https://www.scmp.com/rss/325343/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Shi Huang Shi Huang Thalassaemia is the world’s most common genetic blood disorder. China currently has 30 million thalassaemia gene carriers, while the global total reaches 350 million. Patient with severe thalassaemia could confront a stark reality: regular blood transfusions, potential organ transplants, and even the risk of premature death. If two carriers of the gene marry, their children have a 25 per cent chance of developing the disease. China’s latest original therapy, which integrates gene editing and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351284/chinas-thalassaemia-jab-raises-hope-common-inherited-blood-disorder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351284/chinas-thalassaemia-jab-raises-hope-common-inherited-blood-disorder?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:31:25 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang China has launched a comprehensive national campaign against Alzheimer’s, as projections warn the degenerative brain disease could affect nearly 10 per cent of citizens by 2050. With the world’s fastest-growing dementia caseload set to sharply grow by mid-century, China is mobilising top scientific institutions, major biotech firms and dozens of experts to accelerate the development of original treatments. This urgent initiative aims to avert a looming public health and economic crisis, driven... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351070/china-launches-war-alzheimers-may-affect-10-cent-population-2050?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351070/china-launches-war-alzheimers-may-affect-10-cent-population-2050?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong will try out a “mosquito-to-control-mosquito” strategy next year, under which the insect males are infected with bacteria to prevent their offspring from reaching maturity, following the city’s first local dengue fever case in over a year. Announcing the strategy on Sunday, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Donald Ng Man-kit said the government would consider stepping up mosquito control measures with a lower threshold, as the population of the insects had risen more rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351465/hong-kong-plans-new-mosquito-control-trial-after-first-dengue-case-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351465/hong-kong-plans-new-mosquito-control-trial-after-first-dengue-case-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:25:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The World Health Organization announced on Friday that it had given prequalification approval to a malaria treatment for newborns and infants for the first time. Artemether-lumefantrine is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for the youngest victims of the mosquito-borne disease. “The prequalification designation indicates that the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy,” the WHO said in a statement. Up to now, infants have been treated with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3351392/who-approves-first-malaria-treatment-babies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3351392/who-approves-first-malaria-treatment-babies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:07:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Christel Krueger stared in awe at a mother hippopotamus and its offspring sleeping on a sandbar through the thick glass and murky water of their enclosure at the Berlin Zoo. Krueger, 86, and her daughter were on a specialised zoo tour in March for people with dementia that was organised by Malteser Berlin, part of the international Catholic aid organisation The Sovereign Order of Malta. On the tour with Krueger, Ingrid Barkow watched from her wheelchair as the elephants roamed their habitat,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351237/how-zoos-sights-sounds-and-smells-can-benefit-people-dementia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351237/how-zoos-sights-sounds-and-smells-can-benefit-people-dementia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Health authorities will provide free measles vaccinations to Hong Kong airport workers from Friday, following the detection of three cases among aircraft maintenance staff. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) warned on Thursday of the “relatively high” risk of measles transmission at the aviation hub, citing the high volume of travellers passing through there and the sizeable proportion of non-local-born workers who might not have received measles jabs in childhood. “In order to prevent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3351189/hong-kong-airport-staff-offered-free-measles-jabs-bid-prevent-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3351189/hong-kong-airport-staff-offered-free-measles-jabs-bid-prevent-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:52:14 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li The first locally recorded case of dengue fever in Hong Kong in more than a year indicates that undiagnosed imported cases may lead to an outbreak in the coming months, a health official has warned, while stressing that the risk is preventable. The warning by Albert Au Ka-wing, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, came after the dengue fever case – involving a patient with no travel history – was recorded in Tai Po last Thursday. “The first local dengue fever... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350971/first-local-dengue-case-could-lead-outbreak-coming-months-health-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350971/first-local-dengue-case-could-lead-outbreak-coming-months-health-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:41:47 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 87th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. One morning, in the last year of her life, my mother – in the later stages of dementia – offered to make me a cup of tea. She turned the kettle on and then described what she was doing. “There are four stages to making a mug of tea,” she told me. “I talk myself through them so that I remember: tea bag in cup, hot water, milk, then sugar.” Her delight... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3350666/how-cooking-can-help-lower-your-dementia-risk-even-just-one-meal-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3350666/how-cooking-can-help-lower-your-dementia-risk-even-just-one-meal-week?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 04:14:16 +0000 dpa dpa On social media, English teacher Jak Kurdi often shares his love of books and writing. Growing up in a household that prioritised reading, he could vividly picture the worlds on the page, his imagination carrying him into each scene. “I remember as a kid having a very, very vivid imagination,” says Kurdi, 28, who teaches at Wilson Middle School in Plano, in the US state of Texas. “I was an avid reader, and then slowly I started to realise that, I think in my adulthood, I’ve lost it.” He later... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3350456/do-you-have-trouble-visualising-things-maybe-you-have-aphantasia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3350456/do-you-have-trouble-visualising-things-maybe-you-have-aphantasia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that read neural signals through the skin could help patients manage symptoms for some brain conditions, according to BrainCo, a Harvard-incubated start-up. BrainCo’s BCI technology could “read brain neural signals and translate them into commands to control machines to modulate brain function and help cure some brain diseases”, said Nyx He, a partner and senior vice-president of BrainCo, at the HSBC Global Investment Summit on Thursday. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3350315/braincos-brain-computer-interface-wows-hsbc-summit-mind-controlled-hand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3350315/braincos-brain-computer-interface-wows-hsbc-summit-mind-controlled-hand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:10:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Rocking her baby to soothe his searing pain and gasping breaths, 18-year-old Rubia Akhtar Brishti recounts how her son nearly died in Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak. “The boy had [a] high fever and found it hard to breathe,” Brishti said, wiping the fevered brow of one-year-old Minhaz, cradled in her arms. “His whole body had rashes.” At least 143 people have died in the outbreak since March 15, the vast majority children, with more than 12,000 suspected cases – the worst in the South... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349753/vaccine-coverage-gaps-spur-bangladeshs-deadly-measles-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349753/vaccine-coverage-gaps-spur-bangladeshs-deadly-measles-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:18:38 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Update: Pitt Cheung passed away peacefully in hospital on April 26, 2026. Hong Kong hairstylist Pitt Cheung Kwok-wai’s life took a sharp turn in 2020 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 nasopharyngeal cancer at the age of 38. “We never had cancer or serious illness in our family before, so it was very shocking,” Cheung says. Having treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic made the experience even more isolating, as it was difficult for friends and family members to visit him in hospital as he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The patient initially came to see Dr Mark Supiano in 2017 because her family was concerned about her short-term memory loss. While taking her history and vital signs, Supiano, a geriatrician at the University of Utah, in the United States, saw that her blood pressure was 148/86: above normal despite her taking two medications intended to lower it. “Clearly that was too high,” he says. Several factors could have contributed to the high reading, including the anti-inflammatory drug the 78-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349632/how-hypertensions-links-dementia-make-blood-pressure-control-even-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349632/how-hypertensions-links-dementia-make-blood-pressure-control-even-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying A nine-year-old Hong Kong girl has contracted a rare bacterial infection and is fighting for her life in hospital after visiting Japan during the Easter holiday, with health authorities contacting the other tour group members as a precaution. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Friday that the girl, who was in a critical condition in the paediatric intensive care unit of Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, began showing symptoms of invasive meningococcal infection including... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3349708/girl-9-critical-condition-meningococcal-infection-after-holiday-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3349708/girl-9-critical-condition-meningococcal-infection-after-holiday-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:09:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse First it was protein, now it is fibre: the “maxxing” mindset has permeated social media, as wellness influencers insist that loading up on certain nutrients is the key to vitality and a life-changing gut glow-up. These viral diet trends rooted in extreme optimisation are affecting how people eat and what companies sell – but are they actually healthy? The concept of “proteinmaxxing” insists that more is better when it comes to the macronutrient found in foods like nuts, meat and dairy, which is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349125/are-food-health-trends-fibermaxxing-and-proteinmaxxing-actually-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349125/are-food-health-trends-fibermaxxing-and-proteinmaxxing-actually-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has grown to more than 50 million globally. Scientists around the world continue to seek a cure for the disease, while working to develop drugs that can delay the onset of symptoms and slow its progression. Early diagnosis, allowing careful plans to be made for the treatment and care of sufferers, is essential. Many people are unaware they have the disease. But screening has been expensive and invasive. A... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348884/hong-kongs-world-first-alzheimers-blood-test-will-strengthen-citys-healthcare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348884/hong-kongs-world-first-alzheimers-blood-test-will-strengthen-citys-healthcare?