Study by World Health Organization shows more than half of children had drunk alcohol by age 13 Great Britain has the worst rate of child alcohol abuse worldwide, and more than half of children in England, Scotland and Wales have drunk alcohol by the age of 13, according to a report. The study, one of the largest of its kind by the World Health Organization (WHO), looked at 2021-22 data on 280,000 children aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries who were asked about alcohol, cigarettes and vape usage ..read more

As bird flu is confirmed in 33 cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why this development has taken scientists by surprise, and how prepared we are for the possibility it might start spreading among humans Read more Guardian reporting on this topic ..read more

Chief scientist voices fears about H5N1 variant that has ‘extraordinarily high’ mortality rate in humans The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which has an “extraordinarily high” mortality rate in humans. An outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths or killing of tens of millions of poultry. Most recently, the spread of the virus within several mammal species, including in domestic cattle in the US, has increased the risk of spillover to humans, the WHO said ..read more

Swiss food firm’s infant formula and cereal sold in global south ignore WHO anti-obesity guidelines for Europe, says Public Eye Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found. Campaigners from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of the Swiss multinational’s baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing ..read more

Chris Black, who spent more than a month documenting the situation in Gaza for the World Health Organization, talks about the trauma and destruction he witnessed The scale of trauma, suffering and devastation in Gaza has reached a level that is barely imaginable, according to a photographer with the World Health Organization who spent more than a month documenting the UN agency’s work in the strip. Chris Black, who recently returned after five and a half weeks in the Palestinian territory, said the most shocking moment came during a mission to a hospital. Ruba Farah (far left), a field securit ..read more

Volunteers express concerns about continuing their work after Israeli attack that killed seven aid workers Prof Nick Maynard was operating on a patient with abdomen and chest bomb injuries when an Israeli missile struck the al-Aqsa hospital’s intensive care unit in the adjacent building, forcing his medical emergency team to withdraw from Gaza days earlier than scheduled. “I’ve witnessed with my own eyes an attack by the Israel Defense Forces on the intensive care unit there,” said Maynard, who works as a surgeon in Oxford and has been travelling to Gaza since 2010 ..read more

African nurse leaders say poorer nations face severe shortages despite rules intended to stop wealthy countries poaching staff The UK and other wealthy countries have been accused of adopting a “new form of colonialism” in recruiting huge numbers of nurses from poorer nations to fill their own staffing gaps. International nursing leaders said the trend was leading to worse patient care in developing nations, which were not properly compensated for the loss of experienced healthcare staff ..read more

More than 100 countries impose levies on sugar, but should tariffs increase to improve wellbeing and generate revenues to help tackle related illnesses? Lying in the shadow of Table Mountain, a short drive from the sprawling vineyards that help generate so much of South Africa’s tourism revenue, is Langa. In the city of Cape Town, this is the oldest example of a township, settlements originally created to segregate the black African community from urban areas. Today, Langa is home to just under 90,000 people, many of whom live in wooden or corrugated iron shacks. But while Langa and South Afri ..read more

Almost all countries failing to meet mark for PM2.5, tiny particles expelled by vehicles and industry that can cause health problems Only seven countries are meeting an international air quality standard, with deadly air pollution worsening in places due to a rebound in economic activity and the toxic impact of wildfire smoke, a new report has found. Of 134 countries and regions surveyed in the report, only seven – Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand – are meeting a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for tiny airborne particles expelled by cars ..read more

Acute behavioural disturbance and excited delirium have been cited in police watchdog reports and inquests into 44 deaths – but campaigners say it is pseudoscience Revealed: disputed medical terms used to explain dozens of deaths after police restraint A man who died after being restrained by five police officers for almost an hour, mostly face down on the ground, after a 999 call reported that he was “acting strangely”, is one of more than 40 in Britain whose deaths were subsequently blamed on a disputed medical condition. Bodyworn camera footage captured Krystian Kilkowski, 32, an engineer ..read more