Emma Dyer says she collapsed on her bathroom floor and began vomiting blood after buying jabs online.

Karen Ford’s granddaughter became seriously ill, highlighting just how important it is for communities to have herd immunity

Your report on the response to the measles outbreak in north London highlights the profound consequences of falling immunisation uptake (‘A lot of vaccine hesitancy’: how north London council is responding to measles outbreak, 16 February). Behind the statistics are real and frightening experiences for families like ours.

My granddaughter, not yet eligible for the vaccine, was admitted to hospital in late November with respiratory syncytial virus and bronchiolitis. Shortly after being discharged, she developed pneumonia, later followed by a rash: measles. She became seriously ill and needed urgent readmission. Sitting for hours holding her small body, unsure how the illness would progress, is something our family will never forget. She was so weak she could barely cry.

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These harnesses are increasingly popular, but experts are divided on how useful they are. I decided to give one a try

When I sat at my desk this morning, I couldn’t slouch over the keyboard like I usually do. As much as I tried to hunch over, my back was held straight, shoulders pulled back. My trick? I was wearing a corset-like device with straps over my shoulders that forced me into an upright position.

Posture correctors claim to provide instant improvement in posture and relieve the back, shoulder and chest pain often associated with poor posture, if worn long term. The one I have on, Vicorrect (£29.99), is one of many on the market – Lidl’s budget posture trainer (£7.99) is now sold out; Taylor Swift has been spotted wearing a sports-bra version by Forme (£140).

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As a doctor, I have a front-row seat to the physical, emotional and financial impact on women who find themselves in the role of primary carer

“Why do you always grip the dashboard like that when I am driving?”

It’s the bleary-eyed 5am run to rowing practice and I have just relented to the eager “can I drive?” When your teenager takes a reluctant “I guess” as full-throated approval, you still want to show grace. Especially when there are many more mandated hours of supervision en route to a probationary licence.

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Former employees stepped up to create the National Public Health Coalition to advocate for public health after Trump’s cuts to the agency

Abby Tighe thought she had landed her forever job. She joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in December 2023, managing a national youth substance abuse prevention program. The project focused on rural communities, and Tighe, whose family is from Appalachia, was proud to be using her public health training to support often-overlooked parts of the country. “The CDC was different than anywhere else I’ve worked,” says Tighe. “People didn’t care about their own ambitions as much as they cared about the larger mission. It was always my dream to work there.”

That dream ended a year ago, when Tighe received a form email on 14 February letting her know the Trump administration was firing her. Classified as a probationary worker, she was one of the first to lose her job in what quickly became a dramatic downsizing of the CDC workforce. To date, the current administration has either fired or is in the process of firing more than 4,000 CDC employees – a third of the agency.

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It’s tempting to dismiss the proliferation of labels as a fad, but there’s more to this phenomenon than a simple culture-war reading allows

My psychological research rarely makes good comedy material, but in a standup show in London recently, those two worlds collided. One of the jokes was about how everyone is getting diagnosed with ADHD these days – about the social media videos that encourage viewers to identify common human experiences, like daydreaming or talking a lot, as evidence of the condition. The audience laughed because everyone got it – they’ve all witnessed how common it seems to have become in the last few years. When something becomes this prevalent in society, and this mystifying, it’s no surprise it ends up as a punchline.

Part of my work as an academic involves trying to solve the puzzle of why so many more people, especially young people, are reporting symptoms of mental illness compared to even five or 10 years ago. (ADHD is a form of neurodivergence, rather than a mental illness, but both have seen an increase, so they are related questions.) Whenever I talk about this – to colleagues, school staff, parents – it doesn’t take long until someone brings up that judgment-laden, hot-button word: overdiagnosis.

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They’re often compassionate good listeners who focus on their clients’ needs – so is it any wonder many patients find themselves with a crush? A writer, who is in exactly this position, talks to people on both sides of the couch

I was half-watching the latest series of the Netflix romcom Nobody Wants This when suddenly things got interesting. Spoiler alert: it had just been revealed that one of the characters (Morgan) was in a relationship with her newly ex-therapist (Dr Andy). While some of the characters freaked out, declaring the relationship very concerning, I felt a frisson of excitement. Because I, too, have harboured the desire to date my therapist.

As it turns out, this fantasy is neither unusual nor unexpected. “Psychoanalysis almost insists on transference,” explains psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber, using the term coined by Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, in his 1895 work Studies on Hysteria. The basic premise is that the patient projects old feelings, attitudes, desires or fantasies on to their therapist. This can manifest in numerous ways – often at the same time – covering the whole gamut of emotions and relationships, from love to hate, maternal to erotic, and everything in between.

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The medicines regulator is suggesting the minimum age limit for trial should be raised to 14.

The company behind the test said there were positive signs that some of the most aggressive cancers could be prevented.

The doctors speak to Professor of Immunology, Dan Davis.

Manjit Sangha, from Penn, near Wolverhampton, says her life drastically change in one weekend.

A Stanford University team have tested their nasal spray vaccine in animals but still need to do human clinical trials.

Around 1,000 operations a week rely on the product as patients are warned delays are inevitable.

The decision from the Supreme Court, on the case of a child who sustained a brain injury at birth in 2015, could have significant cost implications for the NHS.

That Time of the Month with Naga Munchetty, Dr Nighat Arif and Dr Christine Ekechi

Greg James and a panel of guests sensitively discuss male mental health and suicide.

The figure paid to Crawford & Company Adjusters is eight times the original estimate for the work.

A committee of MPs warns tighter restrictions on high-risk cosmetic procedures are needed immediately.

Farmer Sam Stables walks from Herefordshire to London to raise awareness of mental health.

James Gallagher is joined by a panel to explore the side effects of weight loss drugs.