The Guardian Health

Right now, we could be living through a hantavirus disaster. The world avoided that, and this is why | Devi Sridhar

As the isolation period comes to an end for those caught up in the outbreak on a cruise ship, let’s celebrate a good news storypassengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship where the hantavirus outbreak first occurred finished their isolation periods this past Sunday. This is a public health success story worth celebrating, because so many worse results were possible. We heard so much about what went wrong during Covid and the various systems that failed, so it’s good to recognise when things go ri

health  Jun 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

Familiar Touch review – Kathleen Chalfant is wonderful in subtle, sensual memory loss drama

Director Sarah Friedland brings impressive attention to detail to an audacious debut feature about a woman moved into a retirement communityProfoundly tender and yet untainted by the slightest trace of sentiment, this intimate and frankly sensual drama follows elderly Ruth (American stage icon Kathleen Chalfant) as she adjusts to a major change in circumstances. Told with an audacious economy that unveils key details only when absolutely necessary, the film hints at what’s going on when Ruth tre

health  Jun 15, 2026

WHO News

Open letter to leaders of G7, G20, BRICS and all nations on finalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex

Dear Leaders of the G7, the G20, BRICS and of all nations,We write to you together, from Geneva and from Brasília, with one shared conviction: that the world must finish what it started, and that you can help it do so.We begin not with an institution or an annex, but with a memory the whole world shares. Not so long ago, our hospitals overflowed. Families said goodbye to the people they loved through glass, or by telephone, or not at all. Children lost grandparents. Doctors and nurses, ex

health  Jun 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

A new start after 60: I fell out of love with my job when it went online. So I’m beginning again – in nursing

Nick Dowling spent decades in manufacturing and consultancy. The Covid pandemic opened his eyes to other possibilities, though he knew he’d be starting from scratchNick Dowling was the only person in the doctor’s waiting room when the practice nurse came out, glanced around and said to the receptionist with a confused look: “I was expecting to meet a student here.” Dowling raised his hand. At 60, he has undertaken an apprenticeship and hopes to qualify as a registered nursing associate this autu

health  Jun 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on disability rights: the removal of legal safeguards brings risks | Editorial

Charities are right to be concerned about the supreme court’s decision to lessen oversight of care settingsThe UK supreme court has ended a system of safeguards around the human rights of disabled people that has been in place for over a decade, in its recent ruling on a legal question brought to it by the attorney general of Northern Ireland. In doing so, the judges have alarmed charities and disability advocates and pushed a little-discussed aspect of social care regulation into the spotlight.

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

People living with dementia are too often overlooked | Letters

Readers respond to an article about how people living with the condition are fighting against damaging stereotypesAnne Karpf’s article is a powerful and timely reminder that people living with dementia are too often overlooked and underestimated (‘You’re treated like this is the end’: Meet the dementia rebels – diagnosed and determined to change people’s minds, 9 June). I particularly welcomed its emphasis on continued engagement through new experiences, learning, volunteering and social connect

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Why diagnostic test waiting lists are so long | Letter

Without investment in more radiographers, NHS waiting lists will continue to rise inexorably, says CEO of the Society and College of Radiographers, Richard EvansIn your article (Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in England, 7 June), you quote Marlen Suller of Magentus saying that the solution to ever-increasing diagnostic waiting lists is for the NHS to “make better use of existing capacity, test patients faster, give them clearer information and use financial incentives t

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ebola one month on: will the latest outbreak in DRC become the most deadly yet?

With more than 670 confirmed cases and over 135 deaths, the disease has yet to be contained amid funding shortfalls, fear and disinformationWhen an orphanage in Bunia took in a newborn baby after his mother died from Ebola, the nuns who ran it hoped they were giving the infant a chance for life. The baby survived for only another two weeks. Now four of the nuns who cared for him have fallen sick with the deadly virus.It is a snapshot of the tragedies at the centre of an outbreak in which the num

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘It’s going to be extremely hot’: workers imperiled as sweltering World Cup temperatures are forecast

It could top 90F in several cities hosting World Cup games – and workers could pay the price with their healthAs the World Cup kicks off, labor advocates and scholars warn that the workers making the tournament possible could face serious heat-related risks.“It’s going to be extremely hot, and you just cannot leave people unprotected or you’re going to deal with a lot of injuries,” said Jonathan Alingu, co-executive director of Central Florida Jobs With Justice, which has been calling for worker

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘A huge spectrum of people coming together’: how parkrun made it to its millionth event

Founded in 2004, the free weekly 5km event has grown into a global fixture of weekend life, taking place in parks, fields, seafronts and even prisonsThe millionth parkrun took place on Saturday, acting as a celebration of the community cohesion and public health benefit that the charity has been aiming to achieve across the past two decades.Those in attendance at the event in Bushy Park in west London included former Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, as well as thousands of locals and parkrun

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Trial of 12mph bike lane speed limit grinds gears of Dutch cyclists

