The Guardian Health

What does an air purifier do and can it help with wildfire smoke?

As wildfires burn in Canada and parts of the US, air purifiers can be useful when the air outside is unhealthyWith smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota spreading across the US, more than 20 states have issued air quality alerts. Local leaders urged people to stay inside as “unhealthy” air quality levels affected the US midwest and north-east.For several decades, air quality in the US was trending up by many measures. Data indicated that fine, inhalable airborne particulate matter, known

health  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Drugmaker Merck announces approval of new cholesterol-fighting drug

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the USSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been stati

health  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Cyclospora is easy for doctors to miss. The US made it even harder to spot | Robert B Shpiner

Last year the federal government downgraded active surveillance for this parasite. Now thousands are sickA patient arrives after two weeks of relentless watery diarrhea, sometimes 20 episodes a day. She has lost weight and cannot keep fluids down. Her stool tests come back negative. Unless someone thinks to order an assay that includes Cyclospora cayetanensis, she may leave without a diagnosis and stay ill for weeks longer.Cyclospora is easy to miss in a clinic. Many routine stool tests do not i

health  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

All newborns in England to be screened for spinal muscular atrophy from 2027

Campaigners hail ‘landmark moment’ in early detection and treatment of rare muscle-wasting diseaseEvery baby born in England will be screened for a rare muscle-wasting disease, starting next year, the Department of Health and Social Care announced on Thursday.Campaigners said the “landmark moment” should lead to babies who were found to have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) being treated early and thus growing up without any of its debilitating symptoms. Continue reading...

health  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Social media bans are likely to make things worse’: psychologist Candice Odgers on kids, tech and mental health

She has studied adolescent mental health for 25 years and fears the debate obscures some of the biggest issues facing teenagers – from the impact of Covid to the health of their adult caregiversThe quickest way to make being online safer for children and teens would be to kick all adult men off the internet, the Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers believes. Men are the biggest perpetrators of sextortion and most likely to spread misinformation, she says.Odgers is not recommending this as a poli

health  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Black doctors in England four times less likely to get training places than white counterparts

For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data showsBlack doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis.As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Continue reading...

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

Reducing ultra-processed foods could prevent thousands of heart disease deaths, study suggests

Researchers in Canada say that UFPs could be ‘substantial and potentially preventable’ contributor to the diseaseThousands of people could avoid dying of heart disease by reducing ultra-processed foods (UPFs), experts have said, as a modelling study suggests junk food may be driving up to a third of cases.Millions of people increasingly consume UPFs such as ready meals, breakfast cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks and fast food. Continue reading...

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

CDC nominee Erica Schwartz pressed on whether she will resist RFK Jr’s vaccine agenda

During confirmation hearing Wednesday, Trump’s pick tells Senate health committee she will ‘never betray the science’Erica Schwartz, the Trump administration’s latest nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), faced sharp questioning from senators who pressed her to say whether she would stand up to her boss, the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Schwartz, a deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, told

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on obesity: put public health before food industry pressure | Editorial

Obesity reflects prices, advertising and access, not simply weak willpower. Ministers must now actBritain has spent the last three decades asking individuals to make healthier choices inside a market that makes those choices more expensive and less visible. It is no surprise then that the proportion of adults in England living with obesity nearly doubled in that time, to 30%. MPs on the health select committee have decided enough is enough. Preventing obesity in future generations, they say, mus

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

Heatwaves are killing people in Britain. We need to take action now | Letters

Dr Alessandro Massazza says extreme heat is linked to poor mental health, but solutions do exist. Plus letters from Sean Smith and Woody CaanThe data published by Imperial College London on deaths caused by the May and June heatwaves is a stark reminder of how climate change is not only measured in degrees of temperatures but also in terms of lost lives (May and June heatwaves killed about 2,700 people in England and Wales, data suggests, 13 July).While each death due to extreme heat is a preven

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

Bristol declared ‘city of harm reduction’ as Greens seek less punitive drug policy

Councillors pass motion that paves way to setting up drugs-consumption facility where users can be helped and treatedUK politics live – latest updatesBristol has been formally declared a “city of harm reduction”, with local politicians pledging to focus on helping and treating users of illegal drugs rather than punishing them.Green councillors, who lead the city council, said the declaration was a clear signal that public health rather than criminal justice solutions were needed to tackle the UK

health  Jul 15, 2026

WHO News

New WHO guidelines: up to 45% of dementia risk could be prevented or delayed

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released updated guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, providing countries with evidence-based recommendations to help prevent or delay the onset of dementia across the life course. Dementia is a condition caused by brain diseases and affects memory, thinking and the ability to function. More than 57 million people live with dementia worldwide and nearly 10 million people get newly diagnosed every year. Alzheimer disease is t

