Bangladesh is experiencing its worst measles outbreak on record, with over 1,000 children dead and more than 50,000 confirmed or suspected cases since March. The crisis stems from vaccination gaps that left millions of children unprotected, overwhelming hospitals with shortages and overcrowding.
The Trump administration made permanent the acting leaders of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), stabilizing key agency posts as a new commissioner awaits confirmation.
Three dozen health facilities serving more than 400,000 people in Sudan are closing this year due to global aid funding cuts, according to aid groups and medical charity MSF. The closures are pushing Sudan's already fragile healthcare system toward collapse amid more than three years of ongoing war.
Colombia's capital faces challenges adapting to an ageing population, with elderly care homes housing destitute seniors while public spaces reflect declining birth rates. The demographic transformation is reshaping the city's social fabric and infrastructure needs.
Anita Bazell died after being taken to hospital with a body temperature of 41.2C during June's heatwave, one of thousands who died due to extreme hot weather linked to the climate crisis. Her family is questioning why she was dressed in winter clothing during the extreme heat.
Oli Coppock, 32, suffered catastrophic brain damage after Warrington Hospital's emergency department failed to properly assess his symptoms in May 2024, months after he had received treatment for a brain tumour. His father says the A&E 'did not get the basics right,' leaving his son's life ruined.
South Africa's Eastern Cape province will receive 197 additional ambulances as health officials work to address a persistent crisis in emergency medical services, though authorities acknowledge the new vehicles alone will not resolve the underlying issues.
Thirty-eight doctors at Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha, South Africa have issued a collective warning that conditions in their obstetrics and gynaecology department pose an 'unacceptable risk' to mothers and babies. Their letter details failing electrical infrastructure, broken resuscitation equipment, and staff shortages following a maternal death.
UK health innovation minister James Frith has raised concerns about Palantir's work with the NHS, as new figures reveal tens of thousands of patients have withdrawn their data from use in research projects.
The US Department of Health and Human Services released a report connecting 'gender ideology' to leftwing authoritarianism and political violence, which scientists have criticized as poorly conducted research.
Health authorities in Plateau state, Nigeria are stepping up surveillance and response efforts after Jos North Local Government recorded 117 suspected diphtheria cases and 15 deaths as of September 1. The intervention aims to contain the outbreak in the affected area.
The World Meteorological Organization reports that increasing wildfires and heatwaves driven by climate change are hindering global efforts to improve air quality, raising exposure to toxic PM2.5 pollution even as industrial regulations have reduced emissions. The UN agency warns this trend will make it progressively harder to meet WHO clean air standards.
The World Health Organization reports that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is outpacing containment efforts, even as some metrics like case growth and transmission rates show improvement. Burial teams in Ituri, the epicenter of what's described as history's deadliest Ebola outbreak, face community anger and fatigue while major gaps persist in contact tracing, testing, and safe burial coverage.
A survey of 2,126 emergency department staff by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine reveals that nearly three-quarters of A&E workers experience violence or aggression on a daily or weekly basis, with incidents including physical assaults and racial abuse.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak is overwhelming response efforts despite international funding, vaccines, and treatment centers. Health workers are going unpaid, leading to lapses in safety protocols, while community resistance and the outbreak's rapid spread threaten to turn it into a global pandemic.
The United States will phase out financial support for Namibia's HIV response programs, providing $45 million for fiscal year 2027 before ending the aid. Namibia is the latest southern African country affected by US foreign aid withdrawal.
The Trump administration announced it will phase out financial support for Namibia's HIV response programs after more than 20 years and $1.1 billion in total aid. The U.S. will provide a final $45 million payment in fiscal year 2027, after which Namibia will fund its own programs.
Bereaved parents in Sussex are being encouraged to participate in public meetings as part of a major independent review into maternity and neonatal services. The review follows cases like that of Susan Cacciacarro, whose daughter Chiara died in 2021 at nearly 37 weeks of pregnancy.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee voted unanimously to subpoena Oracle Health executives Larry Ellison and Mike Sicilia after the VA's electronic health record contract costs nearly tripled from $10 billion to $27 billion.
New research shows alcohol-related cancer deaths in the United States have more than doubled over a 33-year period, with findings indicating that even one drink per day could increase cancer risk. The study reveals alcohol's impact extends across multiple cancer types, not just liver cancer.
