Medical Bulletin 03/January/2026 - Video

Here are the top medical news for today:

WHO Research Says COVID-19 Still Serious, But Vaccines Offer Strong Protection

The COVID-19 story isn’t over yet—though the chaotic days of global lockdowns are long behind us, the virus continues to quietly send thousands to hospitals across Europe and neighbouring regions.

A new analysis led by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe reveals that COVID-19 may have lost its pandemic panic, but not its punch. The study highlights how timely booster doses still play a vital role in preventing severe illness, intensive care admissions, and deaths.

Between May 2023 and April 2024, scientists from the European Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Vaccine Effectiveness (EuroSAVE) network tracked nearly 4,000 hospital patients admitted with acute respiratory infections across Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Using standardized hospital surveillance data, they examined the proportion of infections caused by COVID-19 and assessed outcomes based on patients’ vaccination status and recent booster history.

Their results paint a sobering picture. Even after the pandemic was declared over, COVID-19 still accounted for about 10% of acute respiratory admissions. Alarmingly, only 3% of these hospitalized patients had received a COVID vaccine dose within the previous year. Among those infected, 13% required intensive care, and 11% did not survive—figures that underscore the virus’s enduring danger, particularly for those without recent vaccination. Comparative analysis also showed that COVID-19 patients were more likely than influenza patients to need supplemental oxygen, intensive care, or succumb to their illness.

But the findings also carry optimism. One EuroSAVE study reported that staying “up to date” with a COVID booster—meaning a shot within the past six months—offered 72% protection against hospitalization and 67% against the most severe outcomes, including ICU admission and death. A broader, multi-country analysis supported these results, showing that recent vaccination reduced hospitalization risk by roughly 60%.

This evidence offers a clear message: COVID-19 may be less disruptive than before, but it’s far from harmless. Keeping vaccinations current remains one of the most effective shields against severe disease and hospital burden across Europe and beyond.

REFERENCE: COVID-19 still causes severe disease, but up-to-date vaccines are effective, new research shows; World Health Organization; https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/31-12-2025-covid-19-still-causes-severe-disease--but-up-to-date-vaccines-are-effective--new-research-shows

Combined Impact of Frailty, Depression May Raise Dementia Risk by 17% in Older Adults: Study

Ageing doesn’t just slow the body—it also reshapes how our mind copes with physical and emotional strain. New research from Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, reveals that older adults who are both frail and depressed face a sharply higher risk of dementia.

Published in General Psychiatry, the study shows that while frailty and depression each heighten risk on their own, together they create a dangerous duo—tripling a person’s likelihood of developing dementia and accounting for 17% of overall dementia risk.

Frailty refers to the gradual loss of physical strength, stamina, and resilience in older age, while depression affects mood and cognitive function. These two conditions often overlap, but their combined impact on brain health has been less understood until now. Researchers wanted to uncover how physical and mental vulnerabilities interact to influence dementia risk across large, diverse populations.

Using data from more than 2,00,000 people in the US and UK, including participants from the UK Biobank, the team followed subjects for 13 years. Over that period, 9,088 were diagnosed with dementia. The researchers looked at indicators of physical frailty—such as weight, muscle weakness, and chronic illnesses—alongside mental health assessments for depression. Statistical models were then used to estimate how each factor, alone and in combination, affected long-term dementia outcomes.

The findings were striking. Frail participants were generally older, more often female, had multiple health conditions, and lower education levels. They were 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia compared with robust individuals. Those diagnosed with depression alone faced a nearly 60% higher risk. But when frailty and depression coexisted, dementia risk soared more than threefold—a clear sign of how physical decline and emotional distress can accelerate cognitive breakdown.

The study also found that mild frailty could offset some depression-related effects—and vice versa—but once both surpassed a critical threshold, the brain’s compensatory resilience collapsed, triggering steep cognitive decline.

Researchers say that routinely screening older adults for both frailty and depression could help identify those at highest risk and reduce future dementia cases through early physical and mental health interventions.

REFERENCE: Ding, Y., et al. (2025) Associations of physical frailty, depression and their interaction with incident all-cause dementia among older adults: evidence from three prospective cohorts. General Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1136/gpsych-2025-102172. https://gpsych.bmj.com/content/38/6/e102172

Study Reveals Diet and Weight Mediate Link Between Depression and Headaches

Chronic headaches and depression often travel hand in hand—but what actually links the two? A new study published in Scientific Reports suggests that the connection might run deeper than shared symptoms. Researchers found that higher body mass index (BMI) and lower dietary iron intake may be key biological bridges linking depression to chronic headaches, while physical activity doesn’t seem to play a direct role.

Depression is one of the world’s leading mental health conditions, affecting mood, energy, and overall wellbeing. Chronic headaches—like tension-type headaches and migraines—are also widespread and often occur alongside depression, creating a cycle of pain and poor mental health. Scientists have long suspected that lifestyle factors such as diet, weight, and exercise influence this connection. The new study provides evidence for how these factors may fit together.

The research team used data from nearly 10,000 adults aged 35–65 participating in the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort in western Iran. Through in-person interviews and standardized health assessments, they collected detailed information on participants’ mental health, body weight, physical activity, and diet. Physical activity was expressed in metabolic-equivalent task hours, dietary iron intake was calculated through food frequency questionnaires, and depression was diagnosed through clinical evaluation or antidepressant use. Chronic headaches were defined as headaches occurring at least 15 days a month for three consecutive months.

Statistical “path analyses” tested whether BMI, iron intake, or physical activity explained the depression–headache relationship. The results showed that individuals with depression had higher BMI, lower iron intake, and a greater likelihood of chronic headaches compared to those without depression. The models confirmed that both higher BMI and lower iron levels partially mediated this association, while physical activity did not act as an independent pathway once other factors were considered.

Importantly, physical activity still contributed indirectly by influencing weight and iron intake, reinforcing its overall health benefits. The authors note that while their study cannot prove causation, it underscores how interconnected mental health, nutrition, and physical health truly are.

REFERENCE: Hosseini, F.A., Bagherian, S., Shaygan, M., Cañete-Massé, C., Bonyani, M., Najafi, F. (2025). Mediating effects of physical activity, BMI, and dietary iron intake on the relationship between depression and chronic headaches. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-31993-0, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-31993-0