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Both low and high heart rates linked to stroke risk

A new study presented today at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2026 suggests that both very low and very high resting heart rates are linked with an increased risk of stroke.

5 May 2026

Food baskets for tuberculosis patients could save thousands of lives

Undernutrition is the single greatest modifiable risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), contributing to immune suppression, treatment failure, and death.

4 May 2026

Child health experts launch GenHEART to tackle Australia's obesity crisis

Heart health, diet, exercise and sleep will be targeted under a multi-pronged strategy by child health experts to address Australia's obesity crisis.

4 May 2026

Temporary pandemic changes did not alter long-term fathering roles

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been said about how the lockdowns created conditions for dual-parent families to spend more time at home with their children.

30 Apr 2026

New screening tool predicts health risks for people living with obesity

A simple tool, developed by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, could help identify which people living with obesity or overweight are most likely to develop serious obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

30 Apr 2026

Portable MiniDock MTB delivers tuberculosis results in thirty minutes

Drugs to treat tuberculosis have been around for more than 75 years, yet it remains the world's top infectious disease killer.

30 Apr 2026

New initiative aims to tackle bronchiectasis underdiagnosis in America

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) today announced a major quality improvement initiative aimed at tackling the persistent and widespread underdiagnosis of bronchiectasis in the United States.

30 Apr 2026

WHO report shows measurable progress in reducing global hepatitis infections

Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today at the World Hepatitis Summit.

28 Apr 2026

Global survey shows digital health literacy higher in developing nations

A cross-national survey of 31,000 adults in 30 countries finds that digital health literacy is highest in low- and middle-income countries and lowest in high-income countries, challenging assumptions that national wealth translates into stronger digital skills.

28 Apr 2026

Obesity may leave immune cells stuck in inflammatory mode after weight loss

A new EMBO Reports study suggests that obesity can leave a lasting epigenetic imprint on CD4 T cells, delaying the restoration of adaptive immune balance after weight loss. Using mouse models and human cohorts, researchers linked this immune “memory” to DNA methylation changes, saturated fatty acids, autophagy, and immune senescence.

28 Apr 2026

WHO simulation tests global response to fictional bacterial pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) wrapped up Exercise Polaris II, a 2-day high-level simulation exercise, based around an outbreak of a fictional new bacterium spreading across the world.

27 Apr 2026

Scientists map 239 human-infective RNA viruses to track future outbreak risks

Researchers updated the global catalogue of human-infective RNA viruses to 239 ICTV-recognised species, incorporating taxonomy, discovery dates, locations, genome links, host range, transmissibility, and transmission routes. The dataset shows that most known human-infective RNA viruses remain strictly zoonotic, while only a minority are endemic in humans or capable of epidemic spread.

26 Apr 2026

Bacterial vesicles emerge as powerful tools against antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is making bacterial infections harder to treat, demanding new therapeutic strategies. A new review highlights bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) as promising nanoscale tools that can kill pathogens, block infection, enhance vaccines, and deliver drugs.

25 Apr 2026

Brain-Gut Health Initiative supports AI-assisted diagnosis of psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders affect millions worldwide, but their diagnosis still relies on clinical observation instead of standard biological tests.

25 Apr 2026

WHO reports measurable health gains but warns of unmet goals

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its Results Report, highlighting measurable improvements in people's health worldwide in 2025, despite funding cuts affecting both the organization and the broader global health sector.

24 Apr 2026

The Big Catch-Up reaches millions of children with life-saving vaccines

The Big Catch-Up (BCU), a historic multi-year, multi-country effort to address vaccination declines driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic, has reached an estimated 18.3 million children aged 1 to 5 across 36 countries with more than 100 million doses of life-saving vaccines, helping to narrow critical immunity gaps, announced Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), WHO, and UNICEF at the start of World Immunization Week.

24 Apr 2026

Washington’s hepatitis C elimination initiative improves treatment access, reduces costs

It took less than 22 years after the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) for a fast-acting, highly effective treatment to become available.

23 Apr 2026

Researchers receive NIH grant to accelerate Alzheimer's drug discovery efforts

Dr. Damian Young, investigator at Texas Children's Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) and director of the Center for Drug Discovery at Baylor College of Medicine, along with collaborators has been awarded a $6.7 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop new approaches to rapidly identify potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias with the goal of accelerating the discovery of new therapies.

23 Apr 2026

Paxlovid speeds recovery but does not reduce severe COVID outcomes in vaccinated adults

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated adults at higher risk of severe COVID-19, despite helping them recover faster, according to results from two national trials published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Apr 2026

Triple combination pill reduces recurrent stroke risk

Treatment with GMRx2, a single pill combination of three low-dose blood pressure medicines, significantly reduced the risk of another stroke in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and high blood pressure.

22 Apr 2026