Grace O’Connor — Health & Science Editor

Researchers from UMC Utrecht, partnering with international universities, reveal that school closures during infectious disease outbreaks achieve maximum effectiveness when precisely targeted to the age groups driving transmission at specific moments, offering a strategic alternative to blanket shutdowns. Mathematical Models Reveal Shifting Transmission Drivers in Dutch Schools Closing schools stands as one of the most … Read more

Union officials marked World Hepatitis Day on July 28, 2026, by highlighting eight years of the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme. Minister of State Anupriya Patel urged a Hepatitis-Mukt Bharat by 2030, pointing to expanded primary care screening, free treatments, and birth-dose vaccination coverage crossing 92 per cent nationwide. National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme Marks … Read more

Scientists have discovered the fourth transmissible cancer known in nature, identifying a contagious melanoma spreading among brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog along the Vermont and Quebec border. Published in the journal Nature, the landmark finding marks the first time a transmissible cancer has been documented in any fish or freshwater species. For more than … Read more

Severe refractory hypoxemia presents a critical medical emergency across diverse patient demographics, requiring intensive rescue therapies such as prone positioning, recruitment maneuvers, and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Documented clinical cases highlight complex interventions ranging from viral ARDS management to rare complications following cardiac device procedures. Managing severe oxygenation failure demands aggressive, multifaceted intervention when conventional … Read more

Palliative management for advanced esophageal cancer focuses on relieving malignant dysphagia through self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) and radiotherapy. While stents provide rapid relief of luminal obstruction, external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) offers a non-invasive alternative with faster symptom relief and fewer severe toxicities than intraluminal brachytherapy. For patients with advanced esophageal cancer, the primary clinical goal … Read more

Researchers from the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and University Hospital Düsseldorf have identified a biological mechanism using the messenger substance S1P that prevents blood clots without increasing bleeding risks. Published in Science Advances, the findings suggest a new therapeutic path to prevent strokes and heart attacks by activating the body’s own endothelial thrombomodulin. The medical … Read more

Global donor funding to combat HIV in low- and middle-income countries fell by $2.1 billion in 2025, a 25% drop driven primarily by U.S. spending cuts. New reports from KFF and UNAIDS warn that the steep decline threatens prevention programs and decades of public health progress worldwide. The Steepest Single-Year Decline in Global HIV Funding … Read more

Medical reports from 2021 and 2022 highlight the diagnostic challenges of rare sigmoid colon malignancies, including a case of aggressive leiomyosarcoma in a 70-year-old man and a report of a carcinoma in a right-sided sigmoid colon revealed by a preoperative computed tomography (CT) in a 56-year-old man. The sigmoid colon typically follows a predictable anatomical … Read more

Hundreds of thousands of women in England have accessed emergency contraception free of charge through high street pharmacies in the first five months of a major NHS rollout, helping eliminate regional barriers and reducing the need for traditional GP appointments. A national healthcare initiative launched to expand women’s health services has delivered nearly 305,000 doses … Read more

Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends that the XVIVO perfusion system be used in the National Health Service (NHS) for a four-year period to assess its effectiveness and value for money, according to Theguardian. Nice estimates that the machine could rescue four in every five donated lungs that … Read more