The Guardian Health

Alan Milburn is right, a young generation has been betrayed. Forget Tony Blair: we must attend to this | Polly Toynbee

The new and excoriating account of the dire prospects for UK young people is a call to action. It could be the Beveridge report for our time The diagnosis is dire. Alan Milburn has published the first part of his forensic report on the lives and chances of young people, their fate after leaving school or college, the inadequacy of their health, education and pastoral care, and the reluctance of employers to hire them. This is a “moral crisis”, he says. There are now more than a million young peo

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

Diphtheria is a disease of poverty that has no place in modern Australia. When we talk about Closing the Gap, this is the gap | Donna Ah Chee

For those of us working in Aboriginal health, the outbreak doesn’t come as a surprise. We must invest in housing that keeps remote communities safeThe diphtheria outbreak should shock Australia. Not simply because a disease once considered virtually eradicated has returned, but because of where it is spreading and why.More than 220 cases have been recorded in 2026, primarily across the Northern Territory and northern Australia. The overwhelming majority of patients are Aboriginal people, includi

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

Salmonella infections in England at highest level in a decade, figures show

Cases of salmonella remain ‘consistently high’ at 10,406 infections in 2025, 26% higher than the number of cases in 2016The number of people in England struck by salmonella poisoning after eating contaminated food has reached its highest level for a decade.There were 10,406 laboratory-confirmed cases last year of non-typhoidal salmonella, the type of the bacteria that is caused by contaminated foods such as meat, poultry and eggs. Continue reading...

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

Fewer men should get prostate cancer screening, committee recommends

Government will consider the expert guidance, which concludes screening ‘likely to cause more harm than good’Most men in the UK will not be offered prostate cancer screening if the government accepts the final recommendation of an expert committee.The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) said attempting to detect the disease using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was “likely to cause more harm than good”. Continue reading...

health  May 28, 2026

WHO News

Message by the WHO Director-General to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

To the people of DRC, especially to the people of Ituri Jambo kwenu wakahaji wa Ituri Mbote na bino, bato ya Ituri My name is Tedros, and I am the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). But today, I am not writing to you as an official. I am writing to you as someone who knows your region, who has walked your streets, and who cares deeply about what happens to you and your families. I am writing because I want to be with you in these moments. And I want you

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

US abortion restrictions are hindering access to miscarriage care, study finds

States with abortion bans are turning away from medications to a wait-and-see approach, with care falling below standardsAbortion restrictions in the US have made it more difficult to access care for miscarriages, a new study stays.The new research found that since the June 2022 Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v Wade, pregnancy care has fractured along state lines; it’s getting increasingly harder to access healthcare for miscarriages in US states with aborti

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘A record of failure’: what’s in the first part of Alan Milburn’s Neet report?

The former minister paints damning picture of structural issues affecting 1 million young people in the UKAlan Milburn, the Blair-era cabinet minister turned social mobility adviser, has delivered the first part of his government-commissioned report on why increasing numbers of people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (Neet).Its 217 pages cover the extent and causes of the issue – with possible solutions coming in his next report – and set out a hugely detailed and damni

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Among the things he feared most was death’: the doctors and nurses dying on the Ebola frontline

Medics battling the incurable disease in Democratic Republic of the Congo working in ‘agonising’ conditionsWhen Dr Vladimir Maduali died of Ebola in the early hours of Sunday morning, he was the fourth member of staff at his hospital to be killed by the disease in as many days. Two days later, his colleague Dr Tibenderana Katho Blaisealso died of the disease at the Bunia Evangelical medical centre, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Maduali graduated from the University of Bunia just three

health  May 28, 2026

The Guardian Health

Stigma around burnout must be challenged | Letters

Readers respond to the Green MP Carla Denyer’s decision to take time out from her workGaby Hinsliff’s excellent article about the Green MP Carla Denyer (The curse of burnout Britain affects politicians as much as everyone else: give Carla Denyer a break, 26 May) powerfully articulates a reality faced by far too many. As a volunteer taking calls for Headrest, a helpline supporting school leaders, I regularly hear evidence of the pressures she describes.Many school leaders experience the “mor

health  May 27, 2026

The Guardian Health

Resident doctors in England to stage four-day strike in June

BMA blames new health secretary for decision to stage 16th strike in long-running jobs and pay disputeUK politics live – latest updatesResident doctors in England will next month stage the 16th strike in their long-running jobs and pay dispute, and have blamed the new health secretary for their decision.They will strike for four days from 7am on Monday 15 June until 6.59am on Friday 19 June. Announcing the move, the British Medical Association warned that resident doctors would mount a further s

health  May 27, 2026

The Guardian Health

Trump completes annual physical after year of public attention to health issues

US president, who turns 80 next month, frequently casts himself as fit but recent photos have added to questions about his healthSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump, the oldest inaugurated president in US history, completed a physical exam on Tuesday at Walter Reed national military medical center, amid questions around his health.“Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” the US president declared in a social media post. Continue reading...

