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US Department of Health and Human Services

The latest news and top stories on the US Department of Health and Human Services. A prominent Washington DC-based governmental body, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is dedicated to protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its main areas of focus include public health, biomedical research, disease prevention and administering major healthcare programmes like Medicare and Medicaid. HHS is a significant federal agency, overseeing substantial expenditures and grant funding. It plays a crucial role in national public health responses and is currently reforming the organ transplant system.

A researcher checks the control wiring at a laboratory in the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on January 21. Photo: Xinhua

US-China relations

As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

While Washington slashes funding for the sciences, Beijing is clinching its lead in everything from patent applications to publications.

13 May 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

United States

Trump says US Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary is out

13 May 2026 - 2:49AM

United States

‘I fought like hell’: how gunfire threw Trump’s glitzy press dinner into chaos

26 Apr 2026 - 1:31PMvideocam

Science

World-leading computational biology pioneer Bao Zhirong returns to China from US

The biologist, renowned for his cancer genomics research, will study brain circuits for insights into autism at his new lab in Shenzhen.

12 Feb 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

Computational biologist Bao Zhirong has joined the Southern University of Science and Technology as a chair professor with its life sciences school. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Exclusive | No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone for weight-loss injections

Slimming injections cannot be sold or purchased in Hong Kong without doctor’s prescription, but some retailers are operating grey market.

25 Jan 2026 - 12:36AM

Crime in Hong Kong

Are Hong Kong labs offering cross-border gender tests despite warning?

Health authorities earlier named 2 Hong Kong-based companies linked to alleged smuggling of blood samples for gender testing.

22 Jan 2026 - 8:37PM

Artificial intelligence

Dose of uncertainty: experts wary of AI health tech gadgets at CES trade show

Technology and health experts question the accuracy of these products and warn of data privacy issues.

8 Jan 2026 - 2:34PM

People try out the Bodyfriend 733 Healthcare Robot at the CES trade show in Las Vegas on January 6, 2026. Photo: AP

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Explainer | As ‘super flu’ spreads worldwide, how can Hongkongers protect against it?

Researchers find 82.8 per cent of flu specimens collected from Queen Mary Hospital between December 6 and 11 were subclade K.

23 Dec 2025 - 10:00PM

Donald Trump

Trump considers reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug

Reclassification could have ripple effects in the US, and represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades.

16 Dec 2025 - 2:41PM

US-China relations

Chinese boy Yuanxin, 6, speaks with father for first time since ICE detention

Phone call brings ‘relief’ to parent, though officials still will not say where the child is being held.

10 Dec 2025 - 6:17AMvideocam

The location of 6-year-old Yuanxin remains unknown more than a week after he was separated from his father during a routine ICE check-in. Photo: Family picture

US-China relations

US confirms Chinese boy Yuanxin, 6, is in federal custody. But where is he?

Separated from his father during an ICE check-in, the 6-year-old never appeared in federal detainee records, leaving advocates searching.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:55AMvideocam

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.

6 Dec 2025 - 1:00AM

United States

JFK’s granddaughter says she has terminal cancer, criticises cousin RFK Jnr

On the anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed that her doctors say she may have about a year to live.

23 Nov 2025 - 5:45AM

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Soprano Renee Fleming on the voice of nature, how music promotes wellness

The soprano talks about how she champions sustainability through music and her work to highlight the health benefits of music and the arts.

11 Nov 2025 - 9:01PM

Renee Fleming performs during “Renee Fleming: Voice of Nature” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in October 2025. The shows performed on October 24-25 had a first half consisting of songs related to different aspects of nature, accompanied by a film created by the National Geographic Society. Photo: HK Phil

Environment

No more mercury in your mouth: toxic metal’s use as tooth filling to end by 2034

The move is a win for human health: the WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 chemical elements of major public health concern.

8 Nov 2025 - 12:20PMvideocam

A man in Bolivia shows off his gold decorated teeth. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

This Halloween, the scariest thing in Washington is Trump

From an RFK Jnr skeleton to tombstones referring to the president’s aid cuts, anti-Trump messages are on full display in the US capital.

31 Oct 2025 - 7:28AM

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong biotech firm to back controversial sanitary pad HPV test with evidence

Dr Choi Pui-wah, founder of WomenX Biotech, also says she remains optimistic about Hong Kong as a tech destination despite government warning.

28 Oct 2025 - 7:38PM

Donald Trump

Trump calls Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr’ as Kirk’s wife forgives shooter

Erika Kirk remembered her husband in a tearful speech near the end of a service for the conservative activist who was killed on September 10.

