Health

Patrick Vallance erklärt, dass die Regierung mit chinesischen Beamten zusammenarbeitet, um Beiträge auf Alibaba nach der Biobank-Datenpanne von letzter Woche zu entfernen. Seit der letzte Woche gemeldeten Datenpanne gab es weitere Einträge vertraulicher Gesundheitsakten von britischen Freiwilligen auf der chinesischen Website Alibaba, und die Regierung stellt sich auf weitere Lecks ein, wie der Wissenschaftsminister mitteilte. In einer Debatte im House of Lords über den versuchten Verkauf von Daten von 500.000 UK Biobank-Freiwilligen erklärte Patrick Vallance, dass die Regierung mit chinesischen Beamten zusammengearbeitet habe, um zusätzliche Beiträge auf dem Online-Marktplatz zu entfernen.

• Ein neuer Bericht von Harris County Public Health zeigt auf, dass Houston die höchsten Tuberkuloseraten in Texas aufweist, was die Übertragungsrisiken in städtischen Gebieten unterstreicht. • Die Daten belegen eine erhöhte Fallzahl, die mit der hohen Bevölkerungsdichte und sozioökonomischen Faktoren im Raum Houston zusammenhängt. • Die steigende TB-Inzidenz erfordert gezielte Screening-Maßnahmen und den Ausbau von Behandlungsangeboten, um die Ausbreitung in Hochrisikogemeinschaften einzudämmen.

• A majority of Americans express concern over rising healthcare costs and support increased federal tax spending to address these challenges, according to the Axios/Ipsos American Health Index released March 17, 2026. • The poll demonstrates bipartisan support for government action on healthcare affordability, reflecting widespread concern among the U.S. public about escalating medical expenses. • Americans also show increased trust in government handling of childhood vaccination decisions, signaling broader public confidence in health policy interventions.

• The Taliban government announced restrictions on international health NGOs operating in Afghanistan on Monday, citing concerns over 'political interference' and threatening revocation of licenses for non-compliant organizations. • Medical organizations warned that the restrictions would devastate maternal and pediatric health services, particularly in rural areas where international agencies provide 70 percent of healthcare capacity. • The U.S. State Department condemned the move as undermining humanitarian efforts and expressed concern for vulnerable populations, with officials exploring alternative delivery mechanisms for critical medical assistance.

• Florida's KidCare expansion remains stalled in legal limbo since February 2024, preventing coverage for more children. • Uninsured children in the state have risen to 400,000, one of the highest tallies nationwide. • Delay exacerbates access issues as federal funds await resolution, impacting low-income families significantly.

Half of respondents to RCN poll said patients ‘frequently come to harm’ because caseloads are too highMental health patients in the UK are routinely coming to harm because of high caseloads, understaffing and overwhelming administrative work, according to a poll that found only a fifth of specialist nurses felt their workload was manageable.Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said mental health nurses were caught in a “perfect storm” and unable to keep up with rising demand, with patients paying the price by missing out on crucial care. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Health Foundation says Britain is ‘going backwards’ compared with most other rich countriesFindings on healthy life expectancy in UK shed light on its deteriorating healthPeople in the UK are spending fewer years in good health than a decade ago, prompting concern that the population’s health is “going backwards”.The sharp decline in Britain’s healthy life expectancy, the amount of time someone spends free of illness or disability, is in sharp contrast to its recent rise in most other rich countries globally. Continue reading...