Lynette HorsburghNorth West Cancer Research UK handout Sophie Claxton says it was a huge shock being told she had cancer A student who thought she had flu has described being “shell-shocked” when she was told she had cancer. Sophie Claxton, from Burnley, Lancashire, was 16 and in her first year at college when her mother … Read more
James GallagherHealth and science correspondent Getty Images Flu should always be taken seriously. It is a virus that kills thousands of people every winter and puts intense strain on hospitals. However, I can’t remember a flu season that has played out quite like this. There have been claims it is both a “superflu” and “unprecedented” … Read more
Lisa Summers,Scotland health and social care correspondentand Catherine Lyst,BBC Scotland Getty Images Scotland’s resident doctors are to go on strike in a dispute over pay – the first time a national walkout has been staged by NHS workers. Their union BMA Scotland had accused the government of reneging on a commitment to restore pay to … Read more
Young people will be hit hardest by successive governments’ failure to focus on financial and societal challenges caused by an ageing population, a House of Lords report has suggested. They will need to plan and prepare to work longer and save more from a much earlier age, the economic affairs committee said. The report also … Read more
Jim Reed,Health reporter, Wesley Stephenson,BBC Verifyand Nick Triggle,Health correspondent Getty Images The NHS remains on high alert over flu, health bosses say, but there are clear signs the surge in the virus has come to an end for now at least. Community spread appears to have stabilised, the UK Health Security Agency says. Meanwhile, the … Read more
Hospitals across the UK are seeing high levels of flu cases this winter. The NHS in England has said it is on “on high alert” after seeing the highest ever number of flu cases in hospital for this time of year, in the week ending 14 December. You can use our tool below to find … Read more
Alexander StevanovicEssex Fiona Graham Dr Fiona Graham says people use exercise weights, bottles of water under their arms and books to falsify their weight A GP says she has experienced patients putting “weights on their backs” to falsify readings in order to be prescribed weight-loss injections online. Fiona Graham, who runs a private clinic in … Read more
Available for over a year With the festive season approaching in parts of the world, Ruth Alexander explores what’s actually happening in the body during a hangover, why some people suffer more than others, and whether common remedies make any real difference. How the body processes alcohol and why that can make you feel so … Read more
Getty Images Ruth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporter More babies are being born by caesarean section in England than delivered naturally – without assistance – for the first time. Latest NHS data for 2024-25 shows that 45% of births were by C-section, compared to 44% which were spontaneous, a term used to describe a natural vaginal … Read more
Nick Triggle,Health correspondent, Jim Reed,Health reporterand Philippa Roxby,Health reporter Getty Images Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the latest five-day strike by doctors in England is “dangerous and utterly irresponsible” and warned them not to abandon patients. The walkout by resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, began at 07:00 on Wednesday. The British … Read more