22 Sep 2025 - 7:36AM

US President Donald Trump speaks at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Photo: AP

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

3 held in Hong Kong after anti-ageing shots in clinic leave pair seriously ill

Three arrested for allegedly practising medicine without a licence at Bioscor Hong Kong clinic in Central.

19 Sep 2025 - 7:03AM

Good Schools Guide

Learning to eat well: Hong Kong schools are putting nutrition first

Schools are taking onboard Unesco guidelines emphasising the importance of providing healthy meals and teaching good eating habits.

18 Sep 2025 - 6:15AM

John Lee policy address 2025

Policy address 2025: more help for Hong Kong students at risk of suicide

Counselling scheme introduced in 2023 will be made permanent in secondary schools and extended on trial basis for Primary Four to Six pupils.

17 Sep 2025 - 7:19PM

In the first eight months of this year, the Education Bureau recorded 23 suspected suicide cases among students, according to a government source. Photo: Sun Yeung

United States

RFK Jnr’s family members say he’s a threat to Americans’ health

Trump’s health secretary is facing scrutiny over his firing of CDC officials and efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.

7 Sep 2025 - 3:18AM

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jnr testifies during a Senate hearing on Thursday. Photo: EPA

US Politics

At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says

US health department did not offer details on lay-offs at the agency. Affected projects included work to prevent rape and child abuse.

21 Aug 2025 - 8:33AM

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US Department of Health and Human Services

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

While Washington slashes funding for the sciences, Beijing is clinching its lead in everything from patent applications to publications.

Trump says US Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary is out

‘I fought like hell’: how gunfire threw Trump’s glitzy press dinner into chaos

World-leading computational biology pioneer Bao Zhirong returns to China from US

The biologist, renowned for his cancer genomics research, will study brain circuits for insights into autism at his new lab in Shenzhen.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone for weight-loss injections

Slimming injections cannot be sold or purchased in Hong Kong without doctor’s prescription, but some retailers are operating grey market.

Are Hong Kong labs offering cross-border gender tests despite warning?

Health authorities earlier named 2 Hong Kong-based companies linked to alleged smuggling of blood samples for gender testing.

Dose of uncertainty: experts wary of AI health tech gadgets at CES trade show

Technology and health experts question the accuracy of these products and warn of data privacy issues.

Explainer | As ‘super flu’ spreads worldwide, how can Hongkongers protect against it?

Researchers find 82.8 per cent of flu specimens collected from Queen Mary Hospital between December 6 and 11 were subclade K.

Trump considers reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug

Reclassification could have ripple effects in the US, and represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades.

Chinese boy Yuanxin, 6, speaks with father for first time since ICE detention

Phone call brings ‘relief’ to parent, though officials still will not say where the child is being held.

US confirms Chinese boy Yuanxin, 6, is in federal custody. But where is he?

Separated from his father during an ICE check-in, the 6-year-old never appeared in federal detainee records, leaving advocates searching.

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.

JFK’s granddaughter says she has terminal cancer, criticises cousin RFK Jnr

On the anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed that her doctors say she may have about a year to live.

Soprano Renee Fleming on the voice of nature, how music promotes wellness

The soprano talks about how she champions sustainability through music and her work to highlight the health benefits of music and the arts.

No more mercury in your mouth: toxic metal’s use as tooth filling to end by 2034

The move is a win for human health: the WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 chemical elements of major public health concern.

This Halloween, the scariest thing in Washington is Trump

From an RFK Jnr skeleton to tombstones referring to the president’s aid cuts, anti-Trump messages are on full display in the US capital.

Hong Kong biotech firm to back controversial sanitary pad HPV test with evidence

Dr Choi Pui-wah, founder of WomenX Biotech, also says she remains optimistic about Hong Kong as a tech destination despite government warning.

Trump calls Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr’ as Kirk’s wife forgives shooter

Erika Kirk remembered her husband in a tearful speech near the end of a service for the conservative activist who was killed on September 10.

3 held in Hong Kong after anti-ageing shots in clinic leave pair seriously ill

Three arrested for allegedly practising medicine without a licence at Bioscor Hong Kong clinic in Central.

Learning to eat well: Hong Kong schools are putting nutrition first

Schools are taking onboard Unesco guidelines emphasising the importance of providing healthy meals and teaching good eating habits.

Policy address 2025: more help for Hong Kong students at risk of suicide

Counselling scheme introduced in 2023 will be made permanent in secondary schools and extended on trial basis for Primary Four to Six pupils.

RFK Jnr’s family members say he’s a threat to Americans’ health

Trump’s health secretary is facing scrutiny over his firing of CDC officials and efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.

At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says

US health department did not offer details on lay-offs at the agency. Affected projects included work to prevent rape and child abuse.

As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

Exclusive | No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone for weight-loss injections