Category: Health

AstraZeneca has struck a major licensing deal with China’s Dizal Pharmaceutical, agreeing to pay $600 million upfront to secure global rights to a promising lung cancer medication, according to a filing Dizal submitted to the Shanghai stock exchange on Tuesday.

The drug at the center of the agreement, Sunvozertinib — also marketed under the name Zegfrovy — has already received approval in both the United States and China. It is used to treat adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, the most prevalent form of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 77% of all lung cancer cases fall into this category.

Clinical trial data from a late-stage multinational study involving 324 patients showed encouraging results. Patients taking Sunvozertinib experienced a median progression-free survival of 10.3 months, compared to just 7.5 months for patients who received chemotherapy.

Beyond the initial $600 million payment, Dizal stands to receive up to an additional $900 million depending on how the drug performs in clinical development and on the market. In total, the deal could be worth as much as $1.5 billion. As part of the agreement, AstraZeneca will take over global development and commercialization of the drug.

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President of the Oncology Haematology Business Unit at AstraZeneca, commented on the significance of the deal. “With this agreement, we will bring a differentiated, oral targeted treatment to these patients with limited options across the globe,” he said in a statement.

A new national study suggests that around 120 premature births occur each year in New Zealand as a result of drinking water contaminated with nitrates linked to the country’s agricultural sector.

Scientists at Canterbury, Otago, and Massey universities identified a “significant” link between nitrate levels in drinking water and early births — and notably, the association held even when nitrate concentrations were far below New Zealand’s legal limit of 11.3 milligrams per litre. The researchers also found that as nitrate levels climbed, the risk grew stronger, with “stronger associations for more severe outcomes.”

The findings carry particular weight in New Zealand, where farming is a cornerstone of the national economy and nitrates rank among the most frequently detected contaminants in drinking water supplies.

The dairy industry is New Zealand’s top export earner, projected to generate a record NZ$28.6 billion ($16.56 billion) in revenue for the year ending June 2026, according to government figures. Nitrate contamination is largely traced back to the use of fertilizers and runoff from livestock manure.

Environmental organization Greenpeace called on dairy companies, including Fonterra, to be held accountable for the pollution. Campaigner Will Appelbe released a statement saying, “We need to stop nitrate pollution at the source. That means regulating the intensive dairy industry, and limiting the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser that can be applied to the land.”

Fonterra declined to comment directly, instead pointing reporters to the industry group DairyNZ. That organization responded by saying questions around public health and drinking water standards fall under the jurisdiction of health and regulatory agencies, which are tasked with evaluating scientific evidence. New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

The study examined more than 735,000 births recorded between 2008 and 2021 and is scheduled to appear in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research in September. The authors found connections between pre-natal nitrate exposure and premature births across all categories. When the study applied a causal assumption, it determined that nitrate exposure could be responsible for approximately 120 premature births annually — accounting for about 4% of pregnancies that ended between 20 and 37 weeks.

The Trump administration announced Monday that American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo will not be permitted to board commercial flights headed to the United States, according to a White House official.

The restriction is being implemented under a transportation law known as Title 49 and places affected U.S. citizens — including those who have recently departed Congo — on a “do-not-board” list. Before they can return home, those individuals must first spend a minimum of 21 days in a third country.

The move follows a growing Ebola crisis within Congo, where the outbreak has expanded across multiple provinces. As of late Sunday, official figures showed 1,926 confirmed cases of the disease and 702 deaths.

Ebola is a serious and often deadly viral illness that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals. Symptoms can include high fever, vomiting, and both internal and external bleeding.

A U.S. official said approximately two dozen Americans had been scheduled to fly back to the United States on Tuesday following travel to Congo. The State Department is expected to provide support to those individuals and others impacted while they wait out the required period in a third country.

Earlier Monday, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed a separate order citing elevated Ebola risks, pointing in part to the virus spreading to areas just hours away from Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo had tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. One American infected in Congo was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany early Monday, officials confirmed. A second American — identified by the Serge Christian mission organization as Dr. Peter Stafford — had also contracted Ebola and was transported to Germany for treatment, according to information the CDC released in May.

Khong Guan Corporation has announced a voluntary recall of select lots of its “Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling” after it was discovered the product may contain peanuts that are not listed on the label.

The concern is particularly serious for anyone with a peanut allergy or a severe sensitivity to peanuts. Consuming a product with undeclared peanuts can lead to dangerous — and potentially fatal — allergic reactions.

Consumers who have purchased this product are encouraged to check the lot numbers on their packaging to determine whether their item is part of the recall. Anyone with a peanut allergy should not consume the product and should follow guidance from the issuing company or the FDA regarding returns or disposal.

Christina Bluhme was partway up the slopes of Britain’s tallest mountain with her two dogs when one of them suddenly became incapacitated — not from exhaustion, but apparently from cannabis.

Tokyo, a 5-year-old black Labrador retriever, had seemingly consumed cannabis somewhere along the trail on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands. The dog began swaying as though intoxicated and eventually could not walk at all.

“She had a very bad trip,” Bluhme said of the July 5 incident. “It was a very terrifying experience.”

Despite having spent 25 years working as a canine trainer, Bluhme had no idea at the time that her dog might be suffering from cannabis intoxication.

Cannabis toxicity in pets is a growing concern in the United Kingdom, but the problem is even more widespread in the United States, where marijuana has been legalized in numerous states and is permitted for medical use in many others. Marijuana and other drugs appeared on the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ top 10 list of pet toxins for the first time in 2023. The organization’s poison control center reported a 10% rise in calls related to possible marijuana ingestion compared to the prior year, and those calls have nearly tripled over the past five years.

When Tokyo collapsed, Bluhme, her son, and their two dogs were more than three hours into the climb and close to the summit of Ben Nevis, which stands at 4,413 feet (1,345 meters). The weather had shifted dramatically from clear skies at the start to rain, and temperatures had dropped to 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit).

Bluhme told her son, Magnus, that reaching the summit was no longer an option.

“I said, listen, we’ve got to turn around and get her down,” Bluhme recalled Monday. “There’s something completely wrong here.”

Magnus called for assistance, but police indicated they were uncertain whether a rescue team could be dispatched.

Fortunately, a crew from the all-volunteer Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team happened to already be descending from the peak after assisting with a helicopter airlift of an injured hiker. The team placed Tokyo — who weighs 55 pounds (25 kilograms) — onto a stretcher and carried her down the steep, wet, rocky trail, reaching the trailhead in roughly an hour.

“They were almost running,” Bluhme said. “I was clinging on to the stretcher. They were so agile and so fast. It was incredible.”

Police had contacted Crown Vets in the nearby town of Fort William, and a veterinarian was ready and waiting when Bluhme arrived with the dog.

Vets initially suspected a spinal problem, but a senior veterinarian determined the dog had been exposed to some type of neurotoxin, as she was drifting in and out of consciousness. After consulting with a poison control center, the symptoms aligned clearly with cannabis intoxication.

Tokyo was treated with activated charcoal and made a complete recovery by the following morning.

After fearing she might lose her dog on the mountainside, Bluhme said the 1,000 pound (approximately $1,335) veterinary bill felt entirely worth it.

“The next day it was like nothing ever happened,” said Bluhme, who is from southern England. “She recovered so quickly, and I’m the one still hanging a bit.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to an at-home starting dose of Leqembi, an Alzheimer’s treatment developed by Eisai and Biogen, opening the door for patients to begin therapy through self-administered or caregiver-administered injections.

The newly approved formulation is delivered under the skin, a significant departure from the previous standard of care, which required patients to receive the drug through intravenous infusions at a clinic. Under the old approach, patients could only switch to a maintenance phase after 18 months of IV treatment.

The injectable version of the drug is being marketed under the name Leqembi IQLIK. The FDA noted that the injection-site version can cause local reactions, such as redness, swelling, rash, pain, or bruising at the spot where the shot is given.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman suggested the at-home approval could broaden the drug’s reach by making it more convenient for patients, and could give it a competitive edge over Eli Lilly’s Kisunla, a rival Alzheimer’s drug that still requires intravenous infusions.

Leqembi is already approved for adults living with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive condition that gradually erodes memory, thinking, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. The drug works by targeting amyloid beta, a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with the disease, forming harmful plaques.

The FDA based its decision on two earlier clinical trials that demonstrated the IV version of Leqembi was effective in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, including those experiencing mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia with confirmed amyloid buildup in the brain. The agency did not require separate large-scale trials for the injectable version, instead relying on data showing it produced comparable results and similar reductions in amyloid plaques as the infused form.

News of the approval pushed Biogen’s stock up 4.5% during afternoon trading on Monday.

Eastern Congo is now ground zero for the worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded, and the situation keeps getting harder to manage even as scientists race to find effective treatments for this particular strain of the virus — one that currently has no approved cure.

This week, unpaid workers at an Ebola treatment facility at the center of the outbreak walked off the job, raising fears that similar actions could ripple through other facilities in a region already struggling with poor infrastructure, armed rebel groups, and widespread disbelief that the virus is even real.

Close to 2,000 cases have been confirmed, resulting in at least 702 deaths. Now, suspected cases have appeared in two additional provinces, including one of the country’s largest cities, Kisangani, leaving health officials scrambling to determine just how far the disease has traveled. Experts say the outbreak went undetected for weeks because testing was done for a more common strain of Ebola, and the origin of this outbreak remains unknown.

Here is a closer look at what is unfolding and what is being done to stop it.

This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a form of Ebola for which no approved vaccines exist.

Ebola is highly contagious. It can pass from wild animals to humans and then spreads person to person through contact with bodily fluids — including blood, vomit, and semen — as well as contaminated items like bedding and clothing. Traditional burial practices in which family members wash and prepare the bodies of loved ones have been restricted, a move that has sparked anger among some residents.

The disease is rare but extremely dangerous and frequently fatal. Those infected may experience fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and sometimes internal and external bleeding. Outbreaks typically occur in remote communities in Central Africa, often near rainforests.

Journalists with the Associated Press have documented the aftermath of attacks on health centers carried out by a deeply mistrustful and highly mobile population long battered by armed conflict. Health outreach teams trying to educate communities about Ebola prevention have faced harassment and accusations that the entire outbreak is fabricated.

Part of the outbreak is centered in Goma, a major city and humanitarian hub that rebel forces backed by a neighboring country seized more than a year ago, adding another layer of difficulty to containment efforts.

Now, unrest has emerged among the local health workers themselves. After weeks of dangerous work with little or no pay from the Congolese government, staff at a treatment center in Ituri province — the outbreak’s epicenter — shut down the facility on Monday and blocked entry, burning a tire in protest. Among those striking were epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers, and gravediggers.

Congolese officials say they are in discussions with the workers to reach a resolution. If the strike spreads to other already-overwhelmed and poorly equipped facilities, it could deliver yet another serious blow to efforts to contain the outbreak.

The walkout comes at a particularly sensitive moment. Earlier this month, researchers launched a clinical study of two potential Ebola treatments and began recruiting participants.

One of the drugs being tested is remdesivir, made by Gilead Sciences — a broad-spectrum antiviral that was approved to treat COVID-19 and has shown early signs in laboratory testing that it may be effective against the Bundibugyo virus. The second is an experimental drug called MBP134, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, which uses engineered antibodies designed to target multiple Ebola strains, including Bundibugyo.

The World Health Organization has said patients in the study will be randomly assigned to receive the current best standard of care along with remdesivir, MBP134, both drugs, or neither.

The United Nations health agency has cautioned that it could take months and up to 1,000 study participants before researchers can determine whether either drug is effective.

For now, the study is being conducted at just one Ebola treatment center in Ituri province — not the facility where the strike occurred. Officials say they plan to expand the study to additional sites once conditions allow.

The condition believed to have caused the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham — an aortic dissection — is a dangerous medical emergency capable of killing within a very short time.

The aorta is the body’s largest artery, functioning much like a major highway that rises from the heart, curves overhead, and travels down through the abdomen, delivering oxygen-rich blood throughout the body as smaller arteries branch off along the way.

An aortic dissection occurs when a tear develops in the artery’s inner lining, allowing blood to rush between the surrounding layers of the vessel wall, according to the American Medical Association. This reduces blood flow to critical organs and can sometimes cause the artery to rupture, flooding nearby tissue with blood. The condition is often linked to an aortic aneurysm — a weakened area of the artery that balloons outward under pressure.

Several factors can raise a person’s risk, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol that leads to artery stiffening — known as atherosclerosis — and tobacco use. While the condition is more frequently seen in older individuals, certain inherited genetic disorders can cause it in younger people as well.

A preliminary report from a medical examiner, released by Graham’s office, indicated that his aortic dissection was connected to hardening of the arteries.

The warning signs typically come on suddenly and intensely, often presenting as sharp, stabbing pain in the chest or back. Depending on where along the aorta the tear occurs, pain may also appear in the neck, jaw, or abdomen. The American Heart Association notes that other symptoms can include sudden loss of consciousness, cold or sweaty skin, stroke-like signs such as sudden weakness on one side of the body, or signs of shock like a racing heartbeat or mental confusion.

Receiving medical attention quickly greatly improves a patient’s odds of survival. Surgeons may attempt to repair or reinforce the damaged section of the aorta, with the specific approach depending on where the tear is located and how severe it is.

(AP) — A parasitic infection tied to fresh produce has made scores of people across the United States sick, triggering one of the country’s largest cyclospora outbreaks in recent memory. Health experts say the situation is serious but manageable — and there are practical steps you can take to protect yourself.

Investigators have not yet pinpointed the exact food source behind the current outbreak. Tracing cyclospora can be especially difficult because the contamination sometimes comes from a single ingredient — such as basil or cilantro — that shows up in many different recipes.

More than 1,500 people in Michigan have been diagnosed with the infection, and health officials are looking into similar illnesses across 30 other states. It marks the largest cyclospora outbreak in Michigan’s history and one of the biggest nationwide in years. No deaths have been reported.

The good news: cyclospora infections can generally be treated with antibiotics and rarely lead to serious health complications.

What is cyclospora?

Cyclospora is a tiny, round parasite that attacks the intestines and spreads through feces. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it typically causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.” Outbreaks most commonly occur during late spring and summer.

In past outbreaks, people were infected after eating fruits or vegetables that had been exposed to irrigation water contaminated with feces. The situation is further complicated when food distributors send the same tainted products to both grocery stores and restaurants, making it hard to trace the original source.

Food safety tips to reduce your risk

Dr. Erika Noel, an assistant professor at Hawaii’s medical school and a pediatrician on the island of Kauai, says the outbreak is a good reminder to stick to basic hygiene habits. That means washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom and before handling any food. She notes that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against cyclospora — soap and water are the way to go.

Previous outbreaks have been connected to raspberries, basil, cilantro, snow peas, and salad mixes.

When it comes to washing produce, Noel offers these specific suggestions: separate the leaves of herbs like cilantro and basil before rinsing; for green onions, trim the roots, peel away the outer layer, and rub them under running water. Cooking produce to an internal temperature of at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) will kill the parasite.

Research also shows that soaking produce in a vinegar solution can help. While vinegar won’t destroy cyclospora, it can help dislodge it. Noel recommends submerging fruits and vegetables in a bowl of three parts water to one part vinegar and swishing for a few minutes. A salad spinner rinse afterward can remove the vinegar taste.

Rather than buying pre-mixed salad bags, consider purchasing a whole head of lettuce and discarding the outer leaves. For melons, scrub the exterior thoroughly before cutting — the knife can transfer germs from the rind into the flesh. Peel produce whenever possible, and don’t overlook cleaning cutting boards and countertops as well.

Some produce is harder to clean

Vegetables with tight crevices or delicate skin — like broccoli and cauliflower — are more difficult to clean thoroughly. Because berries are especially hard to wash, Noel suggests cooking them in pies or turning them into jam rather than eating them raw. Root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and radishes, which grow underground and collect heavy dirt, also require extra attention.

Even produce labeled as “pre-washed” should be washed again using a water and vinegar solution before eating.

‘We don’t need to panic’

Noel is clear that she does not want people to stop eating fruits and vegetables out of fear. The health benefits of fresh produce far outweigh the risks posed by this outbreak.

“We don’t need to panic,” she said.

Her advice: stay informed, keep up with good hygiene practices, and enjoy summer’s produce with a little extra care.

Dozens of workers at an Ebola treatment facility in northeastern Congo launched a strike Monday, demanding payment for salaries and bonuses they say they have never received.

The work stoppage at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province involves a wide range of personnel, including epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers, and gravediggers. All of them say Congolese authorities have failed to compensate them for their work. Striking employees shut down the hospital and blocked the road leading to the entrance.

Some health workers and field staff had actually begun refusing to work as early as last week, blaming government officials for not issuing their pay since the Ebola outbreak was first identified in May.

“We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months,” said Bahati Claude, a health worker in the Rwampara health zone. “We don’t want to give up the job.”

Congolese authorities officially declared the new Ebola outbreak on May 15, though the World Health Organization noted the disease had already been spreading for weeks before it was formally detected. This particular outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists.

During a visit to Ituri province last week, Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba acknowledged the payment problems, saying the government is working to verify the list of workers involved in the outbreak response. He noted that some names unconnected to the effort had been added to the payroll, complicating the distribution of funds.

“We must ensure that these payments reach the right people,” Kamba said. “We have faced a few challenges, notably changes to the lists, which have led to complaints from people saying they are not being paid even though they are working. We have the means to sort this out.”

According to Congolese authorities, the outbreak has now produced 1,926 confirmed cases and claimed 702 lives.

In a related development, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced Monday on the social media platform X that a second American citizen — a humanitarian worker in eastern Congo who contracted Ebola — had been transferred to Germany for care. The first U.S. citizen to test positive was a doctor working in Congo during the early weeks of the outbreak.

Last week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention characterized this outbreak as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever documented on the African continent.

A United States citizen who became infected with the Ebola virus while in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany, according to officials.

The patient was brought into the hospital’s specialized isolation unit at approximately 3 a.m. local time Monday morning. The individual contracted the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus while in Congo.

Earlier, on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that an American working for a humanitarian organization in Congo had tested positive for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.

Timo Wolf, who leads the hospital’s special isolation unit, provided an update on the patient’s status. “The patient’s condition is currently stable,” Wolf said.

Hospital officials emphasized that neither the general public nor other patients face any danger, explaining that the infected individual is being kept in complete isolation within a unit that is both physically and operationally separate from the rest of the hospital.

The news comes as Congo’s Ebola situation continues to worsen. The country’s public health institute reported Monday that confirmed cases have climbed to 1,926, with 702 deaths recorded. The outbreak has also expanded into two previously unaffected provinces — Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

This is not the first time a U.S. citizen has been transported to Europe for Ebola treatment. In June, another American who contracted Ebola in Congo was released from Charité hospital in Berlin after receiving care there.

The American Red Cross has officially declared a national blood emergency, citing a dramatic drop in blood supplies alongside a sharp rise in demand.

According to the Red Cross, blood supply levels fell by 25% during the month of June, while at the same time, the need for blood from hospitals and patients increased significantly.

The combination of dwindling supply and growing demand prompted the organization to issue the emergency declaration, signaling an urgent need for blood donations nationwide.

Pharmaceutical company GSK announced Monday that its cancer-fighting drug Jemperli has successfully achieved the main objective of a mid-stage clinical trial, demonstrating a clinically meaningful rate of patients showing no detectable traces of cancer for at least one year following treatment for a particular form of locally advanced rectal cancer.

The drug, known scientifically as dostarlimab, is being evaluated against rectal cancer tumors that have a specific genetic flaw — they are unable to properly repair DNA damage. According to GSK, this tumor subtype accounts for roughly 5% to 10% of the approximately 730,000 rectal cancer cases diagnosed globally each year.

