The Guardian Health

Yet another wake-up call on declining child health | Letters

Readers respond to a warning from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on a ‘national embarrassment’We were pleased to see your report (UK children will be one of unhealthiest generations in decades, doctors say, 14 July) on the deteriorating health of UK children, based on a study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. However, it was disappointing to see no mention of the shrinking health visitor workforce and the impact that this has on the health and wellbeing of

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

Broaden newborn screening programmes | Letters

Screening for spinal muscular atrophy is a step forward, says Dr Janet Hoskin, but what about other serious genetic conditions such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy?The decision to introduce newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a major breakthrough for families and campaigners (All newborns in England to be screened for spinal muscular atrophy from 2027, 16 July). Early diagnosis means children can access treatment sooner, improving outcomes and giving families clarity at a

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The Guardian Health

Yoga for scoliosis can be life-changing | Letters

I’ve worked to cope with the chronic pain through ashtanga yoga, says Louise Zamparutti. Plus letters from Kirie Pedersen and Alice DevonThank you for publishing Natasha Livingstone’s article (A moment that changed me: I started yoga – and saw my scoliosis in a surprising new light, 15 July). I have been ashamed of my scoliosis my entire life. It wasn’t diagnosed until my early 20s, and by that time I had begun a career as a dancer and choreographer. My dance teachers were always criticising my

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The Guardian Health

Ads call ovarian cancer a ‘silent killer’. But does urging women to undergo early detection testing do more harm than good? | Antiviral

Website offering blood check is aimed at people with a higher risk of disease – and false positives can create fearRead more in the Antiviral series“Early detection blood testing” for ovarian cancer “is now available in Australia”, the online ads say, warning that “it’s not just women with a family history” who can be diagnosed.The ad calls the cancer a “silent killer” and says women who wish to be “proactive” can visit a website for early detection. It lists general symptoms including bloating,

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The Guardian Health

Fourth person dies in New York City legionnaires’ disease outbreak

US health officials say source of Upper East Side cluster has likely been eliminated after 76 people fell illAn outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in New York City has claimed a fourth life, officials have said, as they again expressed confidence the source of the exposure had been eliminated.A statement from the city’s health department on Monday said the outbreak, which was traced to cooling towers in buildings in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, had sickened 76 people – with 53 discharged after ho

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The Guardian Health

Healthy diet too expensive for one in three people globally, UN report finds

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 wellOne in three people cannot afford to eat a healthy diet, a new report has found, prompting calls for urgent action on food affordability.There are 2.69 billion people unable to afford a diverse diet that meets their energy and nutrient needs, and it will take “immense” amounts of work to achieve the global

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WHO News

UN report: Global hunger levels ease for third consecutive year as regional disparities persist

Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, demonstrating that progress is possible. However, the improvements remain fragile, unevenly distributed and insufficient to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI 2026) report, released on Tuesday by five United Nations specialized agencies.

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The Guardian Health

Palantir isn’t the only option for the NHS | Letter

Manchester’s integrated care board offers the health service a domestic alternative to the US firm, says Dr Devan MoodleyRegarding Peter Geoghegan’s article (I investigated Palantir’s foothold in the British state – and what I found should worry us all, 15 July), the nine years that Greater Manchester’s health system has spent without Palantir is a result not of caution but bold conviction.Greater Manchester’s integrated care board remains the only one in England to decline t

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WHO News

WHO marks 25 years of Research4Life, advancing access to scientific knowledge in more than 120 countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) today marks the 25th anniversary of Research4Life, a public-private partnership that provides researchers, educators, health professionals and policy-makers in low- and middle-income countries with affordable or free access to scientific knowledge. The partnership has helped dramatically expand access to scientific knowledge for researchers, educators, health professionals and policy-makers in more than 120 countries.

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The Guardian Health

FDA says review of Taylor Farms lettuce shows cyclospora finding was false positive

Spokesperson for Taylor Fresh Foods told Reuters ‌that the company was informed FDA made a mistakeWhat is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea?How to properly clean produce to help avoid the parasite cyclosporaThe US Food and Drug ⁠Administration said on Sunday that laboratory experts re-checked lettuce sample results from Taylor Farms in an ⁠investigation into an ⁠outbreak of the ​cyclospora parasite and concluded the finding should be considered a false positive.A

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The Guardian Health

‘We need to talk about how difficult it is’: why one couple are pinning surrogacy hopes on Mexico

