World Health Organisation director-general Dr Margaret Chan warned yesterday that Zika posed a threat of "alarming proportions".

Travellers have taken to social media to express concerns about visiting countries potentially affected by Zika.

The Cavendish banana is facing extinction from a deadly fungus and may have to be genetically engineered into a new variant, experts say.

New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma in the world yet we have no effective therapy for advanced melanoma, writes Dr Chris Jackson.

In New Zealand we have a love/hate relationship with Pharmac, the agency that decides which drugs our Government will pay for.

Sir Douglas Myers is spending tens of thousands of dollars every month on chemotherapy drugs, including the new wonder drug Keytruda.

It has been heartbreak after heartbreak for the Elsmore family.

The deaths of two Whangarei rest home residents after an outbreak of respiratory virus at a Waipu care home is being investigated by health officials.

Richmond Villeran put his stomach pains down to his workouts at the gym. But after a week, and with his stomach growing, he knew something was wrong.

One week before senior prizegiving, 18-year-old Jake Bailey was told he might not live to see the day.

Jordon Milroy refuses to let cerebral palsy define him.

When Kourtney Ryder experienced lower back pain during her pregnancy doctors put it down to the baby leaning on her spine.

A song, a charity and some sheep are helping fight a rare and always fatal disease that strikes children.

A NZ girl who travelled to the United Kingdom to undergo lifesaving surgery, only to be told she had cancer, has been given the all-clear.

Dr Ilse Dirkzwager specialises in doing scans, so when her identical-twin pregnancy felt wrong, she did a selfie ultrasound on her own belly.

Comedian Urzila Carlson was 20 when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

An outbreak of a highly contagious bug at Starship Hospital has forced sick children into isolation meaning families have been ordered to stay away.

All Whites legend Steve Sumner is facing the greatest battle of his life.

A Tauranga girl, born with a rare birthmark, has set her sights on a conference where she can meet professionals specialising in her condition.

New Zealand scientist Jilly Evans will have you believe it was luck that made her one of the world's leading researchers in the development of therapies for cancer and arthritis.

A 4-year-old boy has died of flu in what experts are warning is one of the most intense seasons in recent years.

Triathlons push athletes' bodies to the limit, especially competing internationally. Add the chance of suffering an epileptic seizure and the task seems almost impossible.

Angela Kingi was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) when she was 29 years old.

Heart Kids, which supports Kiwi children and families affected by congenital heart disease, will be collecting on the streets today.

Kiwi sporting officials want answers from Olympic organisers after a deadly horse disease was discovered at the Rio 2016 equestrian venue.

They saved his baby's life - and now he's running a marathon to thank them.

The first drug that slows down Alzheimer's disease could be available within three years after trials showed it prevented mental decline by a third.

A virus that caused vomiting and diarrhoea in Asia last winter appears to be spreading globally, threatening larger outbreaks of gastro infections that are the bane of luxury cruise liners.