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on support for youth: someone in government should grab hold of school sports | Editorial

With concerns about childhood obesity and screen use sky-high, cuts to primary PE are an unforced errorWith remarkably poor timing, days before closing a consultation on children’s social media use, the government announced last week that it is cutting an annual £320m sports premium for primary schools in England. A new scheme worth £193m will cover secondaries too, and resurrect a previous model whereby outside clubs and coaches play a bigger role. But primary school leaders are understandably

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

Inequalities in health are the result of where you’re born, live, work and grow old | Letter

Our life expectancy is not simply our personal responsibility, writes Jennie PopayHaving spent several decades as a researcher in the health equity field, I was irritated to see that well-worn, misleading trope about personal responsibility for poor health being given the oxygen of publicity by the Guardian (At least 80% responsibility for ill health in old age down to individual, study says, 20 May).The Oxford Longevity Project’s study gave the impression that the main cause of poor health and

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

Labour says Reform UK ‘in chaos’ as Zia Yusuf publicly tells Jenrick he’s got party’s deportation policy wrong – as it happened

‘Robert’s answer is not Reform policy’, Yusuf said about an answer that Jenrick gave to journalists days earlierKeir Starmer has said that SNP leaders need to explain why they did not realise that Peter Murrell was stealing more than £400,000 from the party.Asked about yesterday’s court proceedings in Edinburgh, where Murrell admitting embezzling money from the party to spend on luxury goods, Starmer said:I think anybody looking at what’s happening up in Scotland will be baffled that those at th

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

Image of ‘twin babies’ used by anti-abortion activist appears to show sugar gliders

Joanna Howe says the image was sent to her by a woman ashamed of her abortion, and used it to support ‘rally for Emma and Ruth’ in favour of NSW billFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders.The two little pink bodies are displayed on a clean white background and exp

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

Why Trump administration’s plan to attempt to destroy Pfas is ‘nonsensical’

The EPA said it was cutting Biden-era regulations on Pfas in drinking water, but advocates say the move will harm public health and benefit industryA new Trump administration plan to ditch Pfas drinking water regulations and instead attempt to destroy “forever chemicals” on a wide scale tears a page from the fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture playbook, and will benefit the industry while harming public health.The US Environmental Protection Agency last week announced it is moving to kill stro

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

I lost my beloved husband after 35 years, then my sister and my father. Here’s how I rebuilt my old happy self

I tried everything from gong baths to junk food and intermittent crying as I attempted to deal with my grief. Nothing helped – until I started tuning in to what my body was telling meI didn’t think I could survive the death of my husband, Graham. We met at university when I was 18, and for 35 years we made a great team. We both worked full-time and, while I organised our many marathon and backpacking trips abroad, and pursued my ambition of becoming an author and hypnotherapist, he supported me

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

The curse of burnout Britain affects politicians as much as everyone else: give Carla Denyer a break | Gaby Hinsliff

The Green MP’s decision to take time out has angered some – but many more will see endemic stress and anxiety as a blight we must addressCarla Denyer is taking some time out.The Bristol Central MP and former Green party co-leader says she is suffering from burnout after trying to juggle health issues on top of the job and has been advised by her doctor to take a break. In an ideal world, most people would just wish her a swift recovery and get on with their lives, as quite a lot of MPs from norm

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

Abortion regret is a myth. Irish women don’t need laws to make them ‘reflect’ on their choices | Roe McDermott

More people regret knee surgery than abortion. So why is the patriarchy still scaring us with lifelong torment?Ireland’s parliament, the Dáil, voted down a reproductive rights amendment bill this month that would have abolished the country’s mandatory three-day waiting period for access to an abortion. Supporters of the unsuccessful reform bill, tabled by the Social Democrats, argued that the delay serves no medical purpose.As the bill moved through political debate and media coverage, those def

health  May 26, 2026

The Guardian Health

A job that changed me: As an anxious first-time surgical assistant, the casual workplace dynamics surprised me

I was primed to sweat my way through a high-stakes procedure. But once the patient was sedated, a welcome warmth entered the roomRead more in this series hereI’ve had quite a few surgical procedures over the years but one always sticks in my mind. The 7am arrival to hospital, the injustice of being deprived a morning coffee in the name of “fasting”, the apprehension as I lay on the operating table waiting for it to begin. It was my second spinal operation in a few months because the surgical tea

health  May 25, 2026