Jules Von Hep and Mark Beverlo, who have been trying to become parents since 2020, are now seeking help abroadRise in overseas surrogates ‘increases risk of stateless babies’Why Mexico is at the heart of ethical debate over global surrogacyJules Von Hep has wanted a baby ever since he can remember. For many people that dream is straightforward to realise – but, as a gay man, he has always known it would take years of saving and searching.The only way he can have a biological child is to use a su

health  5d ago

WHO News

Road deaths fall by 21% globally but stronger action is needed to save lives

Despite the addition of more than one billion motor-vehicles to the world’s roads, road traffic deaths declined by 21% between 2011 and 2025, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The world has experienced profound changes in road traffic during this time with the emergence of new modes of transport and a sharp rise in motorcycle use. Despite this progress, however, road traffic crashes still claimed 1.16 million people's lives in 2025. Road traffic injurie

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The Guardian Health

Rising numbers of younger midwives quitting NHS in England, data shows

Exclusive: Maternity staffing shortages worsen as more and more under-35s quit because of burnoutMore and more midwives are leaving the NHS before they reach 35 because of burnout, worsening the staffing problems that are affecting maternity units.The growing trend of early career quitting has sparked fears it poses a threat to the quality and safety of care that mothers and babies receive from already-understaffed childbirth services. Continue reading...

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The Guardian Health

Second person dies in legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City

Outbreak has sickened dozens in the city but officials say they believe source of outbreak ‘has likely been eliminated’A second person has died amid a legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in New York City, according to officials, who also say there is evidence that the source of the outbreak “has likely been eliminated”.New York City’s health department served notice of the second death in a statement on Saturday. The statement didn’t have any information about that

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The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on pubs: football gave them a boost – now they need another | Editorial

Communal spaces where people can share big moments are a vital part of our shared life“People can’t get enough of football fever,” a pub landlord, Sam Hale, told the Guardian last week. The World Cup provided the UK’s struggling hospitality industry with a much-needed boost, with pubs benefiting from extended opening hours and one estimate suggesting that an extra 5.5m pints were sold in the group stages alone. The tournament lifted customers’ spirits too – even if it ended in disappointment for

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The Guardian Health

I’ve heard menopause hormone therapy fixes everything. Should I take it?

Timely treatment provides relief for menopause symptoms, but expecting it to fix all of them is a set-up for disappointmentIt happens with some regularity. I offhandedly mention some bodily inconvenience to a fellow middle-aged woman – indigestion, a headache, a bad mood. Immediately, she says it’s perimenopause and suggests I try hormone therapy.These moments give me whiplash. In 2002, when I was a medical student, a study frightened a generation of patients and clinicians by suggesting the ris

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The Guardian Health

Israel’s brutality cannot continue in plain sight | Letters

Gwyn Daniel and Phil Gaunt respond to an article by Nesrine Malik about the horrors taking place in Israel’s prisonsNesrine Malik’s incisive piece (In Israel’s prisons, torture and death have become a norm that it barely tries to hide, 13 July) lays bare the fact that all the illegal detentions, deaths, torture and sexual abuse in Israeli prisons are not aberrations from a legal system, but deeply embedded in the practices and intentions of the state. She mentions the psychological dimension to

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The Guardian Health

The truth about migraines: what causes them – and how to find relief

Over the last decade, the understanding of these devastating headaches has grown enormously, as has the understanding of what can be done to treat themWe’ve been trying to cure migraines – without much success, until relatively recently – for as long as we’ve been able to identify them as a distinct ailment. The Ebers Papyrus, a scroll dating back to 1550BC that mentions a “disease of one half of the head”, suggests anointing the scalp with fried catfish; Galen, the second-century Roman physicia

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The Guardian Health

How Trump and his administration have mired the US in multiple crises

From manufactured election insecurity to an outbreak of ‘explosive’ diarrhea, Americans are bearing the brunt of harmful policiesBetween widespread cuts to vital government agencies, various disease and illness outbreaks, and new environmental disaster vulnerabilities, the United States is facing a convergence of crises with widespread repercussions.Yet the Trump administration has hamstrung the federal government from addressing these crises – and in some cases is actively fanning them. Over th

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The Guardian Health

Cyclospora: iceberg lettuce recalled in 27 states and more products may follow

Taylor Farms does not specify where products were served or sold, as US braces for weeks more of outbreakTaylor Farms recalled potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce in 27 states on Friday, including lettuce distributed as recently as Thursday, as cases of cyclosporiasis continue rising in the US.The US is likely to see at least another two weeks of possible cases, since infections may have happened in recent days. And the expanding outbreak investigation could point to other products

health  6d ago