South Africa’s HPV vaccination programme has cut infections of the most dangerous virus types by more than 80% in teenage girls, marking a major step toward preventing cervical cancer in a high-risk population.
A personalised immune cell therapy has successfully treated three life-threatening autoimmune diseases in a single patient, offering new hope for tackling complex immune disorders.
Spain has successfully kept a human uterus alive outside the body for 24 hours, opening new possibilities for studying fertility, pregnancy and uterine diseases.
Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the countries set to benefit in 2026 from a new single-dose treatment for sleeping sickness, raising hopes of eliminating the disease.
Global efforts to develop new tuberculosis vaccines are nearing a breakthrough, raising the prospect of finally ending one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
India has launched the world’s largest HPV vaccination programme, offering free jabs to around 11.5 million 14-year-old girls each year to prevent cervical cancer.
In Japan, a newly approved stem cell therapy is offering fresh hope for people with Parkinson’s disease by aiming to replace the brain cells responsible for movement.
The United States reduced adult smoking rates to below 10% for the first time in 2024, marking a major public health milestone and lowering long-term disease risks.
Chile has become the first country in the Americas verified to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem, marking more than three decades without locally transmitted cases.
Denmark has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, becoming the first European Union country to ensure babies are born free of both infections.