At least 10 people have died and more than 40 have been infected with cholera in Sudan's West Kordofan state, with cases recorded in El Idai locality over Sunday and Monday. The World Health Organization has identified the region as the latest cholera outbreak hotspot, reporting more than 2,600 cholera cases nationwide.
Professional organizations representing pediatricians, family physicians, and obstetricians jointly released their own vaccination recommendations for respiratory illness season, breaking from the CDC and widening the divide with federal health authorities.
NHS care boards and local councils are preventing disabled people from using their care funding outside the UK, effectively blocking them from international travel. Campaigners are raising concerns about these restrictions that limit the mobility and freedom of disabled individuals who rely on public care support.
A non-invasive urine test being trialled by the NHS has been found to detect more than nine in ten bladder cancer cases in a study of 964 patients across seven NHS urology centers. The test, led by the University of Birmingham and Nonacus, could help reduce reliance on cystoscopies and waiting lists.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled new safety measures to strengthen New York City's response to Legionnaires' disease following an Upper East Side outbreak that killed 11 people. The plan includes expanded oversight of cooling towers, which can harbor Legionella bacteria, with improved tracking of registered towers and enforcement against unregistered ones.
The Kenyan government has reached an agreement with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer that will reduce the cost of cancer medications by more than sevenfold, according to President William Ruto. The deal is expected to significantly lower treatment costs for cancer patients across the country.
A clinical trial published in Lancet Infectious Diseases found that Paxlovid, an antiviral drug commonly used to treat acute COVID-19, does not alleviate long COVID symptoms when treatment is extended. The study involved 959 participants.
The Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina reports its children's ward has exceeded capacity due to an influx of suspected and confirmed diphtheria cases. State officials are preparing to brief the public on the outbreak's scale and response measures, though case and death figures have not yet been disclosed.
The UK government is providing £100 million in funding to domestic artificial intelligence start-ups with the aim of improving public services. The initiative represents a significant investment in the country's AI sector focused on government applications.
The United States is planning to reduce health funding to 18 developing countries by 59% by 2030 through secretive bilateral deals, targeting programs that combat deadly diseases while pushing recipient nations to increase their own health spending.
The Trump administration is closing two of three USDA research projects studying cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that has sickened tens of thousands of Americans. The cuts come amid funding disputes and an ongoing outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce.
Walmart will pay $50 million to settle a Department of Justice lawsuit accusing the retail giant of fueling the nationwide opioid epidemic by unlawfully dispensing prescriptions from its pharmacies. The settlement resolves allegations that the nation's largest retailer contributed to the crisis through improper pharmaceutical practices.
Seriously ill children across England are being denied the chance to die at home due to widespread gaps in NHS end-of-life care provision, with reports highlighting staffing shortages forcing treatment in corridors and temporary spaces. Critics say the NHS is flouting its legal duty to provide adequate palliative care in many areas.
A Florida grand jury found that Governor Ron DeSantis's administration 'misappropriated' $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement to a charity connected to his wife, but declined to file criminal charges.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told senators his 2019 Samoa visit had 'nothing to do with vaccines,' but newly released documents reveal he met with anti-vaccine activists before a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children.
A Trump-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked key provisions of a Colorado law that would have increased state oversight of ICE detention facilities, including mandatory health inspections. The ruling represents a setback for Colorado's efforts to impose stricter regulations on immigration detention centers.
The World Health Organization announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine to contain what officials describe as the fastest Ebola outbreak in history. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved the immediate release of doses following a request from Congo's government.
Insurance broker Aon forecasts U.S. employer healthcare costs will jump 9.5% in 2027 to over $19,000 per employee on average, driven by increased medical utilization and high-priced drug spending, representing potentially the largest increase in two decades.
Patients in Rotherham are reporting that EMMA, an AI receptionist system deployed by the NHS to reduce phone waiting times, is unable to understand their Yorkshire accents. QuantumLoopAI, the system's developer, acknowledged the concerns and said there can be an adjustment period with new technology.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 2,300 deaths and nearly 5,000 cases, making it the deadliest in the country's history. Mobile gold miners, including children, are complicating containment efforts as they move between mining sites, spreading the virus to new areas before health workers can track and treat infections.
CDC data shows US kindergarten vaccination rates continue to decline while exemptions reach record levels, despite ongoing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses. The trend comes amid the Trump administration's controversial actions on childhood vaccines.
The high-profile murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has brought postpartum psychosis into the spotlight. Women who have experienced the condition and medical professionals are calling for more research and understanding of this difficult mental illness.