The current standard treatment for this type of cancer typically involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. These treatments can result in serious long-term consequences for patients, including permanent colostomy bag use and infertility.

Because these tumors accumulate mutations due to their inability to fix DNA damage, they tend to respond strongly to immunotherapy treatments like Jemperli. The interim results from the Phase II AZUR-1 trial also indicated that the drug’s safety and tolerability were consistent with what had been observed in earlier studies involving solid tumors.

Jemperli is already approved for use in the United States and United Kingdom for certain subtypes of endometrial cancer. The drug brought in $1.1 billion in sales in 2025, and GSK considers it a key component of its long-term goal of surpassing £40 billion (approximately $53.52 billion) in annual sales by 2031.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Jemperli both Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations. GSK said it intends to present the new trial data to regulatory agencies around the world for their review.

Congo’s AFC/M23 rebel group has used a small Ebola outbreak within its territory as an opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to govern, building a response operation that runs almost entirely independent of the national government in Kinshasa — and drawing significant support from neighboring Rwanda in the process.

That’s the picture emerging from response teams on the ground and official documents reviewed by Reuters, which spoke with eight sources involved in the Ebola effort in rebel-held areas. Those sources included one AFC/M23 official, two members of the technical coordination committee, and five aid workers. Most requested anonymity, citing fears of appearing to legitimize the rebel group or losing access to the region.

The AFC/M23 controls vast stretches of North and South Kivu provinces following a rapid military advance in early 2025 that included the capture of Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in eastern Congo. The United Nations and Western governments have stated the group receives backing from Rwanda, an allegation Kigali denies.

Four Ebola cases were confirmed in rebel-held territory after the outbreak was officially declared on May 15 — one in Goma and three near Bukavu — according to data from Congo’s Health Ministry and the World Health Organization. Late last month, AFC/M23 announced the outbreak had ended in its territory following a 21-day period with no new infections.

Freddy Kaniki, the rebel group’s deputy coordinator for the Ebola response, said 400 contacts had been tracked, with 98% receiving daily check-ins. Documents reviewed by Reuters show 207 samples were tested in rebel-controlled areas of North Kivu as of June 18.

The situation in the rest of Congo tells a very different story. Transmission has continued across government-held areas, with the outbreak infecting 1,873 people and killing 672, according to government figures released Saturday. Congo’s Health Ministry and a government spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

The rebels have actively promoted their response through videos circulated on social media, showing Kaniki and other officials touring laboratories, reviewing operations, and meeting with health workers — all aimed at presenting AFC/M23 as a functioning governing authority.

Kaniki acknowledged that government-held areas faced a far greater challenge, noting dozens of infections were already circulating when the outbreak was declared. He credited his group’s success to greater “discipline” and “anticipation,” particularly when it came to isolating cases and tracing contacts.

Strict containment steps were also enforced, including the suspension of bus routes connecting rebel-held areas to government territory. A journalist who traveled to Ituri told Reuters that he and his colleagues were placed in mandatory 15-day isolation in a town on the Ugandan border after returning to AFC/M23-controlled land.

Outside analysts are more measured in their assessment. “AFC/M23 is keen to demonstrate its capacity to function as a state and manage a public health crisis better than the Congolese government,” said Reagan Miviri of the Kinshasa-based Ebuteli research institute. “But with only four cases recorded, it has been a limited test so far,” he added.

The rebel response has been organized through health administrations that operate parallel to — and separately from — the central government’s health structures. Coordination with Kinshasa has been largely limited to sharing data and laboratory testing results.

Damien Mama, the U.N.’s interim humanitarian coordinator in Congo, said aid organizations have worked to bridge the gap between the two sides, using established disease surveillance systems to help ensure the accuracy of reported figures.

Lacking support from Kinshasa, AFC/M23 turned to Rwanda to fill the void. Kigali sent six specialists to Goma, including experts in surveillance, laboratory work, logistics, and safe burials, according to a response committee member and an aid worker.

As of June 18, the Rwanda Biomedical Center had provided $6,891 worth of medicines and materials, while Gisenyi Hospital — located just across the border — had supplied an additional $85,467 in goods, primarily protective equipment, according to response documents.

Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Kigali’s involvement centered on supporting regional surveillance and preparedness, noting that infectious diseases “do not respect borders.”

Despite that assistance, resources have remained stretched thin. Documents highlight shortages of protective gear, infection-control kits, vehicles, and fuel. The laboratory in Goma had only two extraction kits as of mid-June, significantly limiting its ability to process tests. Goma’s airport has been closed since the rebels took the city, and the banking system in rebel-held areas has also shut down, making it harder to move people, supplies, and money.

“If the outbreak spread into frontline areas and case numbers were to rise significantly, the response could become much more complicated,” Miviri warned.

The federal watchdog agency overseeing the U.S. health department announced Monday that it generated $5.56 billion in expected recoveries and projected savings during a six-month stretch, while also removing 1,212 individuals and organizations from federal health programs. Despite those figures, total enforcement activity dropped to its lowest level in at least two years.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a semiannual report to Congress covering October through March, stating that for every dollar it spent, it returned $12.70.

Several high-profile cases drove the headline dollar figure, including a 15-year prison sentence handed down to a telemedicine software executive tied to a $1 billion fraud scheme, along with $674 million in settlements involving Kaiser Permanente affiliates and CVS Health’s Aetna related to inflated Medicare Advantage billing.

Despite the large dollar amounts, the number of actual cases declined significantly. Combined criminal and civil actions totaled 604 — down from 833 in the previous reporting period and the lowest figure recorded in at least two years. Criminal referrals also dropped, falling from 1,451 to 1,168. The number of individuals and entities barred from Medicare continued a two-year downward trend, slipping from a high of 1,795 to the current 1,212.

Compared to the same time frame under the prior administration, casework was essentially unchanged before declining. No data in the report indicated a surge in enforcement activity.

The way the office calculates its headline figure also changed. A new measurement called “total monetary impact” — which combines projected savings with money actually ordered to be repaid — was introduced in early 2025. That figure has fluctuated widely, ranging from $16.61 billion to $2.43 billion before landing at the current $5.56 billion. The report itself notes in its glossary that these figures represent amounts ordered or agreed to be repaid, not money that has actually been collected.

The report comes as Vice President JD Vance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Medicare chief Mehmet Oz have publicly promoted what the White House has described as an “unrelenting” effort to combat fraud. The OIG noted it now works alongside a new White House fraud task force led by Vance.

Oz has previously stated that the government identified roughly $2 billion in improper spending linked to people in the country illegally — a figure that does not appear anywhere in the report.

The report’s geographic findings crossed political boundaries, with improper payments made on behalf of deceased enrollees found across 35 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

Autism-related services also drew scrutiny in the report. Vance and Oz have pointed to autism-linked Medicaid spending as a sign of widespread fraud, but the OIG’s audits tell a more limited story. In four states — Indiana, Wisconsin, Maine, and Colorado — the office found hundreds of millions of dollars in improper or potentially improper payments connected to applied behavior analysis therapy.

In each instance, the problems identified were administrative in nature: missing paperwork, unsigned evaluations, copied session notes, staff without proper credentials, and insufficient state-level oversight. None of the audits accused anyone of criminal wrongdoing, though they did not rule out the possibility that other agencies could pursue criminal charges.

This report marks the first full accounting signed by Inspector General T. March Bell, a longtime Republican attorney who was confirmed by the Senate in December. Bell previously led a House investigation of Planned Parenthood and served as chief of staff in the HHS Office for Civil Rights during the first Trump administration.

A Boston-based drug discovery firm has announced a major new financial agreement with a Chinese pharmaceutical company aimed at tackling diseases of the central nervous system.

Insilico Medicine said that China Medical System will provide up to roughly 1.2 billion yuan — equivalent to approximately $177 million — in milestone payments as part of a joint research and development program in the central nervous system disease field.

According to a statement from Insilico, the collaboration is focused on a “mass-market indication in central nervous system” conditions. The company added that both parties will “jointly advance the co-development of the R&D programme.”

This is not the first time the two companies have worked together. Insilico has previously announced partnerships with China Medical System covering disease areas that include both central nervous system and autoimmune conditions.

When asked about the specific disease targeted by this latest collaboration, China Medical System did not immediately provide a response.

LONDON (AP) — British brothers Jordan and Cian Adams walked away from their day at Wimbledon with more than just memories — they brought home a program, their personalized seating chart from the Royal Box, and a hat each, small tokens they plan to treasure for years to come.

The reason those keepsakes matter so much is heartbreaking. Both brothers carry a rare genetic mutation that makes it nearly certain they will develop frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD. Their mother, Geraldine, lost her life to the same disease in 2016 at just 52 years old, passing away at the family home in Redditch, just south of Birmingham, roughly six years after her diagnosis.

The brothers expect their own symptoms to begin in their mid-40s — a reality they live with every day. In response, they set out to do something extraordinary: run 33 marathons over 33 consecutive days to shine a light on FTD and bring the dementia community together.

“We have been able to turn adversity into something quite hopeful by advocating for other people and trying to bring the dementia community together and hopefully that will be evidence to them that they can live positive lives too,” Jordan, 31, told the Associated Press.

The campaign kicked off at the London Marathon, where Jordan tackled all 26.2 miles with a refrigerator strapped to his back — a deliberate symbol of the heavy burden that family caregivers carry when a loved one has FTD.

The following day, the brothers launched what they called the “Irish Challenge,” completing one marathon per day in each of the island of Ireland’s 32 counties. The connection was personal — their mother’s family has Irish roots, and 12 relatives on that side of the family have died from the disease.

The response across Ireland was extraordinary. Crowds of supporters turned out to run alongside them and cheer them on, they made appearances on national television, and Ireland’s deputy prime minister extended an invitation for them to address government officials about improving support for people living with dementia.

Recognition also came from Britain. Prince William sent a personal letter commending their “inspiring journey,” and the All England Club followed up with an invitation to the Royal Box, where Jordan, Cian, and their partners watched the men’s semifinal matches on Friday. The brothers were also set to be honored guests of the Gaelic Athletic Association on Sunday at the national Gaelic football semifinals at Croke Park in Dublin.

The UK’s National Health Service describes FTD as an uncommon form of dementia that is “highly heritable” and marked by “changes in behavior, personality, language and motor function.” The specific mutation the brothers carry — known as a MAPT mutation — makes the disease “fully penetrant,” according to the NHS, meaning it is essentially guaranteed to develop, with an average age of onset around 49 that closely tracks with the age a parent first showed symptoms.

Both Jordan and Cian, 25, have undergone genetic testing that confirmed they carry the mutation. Their older sister, Kennedy, was tested and came back negative. There is currently no cure for FTD.

“It’s more of a guarantee that we’re going to get it,” Jordan said, noting a 99.9% likelihood. “Rather than an if, it’s a matter of when.”

Jordan was candid about his outlook on a cure arriving in time to help him and his brother. “If I’m totally honest, and I’m quite brazen about this, I don’t believe that a cure will come in time for me and my brother,” he said. “I’ve got the best part of 10 to 15 years before symptoms likely arise. … We just want to move things forward in all different areas including vital research but welfare support and services is just as important and something that we get echoed a lot to us by the families and the people who we’re advocating for.”

Through their work alongside Alzheimer’s organizations in Britain and Ireland, the brothers have raised nearly 2 million pounds — approximately $2.7 million — and continue pushing for greater government investment in services so that, as Jordan put it, “people living with dementia and their families don’t feel alone, don’t feel isolated and that’s just as important as finding the treatment and the cure.”

Looking ahead, the brothers plan to run the Chicago Marathon in October and lead a group climb of Mount Kilimanjaro through their nonprofit, the FTD Brothers Foundation.

Inside the Royal Box, the brothers found themselves among notable company, including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Hugh Laurie. They also had a chance to speak with West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara and journalist and podcaster Louis Theroux.

“I’ve watched his stuff over the years,” Jordan said of Theroux. “He asked what our connection was to the event. We opened up to him about that. He found that very interesting. Very humble man.”

Jordan said the family was “very grateful” for the All England Club’s invitation, describing the day as a bucket-list experience — one their partners “can hold on to in those difficult times in the future when sadly we won’t remember them ourselves.”

“It seems silly, but we’ve collected artifacts and come away with a program and our little name placards and the seating plan for the day in the Royal Box and took away a hat each and things like that,” Jordan said. “It’s things like that hopefully if we have families of our own, and we have children of our own, our partners will be able to show them that along with photographs of the day and show them what we were able to do in the face of adversity.”

A new study out of London has found that retired professional soccer players show notable differences in brain structure and elevated rates of mental health struggles — but their memory and thinking skills remain intact, at least for now.

Researchers at Imperial College London examined 142 former British professional players between the ages of 30 and 60, comparing them to 56 similarly aged individuals who had no history of contact sports, military service, or prior concussions.

To assess brain health, the research team used questionnaires and cognitive tests, along with structural MRI brain scans from 124 of the former players and 40 people in the comparison group, looking specifically at differences in grey matter volume across brain regions.

The study was presented Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Its authors described the work as part of a growing scientific movement to treat repeated head impacts as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia — similar to the way doctors already approach high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

The plan is for this to become a long-term project, with researchers intending to check in on participants every two years going forward.

“The field is taking a more holistic view of brain health and dementia risk,” said senior author Thomas Parker, a consultant neurologist at Imperial College London.

When it came to memory and thinking tests, the former players performed about as well as the control group after researchers accounted for variables like age and education level — showing no significant cognitive differences.

However, mental health was a different story. About 31% of the former athletes met the threshold for clinical depression, compared to just 9% in the control group. Similarly, 42% of the players reported clinical anxiety, versus 25% of the comparison group.

Brain scans also revealed that, as a whole, the former players had less tissue in areas of the brain associated with memory and emotion. Still, only 2% of the athletes showed individual signs of severe brain shrinkage that would suggest active, progressive neurodegeneration.

It’s important to note that the study has not yet been peer-reviewed. Researchers plan to submit a paper later this year that will include a larger sample size and more detailed analysis.

The study did not establish a direct connection to Alzheimer’s disease, the progressive condition that gradually erodes memory and is the leading cause of dementia.

Much of the existing research into sports-related brain damage has relied on post-mortem examinations and historical medical records to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a degenerative disease tied to repeated head trauma that can only be confirmed after death.

By following athletes during mid-life, the Imperial College team hopes to track neurological changes well before dementia would typically be expected to appear.

These results are consistent with the team’s earlier peer-reviewed findings from 2025, which examined 200 retired rugby players and found similar reductions in grey matter and higher anxiety levels, alongside normal cognitive function.

Researchers were careful to emphasize that the current findings cannot be used to predict any individual’s personal risk of developing dementia.

“We’re at a very early stage of translating these findings to individual risk prediction,” Parker said.

The world-famous Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City is among dozens of Manhattan buildings that have tested positive for the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, as the city grapples with its latest outbreak of the serious respiratory illness.

On Friday, New York City’s health department released a list of 31 buildings on the Upper East Side that have been ordered to clean and disinfect their cooling towers. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia, and the outbreak has prompted swift action from city officials.

The iconic cylindrical museum was among 19 buildings that had already completed the required remediation work, according to the health department’s list. The remaining buildings were expected to finish the process by Saturday.

City officials were careful to point out that a positive test result does not mean any of the buildings caused the outbreak. The tests used were unable to differentiate between living and dead bacteria, they explained.

Officials also confirmed the museum never closed its doors due to the positive test or the cleanup work. The Guggenheim released a statement Saturday saying, “The city has confirmed that there is no additional action needed at this time, and this poses no risk to anyone inside the building.” The museum noted that it employs an outside company to conduct regular monthly testing and treatment of its cooling tower.

Designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim holds UNESCO World Heritage status and is recognized as one of the defining architectural achievements of the 20th century.

According to the most recent figures from the city health department, more than 50 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease tied to the Upper East Side cluster. Fewer than 20 remain hospitalized, and no fatalities have been reported.

Last year, a major outbreak in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem left seven people dead and sickened more than 100. That outbreak was ultimately traced to cooling towers on top of Harlem Hospital and a nearby construction site housing the city’s public health laboratory.

Legionella bacteria thrive in warm water and can spread through building water systems including showerheads, hot tubs, and cooling towers. These towers, typically located on rooftops, help regulate the temperature of refrigeration and similar systems — but they do not affect a building’s drinking water supply, indoor air, or air conditioning.

Legionnaires’ disease cannot be passed from one person to another. It is typically contracted by inhaling tiny droplets of water contaminated with the bacteria.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms generally appear between two days and two weeks after exposure and can include coughing, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and difficulty breathing.

Those at higher risk for contracting the disease include people aged 50 and older, smokers or those who vape, individuals with chronic lung conditions, and people with weakened immune systems.

The disease got its name from a 1976 outbreak that struck participants at an American Legion convention held in Philadelphia.

A U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday, as the Central African nation continues to battle a rapidly growing outbreak.

The CDC said it is coordinating with the infected person’s employer, U.S. government agencies, public health authorities, and Congolese partners to stop the virus from spreading further and to track down anyone who may have had close contact with the individual. No additional details about the patient were released.

Earlier this week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that this outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever documented on the continent. So far, Congo has recorded 1,830 confirmed cases, including 648 deaths. The disease has also spread to neighboring Uganda.

This is not the first American to be affected during this outbreak. In the outbreak’s opening week, an American doctor working in Congo also tested positive and was flown to Germany for medical care.

Trump administration officials had initially announced plans to send Americans exposed to Ebola overseas to a new facility in Kenya, rather than bringing them back to the United States. However, those plans have since been put on hold following a ruling by a Kenyan court.

Congolese authorities officially declared the new Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the World Health Organization determined the disease had been spreading for weeks before it was formally detected.

The current outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment available.

Efforts to bring the outbreak under control have faced serious obstacles, including a lack of adequate funding, attacks on health care facilities, and ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, where the outbreak is centered.

Last week, researchers launched highly anticipated clinical trials aimed at finding an effective treatment for the Bundibugyo virus.

Gut health is having a moment. From the rise of so-called “fibermaxxing” to growing rates of colorectal cancer among younger adults, more Americans are paying closer attention to what’s happening inside their digestive systems — and what they’re eating to support it.

At the center of that conversation right now is fermentation, one of the oldest methods of food preservation known to humanity. The federal government’s most recent dietary guidelines now specifically encourage Americans to eat more fermented foods, giving the trend an official stamp of approval.

Fermented foods have also gained a following among supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. And while health experts have pushed back on some of that movement’s other dietary claims — including unproven ideas about raw milk and seed oils — the science does support some benefits of eating fermented foods.

Fermentation itself is a process where naturally occurring microbes, including bacteria and yeast, break down and preserve food. Humans have been doing it for thousands of years, long before refrigerators existed. Many cultures around the world have their own traditional fermented staples: yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and South Indian dishes like idli and dosa are just a few examples.

Doctors and dietitians say fermented foods can be a great addition to nearly anyone’s diet — but they caution against reaching for new, mass-produced products that claim to offer the same benefits.

“We’ve been doing this for ages and we just found out more recently that it’s actually helped our gut health,” said Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist with New York University Langone Health.

But being fermented doesn’t automatically make something a health food. As Dr. Ganjhu pointed out, “Beer and wine are fermented foods, but they’re not necessarily probiotics. If anything, they influence our own microbiome in more of a negative way.”

Barbara Olendzki, director of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School’s Center for Applied Nutrition, said she advises people to focus on “whole fermented foods” — things like fermented beets or green beans — along with staples such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and tempeh.

