Health

• La American Heart Association publicó un Aviso Presidencial el 30 de abril de 2026, declarando que la asequibilidad de la atención médica en EE. UU. se encuentra en un punto de crisis debido al aumento de los costos impulsado por las enfermedades crónicas. • Los costos están obligando a los estadounidenses a retrasar o evitar la atención médica, lo que empeora los resultados de salud e incrementa la deuda médica; una encuesta de Gallup muestra una preocupación generalizada por acceder a una atención asequible. • Una encuesta de McLaughlin & Associates encontró que el 51% de los votantes cita el seguro médico como su principal preocupación, seguido de las facturas hospitalarias (11%) y los costos de los medicamentos (10%).

• Casi dos tercios (64%) de los adultos en EE. UU. están preocupados por poder costear los gastos de atención médica, con un 30% muy preocupado, superando las preocupaciones de asequibilidad sobre los precios de la gasolina. • La asequibilidad de la atención médica sigue siendo la principal preocupación del público a pesar de otras presiones económicas. • La encuesta destaca la continua presión financiera sobre los hogares en medio del aumento de los gastos médicos.

Patrick Vallance dice que el gobierno trabaja con funcionarios chinos para eliminar publicaciones de Alibaba tras la filtración de datos de Biobank de la semana pasada Ha habido nuevas publicaciones de registros de salud confidenciales de voluntarios del Reino Unido en el sitio web chino Alibaba desde la filtración comunicada la semana pasada y el gobierno se prepara para nuevas filtraciones, según ha declarado el ministro de ciencia. Al intervenir en un debate en la Cámara de los Lores sobre el intento de venta de datos pertenecientes a 500.000 voluntarios de UK Biobank, Patrick Vallance señaló que el gobierno ha trabajado con funcionarios de China para retirar publicaciones adicionales en el mercado en línea. Continue reading...

• Un nuevo informe de Harris County Public Health revela que Houston tiene las tasas más altas de tuberculosis en Texas, destacando los riesgos de transmisión urbana. • Los datos muestran casos elevados vinculados a la densidad poblacional y a factores socioeconómicos en el área de Houston. • El aumento de la incidencia de tuberculosis exige una expansión en las pruebas de detección y los tratamientos focalizados para frenar la propagación en comunidades de alto riesgo.

• Una mayoría de estadounidenses expresa preocupación por el aumento de los costos de atención médica y apoya un mayor gasto de impuestos federales para abordar estos desafíos, según el Axios/Ipsos American Health Index publicado el 17 de marzo de 2026. • La encuesta demuestra un apoyo bipartidista a la acción del gobierno sobre la asequibilidad de la atención médica, lo que refleja la preocupación generalizada entre el público de EE. UU. por el incremento de los gastos médicos. • Los estadounidenses también muestran una mayor confianza en la gestión gubernamental de las decisiones sobre vacunación infantil, lo que indica una mayor confianza pública en las intervenciones de políticas de salud.

• El gobierno talibán anunció el lunes restricciones a las ONG de salud internacionales que operan en Afganistán, citando preocupaciones sobre la 'interferencia política' y amenazando con revocar las licencias de las organizaciones que no cumplan. • Organizaciones médicas advirtieron que las restricciones devastarían los servicios de salud materna y pediátrica, particularmente en las zonas rurales, donde las agencias internacionales proporcionan el 70 por ciento de la capacidad sanitaria. • El Departamento de Estado de los EE. UU. condenó la medida, afirmando que socava los esfuerzos humanitarios, y expresó su preocupación por las poblaciones vulnerables, mientras los funcionarios exploran mecanismos alternativos de entrega para la asistencia médica crítica.

• La expansión de KidCare en Florida permanece estancada en un limbo legal desde febrero de 2024, impidiendo la cobertura de más niños. • El número de niños sin seguro en el estado ha aumentado a 400,000, una de las cifras más altas a nivel nacional. • El retraso exacerba los problemas de acceso mientras los fondos federales esperan una resolución, impactando significativamente a las familias de bajos ingresos.

