Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems

Is there any science behind the recommendations? Will they result in lower vaccination rates? And will they cause a resurgence of preventable diseases?

Twenty years on, no one has been held accountable for the brutal killings of young Tamils working for a French NGO in Sri Lanka

A remote mining town gripped by fear saw hundreds of suspected cases before the government declared an outbreak, report says

Global hunger declined for the third year in a row in 2025 but experts call for action to bring down costs of fruit, vegetables and dairy as report shows 2.69bn people can’t afford to eat well

‘Persistent’ inequities found to exist in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, annual global review says Remarkable scientific progress against cancer has changed very little for millions of patients globally, who face devastating physical, emotional and financial consequences after diagnosis, a new World Health Organization report has warned. One person in five will develop cancer, according to WHO estimates, and the disease will touch 92% of people, either through their own diagnosis or that of a close family member. Continue reading...

Researchers testing a cheap, homegrown oil in Uganda found what cats knew all along – it worked as well as the artificial chemical used globally

Experts say cuts have hindered the response to DRC’s Ebola outbreak and resulted in ‘significant numbers’ of deaths

Despite significant challenges, Nepal has steadily reduced the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in recent years. Yet, new data from a nationwide survey of children under five revea...

As Ebola spreads in the DRC, the Brazilian president and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ask leaders to agree pandemic treaty created after Covid World leaders have been urged keep a promise to the millions of people who died during Covid – by finalising an agreement on how to deal with future pandemics. As a G7 summit begins in France, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, and Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have issued a joint letter saying a treaty needs urgent political backing at the highest level because “the next pandemic will not wait for us”. Continue reading...

With more than 670 confirmed cases and over 135 deaths, the disease has yet to be contained amid funding shortfalls, fear and disinformation

UN agency head warns of ‘major threat’ as global testing and treatment falls

With the Bundibugyo strain of the disease spreading across the DRC and Uganda, scientists and researchers are trying to find rapid solutions

Finalisation of pact governing global response to disease outbreaks delayed as talks on how to share benefits stall

WHO prequalification of Coartem Baby means newborns can be safely treated rather than using medication for older children

A previously unknown species of bacteria found in patients with noma could be key to creating treatments for the neglected tropical disease The “astonishing” discovery of a new bacteria could open the door to better ways to prevent, detect and treat a fatal and disfiguring childhood disease, researchers hope. Noma, which is fatal in 90% of cases without treatment, begins as a sore on the gums but goes on to destroy the tissues of the mouth and face. Continue reading...

Informal migration, plus climate change and rising numbers of cases globally, are complicating the tireless efforts of the landlocked African country to eradicate the killer disease

The southern Africa country has the world’s highest prevalence of HIV but the amount of lenacapavir reaching it is too small to reach all those at risk

Campaigner criticises ‘shortsighted and self-defeating’ decision and says it increases risk to the UK public The polio virus was detected in London sewage for the second time this year, days before ministers withdrew funding for global polio eradication efforts. Its detection reveals the spending cuts to be “shortsighted and self-defeating”, campaigners said. Polio is an extremely infectious viral disease, which typically affects young children under-five. It can cause paralysis by damaging nerves in the spine and base of the brain, and can be life-threatening if it affects muscles used for breathing. Continue reading...

Hostilities should halt and healthcare facilities must be treated as ‘safe havens’, WHO’s regional chief has said * Middle East crisis – live updates A total stop to hostilities in the Middle East is needed to halt a “health crisis unfolding in real time”, the World Health Organization’s chief in the region has said. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must be treated as “safe havens”, urged Dr Hanan Balkhy, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Continue reading...

This week, the first students completed a three-year degree course, ready to treat displaced people and pro-democracy fighters unable to risk government-run hospitals

Programme which supports schemes in six African countries was previously hailed as vital protection for Britain against future pandemics

Danish researchers whose work on effects of vaccines has been called into question are at center of US vaccine policy

Cheap semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, could help millions with diabetes and obesity in 160 countries Weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy and Ozempic could be made for just $3 a month, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions in poorer countries as patents expire. More than a billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles. Continue reading...

Zimbabwe refuses to sign agreement and Kenya faces a court case over data sharing as new aid deals come under scrutiny

Leaked draft of $1bn memorandum of understanding reveals mandatory targets, sharing of data, and reported access to mining concessions

With medication largely unaffordable in the country, experts hope community support and a change in diet could reduce soaring type 2 diabetes rates

Modelling suggests 5.4m children under five among those who could die if budgets of donor countries such as UK and US continue to be slashed

UPFs are made to encourage addiction and consumption and should be regulated like tobacco, say researchers

Ifunanya Nwangene died in hospital after being bitten in her Abuja home, raising questions about the availability of effective antivenoms

Despite US pushback, officials in west Africa say controversial hepatitis B study on pause amid ethics concerns

World is short of a million midwives, report finds, with adequate access potentially saving 4.3m lives a year

Soaking fabrics in a commonly used insect repellent is a simple and effective tool as mosquito bites become more common during daytime, study shows

$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease

Experts are urging guideline changes on what health professionals should wear to protect against flu-like illnesses including Covid

The cost of medication was too high for thousands of CF sufferers around the world. Now a Bangladeshi company is making a generic version that will change lives

From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases

UN body to study possibility of integrating centuries-old practices into mainstream healthcare From herbalists in Africa gathering plants to use as poultices to acupuncturists in China using needles to cure migraines, or Indian yogis practising meditation, traditional remedies have increasingly being shown to work, and deserve more attention and research, according to a World Health Organization official. A historical lack of evidence, which has seen traditional practices dismissed by many, could change with more investment and the use of modern technology, according to Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, who leads the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre. Continue reading...

Experts decry ‘neocolonialist’ Guinea-Bissau study after Trump administration changed advice for US babies

Survey by world’s largest network for sexual and reproductive health shows devastation to services, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, and amplification of anti-rights voices

First new treatments for sexually transmitted disease in decades approved by US Food and Drug Administration as number of cases worldwide surge to 82m The first new treatments for gonorrhoea in decades could be a “huge turning point” in efforts to combat the rise of superbug strains of the bacteria, researchers have said. Gonorrhoea is on the rise around the world, with more than 82m infections globally each year and particularly high rates in Africa and countries in the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific region, which reaches from Mongolia and China to New Zealand. Cases in England are at a record high, and rates in Europe were three times higher in 2023 than in 2014. Continue reading...

Reports highlight devastating impact of slashed funding, especially in parts of Africa, that could lead to 3.3m new HIV infections by 2030

Leading past donors including France, Japan and European Commission fail to contribute at pledging summit Control of the deadly infectious diseases HIV, tuberculosis and malaria “hangs in the balance” after a shortfall in donations to a leading global health fund, advocates have warned. Only $11.3bn of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria’s $18bn (£14bn) targeted budget for 2026 to 2028 has been confirmed so far. Continue reading...

Sorfequiline shows stronger action than existing treatments against illness that killed 1.23 million last year

British American Tobacco pushed Zambian ministers to drop or delay ad bans, health warnings and restrictions on flavoured products, letter shows

Draft template seen by the Guardian has no reference to countries receiving benefits for sharing information, such as guaranteed access to medicines developed as a result

‘The women here are warriors,’ says a midwife in Joal, and contraception is key to their health and life chances. But now UK and US aid cuts threaten to undo years of progress

Expected reduction in contributions by wealthy countries likely to cost millions of lives and billions in lost growth