Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

Cervical cancer vaccine push has saved 1.4 million lives: Gavi

A three-year campaign to bring vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) to low-income countries has prevented 1.4 million cervical cancer deaths, the vaccine alliance Gavi said Monday.

'Bleak' future for seals decimated by bird flu, scientists warn

The world's largest species of seal has been devastated by bird flu, which has wiped out half of all breeding females at a key wildlife haven near Antarctica, scientists warned Thursday.

Last news

Trump signs bill to end record-breaking US shutdown

President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in US history -- 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game.

'We're already living in science fiction': The neurotech revolution

From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs -- and profound ethical concerns.

US to remove warnings from menopause hormone therapy

The US health regulatory agency on Monday said it would direct manufacturers to remove a bold warning on many hormone therapies used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, saying the risks have been exaggerated.

Deadly measles surge sees Canada lose eradicated status

Canada has lost its measles elimination status, health officials said Monday, a major setback caused by a year-long resurgence of the disease largely among unvaccinated groups.

Countries agree to end mercury tooth fillings by 2034

Countries agreed Friday to phase out the use of mercury-based dental amalgams in tooth fillings by 2034, in a move that will change how dentistry is done around the world.

MSF accuses powerful nations of weakening S.Africa's G20 health text

Powerful G20 nations are pushing back on efforts to promote global access for health at this month's summit in South Africa, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned Friday, calling the move disappointing.

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.

Novo Nordisk launches bidding war with Pfizer for obesity drugmaker Metsera

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, maker of weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, announced Thursday an unsolicited bid to acquire obesity treatment maker Metsera, topping an offer from US rival Pfizer which called the move "reckless".

Resilient young woman leads fight for euthanasia in Mexico

Samara Martinez, a young Mexican woman who is sick and dying, smiles as she asks her many TikTok followers a difficult question.

Ecuador's president says he was target of attempted poisoning

Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa said Thursday that an unknown assailant had attempted to poison him with chocolate and a jam laced with chemicals, gifted to him at a public event.

Surgeons remove up to 100 magnets from N. Zealand teen's gut

A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand swallowed up to 100 high-power magnets he bought on Temu, forcing surgeons to remove tissue from his intestines, doctors said on Friday.

Autistic adults push back on 'fear-based' Trump rhetoric

Composer William Barnett started his YouTube channel as an outlet for his music -- but today he also uses it to debunk the steady stream of White House rhetoric on autism while sharing his own experience living with it.

No reduction in Gaza hunger since truce: WHO

The World Health Organization said Thursday there had been little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza since a ceasefire took hold -- and no observable reduction in hunger.

Indian capital chokes after Diwali firework frenzy

Toxic air in India's capital hit more than 56 times the UN health limit early Tuesday, after fireworks for the Hindu festival of Diwali worsened air pollution.

Climate change, population growth threats as malaria fight stalls

The fight against malaria has stalled after two decades of progress, with climate change and population growth among factors threatening a resurgence of the potentially fatal disease, campaigners said Tuesday.

Toxic haze chokes Indian capital

India's capital New Delhi was shrouded in a thick, toxic haze on Monday as air pollution levels soared to more than 16 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum.

India's pollution refugees fleeing Delhi's toxic air

Pollution levels in India's capital shaped Natasha Uppal and her husband's decision on parenthood -- either raise their child away from the city, or stay put and remain childless.

Australia doctors warn of 'excessive' medical weed prescriptions

Australia's medical cannabis industry is "excessively" prescribing weed with little oversight and needs urgent regulation, the country's top doctors association and pharmacists warned on Tuesday.

Chronic drug shortages frustrate EU pharmacists, patients

At a drug wholesaler warehouse in Belgium, shelves are emptier than they used to be.

RFK Jr pushes fringe claim linking autism to circumcision

US President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Thursday promoted another fringe theory about autism -- this time linking it to circumcision or to pain medication given for the procedure.

Grieving Singapore father on mission to save teens from drug vapes

Since losing his only daughter in a fall from their high-rise flat in Singapore, Delfard Tay has turned grief into purpose, sounding the alarm on drug-laced vapes that put teenagers' lives at risk.

Breast cancer screening scandal outrages Spain

Spain on Wednesday searched for answers to public outrage at a healthcare scandal after authorities in the Andalusia region failed to inform thousands of women of their breast cancer screening results.

England rugby star Moody 'shocked' by motor neurone disease diagnosis

Lewis Moody, a pivotal member of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad, revealed on Monday he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Canada reports first death linked to measles epidemic

An infant born prematurely in the western Canadian province of Alberta died as a result of measles, officials said Thursday, the first fatality linked to the disease's resurgence in the country in the past year.

US regulator approves new generic abortion pill, conservatives outraged

US regulators have approved an additional generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, a normally routine move that nevertheless angered anti-abortion activists.

Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento has dementia: family

Celebrated Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento, 82, whose soaring voice has enchanted fans worldwide, has been diagnosed with dementia, his family said.

Afropop icon Adekunle Gold embraces Nigerian roots with new album

Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold returns to his roots on Friday with the release of his sixth album, "Fuji", which he described as a tribute to the ancestral sounds of his home country.

Over a dozen Australian suncreams pulled over safety concerns

Over a dozen suncreams have been pulled from shelves in Australia after consumer advocacy group analysis found many of them did not provide the sun protection factor their makers claimed.

Trump announces Pfizer deal he says will lower certain drug prices

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a deal granting Pfizer a three-year reprieve on planned tariffs as the pharmaceutical giant vowed to voluntarily lower the prices of unspecified drugs for US purchase.

Human skin cells turned into fertilisable eggs for first time

Scientists said Wednesday they have turned human skin cells into eggs and fertilised them with sperm in the lab for the first time -- a breakthrough that is hoped to one day let infertile people have children.

Endometriosis test backed by French government under scrutiny

When France launched its strategy to fight endometriosis in 2022, it widely promoted a simple saliva test that was promised to revolutionise diagnosis of the little-understood disease, which causes debilitating pain in women across the world.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Health (English)