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

The Guardian Health

Nearly 3,000 NHS patients a day receiving corridor care in England, figures show

Published for the first time, the data recorded 2,241 daily cases of A&E corridor care, with 699 patients also treated in other inappropriate settingsAlmost 3,000 patients a day in England are receiving care in hospital corridors due to an unavailability of beds in A&E units across the country, according to official figures.Corridor care occurs when a patient receives treatment in a setting that is clinically inappropriate and is deemed to be undignified and unsafe. Continue reading...

health  Jun 11, 2026

The Guardian Health

Two children die from measles as England data shows 100 new infections

London, the east of England and the West Midlands have highest number of cases, as UKHSA urges families to get children vaccinatedTwo children in England have died from measles, health officials say, as data shows more than 100 new reported cases in the last fortnight.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Thursday that two children had died this year, one from “acute measles” and the other from the “late effects of measles”. Continue reading...

health  Jun 11, 2026

The Guardian Health

Those tedious errands, tasks and chores that AI wants to replace? They help keep you fit | Manoush Zomorodi and Keith Diaz

There’s a downside to too much convenience: it harms our bodiesThere is a seductive fantasy being floated by AI executives that all the efficiency their products will bring us will lead to humans finally returning to their essential, best selves. Picture it: when this day arrives, we’ll spring from our chairs, push aside our keyboards and, supposedly, do all things we’ve been meaning to do: hike, cook and finally take a pilates class.It’s true – AI has already taken some workday drudgery, such a

health  Jun 11, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ministers want 60% of pupils in England ‘actively’ travelling to school by 2035

Exclusive: Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, says cycling and walking plan focuses on ‘everyday travel needs’UK politics live – latest updatesMinisters are to launch a major push to get more children walking and cycling to school as part of a wider boost for “active travel” by the transport secretary Heidi Alexander.In the first significant change to active travel policy since the Boris Johnson era, thousands of new safe routes and crossings will be built around schools in England, with a ta

health  Jun 11, 2026

The Guardian Health

Patients in A&E with non-urgent ailments may be told to come back later under NHS plans

NHS bosses urge all hospitals to use ‘digital triage’ process to combat overcrowding in emergency servicesPatients who turn up at A&E with non-urgent ailments could be told to come back another time under NHS plans to stop hospitals becoming overcrowded and avoid the service’s usual winter crisis.Eighteen hospitals in England are already using “digital triage assessment” to help A&E staff decide which patients need to be seen right away or be dealt with in another way. Continue reading..

health  Jun 10, 2026