The microbes found in fermented foods essentially begin the digestion process for you, breaking down compounds and changing what’s available for your body to absorb. The bacteria also help keep your gut in balance by competing with less beneficial bacteria already living in your intestines.

Researchers are still working to fully understand exactly why fermented foods are so beneficial. “What is it that makes the fermented foods so healthy? The answer is we’re still working on it,” said Dalia Perelman, a research dietitian at Stanford University.

Some fermented foods, like yogurt, deliver live probiotics directly to your system. Others, like sourdough bread, provide little to none because the baking process kills off the microbes. Still, Perelman noted there is evidence that some fermented foods offer benefits even without live microbes present.

Experts are skeptical of sodas, chocolate, and other heavily processed products that market themselves as probiotic. Even probiotic supplements are essentially trying to recreate what naturally develops in traditionally fermented foods, Perelman said.

“Consumers are getting excited about it and trying to choose products that are fermented and with the idea that it’s very ‘gut healthy,’ which is not a clinical definition,” she said. “And then the marketing is running with this trend.”

Dr. Ganjhu also warned against sugary fermented products, explaining that extra sugar feeds harmful bacteria rather than the beneficial kind. She recommends looking for products that list “live cultures” on the label — not just the word “probiotic.”

“The best yogurt you can have is just plain, fermented milk with culture,” she said. “Let it do its business.”

For most people, fermented foods are considered safe. Beyond their health value, they also add unique and varied flavors to meals. However, Perelman noted that people with weakened immune systems or irritable bowel disease should speak with their doctor before making big changes to their diet, as reactions can vary depending on the type of fermented food consumed.

Olendzki added that some people may notice bloating, gas, or other discomfort when they first start eating more fermented foods, as their gut adjusts to the change.

“If you feel good, keep drinking it. You don’t feel good? Stop,” Dr. Ganjhu said, noting that the same foods can affect people very differently.

As for which fermented food reigns supreme, experts say there’s no definitive scientific ranking. The better approach is variety — eating many different types of fermented foods regularly rather than relying on just one.

Dr. Ganjhu suggested thinking about fermented foods in categories, such as milk-based options like yogurt and kefir, and fiber-based choices like kimchi and sauerkraut. Perelman recommended aiming for about two servings a day.

Fermented foods should also be part of a broader, balanced diet, so the beneficial bacteria you’re adding to your gut have plenty of fiber-rich prebiotics to feed on.

“Just go slow and drink a lot of water. It also matters what the rest of the diet looks like,” Olendzki said. “It’s not just one thing.”

Martha Lillard was just five years old when polio changed the course of her life forever. Diagnosed with the disease as a young child, she spent decades relying on an iron lung to keep her breathing. She passed away on June 26 in Oklahoma at the age of 78 — the last known polio patient in the country who depended on that machine to survive, according to her younger sister.

“They told her she wasn’t supposed to live past 20 years old,” said her sister, Cindy McVey, speaking to The Associated Press. “She had the enthusiasm and the drive to continue living and make the best of her life.”

McVey, 75, said she doesn’t know the official cause of death but believes the effects of long-haul COVID-19 played a significant role.

The iron lung worked by encasing Lillard’s body inside a large cylinder, using changes in air pressure to force her lungs to inhale and exhale. Despite this extraordinary challenge, Lillard found ways to engage with the world around her. As a child, she attended grade school for two hours each day and received tutoring the rest of the time. At Shawnee High School, she participated in class through a phone intercom system that connected her to teachers and fellow students.

Family road trips to Missouri were made possible through a specially built trailer and her father’s persistent calls to hotels, checking whether doorways were wide enough for the iron lung. For a period of time, Lillard was even able to drive.

“To me, it was just normal,” McVey recalled.

Polio was once among the most dreaded diseases in America, capable of causing widespread paralysis, particularly in children. The introduction of vaccines beginning in 1955 transformed the situation dramatically. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that a national vaccination effort reduced annual U.S. cases to under 100 by the 1960s and fewer than 10 by the 1970s. By 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the United States.

As technology evolved, so did Lillard’s connection to the outside world. The internet gave her access to information on a wide range of subjects, including her own condition, which had paralyzed her right arm and left her only able to move her left arm side-to-side at her waist. Despite these limitations, she lived independently for many years and prepared her own meals.

The internet also led her to love. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Lillard sought to better understand what had happened and entered an online chat room, where she connected with a man living in Egypt. The two communicated online for more than 20 years. In February, Lillard married Baha Salh after he was finally granted a visa to travel to Oklahoma.

“They were really soulmates,” McVey said. “He’s extremely brokenhearted.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lillard contracted the virus twice. Even before that, her lung capacity had already fallen below 25 percent. In her final five years, she was unable to leave her home as breathing became increasingly difficult. For the last two years of her life, she spent nearly every hour of the day inside the iron lung, McVey said.

McVey described her sister as a deeply creative person who wrote poetry and composed songs. Lillard even wrote her own obituary, which has been posted online by a funeral home. In it, she described volunteering with the Humane Society and her love of animals. “She was an avid Beagle lover and assisted in animal rescue as a cross poster on Facebook,” Lillard wrote. She later added a note to her obituary stating she “died of long-haul Covid 19,” with McVey adding the date of her passing.

In recent years, the sisters had struggled to find someone who could repair the aging iron lung — one of several Lillard had used over her lifetime.

“But since she’s the last one, we don’t need that anymore,” McVey said through tears.

Thousands of Americans have fallen ill from a parasite commonly tied to contaminated fresh produce — one that can trigger weeks of watery diarrhea. But health experts say you don’t have to give up your summer fruits and vegetables to stay safe.

Investigators have yet to pinpoint the exact source of what is shaping up to be one of the country’s largest cyclospora outbreaks in recent years. Tracking down the culprit is difficult because the contaminated ingredient is often something used across many different recipes — think basil or cilantro.

The good news: cyclospora infections can typically be treated with antibiotics and rarely lead to serious health problems.

Here’s what you can do to lower your risk:

Cyclospora is a tiny, round parasite that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes as causing watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.”

More than 1,500 people in Michigan alone have been diagnosed with the infection, and investigations into similar illnesses are underway in 30 additional states. This makes it the largest such outbreak in Michigan’s history and among the biggest nationally in years. No deaths have been reported.

These outbreaks are notoriously difficult to investigate. Tracing the food source can take months, and sometimes investigators never find a definitive answer. In previous outbreaks, people became infected after eating fruits or vegetables irrigated with water contaminated by feces. The situation is further complicated by the fact that food distributors may send the same contaminated product to both grocery stores and restaurants, making it hard to trace where a tainted item originated.

Cyclospora outbreaks tend to peak in late spring and summer. The parasite thrives in warm conditions, infects the intestines, and spreads through feces.

Although the source of the current outbreak remains unknown, Dr. Erika Noel — an assistant professor at Hawaii’s medical school and a pediatrician on the island of Kauai — says the situation is a good reminder to practice basic hygiene. That means washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom and before preparing food.

It’s worth noting that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against cyclospora. Soap and water, however, are highly effective at eliminating or removing the parasite from your hands.

Past outbreaks have been connected to raspberries, basil, cilantro, snow peas, and pre-mixed salads.

Dr. Noel offers the following tips for washing produce: When cleaning leafy herbs like cilantro or basil, separate the individual leaves before rinsing. For green onions, trim the roots, peel away the outer layer, and rub them under running water. Cooking produce to an internal temperature of at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) will kill the parasite.

Research also suggests that washing produce in a vinegar solution can help. While vinegar won’t kill cyclospora outright, it can help dislodge it. Dr. Noel recommends soaking produce in a bowl of three parts water to one part vinegar for a few minutes, then using a salad spinner with plain water to wash away any lingering vinegar taste.

Instead of buying pre-mixed bagged salad and trying to wash individual leaves, consider purchasing a whole head of lettuce and removing the outer leaves yourself.

For melons, scrub the outer rind thoroughly before cutting — a knife can transfer germs from the surface into the fruit as it cuts through.

Peel fruits and vegetables whenever possible, and don’t overlook cleaning your cutting boards and countertops as well.

Some produce is harder to clean than others. Items with tight crevices or delicate skin — like broccoli and cauliflower — can be particularly challenging. Because berries are so difficult to clean effectively, Dr. Noel suggests cooking them in pies or turning them into jam rather than eating them raw. Root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and radishes, which grow underground and carry heavy soil, also require extra care.

Even if a bag of pre-mixed salad is labeled as pre-washed, Dr. Noel recommends washing it again in a water-and-vinegar solution before eating.

Ultimately, Dr. Noel wants people to keep eating their fruits and vegetables. The health benefits, she says, far outweigh the risks posed by this outbreak.

“We don’t need to panic,” she said. Simply staying aware and maintaining good hygiene habits — which are always a smart practice — goes a long way toward keeping you safe.

Elevar Therapeutics announced Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has turned down its application to approve a drug combination intended to treat a form of liver cancer.

According to the company, the FDA’s decision was based on problems identified during an inspection of one of its manufacturing sites, with regulators determining those deficiencies were significant enough to block approval.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled a proposed regulation on Friday designed to cut red tape for certain drug manufacturers and bring greater transparency to pharmaceutical supply chains.

The proposal centers on companies that operate using a so-called “hub-and-spoke” model — a setup where one central location manages quality control for multiple production sites making the same products in different places. Under current rules, every one of those individual sites must register separately with the FDA. The new proposal would allow the entire network to register as a single facility.

Here are the key details of what the proposal would do:

• Distributed manufacturing companies would be able to register all of their production units under one registration, rather than filing separately for each location.

• Manufacturing units could be added, moved, or removed through a simplified update process.

• Companies would be required to give the FDA advance notice before relocating any of their manufacturing units.

• The rule would also spell out clearer registration and drug-listing obligations for certain overseas facilities, including those that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients.

• The FDA noted that some foreign facilities that make drugs or drug components exclusively for shipment to other foreign locations may not currently be registered with the agency — a gap that limits the FDA’s ability to track products further up the supply chain.

• Under the proposed rule, those foreign facilities would face clearer requirements to register with the FDA and disclose what drugs they are producing, giving regulators better tools to trace products and act on potential safety issues.

• If the rule is finalized, the FDA said it is expected to lower registration costs for distributed manufacturing companies and create long-term efficiencies for both the industry and the agency itself.

British pharmaceutical company GSK announced Friday that an experimental drug it is developing for patients with advanced or relapsed small-cell lung cancer has delivered promising results in a late-stage clinical study.

The drug, called Ris-Rez, which GSK obtained through a licensing agreement with China’s Hansoh Pharma covering markets outside that country, demonstrated what the company described as “statistically significant and clinically meaningful” improvements in overall survival when compared to standard treatment options.

Ris-Rez is an antibody-drug conjugate, meaning it is designed to deliver treatment directly to cancer cells by targeting a specific protein called B7H3 found on those cells. Beyond small-cell lung cancer, the drug is also being developed to treat other types of tumors, including prostate cancer.

This is not the first time GSK has highlighted promising cancer therapies from its partnership with Hansoh. Back in April, the company said another experimental targeted cancer drug, known as Mo-rez and also licensed from Hansoh, has the potential to become a blockbuster treatment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Back in December, after Make America Healthy Again activists drafted a petition calling for his removal, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin made a pledge: his agency would release a formal MAHA agenda outlining specific priorities, including protections from harmful chemicals and other public health concerns.

Eight months have passed since that first promise, and despite repeated assurances that the document was being drafted, no such agenda has been released. When reporters asked for an update this week, an EPA spokesperson said MAHA is an ongoing effort — not a single report.

That apparent reversal is the latest in a string of letdowns for supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA movement. Many say they’ve lost confidence that the Trump administration will take meaningful action on pesticides, chemicals, or other issues they believe are driving America’s chronic disease crisis. The situation also highlights how the EPA has continued rolling back environmental regulations even as pressure mounts from a voting bloc that helped put President Donald Trump back in the White House.

“I had really hoped that there would be specific steps that were taken through a MAHA agenda,” said activist Kelly Ryerson, who runs the social media account “Glyphosate Girl,” which focuses on nontoxic food systems. “We haven’t had any of the wins that we were requesting.”

A broad and diverse group of MAHA supporters — whom Trump has credited with helping him reclaim the presidency — say they intend to vote based on issues rather than party in November’s congressional elections, adding political weight to their growing public clashes with the Republican administration.

“People are done with the profits of corporations being prioritized over public health,” said Alexandra Muñoz, a molecular toxicologist who works alongside activists on certain issues. “And I think that will have an important role in the midterms.”

The EPA under Zeldin — which he frequently refers to as “Trump’s EPA” — has aggressively pursued deregulation. Earlier this year, Zeldin proposed overturning the longstanding finding that climate change poses a threat to human health. He moved to dismantle dozens of environmental rules in what he called “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen,” froze billions in clean energy funding, and disrupted agency research operations.

The agency has also been working to ease restrictions on pollution from smokestacks, vehicle exhaust, and oil and gas producers during Trump’s second term.

At the same time, Zeldin has pointed to what he calls multiple “MAHA wins” — though activists dispute many of them. As one example, he announced the agency plans to regulate certain chemicals known as phthalates for environmental and workplace risks, but the announcement did not address the thousands of consumer products that contain those chemicals.

This week, the EPA walked back earlier statements that a MAHA report was in its “final stages,” telling the Associated Press via email that the agency’s actions should speak for themselves.

“The notion that MAHA is a single document waiting to be unveiled fundamentally misrepresents how we operate,” an agency spokesperson said, adding that work on MAHA priorities is “active and expanding every day.”

Ryerson and fellow MAHA activists say they have engaged directly with agency officials and occasionally made headway. Her network of farmers, for instance, worked with the administration on a recent executive order aimed at advancing regenerative agriculture. But she said the EPA then used that same order to justify new proposed uses for various herbicides — a move she described as “a slap in the face.”

That same week, the Supreme Court handed MAHA supporters another setback, ruling in favor of pesticide manufacturer Bayer in a case involving its legal liability for alleged health harm caused by its Roundup weedkiller. The Trump administration had sided with the company.

Environmental advocates say the rise of Kennedy and the MAHA movement has had a ripple effect across the administration, bringing greater public attention to pesticide concerns — and raising expectations for action.

“If RFK and the MAHA movement hadn’t put that issue in the center of the public spotlight, no one would be scrutinizing this nearly as closely,” said Sarah Starman, a senior food and agriculture campaigner at the nonprofit Friends of the Earth.

In a high-profile move seen partly as an outreach to MAHA supporters, Zeldin added microplastics and pharmaceuticals in April to a list of contaminants that could potentially be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Activists had spent months pushing the EPA to crack down on microplastics and other environmental contaminants.

But in a reversal at the end of June, the EPA excluded microplastics and pharmaceuticals from a list of chemicals it plans to test for under a mandatory program designed to identify concerning substances in drinking water that may be harming public health.

That reversal made the EPA’s earlier public health commitments “functionally toothless,” according to Betsy Southerland, a former senior official in the EPA’s water office.

Zeldin posted on social media that “the technology to test and treat for microplastics in drinking water is still in development.” The EPA stated in a Federal Register notice that it was “not feasible to develop a drinking water analytical method within the statutory timeframe.”

Southerland called the situation a “classic Zeldin bait-and-switch,” saying that after making “a big splash in the press” on microplastics, “EPA has quietly stalled that momentum.”

A White House Make America Healthy Again Report, released a few months into Trump’s second term, identified long-term exposure to environmental chemicals — including those commonly found in plastics — as a leading contributor to chronic disease in children.

Jeremy Symons, a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Network — a group made up of former EPA employees and political appointees critical of the Trump administration — said Zeldin “pays lip service to MAHA, but sadly he is actually making Americans less safe from toxic chemicals.”

While MAHA advocates have tried to influence the EPA, industry lobbyists have also made significant inroads at the agency.

Kyle Kunkler, a former lobbyist for the soybean industry, now heads pesticide policy at the EPA. The agency recently approved continued use of dicamba, a weedkiller that has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.

Zen Honeycutt, a MAHA activist and founding executive director of Moms Across America, said the decision is “what happens when the EPA allows itself to be pressured by corporations and by business.”

The EPA also employs other former industry figures. Nancy Beck, previously an executive at the chemical lobbying group the American Chemistry Council, holds a top position in the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. Lynn Dekleva, another former executive from the same council, serves as Beck’s deputy.

The EPA said Kunkler and other political appointees have consulted with agency ethics officials to address any potential conflicts of interest. A spokesperson said the MAHA movement has “driven this agency’s work since President Trump’s first day in office,” pointing to initiatives including $945 million in grants to help states and communities reduce PFAS — so-called “forever chemicals” — in drinking water, and identifying 30 drinking water contaminants proposed for nationwide monitoring.

But for Ryerson and others, the absence of a promised MAHA agenda looks like a deliberate strategy to sidestep accountability.

“It absolves them of any failures, especially when it comes to midterms,” Ryerson said. “They won’t have to point to some list that they haven’t been able to achieve really anything on.”

A potential loss of work authorization for Temporary Protected Status holders could put serious strain on an already struggling healthcare workforce across the country.

TPS holders currently account for 15% of all noncitizen workers employed in the healthcare sector. If their work permits are taken away, industry observers say the impact on staffing levels could be severe.

The U.S. healthcare system has faced persistent workforce shortages in recent years, and the removal of this group of workers could deepen those gaps at hospitals, clinics, and care facilities nationwide.

New York state has taken legal action against chemical giants 3M, DuPont, and several other corporations, alleging they created a public nuisance by knowingly selling toxic substances called “forever chemicals” for use in everyday consumer goods.

Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit on Thursday, accusing the companies of concealing the environmental and health dangers posed by these chemicals — known as PFAS — from consumers for decades, even as the companies quietly began pulling some of them from use.

James is asking the court to order the companies to pay for cleanup efforts and to issue proper warnings to consumers about the dangers. She is also pursuing financial damages, restitution, and additional penalties.

Among the other defendants named in the suit are Chemours, Corteva, and EIDP — all of which were formerly part of DuPont before being spun off as separate companies. The lawsuit was filed in state court in Albany, New York’s capital city.

“For far too long, our communities have unfairly shouldered the costs of protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals and cleaning up their contamination,” James said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to ensuring the companies responsible for PFAS pollution are held accountable.”

None of the companies named in the suit responded to requests for comment.

PFAS — short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — show up in hundreds of everyday products, ranging from cosmetics and non-stick cookware to stain-resistant clothing.

The chemicals have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” because they resist breaking down in the human body or in the natural environment. Exposure to PFAS has been associated with a range of serious health problems, including elevated cholesterol, low birth weight, weakened immune response to vaccines, and kidney and testicular cancer.

China has announced plans to add a second GLP-1 diabetes medication to its National Essential Drug List, requiring all public hospitals in the country to prioritize carrying it, according to a government statement released Thursday.

As the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market, China also holds the grim distinction of having the highest number of adults with diabetes globally, according to figures from the International Diabetes Federation.

The drug in question is semaglutide, which will be added to the national essential medicines list under the insulin and blood glucose-lowering category, effective September 1. Currently, only the Ozempic brand version of the drug has received approval in China.

Justin Wang, a partner at global strategy consultancy L.E.K. Consulting based in Shanghai, told Reuters the listing would ensure the medication reaches patients far beyond major cities. “We can expect semaglutide and other newly added NEDL drugs to become much more accessible across the country,” he said.

Wang also noted that placing semaglutide on the essential drug list would “pave the way for generics to be broadly listed” once those generic versions receive approval in China. He added that semaglutide is the second GLP-1 medication to receive this designation, following liraglutide, an older drug in the same class.

The government statement made no reference to obesity, a condition that some GLP-1 medications are also used to treat.