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...

Metric gives fuller picture than life expectancy, which is simply how long people live, says Health Foundation People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study findsThe obesity crisis, the record 2.8 million working-age Britons too sick to do so and the rising prevalence of mental illness are sobering reminders that the UK population’s health is not good.But even for those familiar with this troubling situation, the Health Foundation’s analysis of the latest Office for National Statistics figures on healthy life expectancy sheds uncomfortable new light on the country’s poor and deteriorating health. Continue reading...

The Israeli government and Hezbollah have traded blame over breaches to the truce, which is set to run for several more weeksLebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country’s south killed 14 people on Sunday, the deadliest day since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force over a week ago.The health ministry said the dead on Sunday included two women and two children, adding that 37 other people were wounded. Israel said one of its soldiers was also killed. Continue reading...

Experts report more young people with conditions such as bunions after wearing shoes that are too small or narrowParents should care for their children’s feet in the same way as their eyes and teeth, according to footwear specialists who say they are seeing more young people with painful conditions such as bunions.Bunions are bony lumps on the side of the foot. People can be genetically pre-disposed but ill-fitting shoes are seen as an aggravating factor. Continue reading...

• The Alabama Department of Corrections terminated its $1 billion health care contract with Tennessee-based YesCare for failure to adequately fulfill contractual duties. • The contract, awarded in 2023 as a 5-year agreement, was dissolved due to the company's inability to meet performance standards for prison health services. • The termination raises questions about oversight of private contractors providing essential health care services within the correctional system.

• CrowdStrike disclosed on April 25, 2026, a sophisticated cyberattack via compromised third-party software affecting 2.5 million patient records at UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare subsidiary. • Attackers, linked to North Korean Lazarus Group, exfiltrated data over 72 hours before detection, demanding $22 million ransom. • Incident highlights vulnerabilities in US healthcare IT supply chains, prompting HHS emergency directives for 500+ providers.

• Public health officials confirmed two cases of measles in Sacramento County, California, amid ongoing monitoring for potential spread. • The cases highlight persistent risks despite national vaccination efforts, with officials urging unvaccinated residents to seek immunization. • Measles outbreaks underscore gaps in herd immunity, particularly in localized communities, prompting heightened surveillance statewide.

Tom Kean, who has not voted since 5 March and whose seat is top Democratic target, due back ‘very soon’, speaker saysA vulnerable Republican congressman who has not voted in weeks “is attending to a personal health matter,” the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said on Friday as he struggles to maintain his historically small majority in Congress’s lower chamber.Tom Kean Jr’s New Jersey district is a top pickup target for Democrats in the November midterms, but the congressman has not cast a vote in the House since 5 March. Continue reading...

• Power Solutions International reduced its debt-to-equity ratio from 2,140% to 54.6% over five years, signaling substantial improvement in financial health. • The company achieved 64.5% earnings growth last year, outpacing the electrical industry average of 21.4%. • Despite recent share price volatility, the company's financial restructuring and strong earnings demonstrate improved operational performance.

Technology minister tells Commons ‘de-identified’ information from UK Biobank advertised for sale on AlibabaUK politics live – latest updatesThe confidential health records of half a million British volunteers have been offered for sale on Chinese website Alibaba, the UK government has confirmed.The data, belonging to participants in the UK Biobank project, was found for sale on three separate listings last week. The records have now been removed and it is not believed any sales were made. Continue reading...

Trade body warns that changes are likely to drive up costs and push pupils to find somewhere to buy junk food Business live – latest updatesA government push to get schoolchildren eating more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned.Proposals for healthier meals in English schools, which would limit the amount of desserts and reduce “grab-and-go” items such as pizzas and sausage rolls, would pile pressure on an already struggling sector, caterers said. Continue reading...

