Humans are to blame for up to one million species facing extinction around the world, and, thanks to climate change, global warming and increased pollution, Planet Earth could already be in the middle of its sixth major extinction.

More than 110 children in India, most from poor rural families, have died this month from encephalitis, a type of brain disease that has afflicted the eastern state of Bihar for more than two decades.

(This June 11 story corrects to show 65,000 cases were last year, while this year has seen 87,000 cases, paragraph 2)

Plans have been held up after an EU member state – Portugal – intervened.

Alzheimer’s is one of the most common forms of dementia – but is also very much misunderstood. So, what happens to the brain during Alzheimer’s?

A US patient recently had to have all his limbs removed at the elbows and knees due to a severe bacterial infection.

The diabetes drug metformin, sometimes taken to slow aging, may blunt the health benefits of exercise.

Each summer, as Lauren Rutkowski and her husband Joel await the arrival of energized, sun-kissed children for their seven-week camp, the couple surveys the canoes and paddleboards, the arts and crafts, the food menus — and every camper’s vaccination records.

Voluntary euthanasia became legal in the Australian state of Victoria on Wednesday, with the government saying it had extensive safeguards to prevent the process being misused while allowing people a compassionate choice over how they die.

Over a 15-year period, nearly 65 000 youngsters under five years of age were treated in US emergency departments for injuries related to personal care products.

Perk. That. Peach.

A new study points out that further research is needed to find out why COPD is increasing among non-smokers.

India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in less than a decade, according to a new United Nations report.

A new clinic in Edinburgh is providing specialist care for overweight women and their unborn babies.

People in high-income countries have the lowest confidence in vaccines, with about 20% of those in Europe either disagreeing or being unsure of whether vaccines are safe, according to a new global survey.

For Marie-Claire Grime, who works in a pharmacy northeast of Paris, questions about vaccines are a daily challenge. They come mainly from parents who say they’re worried about “a lot of chemicals” being put into their children, she says. She does her best to allay such fears.

Trust in vaccines – one of the world’s most effective and widely-used medical products – is highest in poorer countries but weaker in wealthier ones where scepticism has allowed outbreaks of diseases such as measles to persist, a global study found on Wednesday.

This is how vaccines work, why they’re important and what the phrase “herd immunity” actually means.

One Filipino mother’s worst fears were realised when her unvaccinated children caught measles.

(Reuters Health) – Mid-life women with weak upper and lower body fitness may be more prone to depression and anxiety, a study from Singapore suggests.

(Reuters Health) – Long-term use of prescription opioids for chronic pain is more common among people who are overweight or obese, a new study finds.