Public health

Public health

Smoking is one of the clearest public-health failures of our time. More than 500,000 Americans still die each year from smoking-related illnesses, and globally the picture is even more alarming. In the United States, anti-smoking campaigns have reduced the number of new cigarette users, but the effectiveness of these measures may be fading. Indeed, the headline of a widely-shared news story notes "Celebrities Are Making Smoking Cigarettes Cool Again". Yikes.

Level of virus now circulating is 'unprecedented', says CHI clinical director An unprecedented surge in flu cases has plunged Children's Health Ireland (CHI) into crisis mode, with record numbers of children requiring admission to hospital. The paediatric hospital group held two crisis meetings on Friday to create bed space for the influx of sick children, as doctors warn that the worst of the flu crisis is yet to come.

The Rural Health Transformation Fund is a carveout that will provide $50bn over a period of five years to states who meet certain application criteria, including consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic diseases, and providing training and technical assistance for the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions that improve care delivery in rural hospitals, including remote monitoring, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies.

Elimination from the GI tract is important to make sure your system remains fresh and relatively empty,

King Charles III said Friday that early diagnosis and treatment will allow doctors to reduce his cancer treatment in the new year as he encouraged others to take advantage of screening programs that can detect the disease early when it is easiest to treat. "Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives," the king said. "I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life even while undergoing treatment," he added.

Storylines about abortion and conversations about it showed up on television 65 times this year, on prestigious dramas like The Pitt and Call the Midwife, on reality shows such as W.A.G.s to Riches and Love is Blind and on lowbrow animated comedies like Family Guy and South Park. That's about the same as last year. In 2024, TV shows featured 66 such plotlines.

A recent investigation from Flinders University sheds new light on how two widely consumed drinks, coffee and tea, could play a role in bone health for women later in life. The study, published in the journal Nutrients, monitored nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for ten years to examine whether regularly drinking coffee or tea was connected to changes in bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is a central marker used to assess osteoporosis risk.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

After battling illness for years, Nancy Karipa tested positive for HIV in 1999. She had just given birth to her first child. It was a crossroads moment for me, with the fear of denial, but I chose action, Karipa, who is now in her 50s, said at an Aids awareness event in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby in December. She and the baby received treatment, and her child remains healthy.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

For too long, hormone therapy has been inaccessible for cisgender men who need it - or so said clinicians, professors and a pharmaceutical CEO gathered this week by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Testosterone, a controlled substance, should be deregulated and patients should be able to access it at pharmacies without stigma, they said. Low testosterone in men is not just a cosmetic issue, they claimed - it's an American health crisis.

Many people in Germany have had little or no access to medical care, according to a report released by the aid group Doctors of the World. Christian Stegmuller, who heads the organization's domestic programs, said Germany was failing to guarantee the right to medical care for everyone living in the country, pointing to a rising number of uninsured people and gaps in care for those with health insurance debt.

Emory Health declared the 30-year-old Smith brain dead on February 19. She had gone to a different hospital one day earlier, complaining of severe headaches, but was sent home with painkillers and without any testing. But her boyfriend rushed her to Emory after he woke up in the middle of the night to find her gasping for air, where a CT scan revealed multiple blood clots, and she was declared brain dead.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

The sun rises over the plateau of Neuquen's open-air rubbish tip. Maia, nine, and her brothers, aged 11 and seven, huddle by a campfire. Their mother, Gisel, rummages through bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat. Situated at the northern end of Argentinian Patagonia, 100km (60 miles) from Vaca Muerta one of the world's largest fossil gas reserves children here roam amid twisted metal, glass and rubbish spread over five hectares (12 acres). The horizon is waste.

Ultrafine particles are impossible to see and are often missed by conventional monitoring techniques, and therefore they are not covered by air pollution laws. In 2021, the Dutch Health Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the growing evidence that ultrafine particles are damaging our health. This includes 75 studies, mostly relating to lung inflammation, blood pressure and heart problems, along with risks to foetal growth. Technical differences between the studies, however, meant that the WHO was unable to set a standard.

He resumed this theme in his "Parting Prescription for America," in January 2025, shortly before his term ended. As he emphasizes, and as we've noted previously, social connection has important effects on mental and physical health both through its objective dimensions-the number of relationships and communities, the time we spend with them, and the material supports they offer-and through the subjective sense of connection and belonging, of being loved and cared for.