From Africa to Latin America to Asia, babies have been carried in cloth wraps on their mothers' backs for centuries. Now, the practice of generations of women could become a lifesaving tool in the fight against malaria. Researchers in Uganda have found that treating wraps with the insect repellent permethrin cut rates of malaria in the infants carried in them by two-thirds.
"These are cuts he should not have issued in the first place," Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement after reports of the reversal. "This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and healthcare providers." she added. "I hope this reversal serves as a lesson learned. Congress holds the power of the purse, and the Secretary must follow the law."
California officials are issuing warnings about a new flu strain that is increasing flu-related cases and hospitalizations statewide, with public health experts across the nation echoing the alerts. A newly emerged influenza A strain, H3N2 subclade K, is already wreaking havoc globally and is affecting hospitals and clinics in California, the California Department of Public Health announced on Tuesday. Although the agency did not provide specific data for California cases, it described the seasonal flu activity as "elevated" in the state.
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.
Resins and other chemicals added to the factory-made slabs contribute to making engineered stone dust more dangerous than dust from natural stones such as granite or marble, according to doctors. Cambria faces 400 lawsuits from stoneworkers for silica-related injuries, most of them in California, Schult said. Other major manufacturers facing lawsuits, such as Israel-based Caesarstone and Cosentino, headquartered in Spain, have developed low or no-crystalline silica alternatives.
Gun violence in Berkeley last year hit the lowest point since the police department first started publishing data on it nearly a decade ago, reflecting local and national trends. A network of violence intervention workers, faith leaders and volunteers has been working to keep the numbers down, but their pilot program is only funded for another six months.
Use a cleaner that will kill the flu virus: The CDC advises to use cleaners that contain chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, detergents (soap), iodophors (iodine-based antiseptics), or alcohols. Use disinfectants according to package instructions: A quick spray and wipe isn't sufficient for disinfecting. In general, you need to apply enough of the disinfecting solution that it takes some time to dry from the surface. (That "dwell time" is always indicated on the label.)
It all comes amid a massive bloom of aptly named death cap mushrooms, which has been fueled by potent storm systems in October and December and has left health officials pleading with foragers to stop collecting wild mushrooms altogether. "Since death cap mushrooms are easily confused for safe-to-eat, lookalike mushrooms, all mushroom foraging should be avoided," the health department warned Wednesday.
Babies in the Midlands and North of England are more likely to die before, during or shortly after birth than those in the South, a new study has found. Researchers analysed data from 121 maternity services in England to see which centres repeatedly produced outcomes better or worse than the average between 2013 and 2022. The 10 worst-performing centres were in the Midlands and North of England, and the 15 best-performing in the South.
In recent years, there's been a wave of studies reporting that humans are basically full of microplastics: They've been found in our brains, arteries, and even in placentas. But some scientists, quoted and cited in an article published by the Guardian this week, have critiqued some of those findings, saying that microplastics research has been muddied by issues like contamination and false positives.
French residents who cannot digest gluten can now have a gluten-free version of the traditional Galette des Rois cake reimbursed by the state health system. An enterprising baker in Rouen has begun producing a gluten-free version of the Galette des Rois, which is partially reimbursed on the French health system for people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Anthony Roy, owner of Le Petit Minotier bakery based in Darnétal,
If you're smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, should you expect society to pay when you get sick?" He added that while Americans would always have the right to "eat donuts all day," nevertheless, "should you then expect society to care for you when you predictably get very sick at the same level as somebody who was born with a congenital illness?
The 2025 America's Health Rankings report by the United Health Foundation ranked Massachusetts as the second healthiest state in the nation, falling shy of first-place New Hampshire. The state saw some progress with a 17% increase in cancer screenings among adults aged 40 to 75 between 2022 and 2024. It also had a low prevalence of obesity at only 27% of adults. Massachusetts last ranked No. 1 in 2017 and has remained in the top five since.
We're living in a curious moment for the status of cancer diagnosis and treatment, within the United States. The overall rate of prevalence for diseases that fall under the wide, wide title of "cancers" is increasing. At the same time, steady improvement to the standard of care and treatment, and newer breakthroughs in therapeutics, have raised survival rates higher than they've ever been before. But for all too many patients, the question is whether they'll be able to afford those
For all cancers, the five-year survival rate more than doubled since the mid-1990s, rising from 17% to 35%. This also signals a 34% drop in cancer mortality since 1991, translating to an estimated 4.8 million fewer cancer deaths between 1991 and 2023. These significant public health advances result from years of public investment in research, early detection and prevention, and improved cancer treatment, according to the report.
Saudi Arabia is already operating the kind of connected, AI-enabled healthcare infrastructure many countries are still debating how to build. At FII9, the conversation was unmistakable. Global innovation momentum is shifting toward the Middle East, and nowhere more than Saudi Arabia, where national digital platforms like Sehhaty already give millions of residents unified access to their health data. At the Global Health Exhibition, I saw population-level analytics, AI-powered diagnostics, multiomic initiatives, and interoperable infrastructure deployed at a speed and scale that would take years in other countries.
The California Department of Public Health reported 35 people between the ages of 19 months and 67 years have been sickened in the outbreak since November. That number is far higher than the average number of mushroom poisonings in California, which is around five per year. Three adult deaths in the state have been linked to ingesting poisonous mushrooms, and another three people have undergone liver transplants.
Exercise is the best tool for delaying illness and death, even in small doses, and especially for the least active people. The study, led by Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of Sport Science, estimates that if the least active 20% of people added five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day, equivalent to a brisk walk, 6% of premature deaths in this high-risk group could be prevented.
Standing on a busy street in Skid Row on a recent sunny day, Mary Marfisee tried to block out street noise as she popped her stethoscope into her ears. Dozens of people were milling about. Dogs barked. Music blared. A constant thrum of cars drove past. But Marfisee is used to the commotion. "I'm going to listen to your lungs and see if they're ok. Is that ok?"
Sara Bennett announced her death the way she did everything else: thoughtfully, plainly and on her own terms. "I am not in pain, or tired," she wrote. "I can laugh, talk, and I can move." Looking back on the last few months of her life, Bennett said she was grateful she had not gone suddenly - even with the suffering - because the time allowed her to finish her legacy work.
RDAP is a voluntary program that lasts between nine and 12 months (ordinarily, it requires roughly 38 weeks to complete in five-day workweeks, three-hour-a-day segments). The 500-hour program strives to educate inmates on the dangers of addiction. Most importantly, relapse prevention is stressed with the goal of helping inmates during post-release stay clean and sober to avoid reoffending. Congress appropriates more than $100 million annually for RDAP.
In a recent article for Vogue, California-based physician Dr. Chris Renna said: "Stronger leg muscles are linked to better cognitive function in aging mainly through their effects on blood flow, metabolic health, brain structure, and physical/social activity patterns." Muscle mass starts to decline at age 30. As the largest muscle group in the body, maintaining muscle strength in the thighs and glutes is especially important for healthy aging-and apparently, brain function.
Fewer Americans are signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans this year, new federal data shows, as expiring subsidies and other factors push health expenses too high for many to manage. Nationally, around 800,000 fewer people have selected plans compared to a similar time last year, marking a 3.5% drop in total enrollment so far. That includes a decrease in both new consumers signing up for ACA plans and existing enrollees re-upping them.
