Browsing: Health

South Kivu has reported no new Ebola cases since May, adding to evidence of improvement in some affected areas. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recent trends offered encouraging signs after months of widespread transmission. He also said the outbreak continues to expand and cause deaths. Health authorities have identified cases across 62 health zones, underscoring large differences between provinces. Declining transmission in some locations has occurred alongside sharp increases elsewhere in the country.

City health officials sampled 24 cooling towers while investigating the cluster. Ten produced positive PCR results, including the tower at Yankee Stadium at 1 E. 161st St. PCR testing can detect genetic material from Legionella bacteria. However, it cannot determine whether the bacteria are alive. Only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness, and additional laboratory culture testing is underway to help determine whether viable bacteria were present in the sampled towers.

The World Health Organization has urged a wider Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as transmission continues across several provinces. Congo had recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths by Sept. 1, according to the latest government figures. The outbreak has affected 60 health zones in six provinces. Authorities have also recorded 1,439 recoveries, while the case fatality rate stands at 48.6%.

Health Minister Roger Kamba confirmed that the government initiated the immunization campaign utilizing doses of the Ervebo vaccine to safeguard frontline personnel operating across impacted eastern provinces.

The European Commission has expanded its Ebola response with a €2.1 million purchase of PCR tests for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. Shipments are due to start in August as health teams confront a large outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and affecting parts of the wider region. PCR testing allows laboratories to confirm infections and support surveillance around known cases. The latest supply package adds laboratory resources at a time when authorities continue to monitor transmission across several provinces and health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Australian researchers from Adelaide University and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute have identified a novel molecular switch that drives the spread of aggressive tumors. Published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, the breakthrough study reveals that Australian researchers uncover a promising new way to tackle triple-negative breast cancer by restoring a critical regulatory molecule known as miR-342. The discovery opens new avenues to prevent life-threatening secondary cancers in organs such as the lungs and bones. Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 10% to 15% of Australia’s approximately 21,000 annual breast cancer diagnoses but causes a disproportionate number of deaths. Lead investigators demonstrated that when miR-342 levels fall, a cancer-driving pathway called E2F becomes overactive, allowing dormant cancer cells to spread throughout the body and form dangerous secondary tumors.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 Ervebo Ebola vaccine doses as the Bundibugyo outbreak expands. Congolese authorities reported 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths as of Aug. 18. The outbreak now affects 56 health zones across six provinces in the east and northeast. Authorities also listed 1,115 recoveries, while 730 patients remained in isolation or hospital care.

The World Health Organization says Congo’s Ebola outbreak can still be contained within three months if response teams receive enough resources. The latest official report recorded 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths through Aug. 16. Cases now span 55 health zones across six provinces, while the case fatality ratio has reached 47.4%. The toll makes this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. It is also the second-largest Ebola epidemic recorded globally. WHO incident manager Thierno Baldé said the three-month timeline depends on securing the resources required for the response. The agency has received about $69.3 million of the $115 million it says it needs, or roughly 60%. Teams added more than 400 treatment beds during the past two weeks. They also deployed 100 additional epidemiologists and more than 500 community health workers for surveillance and contact tracing. The response requires vehicles, ambulances, medical supplies and personnel across a growing affected area. Transmission has reached Bas-Uélé, making it the sixth affected province. As of Aug. 12, Ituri accounted for 85% of confirmed cases and 79% of reported deaths nationwide. Officials said 70% to 80% of new cases had no known link to existing patients. Health teams are expanding surveillance to identify cases faster and transfer patients into treatment centers. Bas-Uélé’s first confirmed case had traveled from Haut-Uélé before symptoms began on Aug. 4.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 26,064,143 malaria cases in 2025. The country also reported 29,938 deaths linked to the disease during the year. Guy Esebe Dembo, deputy director of the National Malaria Control Programme, announced the figures during a campaign launch in Ituri province. Dembo said malaria remains the country’s main public health challenge. The new totals confirm a heavy disease burden across one of Africa’s most malaria-affected countries.

DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed 1,916 people and produced 4,209 confirmed cases, according to official data through Aug. 7. Health authorities also counted 595 patients receiving care in isolation. Another 828 people have recovered from the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak. Ituri remains the center of the epidemic, with 3,636 confirmed cases and 1,551 deaths. North Kivu has recorded 470 cases and 315 deaths. Haut Uele has reported 91 cases and 44 deaths, while Tshopo has nine cases and five deaths. South Kivu has recorded three cases and one death.