Health

Looking on the bright side of life could help you live longer, a new study suggests. According to scientists from the Boston University School of Medicine in the US, people with greater optimism are more likely to live to the age of 85 or older. The new study, published in …

Congolese authorities and health workers vaccinated more than 200,000 people against Ebola in August, the government said on Sunday, using a Merck vaccine they hope will help rein in the world’s second-worst epidemic. Figures released by the government’s Ebola committee showed that 204,044 people had been inoculated since August 8. …

A new type of blood test promises to predict a person’s risk of dying within the next 10 years based on over a dozen different biomarkers. With 83 percent accuracy, it’s proving far better than any existing conventional models. Researchers examined 16 years’ worth of data from 44,168 people aged …

Modified pig hearts could be used for human transplants within just three years, according to the pioneering surgeon who performed the first transplantation in the UK 40 years ago. Speaking on the anniversary of the breakthrough operation, Sir Terence English said his protege from that successful 1979 transplant will try …

Swapping red meat for poultry could drastically reduce a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer, a new major study finds. Researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the US have found that while eating more red meat is associated with a greater risk of developing invasive breast …

A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk. From the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded — a 98% increase from the …

Rwanda has closed part of its border with DR Congo, where an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,800 people in the past year. At least two people have died from the virus in the past month in the crowded Congolese border city of Goma. It is the worst Ebola …

People will no longer be able to smoke in designated outdoor areas of bars and restaurants in Catalonia, under new proposals. Smoking in public places was banned in Spain in January 2011, although smokers were permitted to use the outside terraces of establishments, according to Catalan News. At the time, …

Parents in Germany who fail to vaccinate their children could face hefty fines after the German government-backed a bill requiring all children to receive a measles jab before entering school or kindergarten. If the German parliament approves the bill, parents will be required to provide evidence that their child has …

Residents of Indonesia’s capital on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the government over the toxic levels of air pollution that regularly blanket the city. Jakarta has been shrouded in hazardous smog for much of the past month, with air quality readings recording high concentrations of harmful microscopic particles known as …

Men who eat at least two servings a week of yogurt may be lowering their risk for colorectal cancer, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 32,606 male and 55,743 female health professionals who had a colonoscopy between 1986 and 2012. Study participants provided detailed information about their health, …

San Francisco will become the first US city to effectively ban e-cigarette sales after the city’s board of supervisors unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance Tuesday. The ordinance says “no person shall sell or distribute an electronic cigarette to a person in San Francisco” unless that product has undergone …

India’s top court on Monday ordered an investigation into an outbreak of “brain fever” that has killed at least 122 children, after hearing a petition in which the state and central governments were accused of negligence. The disease, Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, believed to be caused by dehydration and malnutrition, has …

London is to get a much-needed breath of fresh air on its most extensive car-free day to date, with 12.4 miles (20km) of the road to be closed in the center of the British capital. Mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled the plans for September 22 on Thursday — Clean Air Day …

At least 100 children have died this month in the eastern Indian state of Bihar from an illness that impairs the functioning of the brain. Encephalitis, commonly known as brain fever, has led to the death of 97 children, and 146 others have been treated for the disease, Shailesh Prasad …

At present, anyone in the UK can set up a parlor and offer procedures without proper training, a report from the Royal Society for Public Health says. But with one in five adults now having a tattoo, more should be done, it says, to protect the public. NHS England said …

At least 43 children have died in less than two weeks in the Indian state of Bihar from a brain disease that scientists believe could be linked to consumption of lychee fruit. Health officials said the children died at two hospitals in Muzaffarpur, a region of the state that is …

There is a limit to human endurance and it is determined by the gut, not the mind or muscles, according to scientists. US and Scottish researchers studying humans involved in the most demanding physical feats, from running six marathons a week to pregnancy, have shown that the number of calories …

If milk is a few days past its “Sell By” date, is it safe to drink? U.S. regulators are urging food-makers to be more consistent with labeling terms like “Best By” and “Enjoy By” that cause confusion. By clarifying the meaning of such dates, they are trying to prevent people …

A former nurse was jailed for life on Thursday for murdering 85 of his patients – the worst killing spree in Germany’s post-war history. Niels Hoegel injected people with lethal drugs and then played the hero by appearing to struggle to revive them, the district court in Oldenburg heard. “Your …