New Zealand health news today: Cancer, Vaccines, Diabetes
What the press in New Zealand is covering in health today
In New Zealand, NZ Optics led on early diagnosis a sight-saver and a genetic switch behind butterflies’ enhanced colour vision. The NZ Herald front page also carried a hospital death story, while health wires highlighted GLP-1 drugs after surgery and outbreaks of Ebola and mpox abroad.
Written from 6 headlines. Automated; the headlines themselves are below. From:
Today's themes
Cancer (8) · Vaccines (6) · Diabetes (4) · Infections (4) · COVID-19 (2) · Doctors and nurses (2) · Heart disease (2) · Hepatitis (2) · Mental health (2) · Obesity (2)
Mentions of tracked outbreaks
- Dengue Attention: elevated
Dengue Epidemiological Situation in the Region of the Americas - Epidemiological Week 38, 2026 ReliefWeb · 19 Oct, 23:03 UTC - Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda high
The Ebola crisis is far outpacing the response, Congo's IRC director says NPR · 19 Oct, 22:38 UTC - Poliovirus (wild and vaccine-derived) Attention: elevated
Pakistan reports 7th polio case of the year, 1st case in Karachi in nearly 2 years Outbreak News Today · 19 Oct, 21:36 UTC - Avian influenza H5N1 Attention: high
CHMP Backs Extended Use of AstraZeneca H5N1 Pandemic Flu Vaccine Contagion Live · 19 Oct, 21:22 UTC - Hepatitis A outbreak, Costa Rica moderate
Study Warns of More Chronic Hepatitis B in the Years Ahead MedPage Today · 19 Oct, 21:16 UTC - Hepatitis A outbreak, Costa Rica moderate
Proposed changes to hepatitis B vaccination schedule could significantly increase infections, model suggests Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 21:00 UTC
All headlines
- Police recruitment success story who wanted to inspire youth stole police gun NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 02:43 UTC
- Last of six charged over Te Atatū drag event protest pleads guilty 1News · 20 Oct, 02:34 UTC
- Two teenagers fall 12m from Ferris wheel at Greymouth show Stuff · 20 Oct, 02:18 UTC
- 'Blood everywhere': Youth witness' visceral account of bus stop killing NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 02:05 UTC
- Scott Watson's appeal being heard in Supreme Court RNZ · 20 Oct, 01:28 UTC
- Teens injured in 12m fall from Ferris wheel ODT · 20 Oct, 01:24 UTC
- Police believe missing woman dead as Queenstown search enters recovery NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 01:23 UTC
- All Blacks back to miss European tour through injury 1News · 20 Oct, 01:15 UTC
- Search for missing woman Erika Coelho moves to recovery phase 1News · 20 Oct, 01:14 UTC
- Voters urged to check spam folders as enrolment deadline nears RNZ · 20 Oct, 00:53 UTC
- Paddy Gower: ‘This is the most mysterious election I've ever seen’ Stuff · 20 Oct, 00:29 UTC
- Paris police issue overnight curfew after riots across France 1News · 20 Oct, 00:22 UTC
- Woolworths chops butchers from South Island supermarkets NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 00:11 UTC
- KJ Apa goes public with new Kiwi girlfriend NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 00:07 UTC
- Election 2026 live: New poll puts Opportunity and Parliament on a knife-edge RNZ · 20 Oct, 00:04 UTC
- Greens on course to pick up first Māori electorate - poll NZ Herald · 20 Oct, 00:03 UTC
- 'We'll be talking health, my friend': Christopher Luxon, Chris Hipkins prepare for final debate RNZ · 19 Oct, 23:46 UTC
- Menopause: the overlooked fatigue risk in New Zealand’s transport industry TRANSPORTtalk · 19 Oct, 23:44 UTC
- Is it cheaper to buy or rent? Stuff · 19 Oct, 23:35 UTC
- New poll puts election on knife-edge as Opportunity tops 5% threshold NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 23:26 UTC
- Ex-Red Bull boss says Lawson's promotion made him 'uncomfortable' 1News · 19 Oct, 23:23 UTC
- ‘Time to say goodbye’: Popular gastropub closing after 17 years Stuff · 19 Oct, 23:17 UTC
- I have a condition people are too embarrassed to talk about BBC · 19 Oct, 23:11 UTC
- International music act to play only North Island show in Hamilton NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 23:04 UTC
- Vaccination has little impact on post-COVID smell and taste issues NZDoctor · 19 Oct, 22:57 UTC
- Driver allegedly rammed Australian MP, reversed, hit her again 1News · 19 Oct, 22:42 UTC
- Person injured after train and car collide in rural Canterbury 1News · 19 Oct, 22:39 UTC
- 'A mistake': Hipkins on Ardern's sign-off of $2.75m for Mongrel Mob-run programme NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 22:32 UTC
- 'I hate who I am': Sydney serial rapist speaks after 30 years 1News · 19 Oct, 22:25 UTC
- Downsized choc favourites called out in Consumer’s problem product list ODT · 19 Oct, 22:20 UTC
- Former Opportunity insiders allege 'nasty', 'toxic' and 'tribal' party culture NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 22:01 UTC
- What we know about the attack on Australian independent MP Helen Haines RNZ · 19 Oct, 21:49 UTC
- 'Deeply talented' ski patroller killed in Southern Alps avalanche 1News · 19 Oct, 21:47 UTC
- Record breaking rugby referee didn't take no for an answer RNZ · 19 Oct, 21:42 UTC
- ‘A hard ride in this economy’: Popular West Auckland gastropub to close NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 21:35 UTC
