Afghanistan aid cuts shut 100 malnutrition clinics, UN says
The UN says 100 clinics that treated child malnutrition have closed across Afghanistan as international aid falls, while the Red Cross warned that Afghans shou…
Health & Public Health — August 2026
Prague mother burned during C-section, hospital says
A woman suffered burns while giving birth by caesarean section at a Prague hospital, the hospital said Monday. The baby was not injured. Eva Stolejda Libigero…
US Open absences renew concern over tennis injuries
Injuries to leading tennis players have renewed concern about the sport as the US Open begins in New York, with Jannik Sinner absent because of a knee injury and several other players missing major tournaments in 2026. Carlos Alcaraz missed the French Open an…
Solar ambulance Stella Juva completes Kenya test run
Dutch students said their solar-powered ambulance Stella Juva completed a successful test run in Kenya on Friday, after being driven more than 800 kilometres and tested off-road and for healthcare delivery. The two-seat vehicle has roof-mounted solar panels t…
Bird flu detected in dead South Australia dolphin
H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a dead common dolphin found at Goolwa in South Australia, the state's Department of Primary Industries and Regions said Friday, describing it as the first case of its kind in the country. The department said H5 bird flu has…
Macquarie Island base to evacuate over bird flu fears
Australia will evacuate 24 workers from its Macquarie Island research station because of wellbeing concerns linked to a possible H5N1 bird flu outbreak among elephant seals, officials said Friday. Macquarie Island lies between Tasmania and the Antarctic and h…
South Africa says 36% of infants unvaccinated in 2026
South Africa's health department said Thursday that 36% of children under one had received no vaccines this year to April, the country's lowest infant vaccination rate in years. The department said the proportion of unvaccinated children under one had tripled…
DR Congo Ebola vaccine trials to start by November: WHO
Trials for three potential vaccines against the Ebola strain driving the Democratic Republic of Congo's deadliest recorded outbreak should begin in October or…
Uganda declared Ebola-free by WHO
The World Health Organization declared Uganda Ebola-free on Thursday after 42 days without a new case. The WHO said Uganda had reached 42 days since the last confirmed imported Ebola case was discharged on July 16, 2026, with no documented onward transmission…
Ebola vaccine candidate gets $16.5m CEPI backing
An Egyptian pharmaceutical firm is developing a potential vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with up to $16.5 million in backing from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Minapharm an…
Pancreatic cancer drug Rasonque wins FDA approval
The US Food and Drug Administration approved Rasonque, a pancreatic cancer treatment developed by US startup Revolution Medicines, the agency announced on Wednesday. The treatment is taken as a pill and uses a molecule called daraxonrasib. A clinical trial fo…
Frankfurt airport malaria deaths rise to two
Two workers at Frankfurt airport have died after catching malaria, Frankfurt's health authority said Wednesday, in infections linked by Germany's Robert Koch Institute to a mosquito likely carried on an aircraft. Airport officials had earlier said six workers…
West Nile virus death reported in Netherlands
Dutch health authorities said Wednesday that a patient died in hospital after contracting West Nile virus in the Netherlands, in a case in Utrecht province. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, known as RIVM, said three infections hav…
French flight attendant's breast cancer ruled work-related
A French court has recognised former Air France flight attendant Sophie Lainault's breast cancer as an occupational disease, in what her lawyer and the CFDT un…
Senegal sickle cell drug offers cheaper local option
Senegalese pharmaceutical firm Teranga Pharma is producing Drepaf, a generic hydroxyurea treatment for sickle cell disease that it says is cheaper than imported alternatives and better suited to patients in the region. The company launched the drug in Novembe…
Measles deaths in Pennsylvania are first in US in 2026
Two people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have died of measles, the first reported US measles deaths of 2026, local authorities said. The Pennsylvania hea…
NFL players may face at least 25% CTE risk, study says
At least a quarter of National Football League players may develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to a study published Tuesday in the British Medi…
1 million Afghan children face deadly malnutrition, UN says
One million children in Afghanistan have life-threatening severe acute malnutrition and could die without fast treatment, UNICEF warned on Aug. 25, 2026. The…
DRC gets 16,250 Ebola vaccine doses
Democratic Republic of Congo received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine by plane at Kinshasa airport on August 21, part of 70,000 doses that the World H…
West Nile virus reported in 12 European countries