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang A therapy using pig semen-derived exosomes, engineered into eye drops capable of penetrating deep into retinal tissue, may hold the key to breaching the brain’s defences against diseases like Alzheimer’s. This advance, led by Professor Zhang Yu at China’s Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, originally targeted a rare childhood eye cancer retinoblastoma that often resists conventional treatments due to its delicate location near the brain. Published in peer-reviewed journal Science Advances on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348726/chinas-brain-penetrating-pig-semen-eyedrop-may-treat-alzheimers-scientist-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348726/chinas-brain-penetrating-pig-semen-eyedrop-may-treat-alzheimers-scientist-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:47:06 +0000 Bhakti Mathur Bhakti Mathur Anjali Hazari hit the ground running when she arrived in Hong Kong as a newlywed in her early twenties more than four decades ago – and she has not stopped. Despite developing knee pain that has required surgeries and now having osteoporosis and more, the retired teacher and tutorial company owner keeps pushing forward – first as a marathoner, then a mountaineer, now a powerlifter – at the age of 70. Raised in Amravati, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Hazari studied in Mumbai and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348484/70-shes-now-powerlifter-how-retired-teacher-refuses-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348484/70-shes-now-powerlifter-how-retired-teacher-refuses-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Retired civil engineer Lim Shyang Guey will don his running shoes on March 28 for a 2,200km (1,367-mile) journey around Peninsular Malaysia. The 90-day “Run for Gold” campaign is Lim’s attempt to finish a gruelling circuit by June 22 – his 67th birthday. The inspiration for this challenge comes from profound loss. In November 2023, Lim and his wife, Goh Joo Lee, were celebrating her completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Half Marathon – her first ever race. But soon after, she began to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347978/66-year-old-sets-2200km-run-around-peninsular-malaysia-honour-his-wife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347978/66-year-old-sets-2200km-run-around-peninsular-malaysia-honour-his-wife?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters A powerful scene ⁠in the action epic Gladiator II (2024) has a problem: a camera crew is visible behind Paul Mescal as his character prepares for a high-stakes battle. Jack Zimmerman, a visual effects artist, erases the intrusion. Zimmerman works at Exceptional Minds, an American non-profit vocational academy and visual effects studio for adults with autism. The organisation provides training to help autistic artists launch careers in the competitive world of Hollywood. “It feels like a dream,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:15:10 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Our health is shaped by far more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Research estimates that as much as 80 to 90 per cent of health outcomes are influenced by factors outside medical care, including diet, physical activity and other everyday habits. Yet food, one of the most powerful drivers of health, is rarely treated as medicine. The concept of food as medicine is not new, says Dr Jaclyn Albin, an internist and director of the culinary medicine programme at UT Southwestern Medical Centre... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347524/how-food-shapes-our-health-more-medicine-doctors-share-healthy-eating-tips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347524/how-food-shapes-our-health-more-medicine-doctors-share-healthy-eating-tips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:15:09 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung A university in Hong Kong has launched an Alzheimer’s disease screening programme using locally developed blood-based testing technology – the first of its kind globally – which is expected to benefit 6,000 underprivileged elderly people over five years. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting one in 10 Hongkongers aged 60 or above, with prevalence increasing with age, according to a Department of Health report last year. Announcing the “NeuroCare Community Project” on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347591/hkust-launches-programme-offering-alzheimers-blood-based-test-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347591/hkust-launches-programme-offering-alzheimers-blood-based-test-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:04:04 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Tuen Mun Hospital has, for the first time in Hong Kong, used a non-invasive, MRI-guided ultrasound procedure to treat a Parkinson’s disease patient suffering from uncontrollable tremors, offering an alternative option for those affected by the condition. The hospital said it expected to provide the procedure to 40 patients within two years as part of further research into the new treatment. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a non-invasive, incisionless procedure that uses... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347504/hong-kongs-first-mri-guided-ultrasound-offers-relief-parkinsons-tremors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3347504/hong-kongs-first-mri-guided-ultrasound-offers-relief-parkinsons-tremors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:30:37 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 85th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. As an erratic sleeper, I worry when I see a headline such as this recent one from Science News: “Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases.” That headline topped an article about a recent study of older adults in the US. It found that about 13 per cent of dementia cases may have roots in insomnia, and that poor sleep may be as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Vasudevan Sridharan Vasudevan Sridharan Namita Joshi made a New Year’s resolution in January to tackle one of her long-standing problems: being overweight. A key part of her slimming journey is her weekly weight-loss injections. While the 29-year-old interior designer has made changes to her diet and increased her workouts, she said the medication has helped her lose up to 6kg (13 pounds) in the past two months. With her weight at 85kg before her treatment and height at 1.65 metres (5.4 feet), Joshi was considered obese. “My mental... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347198/indias-weight-loss-price-war-begins-semaglutide-patent-expires?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347198/indias-weight-loss-price-war-begins-semaglutide-patent-expires?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:19:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain will ⁠roll out meningitis vaccines to students at a university in southeast England after an “unprecedented” outbreak of the disease killed two people while the number of new cases jumped to 20. The UK Health Security Agency said all those affected were young people. A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in ‌the town of Faversham have died. Six of the nine confirmed cases are group B (MenB), the agency added. It was also aware of a baby with a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347095/unprecedented-spread-uk-races-contain-deadly-meningitis-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347095/unprecedented-spread-uk-races-contain-deadly-meningitis-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:38:12 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Chinese scientists have engineered E coli bacteria into a novel cancer therapy that colonises tumours, produces an existing drug on-site and delivers it directly – reducing the toxic side effects of traditional chemotherapy. The research, performed on mice with breast cancer, paves the way for targeted cancer treatments in future, according to the scientists from Shandong University in Qingdao, eastern China. Escherichia coli (E coli) is a group of bacteria commonly found in the gut. While most... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346974/chinese-scientists-use-e-coli-fight-breast-tumours-within-mice-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346974/chinese-scientists-use-e-coli-fight-breast-tumours-within-mice-study?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:00:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday rejected legislation that would have made Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives. Members of the Edinburgh-based legislature voted 69 to 57 against a bill that would have let people in Scotland with six months or less to live seek help to end their life. There was one abstention. It came after an emotional debate that lasted around three hours and saw lawmakers tear up and applaud as they... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346944/scottish-lawmakers-reject-bill-let-terminally-ill-people-end-their-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346944/scottish-lawmakers-reject-bill-let-terminally-ill-people-end-their-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:03:42 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Christina Applegate is where she has spent many listless, painful nights over the last year working on her memoir: in bed. She passes most of her days inside a bedroom of her home in Laurel Canyon, a neighbourhood of Los Angeles in the Hollywood Hills. It is already not a great day when we connect over video conference in late February – no day is free from the exhaustion and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, the autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 2021. This particular afternoon, she... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346303/christina-applegates-life-story-horrible-stuff-some-fun-then-awful-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346303/christina-applegates-life-story-horrible-stuff-some-fun-then-awful-again?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 84th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. I did not recognise the signs of dementia developing in mum – the changes in her walking, her frequent need to urinate, her difficulty in swallowing – until quite late. Looking back, I see how they developed one after another. Nearly 80 per cent of all dementias are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The hallmark of this is the abnormal deposit of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Megan Worthy still recalls singing in a choir in the Australian capital, Canberra, as she was growing up. Now, as a rare form of early-onset dementia chips away at her vision and other brain functions, the 58-year-old is transported back to her musical youth as she and her daughter, Bronte, sing together with other people with neurological conditions in an Amsterdam concert hall, the Concertgebouw. “It’s pretty brutal,” Worthy said of her rare neurological condition. “I’m starting to lose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:07:17 +0000 Edith Lin,William Yiu Edith Lin,William Yiu A Hong Kong hospital has launched an investigation after an elderly patient with colon cancer died three weeks after surgeons carried out a medical procedure on the wrong organ. Tseung Kwan O Hospital said on Friday the 85-year-old patient died on Tuesday after undergoing stoma surgery on February 7. The procedure involved creating a surgical opening on the abdomen, known as a stoma, to alleviate an intestinal obstruction. In the time between the operation and her death, the patient was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345683/hong-kong-cancer-patient-dies-3-weeks-after-incorrect-incision-abdomen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345683/hong-kong-cancer-patient-dies-3-weeks-after-incorrect-incision-abdomen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:05:00 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong has launched its first action plan on weight management, aiming to reduce the proportion of people who are overweight or obese to less than half the population in three years from the current 51.3 per cent of adults. On Wednesday, World Obesity Day, the Department of Health announced more than 40 measures, ranging from installing more weighing scales in government venues to exploring the inclusion of novel weight-loss injections in the drug formulary, in a bid to reverse the rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345436/hong-kong-launches-3-year-action-plan-help-residents-fight-flab?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3345436/hong-kong-launches-3-year-action-plan-help-residents-fight-flab?