- Teens injured in 12m fall from Ferris wheel at Greymouth event The Press · 19 Oct, 21:30 UTC
- Luxury $4 million-plus Hawke's Bay home being sold by court order NZ Herald · 19 Oct, 21:22 UTC
- ‘Deeply talented’ Queenstown guide killed in avalanche ODT · 19 Oct, 21:07 UTC
- Labour unveils new plan to tackle long waits in emergency departments Stuff · 19 Oct, 21:00 UTC
- Football Ferns to face World Cup foes Philippines in Porirua Stuff · 19 Oct, 21:00 UTC
Health
- Stroke survivor acted fast, but delays in treatment remain a concern The Straits Times · 20 Oct, 03:07 UTC
- GLP-1 Drugs and Mental Health: Effects on Depression and Anxiety News-Medical · 20 Oct, 02:52 UTC
- How GLP-1 Medications Affect PCOS, Fertility, and Pregnancy News-Medical · 20 Oct, 02:36 UTC
- Q&A: How does technology help track foodborne pathogens and outbreaks? Phys.org · 20 Oct, 01:40 UTC
- A study of 62.5 million people reveals what broad ethnic labels miss about rare diseases News-Medical · 20 Oct, 01:13 UTC
- Why painful arthritis can return stronger after cancer treatment Science Daily · 20 Oct, 00:51 UTC
- Research shows risk-taking behavior precedes increased alcohol consumption, not vice versa Medical Xpress · 20 Oct, 00:40 UTC
- Could eating whey protein before meals help reduce blood sugar spikes? News-Medical · 20 Oct, 00:26 UTC
- Distinguished clinician-scientist Professor Marcus Ong is first Singaporean emergency medicine physician elected to National Academy of Medicine, USA Taiwan News · 20 Oct, 00:15 UTC
- Vanuatu slams door on airport HIV testing despite Fiji health crisis Pacific Media Network · 20 Oct, 00:03 UTC
- Menopause: the overlooked fatigue risk in New Zealand’s transport industry TRANSPORTtalk · 19 Oct, 23:44 UTC
- New 4D biofabrication technology holds promise for tissue engineering, wound healing Phys.org · 19 Oct, 23:40 UTC
- Fruit and sugary drinks stood out in a three-year study of teenage mental health News-Medical · 19 Oct, 23:39 UTC
- Lung cancer can grow silently for years, here’s who qualifies for screening Fox News · 19 Oct, 23:34 UTC
- The Reading Room Podcast: A Closer Look at New Research on 177Lu-Edotreotide for Treating GEP-NETs Diagnostic Imaging · 19 Oct, 23:25 UTC
- Higher ADK levels track stronger triciribine effects in leukemia cells, pointing to a potential biomarker Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 23:20 UTC
- How to prevent osteoporosis, from strength training to eating calcium-rich food South China Morning Post · 19 Oct, 23:15 UTC
- How to prevent osteoporosis, from training to eating calcium-rich food South China Morning Post · 19 Oct, 23:15 UTC
- I have a condition people are too embarrassed to talk about BBC · 19 Oct, 23:11 UTC
- LC–MS/MS Tracks Drugs in Australian Wastewater Chromatography Online · 19 Oct, 23:06 UTC
- Dengue Epidemiological Situation in the Region of the Americas - Epidemiological Week 38, 2026 ReliefWeb · 19 Oct, 23:03 UTC
- Breast cancer awareness advocate seeks to teach about risk to all people WAMC · 19 Oct, 23:02 UTC
- DNA once dismissed as 'noise' reveals new bacterial species in prostate cancer patients Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 23:00 UTC
- Scientists might finally have an answer on the origins of your seasonal allergies Yahoo News New Zealand · 19 Oct, 22:50 UTC
- The Ebola crisis is far outpacing the response, Congo's IRC director says NPR · 19 Oct, 22:38 UTC
- Adult-Onset Autoimmune Diabetes in a Physician: Diagnostic Uncertainty and Insulin Acceptance in a Case Consistent With Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) Cureus · 19 Oct, 22:36 UTC
- Virtual Pulmonary Rehab and Matched Care, With Omid Pourshahid, MD HCPLive · 19 Oct, 22:32 UTC
- New AI tool can predict cancer survival by a single patient selfie, study suggests The Guardian · 19 Oct, 22:30 UTC
- Embryos harbor immune cells that already perform adult-like defense functions, study suggests Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 22:20 UTC
- Honey bee hives have ‘living immune systems’ which defend against disease The Conversation · 19 Oct, 22:00 UTC
- Beehives act as 'living immune systems' with layered antimicrobial defenses Phys.org · 19 Oct, 22:00 UTC
- Home sensor system could spot loneliness in older adults Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 22:00 UTC
- Weakness, Chills, and Back Pain in a 62-Year-Old Woman Medscape Reference: Drugs, Diseases & Medical Procedures · 19 Oct, 21:40 UTC
- Pakistan reports 7th polio case of the year, 1st case in Karachi in nearly 2 years Outbreak News Today · 19 Oct, 21:36 UTC
- Percival AI can uncover unseen health issues in CT scans Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 21:30 UTC
- CHMP Backs Extended Use of AstraZeneca H5N1 Pandemic Flu Vaccine Contagion Live · 19 Oct, 21:22 UTC
- Advanced paternal age has sex-specific effects on fetal brain gene expression, mouse study suggests Medical Xpress · 19 Oct, 21:20 UTC
- Study Warns of More Chronic Hepatitis B in the Years Ahead MedPage Today · 19 Oct, 21:16 UTC
- ADHD Tied to Higher Mortality Risk MedPage Today · 19 Oct, 21:04 UTC
- New wheat disease detection tool established in Tanzania Phys.org · 19 Oct, 21:00 UTC