Twelve countries in Europe have reported locally acquired cases of West Nile virus so far this year, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Friday as it urged stronger mosquito-control efforts. The Stockholm-based EU health agency said ca…
Somalia aid cuts close 205 health facilities, UNICEF says
International aid cuts have forced 205 health and nutrition facilities to close across drought-hit Somalia, leaving more children facing life-threatening malnu…
NIOSH: black lung affects 1 in 3 veteran Appalachia miners
A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study published this month found that one out of three coal miners in Appalachia with more than 25 year…
Guinea-Bissau reports first mpox outbreak, UNICEF says
Guinea-Bissau is facing its first reported mpox outbreak, with seven confirmed cases and no deaths as of August 17, UNICEF said Thursday. The UN children's ag…
France recalls Tavneos after deaths reported in Japan
France will recall all available batches of Tavneos, a drug used to treat severe rare autoimmune diseases, after safety concerns linked to deaths reported in J…
Sweden measles outbreak linked to folk festival
Sweden's Public Health Agency said Wednesday it had recorded 21 measles cases connected to the Urkult folk music festival in the north of the country. The age…
mRNA cancer drug cuts melanoma recurrence in trial
Merck and Moderna said their experimental personalised mRNA cancer treatment reduced melanoma recurrence in a large late-stage trial when used with pembrolizum…
Health facilities: 40% meet basic sanitation, UN says
Only four in 10 healthcare facilities worldwide met basic sanitation standards last year, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said Tuesday, while 11% had no sanitation services at all. The UN agencies said their report provided the first global estimates…
Elderly heat risk far higher than thought, study says
A US modelling study says rising temperatures driven by climate change could expose many more older people to unsafe heat than previous estimates have suggested. The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health and led by researchers at Stanford University…
Yangon cholera outbreak hospitalises 500, official says
A Yangon cholera outbreak has sent 500 people to hospital with severe diarrhoea since August 9, regional social affairs minister Bo Htay said on August 17. Bo Htay told the Yangon regional parliament that rapid tests had shown 149 positive cholera cases. He s…
Mumbai food safety crackdown shuts famed restaurants
Food safety regulators in Mumbai have ordered well-known eateries to close after inspections found hygiene violations, in a campaign that temporarily suspended more than 100 licences in July. Inspectors last month found rats, houseflies and expired flavouring…
Egg recall: FDA says 19 million pose deadly risk
The US Food and Drug Administration has classified a voluntary recall of about 19 million eggs as a highest-risk Class 1 recall, saying exposure could cause serious health consequences or death. Midwest Poultry Services voluntarily recalled the eggs on July 2…
DR Congo Ebola: 12 Red Cross volunteers injured
Twelve Red Cross volunteers have been injured in violent incidents during the Ebola response in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, the Interna…
Turkey fines over 100 doctors for C-sections, report says
Turkey's health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists over Caesarean sections, suspended them from duty and required them to undergo tra…
Cyclospora outbreak hits 31 US states, CDC says
Cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in 31 US states, with Michigan reporting 1,562 cases as of Friday, health authorities said, as officials continue to lo…
Tufan Erhurman hospitalized in North Cyprus
Tufan Erhurman, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, was taken to hospital Friday evening after falling ill at an event in Nicosia's Old Town,…
Nigeria cholera outbreak kills dozens in northeast
A cholera outbreak in northeast Nigeria has killed dozens and is being made harder to control by insecurity and weak health services, medical sources and resid…
Nigeria cholera outbreak kills dozens, sources say
A cholera outbreak in northeast Nigeria has killed dozens as insecurity and weak health infrastructure hamper the response, medical sources and residents said…
Australia detects first H5 bird flu in local seabird
Australia has detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu in a local seabird for the first time, the government said Friday, after laboratory tests confirmed in…
Cuba health crisis leaves cancer patients waiting
Cuba's health crisis is leaving cancer, cardiac and dialysis patients waiting for tests, facing reduced treatment and relying on hospitals struggling with broken equipment, medicine shortages, power cuts and staff losses. Rosa Valentina Perez, 64, has spent n…
EU heatwave exposed 298 million to harmful ozone, NGO says
A Global Witness report said nearly 298 million people in the European Union may have been exposed to ozone above the bloc's recommended daily limit during a late-June heatwave. The NGO said the total included about 100 million children and elderly people. It…
Uber Eats, Deliveroo plan France heat breaks
