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Pope alert, joking despite double pneumonia, Italy PM says
Pope Francis is alert and still making jokes despite having double pneumonia, Italy's prime minister said Wednesday after visiting the 88-year-old pontiff in hospital.
Ailing pope's obstinacy a blessing or a curse?
Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, is propelled by an energy and stubborn drive that has taken him far -- but could yet prove to be his undoing.
Ghana scrambles to fill $156 million shortfall after USAID freeze
The gutting of US foreign aid has left Ghana facing a $156 million funding shortfall, with the health care and agriculture sectors bracing for shortages of drugs and fertiliser.
Manila neighbourhood puts bounty on dengue-carrying mosquitoes
Residents in a central Manila neighbourhood lined up Wednesday, as dengue cases spike nationwide, to collect a bounty -- one peso for every five mosquitoes, dead or alive.
Trump moves to widen IVF access, risking conservative fury
US President Donald Trump moved Tuesday to increase access to in vitro fertilization, a move likely to be welcomed by many Americans but which risks a backlash from conservatives and the religious right.
Pope eating, reading but weekend events cancelled: Vatican
Pope Francis breakfasted and read the papers as usual on Tuesday on his fifth day in hospital but appears no closer to being discharged, with the Vatican cancelling his weekend events.
Pope's condition 'complex', hospital stay extended: Vatican
Pope Francis, hospitalised for bronchitis four days ago, faces a "complex clinical picture", the Vatican said on Monday, indicating that the 88-year-old's stay will be longer than initially believed.
'Now or never' for pandemic accord, says WHO chief after US pulls out
The head of the World Health Organization insisted on Monday it was "now or never" to strike a landmark global accord on tackling future pandemics, despite the United States withdrawing from negotiations.
Trump's aid freeze could cause millions more AIDS deaths: UN agency
President Donald Trump's decision to suspend US overseas funding could result in millions more deaths from AIDS, the head of the UN's programme for the illness warned Sunday.
Trump admin fires CDC 'disease detectives' as bird flu fears rise: sources
Nearly half of an elite US epidemiology program known as the "disease detectives" were dismissed by the Trump administration on Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter, dealing a blow to public health efforts as fears rise over bird flu.
Nearly 50 Texans infected with measles in growing outbreak
A growing measles outbreak in west Texas has infected 48 people, according to official state data released Thursday -- the latest sign that the once-vanquished childhood disease is making a comeback as vaccination rates decline.
Cambodia nears Khmer Rouge survivor's dream of eradicating malaria
Cambodian scientist Yeang Chheang has spent six decades fighting malaria -- even in the Khmer Rouge labour camp where his wife and baby died -- and stands tantalisingly close to fulfilling his life's work.
Vaccine critic RFK Jr. confirmed as US health secretary
The Republican-controlled US Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary Thursday, ignoring dire warnings from the medical community and elevating his anti-vaccine advocacy into the highest levels of government.
French parliament votes to ban disposable e-cigarettes
The French parliament on Thursday voted to ban single-use electronic cigarettes, considered to be gateways to tobacco addiction for teenagers and harmful to the environment.
WHO facing 'new realities' as US withdrawal looms
The World Health Organization on Tuesday wrapped up its executive board meeting, held against the backdrop of the United States -- by far its largest donor -- heading for the exit.
Singapore seniors hoof it to horse therapy
Singapore on Tuesday started an initiative to expand its senior care programme using horse therapy as the wealthy city-state grapples with the challenges of a rapidly ageing population.
Virus disinformation drives anti-China sentiment, lockdown fears
A deluge of disinformation about a flu-like virus called HMPV is stoking anti-China sentiment across Asia and spurring unfounded concerns of renewed lockdowns, despite experts dismissing comparisons with the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago.
Indonesia launches free health check-up programme
Thousands of Indonesians received a free health check-up Monday as the government launched an annual screening programme, an effort to improve preventative care and uphold a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto.
Australian PM urges action on Indigenous welfare
Australia must act to improve Indigenous people's lives, the government said Monday, as an annual report highlighted their shorter lifespans, poorer health and higher incarceration rates.
'People are going to die': USAID cuts create panic in Africa
President Donald Trump's decision to freeze foreign assistance has sent aid staff in Africa into "panic mode", with even HIV experimental treatment programmes stopped dead in their tracks.
Pakistan health workers kick off polio drive despite snow
Health workers are braving freezing temperatures this week to administer polio vaccinations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after cases surged nationwide last year.
US greenlights pig kidney transplant trials
Two US biotech companies say the Food and Drug Administration has cleared them to conduct clinical trials of their gene-edited pig kidneys for human transplants.
'Unreliable partner': S.Africa's HIV clinics scramble over US aid freeze
The gates at a Johannesburg LGBTQ clinic called OUT have been closed for more than a week and HIV prevention and treatment services suspended for its 6,000 clients.
Silencing science: How Trump is reshaping US public health
Medical researchers forced to compile national data by hand, silence on a major tuberculosis outbreak, and the erasure of gender references: the Trump administration has pushed the US public health system into uncharted territory.
Silencing science: How Trump is reshaping US health
Medical researchers left to compile national data by hand, contraceptive guidelines deemed essential by doctors erased, and the nation's largest tuberculosis outbreak left unreported: President Donald Trump's administration has thrown the US health system into uncharted territory.
WHO chief counters Trump criticisms behind US pullout
The World Health Organization's chief hit back Monday at US President Donald Trump's reasons for pulling the United States out of the WHO -- and again urged Washington to reconsider.
Pakistan Taliban kill police polio escort as vaccination drive starts
The Pakistani Taliban claimed the killing of a police officer as he travelled Monday to guard polio vaccinators on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.
Pakistan police officer killed as polio vaccination drive starts
A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead Monday, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.
Pakistan police officer killed as polio vaccination drive starts: police
A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead Monday, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.
Destruction as executive jet crashes in Philadelphia, sparking blazes
A small jet with six people onboard crashed into a busy Philadelphia suburb Friday, officials said, showering wreckage over a wide areas and sparking blazes that caused extensive damage to homes and vehicles.
MAHA Moms: Why RFK Jr's health agenda resonates with Americans
He has been pilloried for his vaccine skepticism, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to reduce America's reliance on processed foods and pharmaceuticals has also struck a chord.
US test scores remain below pre-Covid, performance gap widens
US student test scores in reading and math remain below pre-pandemic levels as a worrying gap continues to widen between high and low performers, officials said Wednesday.