Every primary school child in England is to be offered vaccination against winter flu in an attempt to safeguard them and their family from the virus, the health service has announced, promising no shortage of vaccines regardless of the Brexit outcome. This year’s flu vaccination campaign will be the biggest ever, with 25 million people offered vaccines free, including 600,000 school children aged 10-11. Children are considered “super-spreaders”, liable to infect others in their family and a danger to the elderly. All children aged two to 11 will be offered the nasal spray vaccine in the coming weeks.

In 1904, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro shook with violence as citizens rioted. Property was destroyed, dozens were wounded, and 30 people lost their lives as the population rose up against a perceived common enemy: a mandatory vaccine for smallpox

Jenner’s earliest and most vocal opponents had been men of the church, who reasoned that smallpox was a God-given fact of life and death. If the Almighty had decided that someone would be smitten by smallpox, then any attempt to subvert this divine intention was blasphemy.

Facebook is to take a stand against vaccine denial by directing people searching for information or using vaccine hashtags to web pages set up by public health bodies. People who access Facebook and Instagram pages and groups that discuss vaccines, as well as those searching or using relevant hashtags, will see an educational module about vaccine safety. Links will take them to a page provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and to the World Health Organization elsewhere in the world.

Crucial evidence of the virus's presence in Liberia was overlooked.

Ghana has plenty of water. So why do its people buy plastic pouches from street vendors? Shaun Raviv investigates.

Marcia Angell reviews “America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System” by Steven Brill

For many people, 1969 felt like a year when technology could solve all of our problems, a sentiment that reached a crescendo with the Apollo 11 moon landing. But back on Earth…

Every day, we are exposed to chemicals in our shampoo, body wash, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, lotion, and much more. We expect our government to ensure that the chemicals in products have been tested and are safe for us and our families.The truth is that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only tested about 250 of the 84,000 chemicals registered for use in the U.S. Of those, it has imposed restrictions on only nine...

A study commissioned by Reveal has found that diesel and gas exhaust are the most significant contributors to the California Imperial Valley’s polluted air, most likely a combination of traffic and the lines of idling vehicles...

The BBC's Katy Watson reports from El Salvador where strict laws on abortion are resulting in some women being jailed after having miscarriages.

Millions of people get tests, drugs, and operations that won’t make them better, may cause harm, and cost billions.

The urban poor in the United States are experiencing accelerated aging at the cellular level, and chronic stress linked both to income level and racial-ethnic identity is driving this physiological deterioration.

Last May, a member of Alberta’s rat patrol paid a visit to a farm on the outskirts of Sibbald, a small town near the Saskatchewan border. He found holes bored into the foundation of a grain silo...

A chemical industry consultant opens a window into the shadowy world of corporate advocacy and its use of front groups.

A new generation of clean, quick and convenient single-person electric vehicles could be just what Asia needs to get commuters to leave their cars behind for public transport. Vaidehi Shah explores...

As the Obama administration praises the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backlash continues to grow against the deal...

McDonald's says fewer people are picking soda for Happy Meals after it stopped listing the drinks as an option on its menu boards.

And it's putting everyone at risk.

Shocking news today out of Washington state: For the first time since 2003, a resident of the United States has died of measles...