Health

Authorities say a pregnant woman was found dead in a Downers Grove home that had been set on fire; a 19-year-old has been arrested and is due in court for a detention hearing.

Two Nipah virus cases were reported in India and neighbouring countries have increased airport screening; Nipah is a rare bat-associated virus and there is no approved vaccine.

Esther Ghey urged MPs to support an immediate ban on social media for under-16s, saying a planned government consultation could take too long and risk further harm. MPs will debate amendments to the children's wellbeing and schools bill, and the government's consultation is due to report this summer.

A 66-year-old prisoner, Paul Tyler, has been sentenced to an additional 18 years and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order after pleading guilty to historic sexual offences against two children, following reports made to Humberside Police in 2022.

A six-month pilot of rapid access valve assessment clinics in south London screened 168 patients—55% from minority ethnic backgrounds—and clinicians are calling for the model to be expanded across NHS England to address disparities in diagnosis and treatment.

Walton County officials announced that human remains found in Miramar Beach in October 2022 have been identified as Jacob Lyon, who was reported missing in 2016; the cause of death remains undetermined and the investigation is ongoing.

A report from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute says many people with mental health and financial problems are not accessing benefits they are entitled to because support to claim them is uneven and overstretched; research group Policy in Practice estimates about £24 billion goes unclaimed each year.

The Princess of Wales joined a wellbeing walk with charity Mind Over Mountains at Curbar Gap in the Peak District, and took part in a mindfulness reflection despite rainy weather.

The University of Lincoln has received almost £11m from the NIHR to open the Lincolnshire Unit for Mental Health Research in May; it is one of five regional hubs being set up to strengthen research in underserved areas.

In-Dependence says alcohol accounted for 69% (75) of its assessments last year and many clients showed reduced risk or distress after treatment. The group has secured Social Investment Fund support for gambling therapy for the next three years, though longer-term funding is uncertain.

The United States has told Gavi to phase out the preservative thimerosal and says it will withhold new funding until a plan for removal is developed and initiated.

A coalition report says emotional distress among children and young people has risen sharply and that mental health services are struggling to meet demand, with many facing long waits or being turned away.

Kanye West has said he keeps a daily checklist of things he said during manic episodes after publishing a full-page apology that linked past antisemitic outbursts to a bipolar diagnosis and a prior head injury.

A homeless woman was found nearly frozen outside an Evans Food Mart in Fort Worth and was taken to hospital; her condition is unknown.

Samantha Womack was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and lost her rescued dog Lola shortly afterward; she paused work, moved to Valencia to focus on recovery and was reported to be cancer-free five months later.

An inquest in Belfast heard that 14-year-old Noah Donohoe was filmed cycling naked shortly before he disappeared in June 2020 and was later found dead in a storm drain; the hearing is ongoing and is expected to run until the end of March.

An investigation found staff did not wake the mother for observations before the birth, and the newborn, named Sonny Taylor, died three days later; Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board accepted the report's findings and apologised.

A coroner found a newborn's death after a home birth was avoidable, citing staffing and monitoring failures; the senior coroner said she will write to the Health Secretary and national bodies about the lack of home-birth guidance.

At Lincoln Crown Court, prosecutors heard that Deividas Skebas admits killing nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte but denies murder, claiming diminished responsibility; three psychiatrists reported he had schizophrenia and showed psychosis on the day of the attack.

A friend regretted that her mother missed timely palliative care, and the article reports that many older Australians receive specialist palliative support only days before death.

Public Health Scotland reports a 12% fall in the risk of dying from cancer over the past decade, though total cancer deaths rose slightly from 16,011 in 2015 to 16,352 in 2024 as the population aged.

The Government-backed Health Survey for England reports 24% of adults had not drunk alcohol in the last 12 months, up from 19% in 2022; low- and no-alcohol drinks are increasingly common.

An outbreak of Nipah virus in West Bengal has infected several healthcare workers and led to quarantines and enhanced airport screening in parts of Asia.

Roche said its once-weekly injection CT-388 produced placebo-adjusted weight loss of 22.5% in a Phase II trial and the company expects to start Phase III trials this quarter.

Sir Chris Hoy posted an Instagram video documenting his 12-week recovery after an early November mountain‑bike crash that required surgery; he says he is back cycling and that his cancer is currently stable.

Studies report coffee drinkers often get a short-lived mood boost and that large studies link habitual coffee drinking with lower risks of some chronic conditions; researchers note robusta beans tend to have higher caffeine and chlorogenic acid, while arabica is generally lower in both.

A large UK study found menopause is linked to loss of grey matter in brain areas tied to memory and emotion. The analysis of nearly 125,000 women (about 11,000 with MRI scans) reported that hormone replacement therapy did not appear to prevent the loss.

The NHS has launched a pilot at Guy's and St Thomas's using AI to flag lung nodules and robotic catheters to take targeted biopsies; 300 robotic biopsy procedures have been carried out so far, with 215 patients going on to receive cancer treatment.

NHS England will trial a combination of AI analysis and robot-assisted biopsy at Guy's and St Thomas' to speed detection and diagnosis of lung cancer, and the health service has pledged to offer lung screening to all smokers and ex-smokers by 2030.

Paris Hilton said she was diagnosed with rejection sensitivity dysphoria after an earlier ADHD diagnosis and described how it affected her life; she also spoke in Washington to back the DEFIANCE Act and recalled a private video that was released without her consent.