Health news · 22 October 2026
Pope Leo XIV Declared Cancer-Free After Lung Surgery
Doctors confirmed on October 21–22 that Pope Leo XIV, who had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on October 13, needs no further cancer treatment after tests showed the tumour had not spread.
U.S. Measles Outbreak Surpasses 4,400 Cases as CDC Sends Detective to Pennsylvania
The CDC confirmed a third measles-related death in the U.S. this year as the national case count passed 4,400, with Pennsylvania — recording over 1,300 cases and five deaths — receiving a federal disease investigator.
Ebola Spreads to Nigeria as Kenya Confirms Ninth Case in Fast-Growing African Outbreak
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case on October 20 as the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak centred in the DRC — now the fastest-spreading in history at over 9,500 cases — expanded to a fifth African country.
Abu Dhabi Gene Therapy Frees Thalassaemia Patient from Decades of Transfusions
A 43-year-old man in Abu Dhabi has become transfusion-independent after gene therapy at the city's Stem Cells Centre modified his own stem cells, marking a milestone among 30 patients treated at the facility.
Maharashtra Researchers Unveil Nine-Category Tool to Reclassify Child Malnutrition in India
Scientists in Maharashtra, working with UNICEF and India's National Health Mission, published a Double Burden Index that sorts children into nine distinct nutritional groups, ending the double-counting flaw in existing malnutrition measurements.