WHO News

WHO launches seven strategies to prevent drowning

Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a new technical package to help governments and communities implement seven proven measures to reduce drowning deaths.

health  Jul 23, 2026

The Guardian Health

Alarm over hospital lung admissions for children in England’s poorest postcodes

Exclusive: Analysis of NHS England data reveals stark impact of air pollution in deprived areasChildren living in the poorest areas across England are 40% more likely to be admitted to hospital for respiratory infections, an analysis of NHS England data shows, with experts raising the alarm on the impact of air pollution on young people’s health.The analysis, based on data obtained via freedom of information requests by the charity Impact on Urban Health, revealed 1,941 out of every 100,000 chil

health  Jul 23, 2026

The Guardian Health

Target ultra-processed food to reduce obesity in Britain | Letter

James Capon responds to an editorial on the health select committee’s call for radical action to regulate food marketsThe MPs’ report mentioned in your editorial is welcome and overdue (The Guardian view on obesity: put public health before food industry pressure, 15 July). The health select committee is right to clarify that obesity is an engineered outcome, not a failure of willpower. But there’s a flaw running through decades of British food policy that risks being repeated: the “high in fat,

health  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian Health

Fifth person dies in New York City amid legionnaires’ disease outbreak

Outbreak has been traced to Upper East Side cooling towers, but Mamdani says source of exposure has been eliminatedA fifth person has died in New York City in connection with the legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood, according to the city’s health department.In an update issued Tuesday, the department said that 82 cases of legionnaires’ disease have now been identified and five people have died. Eight people remain hospitalized, while 56 have been discharged

health  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian Health

NHS trust investigated for corporate manslaughter after Nottingham attacks

Police open investigation into Nottinghamshire service that treated Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in 2023The NHS trust that treated the triple killer Valdo Calocane in the years before the Nottingham attacks is being investigated by police for corporate manslaughter.Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after he fatally stabbed the 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley Kumar, and the 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, on

health  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘If all else fails, sue’: how ultra-processed food firms are using the courts to obstruct health rules

Exclusive: Global investigation reveals 235 lawsuits have been brought against governments in five countries since 2010The world’s biggest ultra-processed food companies have filed scores of lawsuits challenging government policies that tackle junk diets, the Guardian can reveal.Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health. Worldwide consumption is rising and UPF now makes up as much as half the average die

health  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian Health

Health worker being monitored for Ebola in London hospital after working in DRC

UK resident was evacuated from Democratic Republic of the Congo where there is an outbreak of the diseaseA humanitarian worker is being monitored at a specialist hospital in London after potential exposure to the Ebola virus.The UK resident was medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where the worker had been treating patients with the disease, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Continue reading...

health  Jul 21, 2026

The Guardian Health

Richard Johns obituary

My father, Richard Johns, who has died aged 96, was one of the early pioneers of dental implantology and its application as an accepted procedure.In collaboration with the Swedish professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, in 1991 he set up the Dental Implant Institute in Sheffield, the first school in the UK to provide courses on implant techniques, as well as treatment. Continue reading...

health  Jul 21, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk sues US rival over ‘materially misleading’ ads

Danish pharma company says Eli Lilly using outdated trial data to make its weight-loss drugs appear more effectiveOzempic maker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it is suing arch US rival Eli Lilly over “false and materially misleading” adverts for its competing weight-loss and anti-diabetes treatments.The Danish pharmaceuticals heavyweight complained that the US group – which makes rival weight-loss treatments Zepbound and Mounjaro – “intentionally selected outdated studies” that compared Lilly’s hi

health  Jul 21, 2026

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  Jul 21, 2026

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

health  Jul 21, 2026

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

health  Jul 21, 2026

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,

health  Jul 21, 2026

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

health  Jul 21, 2026

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

health  Jul 21, 2026

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.

health  Jul 21, 2026

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

health  Jul 20, 2026

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.

health  Jul 20, 2026

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

health  Jul 20, 2026

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  Jul 20, 2026