Uber Eats and Deliveroo said on Wednesday they would stop food delivery cyclists in parts of France from using their apps between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm if those areas are placed under a red heat alert. The companies presented the measure as a way to protect cou…
Lyme disease vaccine to get EU review, firms say
European Union regulators have accepted an application to review an experimental Lyme disease vaccine, developers Pfizer and Valneva said Friday. The companies said trials of the vaccine, formally called PF-07307405, showed 70 percent efficacy in people aged…
Greece West Nile virus deaths rise to nine
Greece has recorded nine deaths from West Nile virus this year, while total infections have risen to 110, the country's state health agency said Thursday. The EODY agency said 45 new cases of the mosquito-borne virus had been recorded over the past week, call…
Germany to end drinking rule for 14- and 15-year-olds
Germany's government said Wednesday it would scrap a legal provision that allows 14- and 15-year-olds to buy and consume alcohol when accompanied by their parents. The government said ending so-called “accompanied drinking” would protect young people from the…
Finland expands African swine fever restricted zone
Finland will enlarge a restricted zone for African swine fever after 11 more infected dead wild boars were found, the Finnish Food Authority said Wednesday. The new cases bring the total since July 30 to 14. The boars were found in Virolahti in southeastern F…
EU bans PFAS above strict limits in food packaging
New European Union restrictions on PFAS in food-contact packaging took effect Wednesday, meaning packaging containing the chemicals above strict limits can no longer be placed on the EU market. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemi…
Covid excess deaths study retracted by BMJ Group
BMJ Group has retracted a 2024 BMJ Public Health study on excess deaths during the Covid pandemic, saying it was withdrawn over misinformation on causes of death and limited original work by the authors. The study suggested that excess deaths in the West rema…
Argentina limits free hospital care for nonresident foreigners
Argentina's federal government will no longer finance hospital care for nonresident foreigners, President Javier Milei's office announced Tuesday, moving ahead with a cost-cutting order issued last year. A presidential spokesperson said the change would not a…
Roony Bardghji faces surgery after ACL rupture
Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji faces surgery in the coming days after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the Spanish champions said Tuesday. The 20-year-old Sweden player, who joined Barcelona from Copenhagen last summer, was injured…
Eli Lilly oral weight loss drug wins UK approval
Britain has become the first country in Europe to approve orforglipron, an oral weight loss and diabetes treatment developed by Eli Lilly, the UK government said. Julian Beach, executive director for access at the UK medicines regulator, said the decision fol…
Somalia displaced child malnutrition at 50%, MSF says
Doctors Without Borders said half of children it screened in displacement sites in Baidoa, southwest Somalia, were acutely malnourished, warning that drought and funding cuts were worsening a severe humanitarian emergency. The medical charity, known by its Fr…
Australia bird flu vaccinations to target vulnerable birds
Australian authorities said on Tuesday they would vaccinate bird species considered especially vulnerable to the highly contagious H5 avian influenza virus, with captive birds the priority. Environment Minister Murray Watt said vaccinating wild birds was diff…
WHO says Trump vaccine overhaul goes against evidence
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's push to overhaul child vaccination policy goes against “decades of evidence,” including on the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebr…
Food ingredients face tighter US oversight proposal
The Trump administration proposed a rule on Monday that would require food companies to tell government regulators when they add new ingredients to products. Health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr said Americans deserved more transparency as he unveiled the measur…
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she is freezing her eggs
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, said she is freezing her eggs and wants to speak openly about choices facing women who are balancing careers and family. Ocasio-Cortez, 36, shared videos of the fertility treatment on social…
Pakistan brick kiln workers face extreme heat risks
Brick kiln workers in Pakistan's Sheikhupura district are facing extreme heat from furnaces below and hotter summer conditions above, as labour advocates and health experts warn that rising temperatures are making the work more dangerous. Traditional kilns bu…
Joe Biden's cancer has spread further, son says
Former US president Joe Biden's cancer has spread further, his son Hunter Biden said in a BBC Newsnight interview published late Friday. Hunter Biden said the cancer “has metastasized into his bones and further” despite treatment. He described the illness as…
Saimoni Vunilagi dies after suspected heatstroke, club says