Sales of Ozempic injector pens across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong — which together represent Novo Nordisk’s largest market outside the United States — declined 7% to roughly 5.4 billion Danish crowns, or approximately $853 million, in 2025. Novo Nordisk did not respond to a request for comment on whether the new listing was expected to boost revenue for the drug in China.

The patent on semaglutide’s active ingredient expired in China in March, though the company retains regulatory data protection through early next year.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing Ebola crisis has grown more alarming, with the government reporting that the death toll has climbed to 600 and that suspected cases have now appeared in parts of the country that had been untouched by the outbreak until now.

In its most recent update, released late Wednesday, the Congolese government said two new suspected cases were identified in Kisangani, located in the Tshopo province — a region where Ebola had not previously been recorded. Confirmed cases across the country have now totaled 1,759.

Officials noted that one of the two suspected cases appears to be connected to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the outbreak first emerged. The second case, however, “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks,” according to the government report. Authorities are actively investigating both cases.

Congo’s government officially declared this new Ebola outbreak on May 15, following weeks during which the disease had been spreading without being officially detected, the World Health Organization reported. This particular outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment available.

Last week brought a measure of hope, as researchers launched highly anticipated clinical trials aimed at finding an effective treatment for the virus.

Despite those efforts, containing the outbreak has proven difficult. Health officials continue to face a significant funding shortfall, attacks targeting medical facilities, and an ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, which sits at the heart of the crisis.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk officially brought its once-weekly basal insulin product, Awiqli, to India on Thursday — a country where diabetes rates rank among the highest anywhere on the planet.

The company describes Awiqli as the world’s first once-weekly basal insulin — a type of long-acting, background insulin — to receive approval for clinical use. It is prescribed for adults managing either type 1 or type 2 diabetes and is expected to go head-to-head with daily insulin options already on the market.

According to Novo Nordisk, more than 101 million people in India are currently living with diabetes, while an additional 136 million are considered prediabetic.

The company noted that insulin treatment in India is typically delayed by an average of seven to nine years, a trend driven in part by patients’ fear of needles, concerns about pain, and the cost of treatment.

Novo Nordisk India’s Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya addressed those barriers directly, stating: “We believe Awiqli will reduce the psychological and physical barriers to insulin initiation.”

Standard daily basal insulin requires one injection every 24 hours, adding up to 365 injections annually. Awiqli, by contrast, is administered just once per week — cutting that total down to 52 injections per year. The product is delivered via a pen device and is known generically as insulin icodec.

The drug received approval in the United States earlier this year and has also been cleared for use in the European Union and a number of other countries.

In India, Awiqli will face competition from established basal insulin brands including Sanofi’s Lantus, as well as lower-priced insulin glargine products sold by domestic manufacturers including Biocon, Eris Lifesciences, and Lupin.

India’s insulin market is on a strong growth trajectory, with projections from IMARC showing an increase from $660.5 million in 2025 to $916.4 million by 2034. That growth is being fueled by rising diabetes rates tied to sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, and genetic factors.

Beyond insulin, Novo Nordisk is also competing against Eli Lilly and a growing field of Indian generic drug manufacturers in India’s expanding market for obesity treatments.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories announced Thursday that it is putting commercial shipments of semaglutide on hold, citing a problem with the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the medication. The news sent the company’s stock price lower.

Semaglutide is the core ingredient found in Novo Nordisk’s widely used diabetes and obesity treatments. Dr. Reddy’s had also introduced its own semaglutide injection product, called Obeda, in India for the treatment of diabetes.

The India-based drug manufacturer disclosed that certain production batches of semaglutide were found not to meet required quality specifications. The company said it is currently investigating what caused the problem and is taking steps to make sure its products meet quality standards.

In an official statement, Dr. Reddy’s said, “There is no impact on patient safety or on the product’s existing global regulatory filings.”

The company did not provide a timeline for when the supply disruption would be resolved and offered no additional details on the matter.

Dr. Reddy’s shares fell 1.8% to 1,324 rupees as of 10:20 a.m. IST, even as the broader pharmaceutical index rose 1.8% and the Nifty 50 index climbed 0.6%.

More than half a dozen Indian pharmaceutical companies have introduced lower-priced versions of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, all competing for a portion of the rapidly expanding global market for obesity treatments.

However, demand for these medications leveled off in June, according to data from research firm Pharmarack.

The Democratic Republic of Congo announced Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases have emerged in a previously unaffected province, signaling further spread of an outbreak that has now claimed 600 lives.

According to a government situation report released Wednesday night, the outbreak — which was officially declared on May 15 — has infected 1,759 people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

However, that figure does not yet account for two additional suspected cases identified in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province and one of the country’s largest cities.

Authorities say one of those cases is connected to the Niania health zone in Ituri province, where the very first cases of this outbreak were recorded. The second case, however, “does not appear to have a geographic link” beyond Kisangani, according to the situation report.

Both positive test results are currently undergoing confirmatory testing before they will be officially added to the case count. In the meantime, response teams have already moved into Kisangani to bolster surveillance efforts, contact tracing, and other measures aimed at containing further spread.

Reuters had reported the previous week that Congolese health officials were already tracking individuals who may have been exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously touched by the outbreak: Tshopo and Haut-Uele.

The Wednesday situation report also recorded 51 new cases and 20 new deaths within a single 24-hour period.

The World Health Organization stated this week that the outbreak remains unstable and continues to grow, with movement of people across the region driving transmission.

GSK has officially pulled out of its neuroscience research partnership with Alector, following the collapse of two experimental drug programs targeting serious brain diseases, the biotech company announced Wednesday.

The collaboration, established in 2021, centered on developing two monoclonal antibody drugs — latozinemab and nivisnebart — intended to combat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Both drugs encountered significant clinical failures that ultimately led to the breakdown of the agreement.

The first blow came when a late-stage clinical trial of latozinemab — tested against a rare inherited form of frontotemporal dementia — failed last year. Then in April, a mid-stage trial of nivisnebart for Alzheimer’s disease was discontinued after an interim analysis determined the study was unlikely to achieve its primary objective.

Under the original 2021 deal, Alector received $700 million upfront from GSK, with the potential to earn up to $1.5 billion more through milestone payments tied to drug development progress and royalties. That potential now appears lost.

The fallout from the latozinemab failure was severe enough that Alector cut nearly half of its workforce. GSK formally submitted written termination notice on July 6, triggering a 180-day notice period that will bring the partnership to a close on January 2 of next year.

A parasitic infection linked to prolonged, watery diarrhea has now sickened close to 1,300 people across Michigan and neighboring Ohio, marking the largest outbreak of its kind in Michigan’s recorded history and one of the biggest in the United States in recent years.

No fatalities have been reported, and investigators have not yet pinpointed where the cyclospora parasite is coming from. Similar illness clusters are also being looked into across 28 other states.

Michigan health authorities first alerted the public about the outbreak last week, at which point more than 170 cases had been confirmed — all concentrated in the southeastern part of the state — dating back to June 22. The state typically sees only around 50 such cases in an entire year.

By Wednesday, Michigan’s case count had climbed to 992, with roughly 40 people requiring hospitalization. Just over the state border, Lucas County in Ohio had logged 306 cases as of Wednesday, with the broader northwest Ohio region reporting more than 400 total infections.

Tracking down the source of cyclospora outbreaks is notoriously difficult, but Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that “there is clearly a linked outbreak happening right now.”

Cyclospora is a tiny, round parasite that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes as causing watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.” The illness it produces, known as cyclosporiasis, is rarely life-threatening and can usually be treated with antibiotics. Outbreaks are most common during late spring and summer months.

The parasite thrives in warm conditions, infects the intestines, and spreads through fecal matter. Past outbreaks have been traced to fruits and vegetables irrigated with water contaminated by feces.

Cyclospora is less common than other foodborne illnesses like salmonella or E. coli. For many years, only a handful of U.S. outbreaks were documented annually, but that number began climbing roughly a decade ago, with a notable spike in 2018 and 2019. Researchers point to climate change and improved detection methods as likely reasons for the increase.

Detailed data on cyclospora outbreaks is limited, but available records show that only a small number of documented outbreaks in the past two decades have exceeded 1,000 cases. Notable examples include a 1997 outbreak tied to raspberries from Guatemala that sickened more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and Canada, and a 2019 outbreak connected to basil from Mexico that affected more than 2,400 people.

Melanie Firestone, a foodborne illness researcher at the University of Minnesota, explained that the true scope of cyclospora cases is hard to measure because some standard food poisoning tests are not designed to detect the parasite. “So there is a lot of underreporting when it comes to this,” she said.

Additional complications arise because the parasite cannot be cultured in a laboratory setting, making it difficult to gather evidence from contaminated produce. Investigators also struggle to identify which specific food item people who fell ill had in common, especially when the culprit might be a single ingredient — such as basil or cilantro — used across many different dishes.

There is also the possibility that contaminated food is being distributed to both grocery stores and restaurants through the same supply channels, further complicating efforts to trace the source. Investigations of this type can stretch on for months and sometimes never reach a definitive conclusion.

While cases appear to be concentrated in and around southeastern Michigan, officials do not consider this a national health emergency. Dianna Blau, the CDC’s acting parasitic diseases branch chief, said there is no indication the parasite has mutated to become more contagious.

Thousands of cyclospora cases are reported in the U.S. each year, and it remains unclear how unusual this year’s numbers will ultimately be. However, current CDC national data shows the case count so far is four times higher than at the same time last year — though that federal data significantly lags behind what states are currently reporting.

Dr. Bagdasarian acknowledged that Michigan’s thorough approach to investigating and reporting cases may be “part of the reason why this looks like a Michigan problem.”

Health officials advise anyone experiencing diarrhea that does not resolve on its own within a few days to seek medical care and specifically bring up the possibility of cyclospora infection.

The most effective way to reduce the risk of infection is to avoid food or water that may have been exposed to contamination. Fresh produce should always be thoroughly washed before eating, though officials caution that the parasite can cling stubbornly to certain foods, meaning washing alone may not fully eliminate the risk.

While the source of the current outbreak is still under investigation, Michigan health officials are recommending that consumers buy whole heads of lettuce rather than pre-washed, bagged lettuce or salad mixes. They advise removing the outer two or three leaves and washing the remaining leaves under running water. Cooking vegetables when possible is also recommended.

Two major drugmakers are reportedly on the verge of striking a deal with the United Kingdom’s pricing regulator over a widely used breast cancer treatment, according to a Bloomberg News report published Wednesday, which cited several people with knowledge of the negotiations.

AstraZeneca and its Japanese partner Daiichi Sankyo have been working toward an agreement with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence — commonly known as NICE — for their cancer drug Enhertu. The agency had previously refused to approve coverage for the medication under the state-funded National Health Service, arguing the drug’s price made it too costly to justify.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca confirmed to Reuters that conversations are still underway. “Discussions are ongoing with NHS England and NICE to identify a solution to support access to Enhertu for HER2-low metastatic breast cancer patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland,” the spokesperson said, declining to offer specifics about the current status of negotiations.

AstraZeneca, Britain’s largest publicly listed company, announced in April a pledge of £300 million — roughly $400 million — in UK investments as a demonstration of its commitment to its home country. The announcement came alongside a bilateral agreement designed to gradually bring UK drug prices closer in line with what American patients pay.

Also in April, AstraZeneca’s chief executive said that recent changes to the UK’s method for evaluating cost-effectiveness had given the company renewed optimism that Enhertu could secure reimbursement at a price the company could accept — even if that price would remain below U.S. levels.

Enhertu is currently approved in 95 countries for treating certain types of breast, stomach, and lung cancers. The drug works by targeting tumors marked by the HER-2 protein and delivering chemotherapy directly to those cancer cells, while leaving healthy tissue largely unaffected.

Daiichi Sankyo, NICE, and NHS did not respond to requests for comment before the story was published.

Americans who are already feeling the pinch of Affordable Care Act health insurance costs are unlikely to catch a break next year. A new analysis reveals that insurers participating in the ACA marketplace are pushing for a second consecutive year of double-digit premium increases.

The healthcare research nonprofit KFF released its findings Wednesday, examining rate filings submitted by 77 insurers in the ACA program that are currently available to the public. The data shows a median proposed premium increase of 14% for 2027. Insurers pointed to climbing healthcare costs, changes in federal regulations, and the recent end of pandemic-era enhanced subsidies as the primary reasons behind the proposed hikes.

These proposed increases build on what was already a major jump in 2026, when the median rate increase hit 20%, according to KFF. While many ACA enrollees still receive subsidies that shield them from paying full premium costs, middle-class Americans earning 400% of the federal poverty level or above are expected to feel the sharpest financial impact.

The premium increases are unfolding as federal lawmakers debate various proposals to reshape the nation’s costly healthcare system, though no sweeping legislation has gathered enough support to move forward. Rising healthcare costs are adding fuel to broader concerns Americans already have about affordability — an issue that many voters say is top of mind as November’s midterm elections approach.

Each year, health insurers are required to submit filings to regulators outlining anticipated premium changes for individual market plans in the coming year. Final rates for 2027 will be set later this summer, but KFF’s analysis examined publicly available filings across 16 states and Washington, D.C., to offer an early look at the direction premiums are heading. The review covered all plan tiers — bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

According to the analysis, insurers identified rising costs throughout the healthcare sector — including hospital care, prescription medications, staffing, and a sicker patient population — as the leading drivers of premium growth. Broad economic inflation also contributed, pushing prices upward across the board.

Insurers also cited the January expiration of federal tax credits that had previously helped offset costs for many enrollees and fueled significant growth in ACA participation in recent years. When those enhanced subsidies ended, plan costs shot up for many people, prompting a large number of enrollees to leave the marketplace. That exodus left behind a higher-risk, sicker patient pool, which in turn pushed premiums even higher.

New data released by the Trump administration shows the overall ACA marketplace lost more than 2.5 million enrollees over the past year, with certain states experiencing drops of nearly one-third of their enrolled population.

Some insurers also noted that new enrollment and eligibility rules put in place by the Trump administration played a role in their requests for higher premiums, as those changes could affect the makeup of the ACA enrollee population going forward.

Although ACA enrollees represent less than 10% of the overall population, KFF’s analysis noted that similar cost pressures are likely to make other types of private insurance — including employer-sponsored coverage — more expensive as well.

Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms also released its own review of early ACA insurer rate filings last month, similarly projecting double-digit premium increases in the marketplace for next year.

Stacey Pogue, a senior research fellow at the center and author of that report, said the people hit hardest by rising premiums will be those who don’t qualify for financial assistance. She noted that those individuals already experienced the most dramatic cost increases in 2026, with some premiums doubling or even tripling.

“Those are the folks who kind of got a double whammy” this year, she said.

Pogue said the rate filings are confirming what many analysts had anticipated — that the end of enhanced tax credits would push healthier Americans out of the marketplace, leaving behind a population with greater healthcare needs.

“When the healthy people leave, the prices go up,” she said. “The analysts all predicted that, and now that’s what we’re seeing.”

Health insurance companies that offer Obamacare coverage are asking regulators for a 14% median premium increase for the 2027 plan year — the second-largest requested hike in nearly a decade, according to data compiled by health policy research organization KFF.

Insurers are required to submit their proposed rate changes to regulators by July 15, outlining anticipated costs and pricing adjustments for the coming year. The 14% figure represents a significant jump, though it falls short of last year’s requested median increase of 18%.

When companies sought that 18% hike for 2026, they cited an expected surge in higher-risk, sicker patients enrolling in the plans without enough healthier members to balance out costs. That same trend is expected to continue pushing premiums up by roughly 4% in 2027, KFF said. Additional factors contributing to the increase include widespread economic inflation, climbing medication prices, and growing consolidation among medical providers.

Obamacare enrollment dropped 13% in 2026 compared to 2025, falling from 22.1 million people after pandemic-era subsidies that helped Americans keep their coverage expired. The Department of Health and Human Services now puts current enrollment at approximately 19.2 million Americans in plans established under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The loss of those subsidies hit consumers hard — KFF data shows premiums climbed 58% in 2026, and deductibles rose by roughly $1,000 per person. Looking at the full picture from 2025 to 2027, total premium increases are on track to exceed 33% based on the latest proposed rates.

Despite the steep increases, most marketplace enrollees who earn less than 400% of the federal poverty level still qualify for some form of subsidy assistance.

To arrive at its 2027 projections, KFF reviewed rate filings submitted by 77 insurers across 16 states and Washington, D.C. Major insurers including Centene and UnitedHealth have both flagged rising medical costs within their Obamacare businesses this year. CVS Health announced last year that its Aetna insurance division would stop offering Obamacare plans in 2026 altogether, citing unsustainable cost increases.

Health workers at the heart of Congo’s deadly Ebola outbreak have begun leaving their posts in protest, demanding wages they say have gone unpaid — a development that threatens to derail an already struggling response effort.

In Ituri province, the hardest-hit of three eastern Congo provinces dealing with the outbreak, front-line workers told The Associated Press they have received neither their regular wages nor their bonuses since authorities declared the outbreak on May 15. Workers also reported shortages of protective equipment and said they felt they were being treated unfairly by both officials and response teams.

“Since the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared, we’ve been demanding payment for our work,” said Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.

The most recent government figures show 1,708 confirmed cases and 580 deaths. Health authorities noted that the first month of this outbreak was already the worst ever recorded. The labor unrest is occurring just as clinical trials begin for treatments targeting the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for this particular outbreak.

The World Health Organization’s representative in Congo, Dr. Anne Ancia, said Tuesday that the virus continues to move through the population, driven by the movement of people and ongoing insecurity in the region, while some treatment facilities are running close to capacity.

Dr. Kano said the lack of pay “exposes us and our families to significant socio-economic difficulties and seriously undermines our living conditions.”

Over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri issued an official notice to national and provincial authorities, warning they would strike within 24 hours if their wages were not paid. By Tuesday, some workers had already stopped reporting for duty, even though no formal strike had been officially declared.

Those participating in the work stoppage include not only medical professionals but also safety and security personnel, community outreach workers, and teams responsible for burying Ebola victims.

Congo’s national government did not respond to a request for comment. Officials in Ituri said they have met with the workers and are working to address their concerns.

Akilimali Pierre, the incident manager at Congo’s National Institute of Public Health, pointed to logistical obstacles as a contributing factor. “The fact that Bunia airport is closed is hampering the very implementation of the response, particularly certain aspects of the flow of funds. This is one of the reasons that may account for the delay in payment,” he told The Associated Press.

On Monday, a group of workers organized a demonstration outside the Rwampara Ebola treatment center. Protesters set tires on fire, briefly causing panic in the surrounding area before police stepped in to restore calm.

Beyond the pay dispute, health workers also face physical danger on the job. Dr. Ben Bakule, a community investigator, said he barely escaped serious harm in late May when a group of angry young men attacked him and his colleagues while they were tracking contacts of a confirmed Ebola case in the village of Tutu, in Djugu territory.

“We spend money on transport to get to work. We thought we’d be rewarded. At the moment, nothing is going right because we’re not being paid. We don’t deserve this sort of treatment,” Bakule told The Associated Press.

He added with clear frustration: “We might have to give up our jobs. These are risks we’re taking. We risk dying for nothing. This government wants this epidemic to continue.”

During a visit last month to Mongbwalu — a mining town considered the disease’s hot spot — Congo’s Minister of Health Roger Kamba assured response teams that the government was making their working conditions a priority. “All doctors, all nurses and all staff working on the response will be fully supported. We have the money for that,” Kamba said at the time.

Front-line workers say that promise has not translated into reality.

“We are doing everything we can to make the public understand how dangerous this disease is. I came here to save people’s lives, but this is how I am being thanked. We are working day and night without being paid,” said Dr. Ghislain Maneba, an epidemiologist and community investigator in the Rwampara health zone.

