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Maldives begins 'generational ban' on smoking

The Maldives began implementing a smoking ban Saturday on anyone born after January 2007, becoming the only nation with a generational prohibition on tobacco, the Health Ministry said.

Panic across US as health insurance costs set to surge

Rachel Mosley, a Florida pre-school teacher, recently learned her family's health insurance premiums are set to nearly triple to a staggering $4,000 a month next year when US government subsidies expire.

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Spending a penny: Uproar over LA plan for $1 mn toilet

Plans for a $1 million public toilet are raising a stink in Los Angeles, where locals say the cash-strapped city is flushing money down the drain.

Danish PM apologises to victims of Greenland forced contraception

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday apologised in person to victims of a forced contraception programme in Denmark's autonomous territory Greenland that ran for more than three decades.

Danish PM to apologise to victims of Greenland forced contraception

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has arrived in Denmark's autonomous territory Greenland for a ceremony Wednesday to apologise in person to the victims of a forced contraception programme that Copenhagen ran for more than three decades.

Does taking paracetamol while pregnant cause autism? No, experts say

There is no scientific evidence showing that pregnant women taking the painkiller paracetamol causes autism in their children, medical experts and drug regulators have emphasised after Donald Trump claimed the two were linked.

WHO sees no autism links to Tylenol, vaccines

Neither the painkiller Tylenol nor vaccines have been shown to cause autism, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, following comments from the US president and his administration to the contrary.

Trump ties autism risk to Tylenol as scientists urge caution

US President Donald Trump on Monday urged pregnant people not to take Tylenol over an unproven link to autism, and urged major changes to the standard vaccines given to babies.

Trump-backed panel sows doubt over Covid-19 shots

A Trump-backed health panel questioned Friday the efficacy and safety of Covid-19 vaccines -- and declined explicitly to recommend them -- in an argument some experts said center on "myths" and "anecdotes."

Kenya's only breastmilk bank, lifeline for premature babies

Surrounded by incubators, a red tube snaking into her tiny nose, four-day-old Grace-Ella is being fed donated breastmilk at the only facility in Kenya that offers the life-giving service.

Painting stripes on cows to lizards' pizza pick: Ig Nobel winners

Painting zebra stripes on cows to fend off flies, lizards' favourite pizza toppings and how booze helps you speak another language: these were some of the winners at the Ig Nobel prizes, which celebrate the sillier side of science.

Australian state bans testing of illicit drugs

The Australian state of Queensland has banned the testing of drugs for recreational use, sparking warnings from health providers on Friday that the move could put lives at risk.

RFK Jr panelists make initial changes to childhood vaccine schedule

A US medical panel handpicked by President Donald Trump's health secretary made its first alteration to the standard childhood vaccine schedule on Thursday, as public health experts fear more changes that flout prevailing medical advice are in the pipeline.

RFK Jr panelists make first changes to childhood vaccine advice

A US medical panel handpicked by President Donald Trump's health secretary made its first alteration to the childhood vaccine schedule on Thursday, as public health experts fear more changes that flout prevailing medical advice are in the pipeline.

US medical panel insists it's 'pro-vaccine'

A US panel stacked with figures sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement opened a highly politicized meeting Thursday on the defensive, insisting that they are "pro-vaccine" even as public health experts fear the group is set to upend longstanding medical advice.

Malnutrition causes unrecognised type of diabetes: experts

Malnutrition can cause its own form of diabetes, health experts said Thursday, calling for "type 5 diabetes" to be recognised globally to help fight the disease in countries already struggling with poverty and starvation.

US vaccine panel to hold high-stakes policy meeting

A US panel stacked with figures sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement will on Thursday take on federal immunization recommendations in a highly politicized meeting that could upend longstanding medical advice.

Fired US health agency chief testifies on pressure to 'replace evidence with ideology'

The ex-chief of the US disease prevention agency told senators Wednesday she was fired for refusing to approve changes to childhood vaccine schedules not backed by scientific evidence, as the Trump administration moves to dismantle longstanding healthy policy.

Estimated 16,500 climate change deaths during Europe summer: study

Scientists estimated Wednesday that rising temperatures from human-caused climate change were responsible for roughly 16,500 deaths in European cities this summer, using modelling to project the toll before official data is released.

Botox under burqas: Cosmetic surgery in vogue in Afghanistan

Decked out with fake crystal chandeliers and velvet sofas, cosmetic surgery clinics in Afghanistan's capital are a world away from the austerity of Taliban rule, where Botox, lip filler, and hair transplants reign.

In mega-city Lagos, 20 million count on just 100 ambulances

Standing outside a public hospital in Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city, Michelin Hunsa is still "traumatised" from the two-hour wait it took to get an ambulance for her mother, found unconscious by her neighbours.

Activists on trial as France debates right to die

Twelve activists accused of helping people in France to illegally obtain a euthanasia drug went on trial in Paris on Monday, as the country debates a right-to-die bill.

Right-to-die activists on trial in France as lawmakers debate end-of-life bill

Twelve activists accused of helping people in France to illegally obtain a euthanasia drug went on trial in Paris on Monday, as the country debates a right-to-die bill.

French doctor accused of serial poisonings was at first 'above suspicion'

A French doctor accused of intentionally poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, was "above suspicion" at the start of a probe in 2017, an investigator said on Thursday.

Scientists behind breakthrough cystic fibrosis treatment awarded top US prize

Cystic fibrosis was once a dire, likely deadly diagnosis, destroying a patient's ability to breathe and digest food -- but a revolutionary new treatment offers reason for hope.

Informing parents not enough to fight childhood obesity: study

Government-led programmes attempting to curb childhood obesity by educating parents do not work, an international study published Thursday concluded, and researchers are calling for policies that prioritise society-wide solutions.

US pharma giant Merck ditches plan for $1.4-bn research centre in UK

Merck, the US pharmaceutical group, said on Wednesday it has dropped plans to build a $1.4-billion research centre in Britain, blaming the country's "lack of investment" in the sector and its drugs prices.

UK aims to transform Alzheimer's diagnosis with blood test trial

UK researchers on Wednesday announced the trial of a blood test for Alzheimer's which it is hoped will transform diagnosis of the disease.

Obese surpass undernourished youths for first time, UN warns

Obesity has skyrocketed among children and adolescents bombarded by "unethical" marketing of junk food, outpacing undernourishment to become the leading form of malnutrition worldwide for the first time among those age five to 19, UNICEF warned Tuesday.

US unveils new health plan avoiding curbs on junk food, pesticides

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday unveiled the Trump administration's long-awaited plan to tackle chronic disease, calling for better nutrition, tighter scrutiny of medical advertising, and even a new push to boost fertility.

Trial of doctor accused of poisoning 30 patients begins in France

A French doctor accused of intentionally poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, went on trial Monday, saying before the hearing he was not responsible for the "distress" of his alleged victims and their families.

AI-powered meet-up apps fight loneliness

On a summer evening in San Francisco, JT Mason went to dinner with five complete strangers, confident he would have a good time thanks to careful guest selection by a new type of app for meeting people.

RFK Jr defends US health agency shake up, Democrats call for his ouster

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said Thursday that firing a top government scientist was "absolutely necessary," as he faced blistering criticism from Democrats urging him to resign over his steps to curb vaccines.

Could humans become immortal, as Putin was heard telling Xi?

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have been recorded on a hot mic discussing how organ transplants and other medical advances could let humans live past 150 years -- or even become immortal.

The China Mail - Health (English)