Health news today is dominated by questions of safety, trust and accountability. In England, a meningitis outbreak in Reading has prompted urgent public health action, with two schools identified and close contacts offered antibiotics after cases of serious illness and at least one death. Confidence in care is also under strain after Southport survivor Leanne Lucas said she was devastated to learn that dozens of NHS staff had improperly accessed victims’ medical records, raising sharp concerns about privacy and abuse of trust. Beyond health systems, the human toll of conflict remains stark: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment block killed 24 people, including three children, in what Ukrainian officials describe as part of a massive barrage. And in the United States, Texas carried out its 600th execution since 1982 after the Supreme Court cleared the way, despite claims that the prisoner was intellectually disabled.