Explainer: 5 common myths about child marriage

“I was married at 14, and I lost my first child at 16 during pregnancy,” Ranu Chakma said. Child marriage is common in her village of Teknaf Upazila, on the southern coast of Bangladesh, even though it is illegal and a human rights violation. Those violations occur even at a time when many countries are banning […]

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Exposing Indian Pharma Firm Fueling West Africa’s Opioid Crisis, An Alarming Public Health Failure

An Indian pharmaceutical company, Aveo Pharmaceuticals, has been found at the heart of West Africa’s escalating opioid crisis, manufacturing unlicensed, highly addictive drugs and exporting them illegally to countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. A BBC Eye investigation uncovered the disturbing role Aveo plays in producing tapentadol, a potent opioid, mixed with carisoprodol, a […]

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The Life-Saving Legacy of PEPFAR: A Global Health Milestone at Risk

For two decades, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign aid, delivering life-saving HIV treatment and prevention to millions in low-income countries. Its bipartisan success story stands as one of the most impactful U.S. foreign assistance programs in history. However, as funding and operations face uncertainty, a […]

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UN to continue Gaza vaccination campaign against polio

WHO said in a news release that more than 591,000 children under 10 years old will receive the vaccine to protect them from the highly infectious disease, beginning this weekend for an anticipated period of five days. The campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in the shattered enclave which signal that […]

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Groundbreaking Study Shows Weight-Loss Drugs Offer Surprising Health Benefits – But Come with Risks

A new study has uncovered both promising and concerning findings about blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound, revealing that they do more than help with weight loss. These medications, which belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, have been linked to a reduced risk of conditions like addiction, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease, […]

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Mark Cuban Says U.S. Healthcare Pricing “Horrific”: Calls for Reforms to Address Soaring Costs

In December 2024, Mark Cuban took to social media to express his concerns about the broken U.S. healthcare system, calling its pricing “horrific” and its structure fundamentally flawed. Cuban’s criticisms focused on how the system forces doctors and hospitals into the role of “subprime lenders,” forcing them to raise prices to cover unpaid bills from […]

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US funding cuts threaten global health response, WHO chief warns

In a media briefing on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the consequences of funding suspensions, including disruptions to HIV treatment, setbacks in polio eradication and limited resources for responding to mpox epidemics in Africa. “The suspension of funding to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, caused an immediate stop to HIV […]

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Judge Blocks Trump’s NIH Funding Cuts Amid Fears of Research Setbacks

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plan to slash billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a move that would significantly impact scientific research and the institutions that rely on these grants. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, prevents the NIH from implementing new rate changes […]

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Meds platform launch gives children with cancer a fighting chance

Around 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and most of them live in low-income countries where medicines are either unaffordable or unavailable, resulting in an overwhelming 70 per cent death rate. In high-income countries, more than eight in 10 children who are diagnosed survive. “The platform is now set to close this gap”, […]

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UK Faces Hidden Diabetes Crisis as Cases Surge to Record Numbers

The number of people living with diabetes in the UK has reached alarming levels, with a new report revealing that nearly one in five adults is now affected by the condition or prediabetes. Diabetes UK’s latest estimates show that 4.6 million individuals have been diagnosed with diabetes, up from 4.4 million last year. However, the […]

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