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:48:43 +0000 Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan In a year already brimming with threats of war and unrest, 2026 has brought some health scares for Asia. In January, two cases of the deadly Nipah virus emerged among healthcare workers, both nurses, in West Bengal, India. One of the two nurses has since died. The Nipah virus has one of the highest fatality rates of any known viral disease, typically ranging from 40 to 75 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 1998, when the first outbreak of the disease was recorded... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344544/nipah-and-mpox-expose-asias-urgent-need-stronger-disease-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344544/nipah-and-mpox-expose-asias-urgent-need-stronger-disease-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This series is based on our reporting on TCM: its history, treatments and growing acceptance around the world. This is the seventh instalment. In the world of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), few remedies carry the legendary status – or the hefty price tag – of Angong Niuhuang Wan, often referred to as the “miracle pill”. The old formula, consisting of 11 herbs and minerals, has long been revered as a top-grade emergency medicine, historically used to treat those who have had a stroke or may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Lori Sepich smoked for years and sometimes skipped taking her blood pressure medicine. But she never thought she would have a heart attack. The possibility “just wasn’t registering with me”, says the 64-year-old from Memphis, in the US state of Tennessee, who suffered two heart attacks 13 years apart. She is far from alone. More than 60 million women in the United States – and an estimated 275 million to 300 million women globally – live with cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344561/womens-heart-attack-symptoms-and-risk-factors-differ-mens-what-they-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344561/womens-heart-attack-symptoms-and-risk-factors-differ-mens-what-they-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:15:12 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Mui Thomas is, by any measure, a remarkable woman. Now 33, she is believed to be the world’s fourth-oldest survivor of Harlequin ichthyosis. This extremely rare genetic disorder causes the body to be covered with thick plates of skin – a condition so severe that when Mui was born in Hong Kong in 1992, it was considered universally fatal. She has survived medical emergencies that would have killed lesser fighters. Despite her ongoing health struggles, she has become a rugby coach, a certified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 83rd instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. Doing “brain training” tests can make me a bit nervous. The anxiety triggers silly mistakes, and then “poor” results make me more anxious – especially when they are dementia tests. What if I fail, or my score points to a suboptimal brain response? I am also suspicious of them: how could an online test measure brain response accurately, and – even more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter When teaching assistant Kavita Biswas first asked for a wheelchair at the airport, she was struggling to walk even short distances. It was a world away from her active life practising yoga and dance alongside her full-time job in a Hong Kong school. Suddenly, in her mid-forties, she found herself relying on a cane and, at times, a walking frame. Knee pain had steadily taken over her life, reshaping her days and narrowing her sense of what might still be possible. The pain began around four years... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344133/how-exercise-helped-mother-tackle-serious-knee-pain-and-return-cane-free-walking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344133/how-exercise-helped-mother-tackle-serious-knee-pain-and-return-cane-free-walking?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Anyone who has used an induction cooker is halfway to understanding Mayo Clinic’s new experimental approach to killing cancer cells. The health system, based in the US state of Minnesota, announced that it is the first in the US to test Israeli technology that targets solid tumours with fast-rising heat in a process it calls hyperthermia. “Temperature is the Achilles’ heel of cancer,” says Dr Scott Lester, the Mayo radiation oncologist leading a clinical trial to see if the technology is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344103/how-magnetic-heating-technology-could-be-new-cancer-fighting-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344103/how-magnetic-heating-technology-could-be-new-cancer-fighting-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 11:15:08 +0000 The Star The Star As Malaysians flock to Ramadan bazaars and breaking fast gatherings, the health ministry is reminding the public to observe tuberculosis (TB) precautions, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces. In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said a total of 596 new TB cases were reported nationwide during the sixth epidemiological week. The statement said the latest detections brought the cumulative number of tuberculosis cases to 3,161 across Malaysia. “Crowded, enclosed and poorly... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344216/malaysias-tuberculosis-cases-rise-above-3000-health-ministry-flags-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344216/malaysias-tuberculosis-cases-rise-above-3000-health-ministry-flags-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 11:04:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Actor Eric Dane, who played the handsome ⁠Dr Mark Sloan ⁠on the hit television ⁠series Grey’s Anatomy, died on Thursday aged 53, his family said, less than a year after revealing that he suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. For 15 years, Dane played a plastic surgeon nicknamed “McSteamy” by ‌female characters in the show. He also starred in the series Euphoria, and said after the diagnosis he would still return to the set for its third season. “Eric Dane passed on Thursday... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344076/greys-anatomy-actor-eric-dane-dead-53-after-als-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344076/greys-anatomy-actor-eric-dane-dead-53-after-als-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:20:10 +0000 dpa dpa The world is a significant step closer to a universal vaccine for cold, flu, Covid and allergies, scientists believe. Experts at Stanford Medicine ⁠in the US have developed a universal ⁠vaccine that could be given as a nasal spray and ⁠could protect against a wide range of respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers. Although the study, published in the journal Science, was in mice, they said the vaccine offered broad protection in the lungs for several months. Vaccinated mice were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344056/scientists-test-universal-vaccine-cold-flu-covid-and-allergies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344056/scientists-test-universal-vaccine-cold-flu-covid-and-allergies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 23:46:26 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan’s health ministry panel on Thursday approved the commercialisation of two regenerative medicine products prepared from iPS cells, the first of their kind in the world. The two drugs, ReHeart developed by Cuorips, a start-up originating from the University of Osaka, and Amchepry by Sumitomo Pharma and Racthera, will be used for patients with severe heart failure stemming from ischemic cardiomyopathy and Parkinson’s disease, respectively. “I am very happy to see the first big step towards... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344036/japan-approves-worlds-first-regenerative-medicines-using-ips-cells?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344036/japan-approves-worlds-first-regenerative-medicines-using-ips-cells?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:31:09 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Seeing is believing, right? Well … perhaps not. In the early 1700s, the philosopher Bishop Berkeley pointed out that we never experience the outside world directly – we only experience what our sense perceptions tell us about that world. We assume that our sense perceptions realistically portray the outside world and provide us with accurate information about it. So if we see a cat, we think that the cat exists pretty much as we see it. While this is a good – and necessary – assumption for going... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:15:09 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales The passion that black belt holder Lily Chan has for teaching aikido at her family’s Singapore school shines through in her classes. She has been training in the Japanese martial art for more than a decade, and is proud to be a part of the “dojo” founded by her oldest son, Shamus, and husband, Patrick. Aikido was developed by Japanese martial artist Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century. This modern, non-aggressive and unique form of self-defence focuses on harmony and non-violent conflict... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343703/73-year-old-singaporean-aikido-black-belt-only-started-learning-her-60s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343703/73-year-old-singaporean-aikido-black-belt-only-started-learning-her-60s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Colorectal cancer is now the top cancer killer of Americans younger than 50, highlighting that it is a threat not just to older adults, but increasingly to young men and women, too. The deaths of Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek at 48 this week, and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman a few years ago at 43, highlight the risk for younger adults. “We’re now starting to see more and more people in the 20-, 30- and 40-year-old range developing colon cancer. At the beginning of my career,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343679/after-james-van-der-beeks-death-how-colorectal-cancer-killing-more-under-50s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343679/after-james-van-der-beeks-death-how-colorectal-cancer-killing-more-under-50s?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 dpa dpa An Apple Watch feature to spot signs of high blood pressure cannot reliably be used instead of regular screening tests, according to new research. People should not rely on their watch to alert them to changes in their blood pressure due to the risk of “false reassurance”, researchers say, adding that people should still have regular blood pressure checks using a cuff. Apple has a “hypertension [high blood pressure] notifications feature” which it says is “not intended to diagnose, treat or aid... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3343165/apple-watch-shouldnt-be-relied-alert-possible-hypertension-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3343165/apple-watch-shouldnt-be-relied-alert-possible-hypertension-study?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words While the regional discourse remains focused on trade tensions and military posturing, a quieter threat is undermining Asia’s economic momentum: the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases. Across the region, non-communicable diseases now dominate mortality. In Hong Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3343141/why-cardiovascular-health-economic-imperative-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3343141/why-cardiovascular-health-economic-imperative-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 03:30:12 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele The persistent tuberculosis cases in Malaysia are indicative of an outbreak that could be under-reported for a disease that is easy to diagnose and treat, according to medical experts. Malaysia had detected 10 active TB clusters nationwide as of February 7, with a total of 2,571 cases. Four of these clusters – defined by health authorities as two or more epidemiologically linked cases identified within a specific setting or time frame – were found in Selangor, Malaysia’s most populous state. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343224/malaysia-risks-under-reporting-tb-cases-slow-burn-epidemic-persists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343224/malaysia-risks-under-reporting-tb-cases-slow-burn-epidemic-persists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:39:20 +0000