Fijian rugby player Saimoni Vunilagi has died in Japan after being taken to hospital with “symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke,” his club Kyushu KV said on Saturday. The Japanese second-division team said the 26-year-old was taken to hospital in the so…
Billy Vigar death prompts FA ban on solid pitch walls
The Football Association has issued new safety rules for lower-league clubs after Chichester City forward Billy Vigar died from a brain injury suffered during a match in September 2025. The FA said its new guidance “no longer permits solid brick, breeze block…
DR Congo Ebola deaths top 2,100 as UNICEF warns
DR Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 2,128 people among 4,566 confirmed cases, authorities say, and UNICEF has warned that the disease risks deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the country's east. Africa CDC said Thursday that the out…
US firm to release 600,000 mosquitoes to curb pests
A US mosquito-control firm plans to release 600,000 non-biting male tiger mosquitoes across the Washington region by the end of summer, using Wolbachia bacteria to stop eggs from hatching when the males mate with uninfected females. Bee Safe Mosquito Control…
Ebola vaccine for Zaire strain to be used in DRC
Africa CDC said it will use a vaccine developed for the Zaire Ebola strain to help counter the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Bundibugyo variant has killed more than 1,800 people. The Africa Centres for Disease Control a…
Measles exposure warning for Universal Studios California
Los Angeles County health officials warned that visitors to Universal Studios in California may have been exposed to measles after a person with a contagious case was at the theme park on July 26. The health department said anyone who was at the park between…
Chad cholera outbreak kills 13, ministry says
A cholera outbreak in Chad has killed 13 people and infected 239 nationwide since it was officially declared in July, the health ministry said on Thursday. The ministry said the outbreak affects the northern province of Hadjer Lamis and the capital, N'Djamena…
Hantavirus contacts advised to isolate as risk deemed low
French health authorities have recommended home isolation for people who had close contact with a Franco-Argentine tourist diagnosed with the Andes strain of hantavirus after travelling in France, while saying the risk of transmission is considered low. The F…
Moderna says US FDA approved flu vaccine for adults 50+
Moderna said the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its new mRNA-based influenza vaccine for adults aged 50 and older in the United States. The vaccine manufacturer said the shot, called mFLUSIVA, is its first mRNA-based flu vaccine. Moderna said it…
Ebola outbreak gets $242m in new US funding
The United States announced on August 5 that it had allocated more than $242 million in additional funding to fight the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The State Department said the new money brings direct US financial assistance…
Moderna Ebola vaccine trials authorized in Canada
Canada has authorized Moderna to begin Phase 1 clinical trials of an mRNA vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the Canadian health ministry said on August 4. The ministry said the trial will assess the candidate vaccine's safety, determine the righ…
Cuba crisis takes growing mental toll, doctors say
Cuba's prolonged crisis is taking a growing mental toll on residents, doctors and Cubans interviewed across the island say, as blackouts, shortages, housing problems and uncertainty wear down daily life. In Central Havana, 44-year-old Mayumis Nunez sleeps out…
Afghanistan malnutrition 'spinning out of control': UN
Afghanistan’s malnutrition crisis is “spinning out of control”, the UN World Food Programme warned Tuesday, saying aid cuts are leaving many acutely malnourished women and children without help. John Aylieff, WFP’s Afghanistan country director, said children…
Swiss cow illness linked to new virus, officials say
A new virus spread by biting midges is thought to be behind a rise in sickness among Swiss dairy cows, authorities said on Monday. Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office said several regions had recorded more illnesses since mid-July, with co…
Legionnaires' outbreak in Basel kills one among 26 cases
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Basel has killed one person among 26 confirmed cases, Basel-City canton said on Monday. The canton said 25 people were hospitalised, including seven who needed intensive care. Nine people remain in hospital, including one i…
Bangladesh measles puts families in debt, Red Cross says
Bangladesh's measles outbreak has pushed many affected families into debt, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society warned on Monday. At least 844 children have died and more than 112,000 peo…
NHS robotic surgery training targets 2035 rollout
NHS surgeons are training on robotic-assisted systems as England aims to use robotic help in nine out of 10 keyhole surgeries by 2035. At St Bartholomew's Hospital in central London, consultant thoracic surgeon Sasha Stamenkovic used the da Vinci 5 robotic-as…