Australia apologizes for thalidomide tragedy as some survivors listen in the Parliament gallery
Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery when Australia’s Parliament made a national apology for what was described as one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.
British inquiry finds serious failings at hospitals where worker had sex with more than 100 corpses
A British government-ordered inquiry says it found serious failings at hospitals where an electrician who was later convicted of murder was able to have sex with more than 100 corpses over 15 years without being detected.
China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens
China’s health ministry says a surge in respiratory illnesses across the country that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus.
South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs
In a series of moves experts say signal a shift in how developing countries deal with pharmaceuticals, South Africa, Colombia and others have recently adopted a more combative approach towards drugmakers, pushing back on policies that deny treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV.
Biden declares emergency over lead in water in US Virgin Islands
President Joe Biden declared an emergency over lead-in-water contamination in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this week after tests on St. Croix revealed levels more than 100 times the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency – among the worst results a U.S. community has seen in decades.
Police: Kentucky bank shooter wrote in journal about ease of buying assault weapon before killings
The man who fatally shot five coworkers in April at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, questioned in newly released journal entries whether he would be able to get a gun despite his mental health struggles.
Marlo Thomas celebrates Thanks and Giving's 20th year and $1 billion raised for St. Jude hospital
Actress and activist Marlo Thomas is proud that this year St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's Thanks and Giving campaign celebrates its 20th anniversary and passes the fundraising milestone of $1 billion to support the hospital’s efforts to provide free medical care to children with cancer.
Michigan school shooting survivor heals with surgery, a trusted horse and a chance to tell her story
A 19-year-old college student who has survived two deadly mass school shootings in Michigan says things are looking up, but she remains dismayed by continued gun violence in the U.S. Kylie Ossege was shot and temporarily paralyzed when an armed classmate attacked Oxford High School in 2021.
Barefoot workers and cracked floors were found at a factory that made recalled eyedrops, FDA says
U.S. health inspectors found a host of sanitation and manufacturing problems at an Indian plant that recently recalled eyedrops sold in the U.S. The problems include cracked floors, barefoot workers and manipulated testing records.
The world's first gene therapy for sickle cell disease has been approved in Britain
Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling illness in the U.K. In a statement on Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it had approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020.
Lawyers for religious leaders challenging Missouri abortion ban say law imposes beliefs on everyone
Lawyers for a group of religious leaders who support abortion rights said during a hearing that Missouri lawmakers intended to “impose their religious beliefs on everyone" in the state when they passed a restrictive abortion ban.
FTC warns food industry trade groups and influencers about disclosures on paid social media posts
The Federal Trade Commission says it issued warnings to two food and beverage industry groups, as well as to a dozen online influencers and dieticians for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted a sweetener and sugary products.
Supplies alone won’t save Gaza hospital patients and evacuation remains perilous, experts say
A day after Palestinian authorities called for an evacuation of Gaza’s biggest hospital, Israeli soldiers have raided it and say they were accompanied by medical teams bringing baby food, incubators and other equipment.
UK experts recommend chickenpox shot for kids for the first time, decades after other countries
An expert scientific committee advising the British government recommended for the first time Tuesday that children should be immunized with the chickenpox vaccine — decades after the shots were made widely available in other countries, including the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Internal documents show the World Health Organization paid sexual abuse victims in Congo $250 each
Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the World Health Organization has paid $250 each to at least 104 women in Congo who say they were sexually abused or exploited by Ebola outbreak responders.
Officials in Russia-annexed Crimea say private clinics have stopped providing abortions
Russian-installed health officials in Crimea say private clinics on the Moscow-annexed peninsula have “voluntarily” stopped providing abortions, which means that the procedure is now only available there in state-run medical facilities.
After Ohio vote, advocates in a dozen states are trying to put abortion on 2024 ballots
After voters in Ohio approved a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care, advocates in at least a dozen states are hoping to take abortion questions to voters in 2024.
Croatia withdraws some bottled drinks and urges people to drink tap water after several fall ill
Authorities in Croatia have recommended that people drink only tap water as they investigate reports of several people getting sick or suffering throat injuries allegedly after consuming bottled beverages.
Milk carton shortage hits school lunchrooms in New York, California and other states, USDA says
A shortage of half-pint milk cartons is affecting school meals in cafeterias across the U.S. School officials from New York to California are scrambling for backup options after a main supplier of cartons said demand has outstripped supply.