News | Infectious diseases

News

Nasal decongestant spray use limited to five days

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that the new rules follow reports of rebound congestion related to prolonged use.…

Published: 1 May 2026

News

Health news round-up: new cancer drugs, pharmacogenomics, and whether GLP-1s cause erectile dysfunction

Our weekly summary of the important developments in pharmacy and health news you may have missed.…

Published: 24 April 2026

News

Paxlovid speeds COVID-19 recovery but does not reduce hospital admissions

Across two trials, more than 4,000 patients were randomised to receive usual care or Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir; Pfizer) within three or four days of symptom onset.…

Published: 24 April 2026

News

Pharmacies deliver almost 16,000 RSV vaccinations as programme found to cut newborn hospitalisations by up to 85%

Babies born at least four weeks after their mother received a respiratory syncytial virus vaccination had nearly 85% protection against the virus.…

Published: 21 April 2026

News

Use pharmacies earlier in future pandemics, says COVID-19 inquiry

The COVID-19 inquiry report noted that community pharmacies will be especially effective in areas that have lower vaccine uptake and where travel may hamper vaccine access.…

Published: 16 April 2026

News

News round-up: long COVID, chikungunya and free supplies of ciprofloxacin

Our weekly summary of the important developments in pharmacy and health news you may have missed.…

Published: 2 April 2026

Feature

Everything you need to know about meningitis B

Facts about meningitis transmission, its warning signs and vaccine effectiveness, including a summary of what we know about the outbreak in Kent.…

Published: 2 April 2026

News

‘Game-changing’ urine test could identify correct antibiotic for UTI within hours

The researchers found that the urine test could provide results in an average of 5.85 hours, while the current laboratory testing methods could take two to three days.…

Published: 1 April 2026

News

COVID-19 vaccines not associated with sudden death in healthy young people

The researchers found no significant difference between the first, second and third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in terms of increased risk of sudden cardiac death in healthy young patients.…

Published: 31 March 2026

News

Health officials warn over persistent rise in Shigella infections

In addition to rising Shigella case numbers, UK Health Security Agency data has highlighted increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance.…

Published: 30 March 2026