Jacqui Wise

A “misunderstanding of autism” was one of a series of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies that led to a knife attack in which three girls died, a damning inquiry has found.1Axel Rudakubana was jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering Bebe King, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Elsie Dot Stancombe and injuring 10 others at a children’s dance club in Southport, northwest England, in July 2024.The 700 page report, published at the end of the inquiry’s first phase, makes clear that there were dozens of warning signs of Rudakubana’s propensity for violence dating back to 2019 when, aged 13, he repeatedly took a knife into school.In the five following years leading up to the Southport attack Rudakubana had been in contact with multiple agencies, including the police, council officers, mental health services, and the antiterrorism agency Prevent.### Five fundamental failures identified in the inquiry

Babies born to women with endometriosis have a slightly higher risk of having a congenital anomaly such as cleft palate than those born to women without the condition, a Canadian study suggests.1Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition where endometrial-like tissue grows outside the uterus. One in 10 women in the UK are estimated to have endometriosis, but it takes an extraordinary average of nine years and four months from the first GP appointment for a patient to get a diagnosis, said the charity Endometriosis UK.The latest study analysed population data from more than 1.4 million births in Ontario from 2006 to 2021, of …

Switching to an oral treatment may reduce the weight gain commonly seen when patients stop treatment with injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a study has found.Treatment with orforglipron—a once daily oral GLP-1—helped people maintain 75-79% of their earlier weight loss achieved with the injectable GLP-1s tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Wegovy), in research published in Nature Medicine .1 However, the study was small, with only 376 participants, and the results will need to be confirmed in larger trials.Injectable GLP-1s such as semaglutide and tirzepatide have been shown to be effective at producing weight loss. But stopping treatment with such drugs has been shown to lead to rapid weight gain in most people.The new double blind, placebo controlled study included 376 participants with a mean age of 48.6 years who had already completed 72 weeks of injectable treatment with tirzepatide or semaglutide. Once daily over the next 52 weeks they received a 12 …

A large measles outbreak, mostly affecting unvaccinated children, has been confirmed in north east London, with some needing to be admitted to hospital.The outbreak has prompted renewed calls to boost uptake of childhood immunisations and the launch of a new government campaign.There have been 96 laboratory confirmed cases of measles in England between 1 January and 9 February 2026, according to the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).1More than a third of those cases (34 of 96, 35%) have been in the London borough of Enfield, an area with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Only 64.3% of 5 year olds in Enfield had received both doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in 2024-25, according to UKHSA figures published last August.2 …

Screening with a PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test reduces prostate cancer deaths by two for every 1000 men screened, though the risk of overdiagnosis remains high, an updated Cochrane review says.1The evidence of a “modest” benefit is a shift from a 2013 Cochrane review that concluded there was not enough evidence that screening reduced prostate cancer deaths.In the UK, more than 64 000 men are given a prostate cancer diagnosis every year, and one in eight will receive a diagnosis in their lifetime.The merits of routine screening for prostate cancer have long been debated. In recent years there has been high profile campaigning for PSA testing to be rolled out more widely, including by former prime ministers Rishi Sunak and David Cameron and the Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy.However, last year the UK National Screening Committee advised against routine screening for prostate cancer, saying the harms outweighed the benefits.2 …

There is no clear link between taking paracetamol in pregnancy and the chances of a child having autism or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life, an in-depth evidence review has found.1The researchers concluded that the quality of existing studies supporting such a link was “low to critically low,” adding that any apparent effect can probably be explained by family genetics and other factors.The research was fast tracked for publication by The BMJ after remarks made by US president Donald Trump in September when he advised women against taking the pain reliever during pregnancy, citing a link between the drug and autism. Trump claimed that paracetamol (called acetaminophen in the US and sold there as Tylenol) “is no good” and that pregnant women should “fight like hell” not to take it.23Manufacturers of the drug are now being sued over allegations …

Giving the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine to pregnant women provides 81.3% protection to newborn infants, including those born prematurely, UK health officials have reported.The vaccine was particularly effective if given at least four weeks before a baby is born, with 85% protection against RSV infection in this group, an evaluation of the first year of the maternal vaccination programme in England showed.1The finding supports giving vaccination early in the third trimester, at week 28 of pregnancy or soon after, experts said.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) study is the largest in the world to evaluate the …

Screening with a PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test reduces prostate cancer deaths by two for every 1000 men screened, though the risk of overdiagnosis remains high, an updated Cochrane review says.1The evidence of a “modest” benefit is a shift from a 2013 Cochrane review that concluded there was not enough evidence that screening reduced prostate cancer deaths.In the UK, more than 64 000 men are given a prostate cancer diagnosis every year, and one in eight will receive a diagnosis in their lifetime.The merits of routine screening for prostate cancer have long been debated. In recent years there has been high profile campaigning for PSA testing to be rolled out more widely, including by former prime ministers Rishi Sunak and David Cameron and the Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy.However, last year the UK National Screening Committee advised against routine screening for prostate cancer, saying the harms outweighed the benefits.2 …

An estimated 45% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented entirely by tackling 14 risk factors, including high cholesterol and vision loss, a landmark report has concluded.1The 2024 Lancet Commission report, written by 27 of the world’s leading dementia experts, calls for action to tackle these risk factors to begin in childhood and continue throughout life. It adds that risk is modifiable irrespective of apolipoprotein E genetic status.Twelve risk factors were identified in an earlier 2020 report—lower levels of education, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, air pollution, and social isolation. These are linked to 36% of all dementia cases, the latest report says.The updated report adds two new risk factors (see box) saying there is “new compelling evidence” that untreated vision loss and high low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are risk factors for dementia. About 7% of cases are linked to high levels of LDL in midlife from around 40 years of age and 2% of cases are attributable to untreated vision loss in later life, it estimates.Lead author Gill Livingston, from University College London, said, “It’s never too early or too late to take action, with opportunities to make an impact at any stage of life. …

Patients experiencing a mental health crisis in hospital emergency departments are at serious risk of harm because of a lack of clear legal powers to prevent them leaving while waiting to be assessed or admitted, the health safety watchdog has said.1Hospital staff often face “impossible situations” and have to choose “the least harmful way to break the law” to try to keep patients safe, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) said.One example cited in the watchdog’s report involved a patient who was locked in a single room with only a toilet for more than four days. The report said it was not safe for staff to be in the room and not safe for the door to be unlocked as the patient may have left and “was desperate to end their life.”Staff told HSSIB investigators that the patient was not receiving any therapeutic intervention, and it felt …