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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Disease. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
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

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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Wellness

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

Medicine

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

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.

Terri Cheong saw her weight fall 19kg from February to September, through strength training and a change in diet. Photo: Ultimate Performance
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.

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.

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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.

A Chinese woman in her 40s, who has battled ALS for eight years, held a farewell party at a funeral home to say goodbye to her family and friends. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com
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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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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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’.

A tractor sprays liquid manure on the facade of Millau’s local government building during a farmers’ protest in the central France town on Sunday. Photo: AFP
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’.

Jason Collins, then a player with the Brooklyn Nets, warmed up before a match against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California in 2014. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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.

Author Sophie Kinsella poses on Wimbledon Village high street, London in 2004. Photo: AP
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.

Authorities have closed the Tsing Yi Nature Trails for large-scale mosquito control. Photo: Jelly Tse
Wellness

Health benefits of mugwort and its role in TCM and Japanese herbal medicine

Mugwort is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory herb with warming properties, used in East Asian traditional medicine and modern spas.

Britain

New mpox strain found in UK after travel to Asia

New recombinant mpox strain raises concerns over global spread and viral evolution.

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Trending in China

China boy in blackboard plea for used bottle donations to fund sick mum’s treatment

Enterprising pupil finds novel way to help ease debt-ridden family’s financial pain; tells classmates he will not accept cash donations.

A secondary school pupil asked his classmates to leave their used drink bottles for him to collect and sell to help pay his mother’s medical bills and his father’s debts. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Science

Chinese scientists develop promising stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s

New biotech allows ‘seeds’ planted in the brain to differentiate into new nerve cells, reshaping its neural network.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong confirms 10th locally acquired case of chikungunya fever

A 67-year-old woman confirmed as the latest case after hiking in Tsing Yi, the Centre for Health Protection says.

Wellness

Explainer | On the verge of a breakdown, new mother discovers what stress really is

A battle with cancer, a new baby and an alcoholic husband tested high-flying executive Asha’s ability to cope with stress.

Asha plays with her child. The high-flying marketing executive started off knowing all about positive stress, but a battle with cancer, a new baby and an alcoholic husband saw her have to learn new ways to overcome her mental tension. Photo: Asha
United States

US vaccine advisers say not all newborns need hepatitis B shot

Scrapping the recommendation for vaccination at birth will reverse decades of public health gains, disease experts say.

Protesters rally outside CDC headquarter during a meeting of the vaccine committee in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Science

United we stand: why mammals that band together may face lower cancer risks

In cooperative societies – like elephants or whales – natural selection seems to favour genetic mechanisms that suppress cancer, study says.

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Spain

Suspected swine fever cases rise as Spain struggles to limit damage to exports

Two cases and 12 possible infections reported as the European Union’s top pork producer scrambles to limit economic impact.

Trending in China

China hotel guest dies after staff failed to deliver medicine, triggers liability debate

Front desk hold on to heart disease sufferer’s crucial medicine for hours after friend delivered it to them; dead man’s family blames hotel.

A Chinese hotel guest has died after staff failed to deliver life-saving medicine left at the front desk in time, sparking a debate about the hotel’s liability. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Spain

Spain stops pork exports to China after African swine flu cases

Pork farms within a 20km radius of where two boar died, in the nation that is the EU’s leading pork producer, will face restrictions.

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Billions of animals, including pigs, are reared and eaten around the world each year. Photo: Reuters
Wellness

Why this Aids charity’s Hong Kong art show smells of resilience

Aids Concern’s ‘Emanate’ exhibition features art and fragrances created by people affected by HIV and Aids that tell their stories.

Wellness

Explainer | What is MASLD? Most common chronic liver disease affects up to 40% of adults

Previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, MASLD is trending upwards as obesity levels rise, but it can affect lean people too.

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