On 22 August, the UN officially declared famine in Gaza, defined as an extreme situation of food insecurity in which there is insufficient access to food to survive, leading to high rates of malnutrition, disease and mortality. The Spanish Society of Epidemiology explains how this situation is technically assessed, as well as the implications of the declaration.
Analysis of data from a mobile health app covering more than 5,000 people in 1,609 cities in the United States reveals that moving from a less walkable area to a more walkable area leads to an increase in the number of steps taken per day, and vice versa. Walkability was measured using the Walk Score, an index based on parameters such as proximity to services, block length and intersection density. According to the authors, the results can serve as a guide for urban design policies that improve public health. The study is published in Nature.
Cases of dengue and chikungunya in continental Europe increased in 2025, the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) warns. This article sums up the main issues and addresses possible ways to curb transmission.
In the US, the incidence of colorectal cancer increased in people aged 45-49 years in the period 2019-2022, after advancing the screening age from 50 to 45 years, according to a study published in JAMA. The use of mailed faecal tests made it possible to reach people in this age group, without affecting screening rates in people over 50, says another paper published in the same journal.
Childhood vaccination rates have increased modestly worldwide in 2024, without reaching their pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to data from the WHO and UNICEF. For example, global measles vaccination coverage rose by one percentage point from the previous year, reaching 84% of girls and boys who had received one dose in 2024, compared to 86% in 2019.
An analysis published in the medical journal The BMJ points out that lifestyle changes recommended by doctors to people with obesity, focusing on calorie restriction and increased physical activity, have little effect on long-term weight loss, fail to significantly reduce cardiovascular risks and, yet, can lead to discrimination, stigmatisation and eating disorders. The authors also point out that weight alone is an inadequate measure of a person's health, as reflected in recent clinical guidelines, and propose a ‘health for all sizes’ approach with effective, patient-centred care.
Between 1980 and 2023, childhood vaccination rates against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled worldwide, according to a study published in The Lancet. However, this increase slowed in many countries between 2010 and 2019; during this period, measles vaccination declined in half of all countries.
Research analyzing data from more than 200 countries concludes that people over the age of 65 will face an increase in skin cancer cases over the next two decades. The study, published in JAMA Dermatology, used data from 1990 to 2021 and made estimates through 2050. Men and people living in countries with higher sociodemographic indices showed a higher incidence.
A US study analysing data from nearly 700,000 people concluded that those with a history of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infections were at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The study, published in BMJ Open, also showed that patients with this virus who used anti-herpes treatments were less likely to develop the disease.
If immunisation rates continue to decline over an extended period, measles and even other eradicated diseases—such as rubella and polio—could re-emerge in the United States at endemic levels, according to a new study published today in the journal JAMA.