Health News

NHS must plan for heatwaves like it does for winter, health secretary says

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:05:00 +0000

The warning comes after the NHS sees a surge in patients and problems with equipment in high temperatures.

Fighting the world's most deadly animal… in an unexpected way

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:16:28 +0000

Mosquitoes aren't just annoying - they kill around 700,000 people a year via the diseases they spread. But scientists are developing new, counterintuitive ways to tackle them.

‘It can make you psychotic or give you a cardiac arrest’: why are so many children vaping the ‘prison drug’ spice?

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:44 +0000

Parents and teachers worry about the number of kids who vape cannabis. But many of them are using something far more dangerous – without even realising it

I bumped into an old acquaintance the other day. Updating me on his children’s ages, he said, with an eyeroll of resignation: “My daughter’s 15 now; just found a cannabis vape in her room.” It’s an increasingly common and concerning situation for parents – with no way of telling if a vape does in fact contain weed (which comes with its own risks, just like vaping tobacco) or something much worse.

Instead of the natural cannabinoids THC or CBD, these vapes can contain a much cheaper substitute: the “prison drug” spice. Last year scientists from the University of Bath analysed 1,923 vapes that had been confiscated from children in 114 schools in England, and found that 13% contained spice. In London and Lancashire it was 25%. And this is among vapes of all kinds, nicotine included, not just those that purported to contain cannabis. As for vapes labelled as containing THC, CBD or cannabis, when the drug-testing service Wedinos (part of Public Health Wales) examined 297 samples received in the year up to March 2025, it found that 39% contained spice.

Health News

NHS must plan for heatwaves like it does for winter, health secretary says

Fighting the world's most deadly animal… in an unexpected way

‘It can make you psychotic or give you a cardiac arrest’: why are so many children vaping the ‘prison drug’ spice?

Walk-in mental health centres to open in banks and libraries across England

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Half of vaccines are binned - 'fridge-free' versions could change that

NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper

Study finds three midlife health factors that could delay dementia for 13 years

CDC reportedly expands scope of US cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, including Arkansas and Missouri

‘It confirmed my flaws’: women are paying for face scans that score beauty and suggest excessive procedures

From flip flops to fisherman's sandals: How to look after your feet this summer

Inside Health

National Trust expands park by 32 hectares

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Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it | Letters

Scrapping foreign doctors scheme will hurt the NHS | Letter

Tell us your experience of using peptides

Charity using art to help inmate rehabilitation

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Top-rated mental health trust asked to save £24m

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Cancer survivors need protection from future discrimination, say German politicians

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Breast cancer checks missing most women under 50 who are at risk, says study

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NHS radiographers report rise in overt racist abuse by patients

US cyclosporiasis outbreak kills two people in Michigan, officials say

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The best way to protect NHS patients’ data | Letter

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Student quits university due to epilepsy medicine shortages

‘Just cruel’: Medicaid halt in California and Minnesota plunges caregivers and disabled people into uncertainty

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Woman has pioneering womb surgery to fix 'miracle' baby with intestines outside its body

NHS mental health trust plans £25m in cuts to jobs and services

Liechtenstein’s archaic abortion laws need to be modernised. But a prince is standing in the way | Gabriella Alvarez-Hummel

Starting uni? What to know about the free NHS meningitis B jab in England

What are the 'luteal uglies'? And how they're affecting women

RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak

Traffic, mobiles, music … let’s turn the volume down | Letters

Annie thought perimenopause symptoms were keeping her awake. Alcohol was playing a role too | Diane Young

A mystery virus started killing horses. Then humans. Was this the moment our coronavirus era began?

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