence may slowly develop. Many impaired healthcare workers feel guilt and despair and suffer from physical and mental problems and may be indifferent to the risk of overdose (38) A Return to Humanity in Healthcare The problem of the rise in sudden (un)intended death of healthcare workers comes against the background of increasing long-term sick leaves, permanent disabilities, and hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers leaving the sector, choosing for less stressful and better-paid jobs. This is an unprecedented sign by dedicated women for no longer willing to work in a toxic and overstressed environment with underpaid complex tasks for often severely ill patients. The healthcare system is facing increased clinical error rates and liability exposures while adversely impacting patient satisfaction and organizational reputation. This may develop into a catastrophe when Public Health Officials do not take responsibility for a highly needed change ensuring that the workforce has the tools and resources needed to turn the wheel. Hard times may turn positive when CEOs and insurance companies start to embrace the idea that quality of care and reputation starts with a healthy, fair-paid workforce, gender equity, and a working environment choosing for humanity and good nutrition. A vital well-nourished empowered healthcare workforce that is occupied to guide people to health and work will be a win for all.
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