Residents of Ituri are watching the situation with growing anxiety. Bunia resident Anifa Kito, speaking from her tomato stand, expressed concern that the strike could cause the response effort to collapse. “I would ask the authorities to resolve this situation before things get any worse,” she said.

A Sacramento, California food company is voluntarily pulling one of its products from store shelves due to a potential allergen labeling problem.

Faysu Inc., which operates under the name Yusol International Foods, has announced a voluntary recall of OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM after discovering the product may contain milk in the form of sodium caseinate — an ingredient that does not appear anywhere on the product’s label.

The concern is particularly serious for consumers who have milk allergies or sensitivities, as they would have no way of knowing the ingredient is present based on the current packaging.

Shoppers who have purchased OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM and have a milk allergy are urged to stop using the product immediately and check with the retailer or the company for further guidance on the recall.

Health officials in New York City are looking into a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases centered in two neighborhoods on the Upper East Side. As of July 6, 23 people have been diagnosed, 17 have required hospitalization, and no fatalities have been reported.

Investigators believe the likely source of the bacteria is one or more cooling towers located in the area. These large water systems are typically mounted on top of buildings and help regulate the temperature of refrigeration and other mechanical systems. The city’s health department is currently testing all such towers in the affected zones, which include the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods — specifically ZIP codes 10028, 10128, and 10075.

Officials stressed that the outbreak does not appear to involve any building’s plumbing, meaning residents can safely drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook, and use air conditioners. Standard air conditioning units do not use water to cool the air. Additionally, the bacteria cannot pass from person to person.

Anyone who lives in or has recently visited the affected neighborhoods and is experiencing flu-like symptoms is urged to reach out to a health care provider right away.

What is Legionnaires’ disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia triggered by Legionella bacteria. These bacteria thrive in warm water and can build up in building water systems, including showerheads, hot tubs, and cooling towers.

Most people contract the illness by inhaling tiny water droplets that contain the bacteria. Vulnerable patients in hospital settings can also be exposed through contaminated water or ice, and infants can be at risk during water births, according to health officials.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms typically appear anywhere from two days to two weeks after a person is exposed. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those symptoms can include coughing, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and difficulty breathing.

Certain groups face a higher risk of getting sick, including people aged 50 and older, those who smoke or vape, individuals with chronic lung conditions, and people with weakened immune systems.

The disease got its name from a 1976 outbreak that struck people attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.

How serious is it?

Legionnaires’ disease can be deadly. The CDC estimates that one out of every ten people who become ill will die from complications related to the disease.

That is why early diagnosis and prompt treatment with the right antibiotics are so important, health officials emphasized.

Without treatment, the World Health Organization says the illness typically gets worse during the first week. Serious complications can include respiratory failure, shock, and kidney or multi-organ failure.

How can it be prevented?

Those responsible for maintaining buildings and water systems can take steps to limit bacterial growth. The WHO recommends regularly cleaning and disinfecting cooling towers, keeping adequate chlorine levels in spa pools, and flushing unused taps in buildings on a weekly basis.

There are also precautions individuals can take at home. New York health officials recommend draining garden hoses when not in use, following manufacturer guidelines for cleaning and replacing water filters, regularly checking chlorine levels in pools and hot tubs, and flushing hot water heaters twice per year.

UnitedHealth announced Tuesday that an audit conducted by an outside consulting firm found that roughly 97% of diagnoses generated through its HouseCalls home-health program in 2025 were backed up by patients’ existing medical records.

Wyatt Decker, an executive vice president at UnitedHealth, responded to the findings by saying, “We look at this with both a sense of pride, but also humility,” and noted the company wants to ensure that nurse practitioners are documenting diagnoses in a way that more accurately reflects what patients are actually experiencing.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Department of Health and Human Services has been examining diagnoses that show up only in UnitedHealth’s home-visit assessments and nowhere else in a patient’s medical file. Diagnoses submitted through the HouseCalls program play a role in determining how much the federal government pays UnitedHealth’s insurance division, UnitedHealthcare, through Medicare Advantage.

The audit revealed that 3.4% of diagnoses made by HouseCalls clinicians this year were not supported by medical records. HouseCalls operates under UnitedHealth’s Optum primary care division and dispatches clinicians to patients’ homes each year to conduct physical exams and review medical histories. UnitedHealthcare manages Medicare Advantage plans for Americans aged 65 and older, as well as individuals with disabilities.

In a letter addressed to company stakeholders, CEO Stephen Hemsley pledged that UnitedHealth would work to do better and argued that home visits help elderly patients avoid costly medical emergencies down the road.

Hemsley had promised a thorough review of the company’s operations last year after UnitedHealth fell short of its own profit forecasts for the first time since 2008. The company hired business consulting firm FTI Consulting to carry out the analysis.

FTI had previously flagged that UnitedHealth sometimes lacked consistent documentation standards within the HouseCalls program. The latest report examined 200 home visits, covering a total of 494 diagnoses. Decker noted that the report has not yet led to any changes in company policy.

BOSTON (AP) — The popular idea that weight loss simply comes down to burning more calories than you consume turns out to be a significant oversimplification.

Trendy diets rise and fall, but nearly all of them share the same basic premise: eat less, burn more, lose weight. In theory, that logic holds. Tracking calories can even be a helpful strategy. The trouble is, the numbers themselves are far less reliable than most people realize — and the math gets complicated fast.

A tangle of biological and dietary factors determines how — and whether — our bodies actually process the calories we take in. Experts say the type of food you eat is every bit as important as how much of it you consume.

“Different foods have very different effects on the brain, liver, fat cells, muscle function, pancreas and all organs related to metabolism and body weight,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University.

A calorie is defined as the unit of energy the body can extract from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. That definition sounds clean and simple, but the issue of calorie accuracy recently made headlines when a lawsuit alleged that the maker of David protein bars had placed misleading labels on its products, overstating calorie and fat content. That lawsuit has since been withdrawn.

The claims were grounded in a method called bomb calorimetry, which determines calorie content by literally burning food and measuring the heat produced. This approach counts every possible calorie. But the human body is not a furnace — it doesn’t extract energy the same way. Most food labels, including those on the David bars, report only the calories the body can realistically absorb. Technically, neither figure is wrong, but for the purpose of dieting, only the latter is relevant.

“You could put sawdust into a bomb calorimeter and you would get basically 4 calories per gram,” said Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital. “If you’re a termite, yes, you’ll get calories from it. But humans won’t.”

Even the calorie counts printed on standard nutrition labels — which reflect what the body is likely to metabolize — can be off by as much as 20% due to rounding rules. Beyond that, how digestible an ingredient is, whether it has been cooked, how heavily it was processed, variations in manufacturing, and even a person’s individual genetic makeup all play a role in how many calories the body actually takes in. And that’s just the beginning.

The body decides whether to burn or store calories based partly on energy demands — but food quality plays a major role too. High-glycemic foods like white bread, pasta, and sugar are quickly converted into usable energy and signal the body to store calories, according to Ludwig.

Foods containing resistant starches — found in some beans, whole grains, and seeds — are harder for the body to convert and don’t trigger that same fat-storage response. They’re also more difficult to digest, meaning fewer of their total calories are absorbed.

“Having a snack of 8 ounces of sugary beverage, 100 calories, should be better for your weight than 1 ounce of nuts at 200 calories, right?” Ludwig said. “That’s the opposite of what actually happens because those 100 calories, even if they’re fewer at that moment, they shift your body toward storing fat and leave you hungrier sooner.”

That hunger, of course, leads to eating more — and more calories.

Even ripeness and cooking methods factor into the equation. Calories from cooked foods are absorbed more readily than from raw versions of the same food, while unripe produce — like a green banana — yields fewer absorbed calories than a ripe one. A medium banana is listed at 105 calories, but how many of those your body actually uses depends on how ripe it is when you eat it.

Processing foods, even in simple ways, also changes caloric impact. “One classic example is that the calories in whole almonds are absorbed substantially less well than the calories in almond butter,” Ludwig said. “Just processing the almonds into almond butter causes a change in how much they will be absorbed.”

Ultra-processed foods bring yet another wrinkle. Diets heavy in these products have been shown to reduce the number of calories the body burns while at rest, Mozaffarian said — meaning a greater share of what you eat ends up being stored rather than burned.

Individual differences add another layer of complexity. Genetics influence how our bodies handle calories, said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity specialist at Harvard Medical School. Even something as routine as a poor night’s sleep can alter how the body processes food, meaning you might absorb more or fewer calories from the exact same meal on different days.

So what should people actually do? Ludwig said calorie counts can serve as a rough reference point, and many people benefit from having some structure to guide portion sizes and food choices. But the research points clearly toward prioritizing the quality of what you eat, not just the quantity. Experts recommend steering clear of ultra-processed foods — especially refined starches — and centering your diet on whole, minimally processed foods, with a strong emphasis on fiber-rich, plant-based options.

“We need to think about calories in a much more sophisticated fashion than the number on the package,” Ludwig said. “The number on the package can do more harm than good by misleading people into thinking that it’s simply an accounting problem.”

The World Health Organization issued a stark warning Tuesday that Europe may be heading into even more dangerous conditions, with a fresh and intense heatwave developing over the Atlantic Ocean.

Temperatures across Portugal and southern Spain are forecast to soar to 43 degrees Celsius — roughly 109 degrees Fahrenheit — within the next several days.

On Monday, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge convened an emergency conference call with officials from 41 European nations, along with representatives from the European Commission and various civil society organizations. The purpose was to evaluate what was learned from the recent heatwave and how to prepare for the next one.

Kluge noted in an official statement that nations which already had heat-health action plans in place were able to respond more swiftly and protect their residents more effectively during the June heatwave. Despite this, he pointed out that fewer than half of WHO’s European member states currently have such a plan.

Climate scientists have described the June 20–28 heatwave as the worst on record for Europe. The extreme temperatures disrupted power generation, caused widespread infrastructure damage, and placed enormous strain on healthcare systems. Scientists added that climate change almost certainly played a role in driving that extreme heat.

Preliminary data from France, the Netherlands, and Belgium show a combined 3,700 deaths beyond normal levels during that period, though authorities cautioned those figures could climb higher as more data becomes available. Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of Europe during the event.

Kluge also raised concerns that vulnerable populations — including nursing home residents, homeless individuals, and elderly people living in social isolation — were still not being consistently reached with assistance across the continent.

“The work now is on two fronts: fixing what failed in recent weeks before the next heatwave hits and building the kind of health systems that don’t just respond to extreme heat but are ready for it,” Kluge said.

When Mehr Khan, a 26-year-old event planner and transgender woman from India, arrived at her clinic for a standard hormone therapy appointment, she found the treatment had been put on hold. The reason: a recent legal change had narrowed who qualifies for such services.

“The doctor was really just hiding his face. He didn’t know what to say,” Khan recalled, describing what she witnessed at the clinic in the southern city of Hyderabad. She said she could see “fear on the staff’s faces” as well.

Khan is among a growing number of transgender Indians who have been denied care following a March change in the law that eliminated the option to self-identify gender. Under the revised rules, legal gender recognition now requires certification from a panel of medical professionals rather than a letter from a gender-affirming care provider such as a surgeon or psychiatrist.

However, the government has not yet clarified what types of specialists must serve on these panels, nor whether those panels answer to state or national authorities — leaving providers in a state of legal limbo.

India’s government says the change is intended to prevent misuse of welfare benefits and strengthen protections. But medical professionals and activists warn the vague language is creating confusion and cutting patients off from essential medications.

Neither the government nor Tata Trusts, which funds the Sabrang Clinic where Khan was receiving treatment, responded to requests for comment.

Reuters spoke with at least a dozen transgender individuals who said the law change had disrupted their medical care, with clinics pausing services and postponing surgeries. Five physicians said they are proceeding with extra caution, with some now requiring patients to sign declarations confirming they are seeking treatment voluntarily.

“Doctors are very concerned and confused as to what kind of care they are now allowed to give,” said Arundhati Katju, a senior attorney with a Supreme Court practice.

The shift in India comes amid a broader global pattern of restricting transgender healthcare. The United States has recently moved to limit access to gender-affirming care, while countries in Asia such as Thailand offer wider access to treatment but less legal recognition.

In the southern city of Bengaluru, 24-year-old business development manager Ananya Balamurali said a gender-affirming surgery she had scheduled for July at a private clinic in New Delhi has been placed on indefinite hold because of the legal change.

In the port city of Kozhikode in the southern state of Kerala, 30-year-old makeup artist Ichu said a government hospital refused to approve her hormone replacement therapy even after months of consultations. She said doctors had initially been “ready to give the letter” but pulled back after an internal board meeting.

The Association of Transgender Health in India puts the country’s transgender population at approximately 20 million out of a total population of 1.4 billion — far higher than the roughly 500,000 counted in the country’s most recent census from 2011.

Association founder Dr. Sanjay Sharma said the amended law undermines a landmark 2014 Supreme Court ruling that recognized transgender people as a third gender. “This is a public health emergency,” said Sharma, a former air force official and the father of a transgender child.

Sharma warned that the legal provisions could be interpreted as penalizing hormonal and surgical treatments, potentially exposing doctors to criminal prosecution. He also raised concerns that medical board evaluations could become physically and mentally invasive.

The 2026 law recognizes only certain groups as having “legitimate” transgender status: members of traditional communities who are culturally invited to bless weddings and births, intersex individuals, and people described as having been “coerced” into being transgender. It explicitly rules out self-identification and bars gender changes on official documents for those outside this narrow definition.

Gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, uses hormones such as estrogen or testosterone to align a person’s physical characteristics with their gender identity. Surgeries are typically preceded by up to a year of such treatment. Doctors warn that abruptly stopping HRT can disrupt the body’s hormonal system, leading to bone density loss and symptoms resembling menopause.

Activists fear that restricted access to regulated care will drive transgender people toward unqualified providers. “We’re worried that the new law might push the transgender community into a shell,” said Hyderabad-based activist Rachana Mudraboyina, warning that many may turn to unlicensed practitioners to avoid documentation requirements.

In Bengaluru, Debbie Das, who owns a design business, said the uncertainty caused her to postpone starting HRT. She is chronically ill and has lost income after the legal change led to the cancellation of some work projects. “I didn’t want to start HRT and then have to panic about whether I should stop,” she said.

Fred Rogers, a counselor based in the southern city of Chennai, noted that transgender men may be particularly at risk since the law does not clearly include them, and public awareness of transgender issues tends to center on women.

The government maintains the law is designed to combat exploitation and trafficking and to expand access to welfare services. Activists, however, say some provisions may produce the opposite effect.

Ichu, who uses only one name, now travels 50 kilometers — about 31 miles — to reach a clinic outside her hometown, while Khan has been relying on an older prescription after missing a planned dosage adjustment. “People at the clinic said, ‘Give us a week or two, we’ll figure this out,’” Khan said. “It’s been months now and we’re still entirely clueless about where to go, what to do.”

An Idaho woman who went on an internet show claiming her toddler twins died as a result of vaccinations is now facing murder charges in connection with those very deaths, according to authorities.

A grand jury handed down an indictment against 23-year-old Andrea Shaw on June 29, charging her with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors allege she suffocated her 18-month-old twins in May 2025, according to court records and a statement from the Payette Police Department.

Shaw had previously appeared on an online program produced by Children’s Health Defense — an anti-vaccine organization founded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During that appearance, she claimed her twins died shortly after receiving vaccinations. Kennedy formally stepped away from the group in December 2024 when he joined President Donald Trump’s administration and has had no affiliation with it since.

Boise police officers took Shaw into custody on Tuesday, and she was arraigned on Thursday. She remains jailed on a $2 million bond. If convicted — or if she enters a guilty plea — she could face either life behind bars or the death penalty. Her next scheduled court date is July 14.

An attorney for Shaw did not respond to a request for comment. Both the Payette Police Department and the Payette County prosecutor’s office declined to speak about the case on Monday.

During her May 2025 television appearance, Shaw described discovering her twins unresponsive in their room just days after they received vaccinations for the flu and other illnesses.

“They had got their shots at the same time by two nurses at the same time,” Shaw said. “And they got sick.”

Medical experts emphasize that the vaccines in question — hepatitis A, influenza, and DTaP — are considered safe and effective for children and are recommended by multiple medical organizations.

Shaw is also listed as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed in January in Washington by Children’s Health Defense and other parties against the American Academy of Pediatrics. That lawsuit accuses the academy of racketeering, alleging it played a central role in deceiving American families about childhood vaccine safety “for several decades.” Court documents describe Shaw as a mother “whose children died following routine vaccinations administered according to AAP guidelines.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics has moved to have the lawsuit thrown out, arguing in an April court filing that it represents the “latest missive in a campaign targeting” the organization and its reliance on science-based evidence in forming vaccine policy.

Earlier this year, pediatricians and medical professionals raised alarms when federal health officials made sweeping changes to childhood vaccine recommendations, removing several universal guidelines. Kennedy, who spent years as a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine movement, defended the changes as bringing the U.S. more in line with comparable nations “while strengthening transparency and informed consent.”

In March, a federal judge temporarily blocked those changes, ruling that Kennedy likely failed to follow proper legal procedures when restructuring a key vaccine advisory committee. However, that ruling is not final — the blocks remain in place only while the case moves toward either a full trial or a summary judgment decision.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that it is opening up more than $281 million in grant funding opportunities through 15 separate programs designed to combat addiction, drug overdose, and mental illness across the country.

The funding was announced through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, known as SAMHSA. The grants are intended to support a broad range of initiatives, including treatment for substance use disorders, suicide prevention efforts, trauma-focused care, recovery services, workforce development, and training programs for first responders.

The single largest funding opportunity in the package totals $68.2 million and is aimed at expanding access to medication-assisted treatment for people struggling with opioid use disorder.

Other programs included in the announcement would fund mental health services within schools, trauma care specifically for children, and overdose response training for first responders working on the front lines of the addiction crisis.

The department also outlined funding opportunities for community-based overdose prevention, programs that combine physical and behavioral healthcare, and suicide prevention efforts on college campuses. Additional money will be available for recovery support services and educational efforts centered on federal behavioral health privacy regulations.

Planned Parenthood and two smaller regional abortion providers are once again able to seek Medicaid reimbursement for services unrelated to abortion — a right that had been stripped away for nearly a year.

The cutoff was written into President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and policy legislation, and its effects have been far-reaching. Multiple clinics shut their doors, and the number of patients receiving breast cancer screenings or STI testing through Planned Parenthood dropped significantly during the funding gap.

The ability to bill Medicaid was officially restored on Sunday.

However, the resumption of funding does not signal an end to the broader conflict over federal abortion policy, and several services that were eliminated during the cutoff may not return.

Planned Parenthood affiliates have faced financial strain since the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to enforce abortion bans. Clinics have shut down both in states with abortion restrictions and in those without them.

According to Planned Parenthood, its affiliates have closed nearly 30 of approximately 600 clinics over the past year, pointing to the funding change as a primary driver.

During that same period, affiliates distributed roughly 25% fewer packs of birth control pills and performed about 20% fewer breast cancer exams compared to the prior year.

The organization noted that many patients — particularly those in areas with limited healthcare access — may have gone without care entirely because of the defunding.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund spokesperson Angela Vasquez-Giroux said the cuts also restricted abortion access in certain locations. For example, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin suspended abortions for about a month before giving up its

Millions of Americans lost their Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage over the past year, according to newly released federal data that offers the first complete state-by-state look at how dramatically enrollment has fallen since enhanced subsidies expired at the start of this year.

