Health news

Thousands of students heading to university or residential college this autumn will be eligible for a free meningococcal group B (MenB) vaccine, following an outbreak in Kent earlier this year that was linked to two deat...

By Hamid Merchant

When the weather turns hot, most of us remember sunscreen and water. But what about our medicines? Heat can quietly damage medicines, making them less effective or even unsafe. As heatwaves become more common in the UK a...

By Dipa Kamdar

What if protecting your brain from dementia was as simple as wiggling your little fingers a few seconds each day? That’s the promise behind “pinky time”, a viral TikTok trend that claims a simple finger exercise can lowe...

By Monika McAtarsney-Kovacs

A drug that can treat chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer has just been approved for use on the NHS in England. Mirvetuximab soravtansine (also known as Elahere) is the first new drug to be approved for hard-to-treat o...

By Steve Conlan

The key to better wellbeing is acting like an Italian grandmother, according to social media’s “nonnamaxxing” trend. Proponents of the trend say that adopting the lifestyle habits of an Italian nonna will help improve yo...

By Trudy Meehan

Once confined to niche bodybuilding forums and hardcore gyms, unproven injectable peptides are now being openly marketed online to the average gym-goer by social media influencers – and regulators struggling to keep up....

By Luke Cox

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a “public health emergency of international concern”, with cases now confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. Here is w...

By Alimuddin Zumla

When doctors take part in strike action, it can feel disruptive and, at times, confusing. Headlines often focus on cancellations and delays, but understanding why this is happening can make it easier to navigate. At Pati...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

Recent Freedom of Information (FOI) data from the NHS Business Services Authority has prompted sensational headlines about a sharp rise in private prescriptions for medical cannabis in the UK. On the surface, the figures...

By Kate Thorpe

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging everyone eligible for a free flu vaccination to book their appointment as soon as possible, as flu activity continues to rise across England. The latest surveillance data s...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

Access to emergency contraception in England has just become easier. From October 2025, women can get the morning-after pill free of charge at most high street pharmacies, without needing to visit a GP or sexual health c...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

A major change to one of the NHS’s most widely used diabetes and heart medicines could save hundreds of millions of pounds and make proven treatments more accessible to thousands of patients across the UK. The change cen...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

The NHS is one of the UK’s proudest achievements. It was founded on the principle that healthcare should be available to everyone, free at the point of use, and based on need rather than ability to pay. To make sure that...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

From September, Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the weight loss injection tirzepatide - better known as Mounjaro - will be increasing its price. If you receive Mounjaro through the NHS, your cost will stay the same. But i...

By Victoria Raw

Around 1 in 5 children going back to school are not protected against several serious illnesses. Read here about why UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England urge you to check your child’s vaccination record and...

By Lawrence Higgins

From January 2026, babies in England will be offered a free vaccine against chickenpox for the first time. The new programme is part of the NHS routine immunisation schedule and is expected to protect hundreds of thousan...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

Teplizumab (Tzield) has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to help delay the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D). Read on to see what this means if you are prescribed tepli...

By Lawrence Higgins

If you are living with type 2 diabetes your treatment may soon change to be tailored around you and your specific needs - which will help improve your long-term health. Read on to find out what the changes are and what t...

By Lawrence Higgins

Parents and caregivers have been advised by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to stop giving children Nutrition Ignition Kids Magnesium Glycinate Gummies. Read here to find out why the w...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS

If you buy the weight-loss medicine Mounjaro privately in the UK you may see a steep price increase from September. The change will not affect you if you get your medicine from the NHS. Here we show what are the alternat...

By Thomas Porteus, MBCS