Health news · 1 October 2026
WHO: Global cholera deaths jumped 30% in 2025 to 26-year high
The World Health Organization reported that cholera deaths rose 30% last year to 7,870, the highest total since 1999, even as overall case numbers fell.
Pennsylvania reports fifth measles death as US outbreak hits 35-year high
Pennsylvania confirmed a fifth measles-associated death in an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident as cases in the state neared 1,000 and the US recorded its worst measles year since 1991.
Tennessee halts executions after woman survives botched lethal injection
Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, survived two doses of pentobarbital and is in critical condition in hospital, becoming the first person to survive a US lethal injection.
Florida dengue outbreak becomes largest on record
Florida confirmed at least 190 locally acquired dengue cases, its biggest outbreak ever, with Hillsborough County at the centre and public-health officials warning of significant underreporting.
MIND diet linked to slower brain aging by up to 2.5 years
A long-running Framingham study of 1,647 adults found that closer adherence to the MIND diet was tied to markedly less grey-matter loss, equivalent to roughly 2.5 years of delayed brain aging.
Silent artery plaque found in 1 in 13 adults under 30
A 16,800-person study across Denmark and Spain found atherosclerosis in 57% of apparently healthy adults, including about 1 in 13 people aged 18 to 29.
Australian study: even weak sunlight damages skin DNA
A QIMR Berghofer trial of 58 volunteers found that low-intensity UV exposure, including morning and evening sun, still causes cumulative DNA damage that can seed skin cancer.
Low-calorie diet plus exercise reverses early-onset type 2 diabetes in 54%
A Lancet-published trial found that 24 weeks of a low-energy diet combined with structured aerobic and resistance training put 54% of young adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes into remission.
UK-led study finds five chronic illnesses share hidden biological wiring
Researchers from the University of East Anglia reported that long Covid, ME/CFS, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis and MS converge on shared gene networks governing immunity, metabolism and energy.
US awards nearly $3 million to test tick-killing deer feed against Lyme
HHS, CDC and NIH funded two Centers of Excellence to trial tick-killing acaricide baits for deer and rodents, aiming to shrink Lyme and alpha-gal syndrome risk.