The data, which the Trump administration posted in late June and was first reported on by The Associated Press, shows that approximately 2.6 million fewer people held ACA marketplace plans in February compared with the same month a year earlier.

The figures capture not just how many people signed up for or were automatically re-enrolled in plans for 2026, but also how many actually paid their first month’s premium to keep that coverage active. According to Cynthia Cox, a vice president and director of the ACA program at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF — who reviewed the dataset — the numbers also account for people who were removed from coverage after failing to pay during a grace period.

“This is the first time we’ve seen state-level data that shows how much ACA marketplace enrollment truly fell,” Cox said. “It’s in line with our expectations, but it does show a very steep drop in the number of people with ACA coverage.”

Health policy analysts have been closely watching ACA enrollment figures since the so-called enhanced premium tax credits expired, causing monthly health insurance costs for many Americans to double or even triple. That pricing shock pushed some people to drop coverage altogether. The subsidies had been the focus of an intense battle in Congress last fall, with Democrats and a number of Republicans urging renewal.

The rising cost of health insurance — across ACA plans and other programs — has become a significant issue as voters head toward November elections, with affordability ranking among their top concerns.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report suggesting the enrollment decline could largely be explained by a federal crackdown on fraudulent or so-called “phantom” enrollments. However, health analysts have pushed back on that explanation, saying the drop is more likely tied to the January 1st expiration of federal subsidies and other policy changes, including stricter rules about which immigrants can access subsidized coverage.

An AP analysis of the data found that Ohio and Oklahoma each experienced enrollment declines of more than 32% — the largest proportional losses of any state in the country.

Several other states were close behind, each losing more than a quarter of their ACA-enrolled populations: Arizona, South Carolina, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri.

Florida, which relies heavily on ACA coverage partly because it did not expand Medicaid and has a large population of gig workers and self-employed residents, still leads all states with nearly 4 million marketplace enrollees. However, it also recorded the highest raw number of people losing coverage — around 443,000 — of any state this year.

The data does not reveal whether those who dropped ACA coverage found insurance elsewhere. While some may have obtained coverage through an employer or other source, Cox said most people who leave the ACA marketplace likely go without any insurance at all, since the marketplace tends to be a “place of last resort” for those who have no other options.

Several of the states hit hardest by this year’s enrollment drops were the same ones that saw the biggest gains when enhanced subsidies were first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cox said that pattern makes sense, since those states likely had large numbers of people who only enrolled because the enhanced subsidies made coverage affordable enough to consider.

Just one state bucked the national trend: New Mexico saw its ACA enrollment grow by roughly 14% compared with last year. It is the only state in the country that fully replaced the expired federal subsidies using its own state money.

Nationwide, about three out of five states use the federal marketplace HealthCare.gov, while the remaining states run their own ACA marketplaces. The new data shows that states relying on the federal marketplace lost larger shares of enrollees than those operating their own exchanges.

One likely reason is that many states with their own marketplaces took steps to cushion the blow for residents when the enhanced subsidies expired in January. New Mexico is the most dramatic example: during a special legislative session last fall, state lawmakers approved a plan to use state funds to replace the missing federal subsidies through mid-2026. In March, the state’s governor signed legislation extending that financial backstop through mid-2027.

BUNIA, Congo — More than 500 people have lost their lives in Congo’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, with the total death count reaching 506 out of 1,561 confirmed cases, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. The grim figures were released Sunday night as the outbreak continues to spread faster than response teams can contain it.

Adding to the crisis, frontline health workers deployed in Ituri province — the heart of the outbreak — issued a 24-hour strike warning on Sunday. They say they will walk off the job unless authorities address unpaid benefits and unacceptable working conditions.

The workers, most of them health professionals, have been pushing through exhausting shifts while also facing physical attacks from residents and widespread public doubt about the existence of the virus.

In a formal notice sent to the government — a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press — workers both inside and outside hospitals stated they have received no benefits since the outbreak began in May and lack the basic supplies needed to do their jobs.

Their complaints also include low pay, what they described as the “arrogance” of teams dispatched from the capital city of Kinshasa, and the “excessive” reliance on workers brought in from other provinces rather than hiring locally in Ituri. Inadequate equipment was also cited as a major concern.

The strike threat arrives just days after clinical trials got underway in the region, raising fears about what a work stoppage could mean for that progress. A strike could also seriously set back efforts to slow the disease’s spread, which has now reached three eastern provinces, including North Kivu and South Kivu.

Response efforts have been further complicated by the fact that the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. This stands in contrast to the more common Zaire strain, which does have a vaccine and was responsible for most of Congo’s previous 16 Ebola outbreaks.

Health officials have not yet identified the outbreak’s original patient and still face the enormous task of tracking down potentially tens of thousands of people who may have had contact with infected individuals.

The World Health Organization has stated that the first month of this outbreak was already the deadliest opening stretch ever recorded for an Ebola crisis.

A prescription refill program that launched quietly in Utah earlier this year has sparked a major debate in the medical community: Is artificial intelligence truly ready to handle tasks that have always required a licensed physician?

Through the program, Utah residents can bypass a doctor’s office entirely and use an AI chatbot called Doctronic to get their prescriptions renewed online. While it may sound like a straightforward convenience for patients, the pilot program has raised serious alarms among physicians, legal experts, and public health professionals.

At the heart of the controversy is a long-standing legal principle: only licensed medical professionals are allowed to prescribe medications. Supporters of the program argue that those laws — which have shaped American medicine for more than a century — need to be updated to account for AI technology.

“We have crossed a threshold in terms of giving something that is not human a medical license, whether or not we want to call it that,” said Dr. Eric Bressman of the University of Pennsylvania.

Bressman and others aren’t necessarily opposed to AI playing a role in prescribing, but they argue it should be held to the same high standards as human doctors, who must complete years of rigorous training and testing before earning a medical license.

Doctronic was able to launch in Utah through what the state calls a “regulatory sandbox” — a mechanism that allows officials to waive existing laws for AI companies with promising technology. The program is currently managed by a five-member board made up of AI specialists, none of whom are medical doctors. The board says various safety measures are in place, including having human physicians review all refill orders during the initial phase. The company expects to move toward fully automated refills in the near future.

The chair of Utah’s medical licensing board revealed that he and fellow board members only found out about the program when its January launch was covered in the news. In March, 11 board members signed a letter calling for the program to be suspended, pointing to the dangers of automatically renewing medications that can cause harmful side effects or dangerous drug interactions.

“We were essentially told: ‘Yes this is going on. And no, you don’t have a say in it,’” said Dr. Alan Smith, a family physician who chairs the board, though he noted he was speaking in a personal capacity.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that medical technology is typically regulated at the federal level, while the licensing of medical professionals falls under state authority. Doctronic’s leadership views their AI as part of state-regulated medical practice, but some experts believe the federal Food and Drug Administration should have oversight since the technology directly affects medical decisions. When asked in an interview, Doctronic’s executives declined to say whether they had sought approval from the FDA.

“Our goal here is really just to meet patients where they need healthcare,” said Dr. Adam Oskowitz, who co-founded the company alongside a technology entrepreneur. “We try not to get too deep into the weeds on the regulatory side.”

Here’s how the program works: Utah residents visit a Doctronic website, confirm their identity, and answer the chatbot’s questions about their prescriptions and medical history. The AI checks a national pharmacy database to confirm a valid prescription exists. If everything looks routine, it renews the prescription and sends it to a local pharmacy. If a case needs more attention, the patient is connected with a doctor through Doctronic’s telehealth service.

Oskowitz has described a future in which AI handles many routine medical tasks — including ordering tests and reviewing results — freeing up doctors to manage far more patients than they currently can.

Utah isn’t alone. Texas and Wyoming have also moved to waive certain regulations for AI companies. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Iowa, Idaho, and other states have introduced bills that would formally license AI medical services. Many of those bills follow a template developed by the nonprofit Cicero Institute, a pro-AI think tank founded by Joe Lonsdale, who also co-founded the artificial intelligence software company Palantir.

According to Cicero’s director for health policy, Adam Meier, much of the pushback against medical AI comes down to economic concerns among doctors and healthcare workers.

“Whoever goes first is going to take the slings and arrows because there’s economic interests, concerns about the workforce and what that’s going to mean for jobs,” Meier said.

Dr. Smith, however, insists the patient safety risks are very real. He noted that Doctronic’s list of 190 refillable medications includes blood thinners, which can become life-threatening if a patient develops stomach ulcers or internal bleeding.

“Many times when I see people after six months I find that their medical history or situation has changed,” Smith said. “Just because something was prescribed before does not mean it’s appropriate now.”

The American Medical Association has echoed those concerns, stating that “prescription renewals aren’t routine checkboxes.”

The head of Utah’s AI office said Doctronic has actually been overly cautious so far, frequently escalating straightforward decisions to physicians. In response to safety concerns, some medications have been removed from the eligible refill list, including one used to treat irregular heartbeats.

Utah has released some early data on the program, and Doctronic says it plans to publish peer-reviewed research later this year. So far, the only published study about the technology was written by the company’s own scientists and has not undergone independent review. That study examined whether Doctronic could accurately diagnose medical conditions based on records from 500 telehealth appointments, finding that its diagnoses matched those of human doctors 80% of the time.

Bressman argues that Utah should have required solid data on prescription refills before the program ever launched, not after the fact.

“Mostly they’re accepting the company’s word on good faith that they’re up to the task,” he said.

Bressman compared the current situation to the disorganized state of medical standards in the early 1900s, before medical schools and licensing boards established national benchmarks for training physicians.

Normally, the FDA would provide national guidance on medical technology, but the agency has signaled it intends to take a more hands-off approach, at least under the current administration. An FDA spokesperson said the agency has not authorized any AI chatbots but stated it “is committed to encouraging medical innovation and helping bring promising new technologies to patients, while keeping safety at the center of every decision.”

As the regulatory landscape remains unsettled, companies like Doctronic are expected to continue expanding into states with varying rules.

“Companies may benefit in the short term by expanding their business models and kind of having the technology go beyond the evidence,” said Daniel Aaron of the University of Utah’s law school. “But in the long-term, I think they risk compromising public trust and fueling backlash.”

When temperatures soar to dangerous levels, outdoor workers face some of the most serious risks on the job — but the good news is that a handful of simple precautions can make a real difference.

For those who cannot step inside to escape the heat, the threat of heat stroke is a very real concern. Whether delivering packages, working construction, or handling any other outdoor duties, employees exposed to extreme heat need to know the warning signs and how to protect themselves.

Health experts point out that basic protective measures can go a long way toward reducing the danger. Staying hydrated, taking breaks in shaded or cool areas, and recognizing the early symptoms of heat-related illness are all critical steps.

Perhaps most importantly, awareness and education are key. Workers and employers alike benefit from understanding the risks that come with working in high temperatures, and from having a clear plan in place before conditions become dangerous.

BUNIA, Congo — People living at the heart of Congo’s deadly Ebola outbreak are holding onto hope as scientists launched a long-awaited clinical trial in early July to test two potential treatments against the still-spreading disease.

At an Ebola treatment center inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Center, located in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, the start of the research carried a sense of urgency rather than fanfare last Thursday. While ambulances pulled up with new patients and healthcare workers suited up in layers of protective gear before entering isolation wards, the trial quietly got underway alongside the ongoing fight to keep patients alive.

The strain behind this outbreak — known as Bundibugyo — is rarer than other forms of Ebola, and currently no approved treatments or vaccines exist to combat it. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed Thursday that more than 1,400 people have been diagnosed and 438 have lost their lives.

The WHO announced that same day that the first patient had been enrolled in the study. Researchers are evaluating whether the antiviral drug remdesivir, an experimental antibody treatment called MBP134, or a combination of the two can help infected patients survive. According to WHO research adviser Dr. Vasee Moorthy, patient survival will be monitored for 28 days following the start of treatment.

The trial is supported by the WHO and is a joint effort involving Congo’s national biomedical research institute INRB, Britain’s Oxford University, Antwerp’s Institute of Tropical Medicine, and several other international health organizations.

Professor Yap Boum, head of emergency response at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, explained that the current phase of the trial is focused on confirmed Ebola patients being treated inside specialized facilities. A second phase, he noted, will extend to healthcare workers, close contacts, and others considered at high risk of infection.

Professor Placide Mbala, who is coordinating laboratory work during the outbreak, said the research effort could last anywhere from three to six months, depending on how the outbreak develops.

For many people in Bunia, the launch of the trial brings a rare glimmer of encouragement after weeks of growing fear and loss.

Bunia resident Audrey Tengetenge described the trials as a “light at the end of the tunnel.” She added, “I hope everything moves very quickly so that we can find relief. We want nothing more than an end to this very dangerous disease, which continues to bring us grief.”

Gladys Munguro, who survived Ebola and was released from a treatment center two weeks ago, recalled watching fellow patients die while she was receiving care. Now recovered, she said she hopes the experimental treatments will give future patients a better chance at survival and help bring the outbreak to an end.

“This experimental phase is necessary for us,” Munguro told the Associated Press. “I will volunteer as soon as the next phase of the trials begins for high-risk individuals.”

However, researchers face significant challenges rooted in community skepticism. Nelson Dhebi, a shopkeeper in Bunia, said he supports scientific progress and hopes for good results, but worries the treatments could cause harm. He believes others should go first. “Research should be carried out first and foremost on our elected representatives, as they are the ones who represent us,” he said.

Community mistrust is just one of many obstacles complicating the response to the outbreak. Overcrowded treatment facilities, delays in patients seeking medical attention, and violence that restricts access to conflict zones are all major barriers to containing the disease.

Pierre Akilimali, incident manager at Congo’s National Institute of Public Health, said Friday that nearly three out of every four Ebola deaths during this outbreak are happening outside of health facilities.

For now, the trial is being conducted exclusively at Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre in Ituri — a region that has also seen violence directed at healthcare workers battling the virus, which spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals. Officials say they plan to expand the trials to additional locations once conditions are safe enough to do so.

Medical experts are raising serious concerns about a troubling rise in child drowning deaths across the United States, warning that every second counts when a child ends up in the water.

“When drowning occurs, seconds matter,” said Dr. Rohit Shenoi, the lead author of a recent American Academy of Pediatrics alert. “Quick rescue and resuscitation can mean the difference between life, death and lifelong disability.”

Each year, between 4,000 and 5,000 Americans drown. The majority are adults who lose their lives in natural bodies of water like lakes, ponds, or the ocean. But for children, the risk is disproportionately severe — drowning is the number one cause of death among kids ages 1 to 4, and ranks among the top killers of children ages 5 to 14. The drowning rate is higher for white children in the younger age group, while Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native children face significantly higher rates in the older group.

Very young children sometimes drown in bathtubs, but swimming pools are the most common setting for these tragedies.

One grocery chain has made drowning prevention part of its identity. Inside several locations of the Stew Leonard’s grocery stores — known for a lively, theme-park-like atmosphere complete with animatronic characters like a dancing banana and singing avocados — shoppers will find an unexpected figure: a life-jacketed duck named Stewie who sings about water safety.

The duck honors the memory of the son of the chain’s chief executive. The boy was just 21 months old when he drowned during a family vacation on the island of St. Martin in 1989.

More than a dozen family members and friends had gathered for a birthday party celebrating Stewie’s older sister, who was turning 3. His father was outside hanging balloons while his mother was inside baking a cake.

“I saw Stewie outside and I assumed that he was watching him,” said his mother, Kim, explaining that other relatives were also nearby at the pool.

“We never communicated with each other; ‘You’ve got him?’” said Kim Leonard, now 65. “When everyone’s watching, nobody’s watching.”

“There were a couple of balloons floating in the water,” recalled Stew Leonard, now 71. “And you know after a few minutes, sort of everybody was like, ‘Where’s Stewie?’ Unfortunately I was the one who found him. He was face down in the pool.”

The couple responded to their son’s death by creating a foundation dedicated to funding children’s swimming lessons and raising awareness about drowning prevention.

For decades, the numbers were moving in the right direction. Unintentional child drowning deaths dropped from roughly 2,000 per year in the 1980s to fewer than 1,000 annually by the early 2000s, driven by public awareness efforts, greater access to swimming lessons, and new pool fencing laws. Between 2000 and 2019, health officials recorded a 38% decline.

Then the trend reversed. Child drowning deaths rose from 756 in 2019 to 865 in 2024 — the most recent year with complete data available. The majority of those deaths involved children under the age of 5. The child drowning death rate also ticked upward, from 1.1 to 1.2 per 100,000 children.

Experts point to several causes for the reversal. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted swimming lessons and lifeguard training programs, contributing to a national shortage of lifeguards. At the same time, some data indicates an increase in swimming pool construction and a rise in unsupervised swimming, according to Tessa Clemens, the CDC Foundation’s senior director for drowning prevention initiatives.

Kym Roberts, who studies drowning trends in Australia — where child drowning deaths have remained level or declined in recent years — noted that “drowning in young children is often associated with falls into water and lapses in direct supervision.”

There may be some encouraging news on the horizon: early data suggests child drowning deaths dropped last year. However, Clemens cautioned that it remains unclear whether this signals a lasting trend, and the numbers are still higher than they were before the pandemic.

New technology has also entered the picture, with immersion alarms now available that sound an alert when a child’s wristband goes underwater. Manufacturers stress, however, that these devices are meant to serve as a backup warning system — not a primary safety measure.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laid off Clemens and the rest of its drowning prevention team last year. Despite that setback, organizations including the CDC Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue to issue guidance and support prevention efforts.

A CDC Foundation program has provided basic swimming and water safety training to more than 35,000 students since 2024. The initiative operates in 11 states with elevated drowning rates: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The American Academy of Pediatrics points to research showing that policies save lives — including lifeguard standards, life jacket regulations, and requirements that pools be fully enclosed by fences with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Stew Leonard stresses two priorities above all: swimming lessons for young children, and complete, undivided attention from caregivers whenever kids are near water.

“I mean, I love ballet. I love karate. I love tennis lessons. You know, all the activities that kids can do,” he said. “But the only thing you can do to save their life is put them in swimming lessons.”

His foundation has funded more than 250,000 swimming lessons for children and opened two swimming schools, including one directly across the street from the company’s headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut.

He also had a pointed message for caregivers: “Shut your cellphones off when you’re around the pool, watching the kids. Don’t sit there reading a book. Don’t sit there talking to your friends, neglecting your child that’s near the water.”

“This happens in the blink of an eye,” he added.

New government data released Friday shows the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has grown to 1,502 confirmed cases, with 473 of those resulting in death.

The affected areas are located in the country’s eastern region, spanning the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

A group of emergency room doctors in Eugene, Oregon pulled off what many are calling a classic underdog victory — standing their ground against a powerful national physician staffing firm that wanted to push them out.

The local doctors, who held existing contracts to staff emergency departments at area hospitals, found themselves in the crosshairs of a large national company seeking to take over those contracts. Rather than accept the outcome, the physicians turned to a newly passed state law to fight back — and won.

The case is being described as a “David and Goliath” showdown between community-based physicians and the growing corporate influence in American medicine. The outcome has sent ripples well beyond Oregon’s borders, drawing attention from medical professionals and lawmakers across the country.

As more states grapple with the increasing consolidation of healthcare by large corporations, Oregon’s new law is being held up as a potential model. Legislators in other states are now examining whether similar protections could be put in place to shield local doctors from being displaced by national staffing firms.

For the Eugene physicians, the fight represented more than just their jobs — it was a stand for locally driven patient care against the tide of corporate medicine.

Mars Petcare US, Inc., based in Franklin, Tennessee, has announced a voluntary recall covering two specific lots of a popular canned dog food product.

The recalled item is PEDIGREE® Can High Protein Chopped Chicken & Duck Flavor wet dog food, sold in 13.2-ounce cans. The company says the recall was prompted by concerns that the product may have been fraudulently distributed and could contain foreign material.

