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Disease

Disease
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Disease. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The gut microbiome performs all manner of important jobs, including breaking down fibre and starches, synthesising vitamins and amino acids such as vitamins B and K, and producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that help prevent disease. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Why your gut microbiome is so important for health and how to protect it

Bacteria in the gut perform important jobs that help prevent disease, but how to best protect and improve yours? An expert weighs in.

Hong Kong weather

Explainer | Hong Kong just had its driest January day. But how does that impact your health?

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong’s late summer flu season is over. But official says jabs still vital

United States

Medical groups win right to challenge RFK Jnr’s Covid-19 vaccine policies

Judge lets medical groups challenge Kennedy’s CDC vaccine changes, citing health risks to public health and unlawful panel influence.

Kennedy has long claimed, against scientific evidence, that childhood vaccines are harmful, raising concerns about increased preventable diseases. Photo: EPA
Trending in China

China husband gets 50 tonnes of produce from mystery donor to raise cash for sick wife

Hard-working man needs US$285,000, sells donated root vegetables at street stall after kind donor sends them in batches by the truckload.

Trending in China

China mum shares kid’s recovery from underdeveloped hip joint, gets online support

Young child’s struggle to walk after malformed joint diagnosis is charted on social media by her mother; video clips get more than a million likes.

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European Union

Portugal’s 11 presidential candidates debate migration, instability

A government package of labour reforms, a major strike, and a law permitting euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide will also land on the president’s desk.

Former head of the navy and candidate for the upcoming 18 January presidential election, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, visits the local Monte Abracao market in Queluz, Sintra, Portugal, on Saturday. Gouveia e Melo rose to national prominence after being appointed coordinator of the Task Force for the successful national COVID-19 vaccination plan that saw Portugal have the highest vaccination rates in the world. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

My Take | Time to make a new year resolution like your life depends on it

Improving public awareness of diabetes and the risks associated with it should be one of the vows for 2026.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hongkongers urged to get flu shots as city braces for winter virus wave

Centre for Health Protection’s appeal coincides with infectious disease expert’s concerns over low vaccination rates in the community.

Obituaries

Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and JFK’s granddaughter, dead at 35

Schlossberg, who wrote about her battle with cancer, was critical of her relative Robert F Kennedy Jnr, the US health secretary.

Tatiana Schlossberg in 2023. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

Washington lines up health deals as US and China vie for access to Africa

Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection.

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Under the “America First Global Health Strategy”, many African countries have signed bilateral agreements to receive health financing in exchange for access to biological data and pathogen specimens. Photo: AFP
Wellness

Experts’ tips on safeguarding your brain health – one is being social

Maintaining good oral hygiene, regular exercise and increasing your social interactions can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia.

Viral stories

‘I am dead’: Japan man posts posthumous social media message; many admire strength

Optimistic post appears 2 days after man dies following battle with rare cancer; death reveals new side of his personality to farmer father.

Wellness

What are the secrets to a long and healthy life? A longevity expert reveals

Bill Gifford shares diet, exercise and lifestyle tips on how to live to 100 and older, like Ethel Caterham, the world’s oldest person at 116.

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Longevity expert Bill Gifford climbs stairs with a heavy rucksack. Low fitness, in terms of strength and cardiovascular capacity, “is a massive, massive risk factor for early death and disability”, he says. Photo: Bill Gifford
Wellness

As weight-loss drugs reduce appetites, US restaurants cut portion sizes

Some New York restaurants are offering smaller portions at lower prices to appeal to those on hunger-reducing GLP-1 weight-loss medications.

A chef at Le Petit Village in New York prepares half-sized portions of their brunch menu items, designed to appeal to people taking GLP-1 weight-loss medications, on December 10, 2025. Photo: AFP
Medicine

No need for needles? US approves Wegovy pill for weight loss

Novo Nordisk’s daily medication offers an oral alternative to blockbuster injections, with a launch expected in early January.

Wellness

7 of the most popular health and wellness stories from 2025

Body transformations, scientific breakthroughs and weight-loss journeys are among your most-read health and wellness stories this year.

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Wellness

Need to pass gas after eating? Why taking a short walk is so good for you

‘If you take 100 steps after each meal, you’ll live to 99,’ an ancient Chinese proverb says. Here is why a post-meal walk is so beneficial.

Research backs the benefits of a post-meal walk, which triggers the contraction and relaxation of the stomach and intestines and speeds up the movement of food and gas. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

New dating app is helping disabled and chronically ill people find love

Disabled and chronically ill people are often ghosted or rejected on mainstream dating apps. Dateability is evening the playing field.

Trending in China

China ALS woman holds farewell party, says disease cannot beat ‘optimism, love, hope’

ALS is described as ‘freezing disease’ because it creates sensation of being trapped or ‘frozen’ within an immobile body as illness advances.

Wellness

Listening to music can lower dementia risk by nearly 40%, new study says

Research shows how listening to music can both lower dementia risk and improve cognitive areas like memory, attention and problem-solving.

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Want to boost brain health? A study suggests regular music listening may cut dementia risk by 39 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock
India

Does India’s HIV success story overlook its poorest state?

Figures from one district in Bihar show thousands living with HIV, contrasting sharply with India’s broader success in cutting infections.

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A student displays messages painted on his hands during an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in Chandigarh, India. The country has made significant progress in controlling the disease, though concerns persist in some regions. Photo: Reuters
France

French farmers spray manure, block roads over cow ‘mass slaughter’ policy

Farmers in southern France are incensed by the government’s mandatory slaughter of herds to contain ‘lumpy skin disease’.

Singapore

Ex-NBA player with deadly brain cancer turns to Singapore for new treatment

Jason Collins, who said he could die within weeks, praised Singapore as ‘the city of the future’, where he got approval ‘within 48 hours’.

Britain

UK ‘super flu’ crisis and doctors’ strike spark ‘worst-case’ Christmas fears

Flu cases hit record highs with a 55 per cent weekly jump as the NHS faces a planned doctors’ strike next week.

A record flu surge and looming doctors’ strike is threatening to put a strain on the UK’s health system. Photo: Shutterstock
Accidents and personal safety

Suckling pig blamed for leaving 31 ill after Hong Kong wedding banquet

Twenty male and 11 female guests developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea after attending Chinese wedding banquet at hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Chinese wedding banquet was held at the upscale New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel. File photo: Shutterstock
Britain

Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic author, dies at 55 from brain cancer

The celebrated British author wrote over 30 books, and leaves behind a legacy of humour and relatability.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong shuts Tsing Yi hiking trails amid links to 5 local chikungunya cases

Centre for Health Protection to undertake large-scale mosquito control on the trails after hikers test positive for the disease.

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