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

A moment that changed me: I started yoga – and saw my scoliosis in a surprising new light

As a teenager I declined a painful operation to straighten my spinal curvature, and it was a decision I sometimes regretted. But through daily stretching and exercise, my relationship with my body was transformedI was 13 when a spinal surgeon gave me unsolicited career advice. “Scoliosis won’t ruin your life,” he said, peering over his spectacles, “unless you want to do bikini modelling.” As a young teenager, I hadn’t thought much about job prospects, let alone modelling, but his words stung. It

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

I investigated Palantir’s foothold in the British state – and what I found should worry us all | Peter Geoghegan

Paid-for political access and threadbare regulations have helped to embed the US tech firm in the NHS – and beyond. But there is a way to free ourselvesAndy Burnham faces a lot of big decisions. But one of the incoming prime minister’s biggest early tests is what he does about the world’s “scariest company” – Palantir. The US defence and surveillance tech behemoth has a swathe of British public contracts, including, most controversially, a £330m deal with the NHS. It’s pretty clear what many of

health  Jul 15, 2026

WHO News

Global childhood immunization coverage inches forward despite conflict and hesitancy – UNICEF, WHO

In 2025, 90% of infants globally – or nearly 116 million – received at least one dose of a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, and 85% – or 110 million – completed the full three-dose series, according to the annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) released today.  While both indicators rose by one percentage point from the previous year, global coverage remains one point below 2019 levels – hovering within the s

health  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Health

Protect public health policies from lobbying firms | Letter

Caroline Cerny, Prof Sir Ian Gilmore and Katharine Jenner welcome the ethics watchdog’s recommendations to improve transparency around lobbyingFrom tobacco and alcohol to unhealthy food, there is extensive evidence that companies whose profits depend on the sale of harmful products have repeatedly sought to influence the policies designed to protect public health.Research from around the world has documented efforts to deny, dilute and delay measures aimed at reducing harm, while promoting appro

health  Jul 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

The lonely reality of male infertility – podcast

Sperm counts are in decline worldwide, and testosterone levels are said to be plunging, but male infertility still carries a stigma. Prof Michael Carroll on what every man should knowWhen we talk about infertility, the focus tends to be on the woman. After some basic tests, IVF is often seen as a solution. But half of the time, infertility is caused by issues with the man’s sperm. And sperm counts are on the decline worldwide.Toby Trice tells Helen Pidd about how he and his wife spent years tryi

health  Jul 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Stretch, be gentle and build flexibility: expert tips on doing the splits

Doing a split may look impressive, but experts caution it should not be done without practice and it may not be for everyoneOn Love Island USA’s recent eighth season, contestant Kenzie Annis quickly distinguished herself with her ability to perform the splits, abruptly deploying the maneuver in fits of both delight and rage.Seeing the splits on TV shows such as Love Island and RuPaul’s Drag Race can make people “want to take on that challenge and to push themselves to new heights”, said Ramoni O

health  Jul 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

Disability benefits: why we shouldn’t call it ‘welfare’ | Letters

Susan Randall on Stephen Timms’ Pip review and those with longstanding mental illness and Ruth Lister on why social security spending shouldn’t be called ‘welfare’. Plus letters from Luke Howard and Katie MeddWith reference to your editorial (The Guardian view on disability benefits: Pip must not become another route for cuts, 10 July), and speaking as someone who has contributed to Sir Stephen Timms’ review on behalf of family carers dealing with those with serious mental illnesses, such a

health  Jul 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

At a dying man’s bedside, I see something much rarer than grief: the courage to include the young | Ranjana Srivastava

If we spare youth the universal reality of death, we postpone to middle age the struggle to reconcile with itI am not especially superstitious but it tends to be a Friday afternoon when the collective mass of the hospital shudders to the realisation that the weekend is upon us and important questions are unanswered.My patient is a man in his early 70s who has kept deteriorating after major cancer surgery two weeks ago. Instead of the progressive recovery he was told to expect, he has grown worse

health  Jul 13, 2026