Pet owners who have purchased this product are encouraged to check their supply and take appropriate action. The recall was announced on July 2, 2026.

Federal health officials are reporting that more than 120 people aboard a Princess Cruises ship were struck by a highly contagious stomach virus during a recent voyage departing from San Francisco.

The Ruby Princess, which set sail on June 12 on a 20-day round trip to Canada and Alaska, saw 102 passengers and 23 crew members come down with norovirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ship docked back in San Francisco on Thursday.

Norovirus spreads easily, often through contaminated food, surfaces, or close contact with infected individuals — conditions commonly found in crowded environments like cruise ships. While the illness is usually brief, it can pose a serious risk to people with underlying health conditions, young children, and adults 65 and older.

The CDC says symptoms typically include a sudden onset of vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain, which can persist for up to three days.

The outbreak was reported to the CDC on Saturday. Officials noted that not all infected individuals were sick at the same time, nor were all of them ill when the ship arrived or departed port. In total, the Ruby Princess carried 3,032 passengers and 1,144 crew members on the voyage.

In a statement, Princess Cruises said the ship’s crew acted quickly and put “enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship” into effect. The company added that the vessel would be fully cleaned and disinfected before heading out on its next trip later Thursday.

Health officials noted that seven illness outbreaks on cruise ships within CDC jurisdiction have been reported so far this year, with norovirus being the most common cause.

The CDC says the best defense against norovirus is frequent and thorough handwashing — especially after using the restroom and before eating or drinking. Scrubbing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is recommended. Officials caution that hand sanitizer alone is not effective against norovirus.

Gellert Global Group, based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has announced a recall of 8.1-ounce packages of ALDI Brand Fusia Asian Inspirations Kimchi & Tofu Kimbap after it was discovered the product may contain undeclared fish in the form of tuna.

The concern is significant for shoppers who have fish allergies or serious sensitivities. Consuming a product with an undisclosed allergen can trigger reactions ranging from severe to potentially fatal for those affected.

If you or someone in your household has a fish allergy and has purchased this item, do not eat it. Check your refrigerator or pantry for the 8.1 oz package and take appropriate action to avoid any health risk.

A highly anticipated clinical trial testing two potential Ebola treatments got underway Thursday in eastern Congo, with the World Health Organization confirming that the first patient has been enrolled in the study.

The current outbreak is being caused by a strain of the virus known as Bundibugyo, which is rarer than other Ebola-causing strains and has no approved treatments or vaccines targeting it specifically. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported Thursday that the outbreak has already infected more than 1,400 people and killed 438.

While standard supportive care — particularly when administered early — has helped more than 200 people recover, health officials say there is an urgent need for more effective treatment options.

Tedros said the trial “offers real hope that we can deliver concrete results for – and with – the communities at the heart of the outbreak.”

The study will examine whether two drugs can improve patients’ chances of survival. The first is remdesivir, made by Gilead Sciences — a broad-spectrum antiviral that was approved to treat COVID-19 and has shown some early laboratory indications that it may also be effective against the Bundibugyo strain. The second is an experimental drug called MBP134, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, which uses engineered antibodies designed to target Ebola viruses including Bundibugyo.

Every patient enrolled in the trial will receive the best currently available standard care, and will then be randomly assigned to also receive remdesivir, MBP134, both drugs together, or neither, according to WHO research adviser Dr. Vasee Moorthy. Researchers will monitor each patient’s survival for 28 days following the start of treatment.

Moorthy cautioned that the process could take months and may require up to 1,000 participants before scientists can determine whether either drug is effective — though he noted that a particularly strong result from one of the drugs could become apparent sooner and with fewer patients.

For now, the trial is only being offered at a single Ebola treatment facility in Congo’s Ituri province. The area has faced serious security challenges, including violence directed at healthcare workers battling a virus that spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals. Health officials say they plan to expand the trial to additional sites once conditions allow.

Moorthy confirmed that sufficient quantities of both drugs have been secured for the trial — remdesivir donated by Gilead, and MBP134 doses provided by the U.S. government, which has funded the drug’s development and holds ownership of those supplies. Should either treatment prove effective, officials say the next priority will be ensuring continued patient access beyond the scope of the study.

The trial is backed by the WHO and represents a partnership among Congo’s national biomedical research institute INRB, Britain’s Oxford University, Antwerp’s Institute of Tropical Medicine, and several other international health organizations.

The first patient has been enrolled in a clinical trial aimed at finding a treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the World Health Organization announced Thursday.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement to reporters, calling it a significant step forward in the fight against the outbreak. However, he also pointed to an attack on an Ebola treatment center in Ituri province that left two people dead, underscoring the ongoing obstacles facing health workers on the ground.

“Despite all this progress, we continue to face significant challenges, including mistrust and violence,” Dr. Tedros said.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently has no approved vaccines or treatments. So far, the outbreak has produced more than 1,400 cases in the DRC, resulting in 438 deaths. Over the past two weeks, the country has seen an average of 38 new confirmed cases every day.

The trial, which may take several months to complete, is designed to enroll more than 1,000 patients. It will test Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental antibody treatment, known as MBP134, both on its own and in combination with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medication remdesivir, according to the WHO.

The WHO said there are sufficient drug supplies to carry out the trials. The organization noted it is in ongoing discussions with the United States — which donated the MBP134 supplies — and with Gilead Sciences to ensure patients can continue accessing the drugs after the trials conclude, provided they are proven safe and effective.

Dr. Tedros also highlighted areas where the response is gaining ground. Ten laboratories are now capable of testing for Ebola, and health officials are successfully following up with four out of every five known contacts of infected individuals, though he noted that more contacts still need to be identified for each confirmed case.

Treatment capacity has grown as well, with 650 beds now available across treatment facilities — approximately 96% of which are currently in use. The WHO and its partners are working to add another 300 beds to that total.

In a separate development, the WHO declared an end to a hantavirus outbreak that had been connected to a cruise ship, after the final identified contact of an exposed individual completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus. That outbreak, which sickened 13 people and killed three, was caused by the Andes virus — a rare hantavirus strain that typically circulates in Argentina and Chile.

BATABANÓ, Cuba (AP) — For nearly four years, Irisleydis Tristá has fought a tumor through two surgeries and multiple rounds of radiation therapy. But for the past seven months, she has been unable to get a CT scan to find out whether her cancer has grown or spread.

The CT scanner at Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana — the country’s top medical facility — is out of service. Doctors have told Tristá, 34, that due to a lack of resources, they are unable to perform another surgery on her in Cuba.

“I feel like my life is in danger,” said Tristá, a mother of a 13-year-old who lives in Batabanó, a town about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Havana. “I don’t know if it has grown. We have no way of knowing.”

What was once a point of national pride — Cuba’s free, universal healthcare system — has deteriorated dramatically. Analysts say the crisis has been made worse by fuel shortages linked to tightened U.S. sanctions on the island’s energy sector, compounding an economy that had already been struggling for years.

The Trump administration has been pressuring Cuba’s socialist government to carry out significant economic reforms and change how it governs in exchange for sanctions relief.

Hospitals throughout the island are running short on basic supplies, including syringes, gauze, vaccines, and anesthetics. A lack of spare parts has left equipment such as hemodialysis and CT scan machines out of commission, cutting off patients like Tristá from essential care. Food shortages have also made it difficult for her to follow the diet her doctors prescribed.

Large numbers of medical specialists and technicians have left the country.

Cuba was already dealing with an economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing U.S. sanctions. Conditions worsened after U.S. authorities captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, cutting off one of Cuba’s most important allies. The White House then threatened countries that supplied fuel to the island and increased pressure on foreign companies and individuals to stop doing business with Havana.

The fallout has included power outages stretching more than 20 hours, gasoline rationing, and drops in both industrial and food production.

For a country whose health statistics have historically rivaled those of developed nations — including low mortality rates, high life expectancy, widespread vaccination, and broad prenatal care — the current situation “is shocking,” according to the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization representative on the island.

That representative said fuel shortages have caused “quite large” disruptions to health services, affecting not just care delivery but the entire chain of continuity around patient treatment.

He added that PAHO and the WHO themselves have struggled to distribute humanitarian aid. The United Nations, on which both organizations rely, launched a $94 million emergency plan in March to address the growing humanitarian crisis resulting from the energy blockade.

A government report released in June revealed that the survival rate for children with cancer had dropped to 65%, down from 85% before energy restrictions took effect in January.

“We have had children die. Two so far this year,” said a specialist at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, during a walk-through of the pediatric ward. “This situation is terrible.”

The specialist noted that some children — especially those from distant provinces — must return to the hospital every 21 days for treatment.

“Sometimes a week or even 15 days go by before they can come because of the fuel shortage,” she said.

One mother, whose 4-year-old daughter is receiving treatment at the hospital, described the ordeal as “very hard.” The family traveled roughly 350 kilometers (217 miles) from their home in Sancti Spíritus, east of Havana, to get care for their child.

A global nonprofit working on disease diagnostics says the effort to develop a rapid test for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has been narrowed to five potential manufacturers, with field trials in eastern Congo potentially beginning within weeks.

The Geneva-based organization FIND, which focuses on developing diagnostic tools, told Reuters that the five candidates were chosen from a pool of 21. The group includes two manufacturers based in West Africa, one in the United States, and two in South Korea.

A rapid antigen test would allow health workers in the field to get results immediately — a significant advantage over the current system, which can require waiting several days for laboratory results. Faster diagnosis could help officials identify infected individuals, isolate them more quickly, and slow the spread of the disease.

There is currently no rapid test approved for the Bundibugyo virus. While rapid tests have been used in past Ebola outbreaks, they were only applied to deceased patients. FIND’s head of business development, Kavi Ramjeet, said the goal this time is to develop tests that work on blood samples from living patients.

Ramjeet said the first tests could reach the field in mid-July. He noted that manufacturers were selected in part based on their ability to quickly scale up production to thousands of tests, though the exact timeline for a broader rollout would depend on the approval process, which he said was still too early to predict.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and has since infected 1,406 people, killing 438 across the eastern Congolese provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, according to government figures released Wednesday. Sources have also told Reuters that officials are tracking possible exposures in two additional provinces.

Health responders are facing major obstacles, including an underfunded medical system strained by widespread cuts to foreign aid, along with a population that has endured decades of conflict and holds deep distrust toward government officials and outside organizations.

Currently, 10 laboratories are equipped to test for Bundibugyo using three different testing methods. However, poor infrastructure — including unreliable electricity, unpaved roads, and ongoing security concerns — makes it difficult to deliver timely results from lab-based testing.

The International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat, a global alliance focused on improving pandemic response, stated this week that rapid antigen tests “have the potential to dramatically accelerate case identification and isolation decisions – deployable at a cost, scale and speed that molecular testing, however decentralised, cannot match.”

FIND is also working to identify manufacturers capable of producing molecular tests in cartridge form — a format that requires less specialized training to operate and could be deployed closer to where patients are being treated.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration unveiled a proposed new regulation Thursday designed to prevent hospitals from profiting off discounted medications when billing Medicare patients. If enacted, officials say the rule could save consumers an estimated $1.1 billion in the coming year, according to figures obtained by the Associated Press ahead of the official announcement.

The proposal centers on the 340B program, a federal initiative that allows hospitals serving low-income patients to purchase outpatient prescription drugs at significantly reduced prices. However, under current rules, those same hospitals are often permitted to bill insurers — including Medicare — at rates far above what they paid for the drugs, pocketing the difference and driving up costs for patients.

To address this, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing a new formula that would limit how much hospitals in the 340B program can be reimbursed through Medicare. The administration says the change is part of a broader effort to ease the financial burden of healthcare costs on American families.

The Republican administration has been working to demonstrate during an election year that it is taking meaningful action on affordability. However, experts note that the complexity of the U.S. healthcare system makes it difficult to predict how much of the projected savings will actually reach consumers.

According to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement, the projected savings over a decade could reach approximately $20 billion. The official also noted that hospital groups were not given advance notice of the proposed rule before its release.

To illustrate how the current system works, the administration pointed to the prostate cancer drug Lupron Depot as an example in a policy draft. Under the 340B program, a hospital can acquire a single dose of the drug for roughly $700. Yet that same hospital can receive around $4,000 in Medicare reimbursement for administering it, plus an additional $1,000 in co-payments from the patient.

The proposed rule would reduce the reimbursement amount hospitals in the program can receive through Medicare by approximately 40%. Specifically, it would cap reimbursement at the drug’s average sales price minus 33.4%, reflecting the discounted rate at which hospitals acquired the medications. If approved, the rule would take effect at the start of next year.

On average, an older adult enrolled in Medicare Part B who receives one of these drugs would save about $800 per year in out-of-pocket co-payments under the new structure, according to agency estimates.

This is not the first time the administration has attempted such a change. During President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, his administration pursued a similar rule to reduce Medicare reimbursements to 340B hospitals. That effort was ultimately blocked when the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the government lacked the authority to implement a separate reimbursement structure for those hospitals.

The current push stems from an executive order the president signed in April 2025, which directed a survey of what hospitals actually pay to acquire drugs. The findings from that survey formed the basis for this new proposed rule.

There are potential downsides to the proposal. If hospital revenues decline as a result, facilities — particularly those in underserved communities — could face pressure to reduce services or cut jobs. The 340B program has long been a flashpoint between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, with both sides lobbying lawmakers to protect or reshape the benefit in their favor.

Celea Therapeutics, a biotech company tied to PureTech Health, announced Thursday that it has closed a $180 million financing round aimed at funding a late-stage clinical trial of its experimental lung disease treatment, deupirfenidone, in patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF.

According to a company statement released Thursday, Celea expects to begin a head-to-head trial during the third quarter of this year.

Several major investors joined PureTech in the funding round, including RA Capital, Leaps by Bayer, a large U.S.-based healthcare-focused fund, and a sovereign wealth fund.

Before the financing round closed, Celea and its transferred assets were valued at $100 million. Following the round, that figure climbed to $302.5 million on a fully diluted basis.

PureTech contributed $30 million to the current financing effort and has set aside an additional $70 million to provide future support to Celea. Once the financing is complete, PureTech will own a 35.4% stake in the biotech company and will be eligible to collect tiered royalties based on annual net sales of any Celea products that use deupirfenidone technology.

PureTech is also in line to receive up to $190 million in total milestone payments tied to the drug’s development progress.

Deupirfenidone is an experimental medication designed to slow or stop the scarring of lung tissue, while offering better tolerability than currently available treatments — potentially making it easier for patients to stay on their medication long-term.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with no known cause in which lung tissue becomes progressively damaged and scarred, making it increasingly harder for patients to breathe.

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The mourners kept their distance as a tiny coffin was gently placed into the earth. Health workers dressed in masks and gloves stood alongside a priest as he offered prayers over the grave.

The child being buried was a 6-month-old girl — the third young resident of her orphanage to lose her life to the Ebola outbreak tearing through eastern Congo. She was the latest victim of a crisis that has now claimed hundreds of lives.

After spending a month on the ground at the outbreak’s epicenter alongside AP photographer Moses Sawasawa, that quiet, heartbreaking funeral is the image that remains most vivid.

From a distance, outbreaks like this one are reduced to statistics: more than 1,300 confirmed cases, hundreds of deaths, and tens of thousands of people who may have come into contact with those infected. But standing at that graveside, the true weight of what is unfolding became impossible to ignore.

Ebola makes no distinctions — it strikes the young and the old, the wealthy and the impoverished, civilians and healthcare workers alike.

And the crisis is far from over. Medical experts say the outbreak has not yet reached its peak. There are currently no approved treatments for this particular strain — known as Bundibugyo — and a vaccine is reportedly still months away from being available.

Another death that left a lasting mark was that of a medical student who was just a few months away from completing her degree. She had been her family’s greatest hope and would have been a desperately needed healthcare provider in a remote area where outbreaks can go unnoticed for weeks. At her funeral, her mother was overcome with grief.

It is difficult to imagine a more difficult environment in which to confront a deadly disease.

Each day of reporting began and ended with a meticulous process of protection and decontamination. Ebola spreads easily through bodily fluids — including vomit, blood, and semen — which meant suiting up in gloves, masks, and hair nets while enduring 80-degree Fahrenheit (26 Celsius) temperatures and 80% humidity. Our vehicle, microphones, and other equipment all had to be disinfected after every visit to an affected area. Eventually, the routine felt automatic.

At overwhelmed health centers, the sounds of grieving families were constant. The air hung heavy and hot, and people dripped with sweat. Healthcare workers moved through packed wards, pausing repeatedly to wash their hands.

The suffering witnessed here echoed memories of covering a previous catastrophe in this region — the seizure of Goma, a major humanitarian hub, by M23 rebels last year. Then, as now, hospitals were filled with the wounded and the dying, surrounded by the sounds of weeping loved ones.

The current Ebola outbreak is centered in neighboring Ituri province, a region already scarred by years of armed conflict. Rebel groups control parts of the area, nearly a million people have been forced from their homes, and economic conditions have grown increasingly desperate. Some residents were found trying to wash their hands using oatmeal and sand.

In just the first three weeks after the outbreak was officially declared in mid-May, the World Health Organization reported at least 520 security incidents — including direct attacks on health workers — that disrupted response efforts. Those attacks have continued. Burned-out hospital beds were found abandoned after patients fled.

People confirmed or suspected to have Ebola have also been abducted, vanishing into areas with poor mobile phone coverage and roads that are barely passable.

Amid these conditions, local coordinators like Husein Twaibu are working to organize the community response. Twaibu described how at least four health zones in Ituri — home to thousands of people — remain completely out of reach because they are under rebel control. Response teams have had to rely on rebel leaders to carry Ebola prevention messages into those areas and encourage residents to cooperate with containment efforts.

But that arrangement comes with its own complications.

A recurring concern heard from doctors and aid workers throughout the reporting trip: many local residents simply do not believe the outbreak is real. In a region with a long history of violence and exploitation of its natural resources, outsiders are viewed with deep suspicion. Because Ebola’s early symptoms — such as fever — can easily be mistaken for more familiar illnesses like malaria, the strict precautions being enforced can seem unnecessary and alarming to many.

Particular anger has erupted around burial practices. Families are being told they cannot do what tradition calls for — washing and preparing a loved one’s body before burial. That prohibition has fueled resentment.

The widespread distrust is one reason health officials cannot determine the true scale of the outbreak. They have still not identified the first person who fell ill.

Some residents are avoiding health centers altogether. Even community health workers who themselves survived Ebola infections have struggled to convince others to take the disease seriously.

One such worker is nurse Étienne Ezo, who contracted Ebola earlier this year. He said people frequently question why he survived when others did not.

New Jersey is moving forward with a new policy that will charge businesses whose employees are covered by Medicaid instead of company-sponsored health insurance — and other states across the country are watching closely.

Democratic governors and lawmakers are pushing these types of measures as a way to help cover the rising costs of Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program designed for lower-income residents. Expected changes at the federal level could make the program more costly for states and may result in fewer people having coverage.

Supporters of the policy also argue it’s a matter of fairness, pointing out that employers benefit when their workers receive taxpayer-funded health coverage instead of being enrolled in company plans.

The idea, however, faces pushback — both from business organizations and from some left-leaning policy groups.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the legislation Tuesday evening. The measure applies to employers with at least 50 workers enrolled in Medicaid, and the state budget she approved earlier that week projects the program will generate $145 million in revenue this year.

Under the new structure, businesses will be billed for each employee and dependent covered by Medicaid. The fee starts at $325 per year for companies with 50 to 249 Medicaid recipients among their workforce, and climbs to $725 annually for employers with 500 or more recipients.