A first-of-its-kind analysis by KFF of new federal data revealed significant variation in how health insurers handle prior authorization requests across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, and ACA marketplace plans, with at least one in eight standard requests denied last year.
The federal government is evaluating methadone clinics two years after implementing major regulatory changes in 2024, following backlash from patient groups and scrutiny from lawmakers over the specialized addiction treatment providers.
Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols has temporarily halted plasma donations at all 16 of its Canadian clinics following the deaths of two donors and a government investigation into potential unsafe practices at the for-profit facilities.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province, with health authorities reporting over 2,100 deaths out of approximately 4,566 cases. The outbreak is the fastest-growing on record, with transmission accelerated by rebel conflict, poor infrastructure, and healthcare system challenges.
A new AMN Healthcare study warns that the U.S. physician deficit could reach 86,000 by 2036, threatening rural hospital closures. Northern Health has already reduced emergency department hours at Nats'oojeh Hospital in Fort St. James, British Columbia, until at least October due to doctor shortages.
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting he trailed the executive to an investor conference before shooting him in December 2024.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that insurers cannot include ghost rates or exclude bonus payments when calculating the qualifying payment amount used to determine reimbursement for out-of-network bills, a major win for healthcare providers that could increase their payments.
Brookings Institution researchers have criticized the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for allegedly using faulty assumptions in a rule that made it harder for sick Medicaid enrollees to prove exemption from work requirements. The rule has already drawn lawsuits.
New data from NHS England shows the country is nearing elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat, with 80% of known cases cured. The progress is attributed to widespread testing initiatives including A&E blood tests, GP registration screening, and free at-home tests, along with a pioneering NHS drug deal with pharmaceutical companies.
Nonprofit hospitals in the U.S. saw overall operating margins improve in 2025, but some providers lost ground as federal funding declined, while Ontario hospitals face a mounting crisis as austerity measures reduce funds available for day-to-day operations across the province.
Thousands of patients in Gaza remain unable to access medical evacuation despite the ceasefire, according to WHO officials. Gaza doctors report cancer patients are dying at two to three times the pre-war rate after Israel destroyed the territory's only cancer treatment facility and continues blocking many from traveling for specialized care.
President Trump signed an executive order calling for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to be split into three separate shots, despite medical experts warning this is unlikely to happen and could harm children. The order has drawn widespread pushback from the healthcare industry and public health officials.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has reached 2,011 confirmed deaths among 4,381 cases across five provinces, with the second 1,000 deaths occurring in just three weeks. Health officials warn the outbreak spread undetected for months and continues to outpace response efforts, with workers struggling to reach remote areas and many going unpaid.
Médecins Sans Frontières reports that funding to address acute malnutrition in Somalia has fallen by more than 80% in 2026, even as one in four children screened in southwestern displacement camps is severely malnourished. The crisis is driven by years of drought, conflict, and economic pressures forcing families into camps.
England is approaching elimination of hepatitis C, a dangerous liver-attacking virus spread through infected blood contact. Health officials cite efforts including A&E blood tests, GP registration testing, and free home testing as key to reaching this milestone.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order recommending states reduce the number of childhood vaccines and split the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot into separate appointments. The move drew sharp criticism from pediatricians and health experts who warn it will increase confusion and endanger children amid a 35-year high in measles cases.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday calling for a major reduction in the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines, from 18 diseases to 11. The order also recommends splitting the combined MMR vaccine into three separate shots for measles, mumps, and rubella.
Governor Moore and the Maryland Department of Health announced the first round of awards totaling $80 million for the Rural Health Transformation Program, aimed at improving healthcare access and infrastructure in rural areas of the state.
Healthcare facilities in Canada, the UK, India, Australia, and the US are grappling with critical staffing shortages, leading to reduced patient care, bed closures, and workforce burnout. The crisis spans from intensive care units operating short-staffed to mental health facilities struggling with junior staff burnout and courts ordering governments to fill vacant positions.
The UK Health Security Agency and Met Office have issued amber heat health alerts across England as the country faces its fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures expected to reach up to 38C. The alerts cover south-west England and extend from South Yorkshire to east Wales and Somerset, with extreme heat conditions forecast from Tuesday through Friday.
The maternity unit at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple has been shut down, forcing doctors at the remote facility to receive crash courses in birth emergencies. The trust has contacted over 300 pregnant women, including those at 34 weeks or more and high-risk patients, as expectant mothers express stress over the closure.
A nationwide cohort study of over 250,000 infants found that nirsevimab was associated with lower RSV hospitalization rates during the season it was administered, but protection did not persist into the second year.
The National Pharmacy Association estimates that 3,400 tonnes of partly used medicines are thrown away in England annually, equivalent to filling 75 swimming pools. The group attributes the waste to patients over-ordering medications and stockpiling prescriptions they may not need immediately.
WHO data reveals Canada has approximately half the measles cases of the United States despite having only one-tenth the population, indicating a significantly higher per capita infection rate. The U.S. has reported 2,465 cases for the year, with 94 new cases added in a single week, mostly in Pennsylvania, while Manitoba has seen cases drop to just two in July.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CDC staff that the U.S. would have done better in the Covid outbreak by listening to alternative voices, speaking at a memorial for last year's shooting at the agency.
More than two-thirds of NHS mental health providers in England are planning to cut services, with half expected to eliminate jobs, threatening to increase wait times for millions of adults and children seeking mental health care.
The Albanese government has released updated national guidelines recommending prostate cancer checks every two years for Australian men aged 50 to 69, marking the biggest changes to screening protocols in a decade and aimed at earlier detection of the country's most common cancer in men.
Scientists have discovered how Candida auris, a deadly drug-resistant fungus that has infected over 3,000 patients across 27 US states this year, survives on human skin by hiding in hair follicles and hijacking the body's immune response. The pathogen, which the CDC considers an urgent antimicrobial threat, can colonize skin asymptomatically for months before becoming deadly if it enters the bloodstream through wounds or medical devices.
A new CDC report reveals nearly 200,000 emergency room visits in the past year for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a condition causing severe nausea and vomiting in frequent marijuana users. The increase may reflect both rising cases and improved diagnostic coding.
New research reveals that polyethylene, one of the world's most widely used plastics found in food packaging, may increase the risk of fatty liver disease by disrupting the liver's natural repair mechanisms. The finding is surprising because polyethylene has long been considered biologically inert.
Public Citizen alleges that a little-noticed Medicare rule change will exempt AbbVie's pancreatic insufficiency drug Creon from price negotiations for seven extra years, potentially costing taxpayers billions. The controversy emerges amid broader debates over Medicare drug pricing policies and their fiscal impact.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt after he invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions about his role in the Covid-19 pandemic response.
Research reveals that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags, which have been the standard for blood storage since the 1970s when they replaced glass bottles, may be releasing microplastic particles into stored blood products used for transfusions.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel released a report warning that the Palestinian public healthcare system in the occupied West Bank is on the brink of collapse, citing Israel's withholding of tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority as pushing hospitals and clinics to crisis point.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna's mFlusiva on Wednesday, marking the first mRNA-based influenza vaccine authorized in the U.S. The vaccine is approved for adults aged 50 and older, representing a significant expansion of mRNA technology beyond COVID-19 vaccines.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reported that more than 200 deaths have been linked to weight loss medications including Wegovy and Mounjaro, with the majority associated with tirzepatide. The data also shows approximately 18,000 adverse reactions have been reported.
A randomized controlled trial conducted through the NHS in England found that a single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, produced significant improvements in depression symptoms among 60 adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder compared to placebo, with good tolerability.
British researchers have conducted the first successful clinical trials of vaccines that do not require refrigeration, a breakthrough that could address the problem of half of all vaccines being discarded due to cold chain failures.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will decertify Network for Hope, a Kentucky-based organ procurement organization, following allegations that staff continued with organ retrieval procedures despite patients showing signs of life, including a case where a patient was thrashing, crying, and shaking his head.
The UK government has unveiled plans to open more than 100 walk-in mental health hubs in accessible community locations including libraries, banks and high street premises across England, alongside dedicated mental health emergency departments in hospitals. Health Secretary Andy Burnham described the initiative as the 'biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation' aimed at providing earlier intervention and preventing people from reaching crisis point.
CVS Health exceeded second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates and raised its full-year guidance, driven by better-than-expected medical costs in its Aetna insurance business. The results signal improvement in the struggling insurance division.
Kenya has entered a five-year cooperation framework with the Beginnings Fund, securing $80 million (Sh10.4 billion) to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare across 21 high-burden counties and approximately 200 health facilities, with an expected reach of over six million women and newborns.