• Treehub launched on April 22, 2026, as a Stanford-adjacent residency program in Los Altos, California, backed by the AI Health Fund and investors including Tim Draper and 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki. • The program functions as a venture studio, incubator, and fund, offering scientist-founders proprietary medical data, mentorship from exited startup operators, and programming with payers and investors. • It targets precision outcomes like genomic risk stratification, care efficiency via ambient intelligence, and frontier science including robotic surgery and digital twins.

• The FDA granted accelerated approval to a CRISPR-based gene therapy for severe sickle cell disease on April 20, marking the first approved genetic treatment editing patient blood cells to produce functional hemoglobin. • Clinical trials demonstrated 95% of treated patients experienced elimination or near-elimination of vaso-occlusive crises within 12 months, with durable responses observed for over two years post-treatment. • The therapy addresses a disease affecting approximately 100,000 Americans, primarily of African descent, offering potential cure for patients previously reliant on pain management and blood transfusions.

Growing use of AI tech comes at expense of workers’ rights, protections and pay, report warnsBillion-dollar tech platforms are aggressively pushing for deregulation of the “Uber for nursing” industry in an effort to expand gig work in the healthcare sector, according to a report published Tuesday.The report from the AI Now Institute, Uber for Nursing Part II: How Gig Nursing Companies Are Lobbying States to Deregulate Healthcare, examines the use of artificial intelligence to staff hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Continue reading...

Secretary Kennedy Podcast so far seems designed to promote Trump administration talking points over any specific public health messageRobert F Kennedy Jr’s new Secretary Kennedy Podcast is a show that, so far, appears designed to promote Trump administration talking points over any specific public health message.Though, based on the trailer and episode one, which dropped last week, one might expect the Secretary Kennedy Podcast to be quite similar to the health secretary’s former show, The RFK Jr Podcast. In the trailer that dropped ahead of his new podcast’s release, Kennedy says: “Children are sicker, chronic disease is exploding and the answers we’ve been given aren’t working” – talking points that were common on his old series. He even adds: “Many of us have come to the conclusion that the government actually lies to us,” a statement that might have served his former podcast better, given that Kennedy is now a senior figure in the government. Continue reading...

• The FDA announced it will issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelic drugs next week, marking the first time the agency has fast-tracked any psychedelics for review under Trump's executive order on mental health reform. • The vouchers can compress FDA review timelines from several months to just weeks, according to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, if the drugs align with national priorities. • Trump's order directs $50 million in federal funding to states developing psychedelic treatment programs and establishes a federal-state partnership for technical assistance and data sharing.

• President Trump signed an executive order directing federal regulators to fast-track FDA review of psychedelic drugs including psilocybin and ibogaine for treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD. • The order allocates $50 million in federal funds to states implementing or developing psychedelic treatment programs as part of a federal-state partnership initiative. • Trump highlighted that over 14 million American adults have serious mental illness, with approximately 8 million on prescription medication, framing psychedelics as addressing a national mental health crisis including suicide prevention.

• President Donald Trump announced Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Texas' top public health official and infectious disease physician, as his nominee for CDC chief medical officer on Thursday via Truth Social. • Shuford oversaw the country's largest measles outbreak in 30 years; other nominees include Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, Sean Slovenski as deputy director and COO, and Dr. Sara Brenner as senior counselor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. • The appointments aim to reshape CDC leadership amid ongoing public health challenges in the US.

The magazine company is also shuttering some editions of Allure, Glamour and Wired deemed to be unprofitableCondé Nast is planning to shutter Self, its women’s health magazine, after 47 years.In a memo published on the magazine giant’s website on Thursday, the CEO Roger Lynch explained the decision by saying: “As audience behaviors shift, we have not seen a path for Self to continue in its current form as a digital publication.” Continue reading...

• McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston launched the Center for Innovation in Congenital Heart Disease, a multidisciplinary center bringing together experts in medicine, science, and engineering to transform understanding and treatment of the condition. • A major research focus involves recreating early human heart development using stem cells and bioprinted structures to study how congenital defects form. • The center bridges discovery and clinical care by advancing research, developing technologies, and translating innovations into patient treatment solutions across a lifetime of care.