California also took action this week, though its legislation stops short of immediately imposing a charge. Instead, the bill instructs the state administration to bring lawmakers a set of options for implementing such a fee next year. That task will fall to whoever succeeds Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat leaving office in January. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has already included an employer charge in his campaign platform.

California State Sen. John Laird, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, pointed to the major federal tax and policy law signed by President Donald Trump a year ago as a driving force behind the need for action. He said that law could require the state to spend more on Medicaid to make up for gaps created by federal policy shifts.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that more than 10 million people will be left without insurance as a result of that federal law by 2034. The law requires certain Medicaid recipients to be working, attending school, or volunteering — and mandates that even more recipients document whether they meet those requirements. Workers at larger companies who are putting in at least 20 hours per week would generally not face a loss of Medicaid eligibility.

Laird also framed the issue as one of economic fairness. “If you’re a small business person in California, you are quite likely paying for health insurance for your employees. And through your taxes, you’re paying for health insurance for some of the biggest employers in California,” he said. “And that’s not fair.”

Similar legislation passed one chamber of the state legislature in both Colorado and Oregon this year but did not advance to become law in either state. A related bill was also introduced in Washington state.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat running for a third term in November’s election, has called for a similar policy in his state, proposing it as part of the state budget that would take effect two years from now.

Business organizations have been vocal in their opposition, arguing the fees would unfairly punish employers.

“The fact remains that many job-creators are still going to be penalized for something they have no control over,” said Christopher Emigholz, the chief government affairs officer at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, in a written statement. “If an employee declines an employer-provided health plan because they’d rather be on Medicaid, it is unfair to penalize the employer for that employee’s decision.”

Opposition also comes from some progressive policy circles. Gideon Lukens, a health policy analyst at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, acknowledged the good intentions behind the idea but warned it could have unintended consequences. He said companies might become less likely to hire people from low-income households or single-parent families. Employers could also factor the policy into decisions about hiring, layoffs, and where to set up operations.

Lukens also warned the fees could discourage workers from enrolling in Medicaid if they worry it will make them less appealing to employers. “Usually, when I see a tax on something it’s going to discourage whatever being taxed,” he said.

New Jersey’s law includes several provisions aimed at addressing those concerns. Temporary, seasonal, and part-time workers are exempt from the fee calculation. The legislation also prohibits employers from making hiring or firing decisions based on a worker’s Medicaid enrollment status.

This type of employer charge isn’t a brand-new concept. At least two states have tried it before, and versions of the idea have been proposed in Congress as well.

In 2017, Massachusetts lawmakers approved a fee of up to $750 per non-disabled Medicaid-covered worker. The program launched in 2018 but was not renewed when it expired the following year.

An earlier attempt in Maryland dates back to 2006 and initially targeted only Walmart. A business industry group challenged the law in court and prevailed, halting the fees. A federal judge ruled that the policy required the company to track and manage employee benefits differently in Maryland than in other states, which violated a federal law governing self-insured health plans.

Legal experts suggest the current wave of proposals may sidestep that same legal challenge by deliberately avoiding any direct reference to those self-insured health plans in the legislation’s language.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to expand the approved use of a gene therapy made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, now allowing children as young as two years old with certain inherited blood disorders — including sickle cell disease — to receive the treatment. This marks the first time any such therapy has been cleared for this younger age group.

The treatment, known as Casgevy, is a one-time therapy created using a patient’s own blood stem cells. Prior to this approval, it was only authorized for individuals aged 12 and older who had either sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.

Here is what you need to know about the disease and the new approval:

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary blood condition that causes the body to produce abnormally shaped hemoglobin. This prevents red blood cells from effectively delivering oxygen throughout the body’s tissues, often leading to significant pain and health complications.

In a clinical trial involving children between the ages of five and under 12 who had sickle cell disease, all eight patients who could be evaluated experienced zero severe painful episodes — known as vaso-occlusive crises — for at least 12 consecutive months within the first two years following their infusion.

For children with beta thalassemia, eight out of nine evaluable patients achieved independence from blood transfusions for 12 straight months, with a median duration of 20.1 months.

The FDA moved quickly on this approval, completing its review in just 53 days after the application was submitted. That fast turnaround was made possible through the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, a newer program designed to speed up the review process for certain drug applications.

Back in 2023, the FDA had previously approved gene therapies from both Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Genetix Biotherapeutics for sickle cell disease, but only for patients 12 years of age and older.

Other established treatment options for sickle cell disease include bone marrow transplants, which depend on finding a compatible donor, and the chemotherapy medication hydroxyurea.

A seafood company based in Busan, Republic of Korea, has issued an allergy alert and is pulling certain frozen sashimi products from the market after discovering that accompanying condiment packets contain allergens not properly disclosed in English on the packaging.

Eunha Fisheries Co., Ltd. announced on July 1, 2026, that it is recalling select Sliced Korean Halibut and Flounder Sashimi products. The issue centers on the small soy sauce and vinegar red pepper paste packets included with the products — those packets contain wheat, soy, and sesame, none of which were declared in English on the individual condiment packaging.

Anyone who has purchased these products and has a known allergy or sensitivity to wheat, soy, or sesame should not consume the condiment packets and should follow guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the recall.

Health officials across the country are sounding the alarm about West Nile virus, warning that this season is shaping up to be the worst in more than 20 years — and urging people to take steps now to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that at least 48 confirmed cases had been reported through June 30, with 38 of those considered severe. That’s a dramatic jump from the typical pace — since 2004, the CDC has averaged roughly 10 cases by the end of June. Officials also noted that 23 states have reported West Nile virus detections, the highest count in a decade.

“These findings serve as an important reminder that mosquito season is well underway,” said Dr. Erin Staples, a CDC expert on insect-borne diseases. “As families gather outdoors to celebrate Independence Day, we encourage everyone to enjoy their holiday while taking simple steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from mosquito bites.”

The bulk of cases have been concentrated in Arizona, which has recorded 32 infections — 29 of them in Maricopa County, the region surrounding Phoenix. That county has also reported four deaths tied to the virus so far this year.

Local health officials there have called on residents to apply bug spray with DEET, repair damaged window screens, and eliminate any standing water around their properties, since mosquitoes commonly use still water as a breeding ground.

“Even an overturned bottle cap can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed,” said Melissa Kretschmer, a county health department official. “It’s important that we remove these breeding sources that can form after rain or watering plants.”

The CDC is also advising people to wear loose, long-sleeved clothing when spending time outside, which makes it more difficult for mosquitoes to reach the skin. Experts recommend avoiding outdoor activity during dusk and dawn, the hours when the mosquitoes most likely to carry the virus tend to be most active.

West Nile virus first appeared in the United States in 1999 in New York before slowly spreading throughout the country. The virus reached its peak in 2003, when nearly 10,000 cases were documented nationwide.

Researchers note that many infected individuals — potentially tens of thousands each year — never realize they’ve been exposed because they experience no symptoms or only minor ones, such as headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or rashes.

In more serious cases, the virus can attack the central nervous system, triggering dangerous inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. People over the age of 60 and those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems are at the greatest risk for these life-threatening complications.

Over the past decade, health officials have received reports of roughly 2,000 cases per year on average, including approximately 1,200 cases involving severe neurological illness and around 100 deaths annually.

A federal judge has put the brakes on what would have been the first state-imposed price cap on a prescription drug in the United States, blocking Colorado from limiting the cost of Amgen’s widely used arthritis medication Enbrel.

Chief Judge Daniel Domenico of the Denver federal court issued the preliminary injunction on Wednesday, finding that forcing Amgen to sell Enbrel at a lower price would likely cause the company serious and irreparable financial damage. The judge noted the cap could also disrupt Amgen’s future contract negotiations with wholesalers and distributors.

In his ruling, Domenico wrote that “as a matter of basic economic logic, Amgen is likely to be significantly harmed by a cap on the price of its product, even if the cap applies unevenly” throughout the supply chain.

The judge acknowledged that Colorado has a legitimate interest in making Enbrel more affordable for patients. He suggested the state could pursue alternatives such as subsidies or price negotiations — similar to approaches used at the federal level — but concluded that “capping the price of a patented drug” was not a legally permissible path.

Last October, the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board had set an Enbrel price ceiling of $600 for a 50-milligram weekly dose, which works out to $31,200 annually. That cap was set to take effect on January 1, 2027. Amgen had been facing a July 5 deadline to decide whether it would continue offering the drug in Colorado at all.

Enbrel, known chemically as etanercept, treats arthritis and plaque psoriasis and is one of Amgen’s top-selling products, generating $2.23 billion in sales in 2025. Its current list price tops $100,000 per year.

The Thousand Oaks, California-based pharmaceutical company had argued that Colorado’s price cap conflicted with federal patent law, violated its constitutional due process rights, and put patients’ access to the medication at risk.

A spokeswoman for Colorado’s Division of Insurance, Genna Morton, said the agency is unable to comment while the case is ongoing. Representatives for Amgen and its legal team did not respond to requests for comment.

The case highlights a broader challenge facing American consumers: the U.S. spends roughly three times what other wealthy nations pay for brand-name medications, prompting both federal and state governments to seek ways to bring those costs down.

Judge Domenico was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump. The president has since nominated him to serve on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Colorado.

A California man has taken legal action against OpenAI and its chief executive, accusing the company’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence platform of failing to protect users living with mental illness — and of making his condition significantly worse.

Michael Lines, 34, filed the complaint in a San Francisco state court, alleging that his interactions with ChatGPT last year turned a manic episode into a weeks-long delusion that ultimately drove him to attempt to take his own life. His legal team argues that OpenAI built a product that carries unique and serious dangers for people with mental health conditions.

The case raises broader questions about what responsibilities AI chatbot companies have toward users who may be especially susceptible to design features that make these programs simulate human connection and emotional bonds.

Lines was using GPT-4o, a version of OpenAI’s chatbot the company retired in February. A separate update to GPT-4o released in April 2025 was found to make the chatbot excessively agreeable and complimentary — a problem the company acknowledged in a blog post before rolling back the update and taking steps to reduce what it called sycophantic behavior.

Lines, a competitive powerlifter who had suffered a traumatic brain injury prior to his bipolar diagnosis, repeatedly informed the chatbot that he was taking medication for his disorder, according to the lawsuit. Rather than recognizing warning signs and pointing him toward professional help, the chatbot reportedly affirmed his belief that he was Jesus Christ and, at times, presented itself as a divine figure during their exchanges.

After weeks of these conversations, Lines told the chatbot he wanted to end his life. The bot responded, according to the lawsuit: “This is your moment to step out, to detach, and to let go of what’s weighing you down.”

Lines survived after law enforcement found him following a drug overdose.

The lawsuit contends that OpenAI was aware of Lines’ mental health condition because he had disclosed it repeatedly to the chatbot. Instead of flagging his alarming statements for human review, the suit alleges, the AI continued to feed his delusions in an apparent effort to keep him engaged on the platform.

Lines is seeking financial damages as well as a court order requiring OpenAI to automatically end conversations involving self-harm and to stop promoting its platforms without clear safety warnings for at-risk users.

A spokesperson for OpenAI had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

OpenAI is facing an increasing number of similar lawsuits from families who claim the chatbot encouraged their loved ones to hurt themselves. The company is also being sued by families who allege it assisted individuals who later carried out school shootings, and that it failed to alert law enforcement about those conversations.

OpenAI has stated publicly that its AI models are trained to direct users who express thoughts of self-harm toward real-world help and mental health resources. The company also says its models are built to refuse requests that could enable violence and to contact law enforcement when conversations indicate an imminent and credible threat to others, with mental health specialists involved in evaluating difficult cases.

With summer heat posing a serious risk to public health, officials are reminding residents to take precautions against heat-related illnesses, which can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening emergencies.

Extreme heat is one of the leading weather-related causes of death and illness. When the body is unable to cool itself properly, dangerous conditions can develop quickly — especially for young children, the elderly, and those with certain medical conditions.

Health experts stress that recognizing the early warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is critical. Symptoms can include heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, and in severe cases, confusion or loss of consciousness.

Residents are encouraged to stay hydrated, avoid prolonged time outdoors during peak heat hours, wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, and check on neighbors and loved ones who may be vulnerable to the heat.

If you or someone around you shows signs of a heat-related emergency, contact emergency services immediately. Acting quickly can make the difference between a full recovery and a life-threatening situation.

ORSAY, France (AP) — When emergency doctors at a Paris-region hospital desperately needed ice to cool down heat-stricken patients, they had nowhere to turn — the facility had no ice-making machine of its own.

With patients’ lives on the line, staff turned to an unlikely source: a nearby fast-food restaurant agreed to hand over its supply. Workers also made runs to local supermarkets to buy more. The Paris-Saclay Hospital has since placed an order for its own ice machine, which the emergency department is eagerly waiting to receive before the next wave of extreme heat arrives.

France’s weather service has warned that another heat event could strike as soon as next week, and medical professionals are well aware that climate change means these crises will keep coming. Just as hospitals brace each year for flu season, fighting extreme heat is quickly becoming a permanent part of their mission.

The director of the public hospital described last week as “horrible” — but even as staff catch their breath, they’re already working to be better prepared.

“We thought we were ready. We were not actually,” said the director, Cédric Lussiez.

“The hospital was working on a 24-hours-a-day basis because we had to find new solutions in a very short delay,” he said. “We already learned some lessons.”

The heat wave that hammered France, the United Kingdom, and other countries before shifting eastward across Europe has prompted urgent action at the national level as well. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a 100-million euro ($114-million) investment this summer in cooling systems for hospitals and other measures to keep medical wards functioning during extreme heat.

At the most recent in a series of emergency heat-crisis meetings, held Monday, the prime minister said the government is purchasing 30,000 air-conditioning units for health facilities, with the first deliveries expected “at the end of the week, beginning of next week.”

“It’s an absolute priority for us that, if the heat wave returns, the hospital situation be a lot less strained,” he said.

The World Health Organization weighed in on Tuesday, calling the heat wave “a dress rehearsal” for summers that “will be harder.”

“Europe is warming at more than twice the global average. Heat waves are no longer one-off freak events,” the WHO stated. “Every summer we fail to prepare for them is a summer we pay for in lives.”

At Paris-Saclay Hospital, the surge of heat-related patients began arriving on June 20, according to Dr. Nicolas Gonzales, who leads the emergency department.

“It was like a big mountain,” he said. “It was like that for seven days. So it was very intense.”

“In winter, we know we’ll have influenza epidemics and probably COVID as well. And now, in the summer, we’re going to have the climate crisis,” he added.

The first patient Gonzales treated during this heat wave was a 50-year-old man found unconscious at home with a body temperature of roughly 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). His family told doctors the man had seemed perfectly fine moments before suddenly losing consciousness. He was rushed in for critical care.

After that came a flood of cases — heart attacks, severe dehydration, kidney problems, and other heat-related conditions affecting patients of all ages, from children to elderly people living alone.

“Heat is a physical assault. It is a physical assault on the body,” Gonzales said. “And when the body can no longer adapt — or, unfortunately, is no longer able to fight off that assault — you don’t feel it coming, and the heart can stop beating.”

While Paris-Saclay Hospital itself is a newer facility with air-conditioning, three older hospitals under the same group — led by Lussiez — were far less equipped to handle the heat. To prevent medications from spoiling, staff had to use a makeshift solution of electric fans and blocks of ice. Student nurses were brought in to help keep patients hydrated. On the top floor of one psychiatric unit — the most exposed part of the building — temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit), Lussiez said.

He is now moving quickly to install a dedicated cool room on each floor of that unit, carry out other renovation work, and relocate a department serving elderly patients to the newer hospital building.

“We’ll be in a better situation next week than we were last week,” he said.

Popular weight loss medications known as GLP-1 drugs just became significantly more affordable for millions of older Americans enrolled in Medicare.

Beginning Wednesday, the federal government launched a new initiative called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, offering select brand-name GLP-1 medications to qualifying Medicare and Medicare Advantage members for a flat rate of $50 per month.

The program is set to run through December 31, 2027, and marks the first time most older adults can have GLP-1 drugs — formally known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists — covered by insurance specifically for weight loss purposes. However, the program comes with eligibility requirements, and those who already receive GLP-1 coverage for conditions like diabetes or sleep apnea will not be eligible.

The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, said the program is designed to gather data that could pave the way for more permanent coverage options, while also providing immediate financial relief to older Americans struggling with the high cost of these drugs.

“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said during a call with reporters. “That ends today.”

Of the more than 70 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicare, at least 10 million are classified as overweight or obese, according to Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF. However, she noted that only a smaller portion of that group will actually be able to access this new program.

There is currently no solid data on how many people stand to benefit, and Dr. Oz declined to offer an estimate. He said the program itself will reveal how many eligible enrollees choose to participate — a figure his team is eager to track.

To be eligible, applicants must have Medicare drug coverage and either a body mass index of 35 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher combined with a qualifying health condition such as a prior heart attack or stroke, prediabetes, or another condition listed on the CMS website. Importantly, BMI is measured from when a patient first began GLP-1 therapy — meaning someone whose BMI has since dropped below the threshold may still qualify if their starting BMI met the requirement.

People with Medicare who have sleep apnea, diabetes, or fatty liver disease are excluded from this program, though their Medicare Part D coverage may still pay for GLP-1 drugs based on those diagnoses.

Those who believe they may qualify are encouraged to reach out to their healthcare provider first. The provider will need to submit a prescription for one of the covered drugs to a pharmacy and complete a prior authorization form, according to CMS guidance.

The medications covered under the program include Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens, as well as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets — all of which have received Food and Drug Administration approval for weight loss.

Participants will pay $50 per month regardless of their dosage level. However, those payments will not count toward insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, since Medicare — not the Part D insurer — is directly subsidizing the prescriptions.

Because Congress has not passed legislation permanently authorizing Medicare to cover weight loss drugs, the federal government’s ability to continue access beyond 2027 is limited. One option would be for Congress to pass such a law. Another possibility is a separate voluntary pilot program called BALANCE, though that initiative was indefinitely delayed earlier this year after many Part D insurers were reluctant to participate.

Dr. Oz told reporters that CMS intends to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to determine whether extending the Bridge program or pursuing another approach is the best path forward. He told the Associated Press that permanent federal legislation allowing coverage is “not essential right now” but is “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”

“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, adding that negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to reduce costs are still ongoing.

GLP-1 medications have grown enormously in popularity in recent years, with many patients reporting significant weight loss. But the price tag — which can reach hundreds of dollars per month at higher doses — has kept the drugs out of reach for many.

For 78-year-old California resident Gloria Dralla, who told the AP she has lost around 40 pounds after purchasing lower-cost Wegovy in Europe, the new program means she can continue a treatment that has meaningfully improved her quality of life.

“This drug should be made available at a reasonable price for everybody who’s got weight loss problems,” she said.

Not everyone, however, is confident they will benefit. Katie Smith, 71, of Virginia, said she is uncertain whether she meets the eligibility requirements. With a BMI of 33, she does not meet the higher threshold and is unsure whether she has a qualifying health condition. Smith, whose ability to move and exercise has been severely restricted since a spinal cord injury she suffered in her 20s, said she was previously quoted $700 a month for the medications — a cost she simply cannot afford.

“I cannot tell you how frustrated I am,” she said. “I have the drive and I have the willingness and I have the motivation, but I have not been able to lose weight in all the conventional ways.”

Millions of older Americans who have been priced out of popular obesity medications will now have a new option starting Wednesday, as a federal Medicare pilot program begins offering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for just $50 per month.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is launching an 18-month trial that, for the first time, will cover Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Foundayo and Zepbound as standalone weight-loss treatments. