India approves Takeda dengue vaccine for first time
India has approved its first dengue vaccine, authorising the use of Japanese drugmaker Takeda's Qdenga jab, the health ministry said on Tuesday. India's Centr…
Health & Public Health
Published stories in Health & Public Health.
Pandemic treaty talks continue after seventh round ends without final deal
Countries ended a seventh round of talks without finalising a key part of a pandemic treaty, the World Health Organization said. The talks concern the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system, known as PABS. The mechanism is meant to set rules on sharing ac…
South African officials say Koeberg contamination was minor
South African officials said on Sunday that recent radioactive contamination incidents at the Koeberg nuclear power plant were minor and posed no danger to the public. Officials said airborne radioactive contamination was detected during scheduled maintenance…
One dies in New York Legionnaires' disease outbreak
One person has died after contracting Legionnaires' disease in New York's Upper East Side, New York City health officials said on 17 July. The New York City Health Department said 67 cases had been confirmed in the neighborhood and that 12 people were hospita…
Seven US aid workers isolate at Kenya Ebola facility despite court order
Seven US aid workers are isolating at an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya that a court had ordered halted, Samaritan's Purse confirmed Friday. Kenya's health minister, Aden Duale, said he was not aware of their presence. The facility is at Laikipia Air Base…
Police investigate North Macedonia water supply after more than 1,000 treated for poisoning symptoms
More than 1,000 people have been treated for poisoning symptoms in North Macedonia after contaminated river water was allegedly pumped directly into a town's drinking supply, a hospital said Friday. The hospital in Gostivar, about 50 kilometres southwest of S…
France health agency reports sharp rise in Paris-region deaths during June heatwave
France's public health agency said deaths in the Paris region were more than double normal levels during a record-breaking heatwave in June. Sante Publique Fr…
UN warns Ebola could spread in DR Congo displacement camps
The United Nations warned on Monday that Ebola could spread in displacement camps in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo because of overcrowding and limited access to basic services. The UN aid agency OCHA said confirmed Ebola cases had been reported in at l…
Uganda says it has discharged its last Ebola patient
Uganda's health ministry said the country discharged its last Ebola patient on 16 July, marking containment of an outbreak that had spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Under World Health Organization guidelines, Uganda must now go 42 days w…
US may block some Americans leaving DRC from return flights over Ebola risk
The United States said on Wednesday that American citizens who have traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo could be stopped from boarding return flights as part of efforts to reduce the risk of Ebola reaching the United States. The US Centers for Diseas…
Netherlands records more than 900 excess deaths during heatwave
The Netherlands registered more than 900 excess deaths in late June and early July as a heatwave affected western Europe, health authorities said Wednesday. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, known as RIVM, said the cause of the dea…
WHO says many dementia risks could be delayed or prevented
On 15 July 2026, the World Health Organization said up to 45 percent of dementia risk could be prevented or delayed, citing factors that can be changed, including tobacco use, alcohol use, social isolation, physical inactivity, air pollution and noncommunicab…
UN warns of gaps in global infant vaccination despite slight improvement
On 15 July 2026, the United Nations said global infant vaccination levels improved slightly in 2025, but warned that funding cuts, conflicts and misinformation were widening dangerous gaps in coverage and allowing outbreaks to grow. Data published by the Worl…
Cuba's health system struggles with shortages, broken equipment and staff losses
Cuba's once-prized public health system is under severe strain from power cuts, medicine shortages, ageing equipment and the loss of medical workers, according to patients and medical staff interviewed by AFP. Rosa Valentina Perez, 64, has spent nearly three…
US officials trace Taco Bell parasite outbreak to shredded lettuce
US officials on Friday linked a foodborne parasite outbreak tied to Taco Bell locations in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce used by the fast food chain. A federal investigation by the Food and Drug Administration traced the contamination to a single su…
WHO says trial of potential Ebola prevention drug has begun
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the first clinical trial is under way of an antiviral drug for people exposed to the Bundibugyo Ebola strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trial, called EBO-PEP, is assessing whether the…
DR Congo Ebola health workers threaten strike over unpaid wages
Health workers responding to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo threatened to strike over unpaid wages, while the World Health Organization warned that the epidemic could be much larger than official figures show. The official toll publishe…
American Ebola patient transferred to Germany for treatment
An American Ebola patient has arrived in Germany for treatment, Berlin's health ministry said. The ministry said the patient landed in Frankfurt overnight and was transferred to the city's university hospital. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros…