Health

A global report published in Nature Medicine estimates about seven million cancers a year are preventable and shows wide regional and sex differences in causes, with smoking and infections prominent in different settings.

Sixty more primary schools across Yorkshire will join the government's free breakfast club programme in April, adding to 74 already enrolled in the region. The Department for Education says the scheme aims to expand to every state-funded primary school in England and has been linked to improved attendance, attainment and behaviour.

Public Health Scotland reports nearly 63,000 waits of more than 12 months for inpatient and outpatient care, a 10% fall from the previous month, and separate data show operations rose 5.6% to 274,638 last year.

Gyles Brandreth said his grandson was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at 15 months and was given the all‑clear in November 2017.

WHO and partners supported the evacuation of five patients and seven companions from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Feb. 2, in the first medical transfer through that route since 2025. More than 18,500 patients remain on evacuation lists, including over 3,000 children.

MIT engineers report a liver microphysiological model that recreates blood vessels and immune cell circulation and reproduces early inflammation and metabolic dysfunction seen in MASLD, according to papers in Nature Communications and Communications Biology.

The government has announced a new fund, worth up to £10 million a year, to help cover travel costs for children and young people with cancer and their families regardless of income. This measure is being announced as part of the National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published tomorrow.

Eleven primary schools in Hull and East Yorkshire will introduce free breakfast clubs in April, joining 19 pilot schools. The move is part of the government's Best Start plan, which the government says aims to boost learning, behaviour and attendance.

A modelling study published in Lancet Global Health reports that continued reductions in overseas aid could produce about 22.6 million additional deaths by 2030, including an estimated 5.4 million children under five; a milder funding reduction would project around 9.4 million excess deaths, including about 2.5 million young children.

Lincoln City Council is offering one hour of free parking at two car parks while Bailgate is resurfaced, but Age UK warns the app-based system and required registration for the phone line could exclude people without smartphones.

The Gates Foundation will concentrate at least 70% of its funding over the next 20 years on preventing maternal and child deaths and controlling key infectious diseases, and it plans to hold annual spending at about $9 billion for the next five years.

U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024, the highest level on record, driven largely by recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and a reported 26% drop in drug overdose deaths.

A Barcelona hospital said it carried out the first face transplant using tissue from a donor who underwent assisted dying, and the recipient, identified as Carme, is reported to be recovering.

The government will set aside £10 million a year to cover travel costs for children and young people with cancer up to age 24, and the scheme is to be rolled out in England by 2027 as part of the government’s cancer strategy.

A teacher described the school experiences of two autistic brothers after their family were found dead in a suspected double murder‑suicide; police are investigating and have said there was no known history of family violence.

Jelly Roll says he lost roughly 300 pounds over nearly four years by increasing walking and running, prioritising higher-protein meals, and using saunas and cold plunges, and he reports not using Ozempic.

A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit after genetic tests showed their newborn is not genetically related to them; the clinic says it is cooperating with an investigation.

An inquest concluded that a shortage of specialist mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of 16-year-old Ellame Ford‑Dunn after she absconded from an acute paediatric ward in March 2022; the coroner said she will issue a prevention of future deaths report.

Officials say two-year-old Xielo Maruziva fell into the River Soar on 18 February 2024 while on a walk with two aunts; his body was found nearly four months later and an inquest is ongoing.

Resident doctors in England voted 93% in favour of continuing industrial action, with a 53% turnout, giving the BMA a six-month mandate to call strikes; no dates have been announced.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a complete response letter declining approval of Aquestive's oral treatment Anaphylm over packaging and labeling concerns rather than efficacy; the company says it has revised packaging and instructions and expects to resubmit as early as the third quarter of 2026.

Susai Jesu, born in Tamil Nadu, was consecrated archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas on Jan. 26 and will oversee about 49,000 Catholics across northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan; he says his first priority is to spend time building relationships with Indigenous communities.

University Hospital Southampton said staff moved about 200 patients to safety after a fire in the endoscopy unit; no one was injured.

A retrospective study found that a blood test combining four markers (CA19-9, THBS2, ANPEP and PIGR) identified pancreatic cancer about 92% of the time; researchers say further testing in larger, prediagnostic populations is needed before any screening use.

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to reopen after being closed since mid‑2024 under a delayed clause of last year’s ceasefire deal; many Palestinians stranded on both sides hope to reunite with family or travel for urgent medical care while details of how crossings will operate remain unclear.

A longevity doctor outlines a sleep-focused routine, saying late sugary or carbohydrate-rich meals and nighttime fluids can disrupt melatonin and that morning natural sunlight before 10am supports circadian regulation.

Blood Cancer UK, Lymphoma Action and Anthony Nolan have formally appealed NICE's decision to recommend against continued NHS use of Tecartus for mantle cell lymphoma; NICE says patients who have already started the treatment may complete it and will review the appeal through its established process.

A Scottish Parliament committee has urged urgent action to reduce long waits for autism and ADHD assessments, and the Scottish government has announced an extra £3.4m to improve access to neurodevelopmental support.

A £1.1m Rosetta Stone study at Imperial College will analyse immune and microbiome markers in people with Long Covid and ME/CFS; the three-year project will study 250 people with each condition alongside matched healthy controls.

A Glasgow man who received a heart transplant in March 2023 completed a more than 110km trek across the Sahara two years later to raise funds for homelessness charity Crisis, and has raised almost £11,500.