Increase in road deaths amid rise of e-bikes prompts Houten to test willingness of freedom-loving cyclists to slow downAs road deaths increase and cycle lanes overflow with e-bikes, the Netherlands is considering a cycling speed limit of 12mph (20km/h).The government has started a two-week trial in Houten, near Utrecht, to gauge whether freedom-loving Dutch cyclists are willing to slow down – and whether they have any idea how fast they are going in the first place. Continue reading...

health  Jun 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Travel insurance: don’t let a health condition derail your holiday plans

A medical issue can send quotes for cover soaring but it is not worth risking going abroad without a policy“I nearly fell over when I saw the travel insurance quote,” says the retiree Bernie Lawrence. The 77-year-old from Fleet, Hampshire, says that after he developed heart problems, the cost of buying cover became “astronomical”.Lawrence, who usually travels with his wife, Barbara, 79, says he had always been active and fit before suffering chest pains while out running in 2018. Nine days later

health  Jun 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

From man boobs to baldness: everything you wanted to know about midlife wellness … but were too male to ask

Is my metabolism slowing with age? What’s the secret to good skin? And is there anything I can do about my crows feet? Medical, health and diet experts offer a midlife MOTAccording to the dietician Rick Miller: “By the time a man hits his mid-40s, several physiological changes are already under way. Testosterone drops at around 1-2% annually from the mid-30s, insulin sensitivity decreases and the liver’s capacity to process certain nutrients changes. The diet that kept a man lean and energetic i

health  Jun 12, 2026

The Guardian Health

Data is not enough: from Covid to measles, America must relearn risk communication | Lynne Peeples

The confusion over hantavirus and Ebola is a reminder that we must do better at explaining how to respond to an outbreakTwo unfolding outbreaks continue to command global attention. As a hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship appears to be petering out, Ebola cases continue to mount in Africa. Alongside them have emerged familiar artifacts of the Covid era, including dashboards, trackers, maps, risk estimates, and a polarized mix of alarming and dismissive takes.Once again, we’re able to watc

health  Jun 12, 2026

WHO News

Safe blood supply improves as voluntary donations exceed 85%, but many people still lack access

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show sustained progress towards safer blood supplies globally but also highlight persistent inequalities in access to safe blood and weaknesses in governance, financing and regulation of blood systems.

health  Jun 12, 2026

The Guardian Health

Scientists are working on headphones that block annoying noises and allow the ones you love? I can’t wait! | Emma Beddington

Imagine a world with more birdsong and less Nigel Farage. If this is the future, bring it onUnpopular opinion incoming: there’s cool stuff brewing in the world. Microbots might one day mend spinal cords, a petri dish of brain cells can already play video games, and now the prospect of a new wonder: according to a New Yorker article on misophonia (the condition where unwanted noise triggers disproportionate, unpleasant cognitive and physiological reactions), a team of miracle workers are “using m

health  Jun 12, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Autistic kids are being experimented on’: inside America’s booming market for unproven stem cell infusions

Feeling abandoned and overwhelmed, families are turning to controversial new therapies backed by the US health secretaryLandyn Holdren is an eight-year-old autistic child who has high support needs and is nonspeaking. His mother, Christy Holdren, says he can be self-harming, slapping his chest, face or head when distressed.Later this month, she will spend $15,000 on an unapproved stem cell treatment she hopes might help him. Continue reading...

health  Jun 12, 2026

The Guardian Health

Joseph Ana obituary

My friend Joseph Ana, who has died aged 73, spent the best part of two decades in the UK working for the NHS as a urologist and then as a GP. But his heart was always in his native Nigeria, to where he returned to become a health commissioner. He used the knowledge and experience he had gained in the UK to help rebuild faith in the local healthcare system, overseeing, among other things, improvements in vaccination rates and the introduction of a state-wide ambulance service.Joseph was born in Z

health  Jun 12, 2026

The Guardian Health

Bananas could vanish from school lunch menus. Here’s why

New Farm Bill places caps on non-US foods; nutritionists say it restricts availability of healthy meals for kidsSchool nutrition workers and advocates have “lots of concerns about bananas”, said Erin Ogden, policy associate for federal child nutrition programs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).Bananas are nutrient-dense foods that many children like. That makes them popular offerings in school cafeterias, since any healthy food that a kid will eat prevents waste and ensures

health  Jun 11, 2026

The Guardian Health

Patients are dying in A&E corridors - but I've seen how things could be different | Sophie

When I started nursing at 21 we were able to deliver timely, good care. That has become nearly impossibleSophie (not her real name) is a member of the Royal College of Nursing and a senior A&E nurse in a hospital in the south of EnglandI began my career as an A&E nurse in 2010, when I was 21. It was a completely different world. If a patient needed immediate attention, there was easily the capacity for two nurses to look after them straight away. The NHS target of seeing patients within

health  Jun 11, 2026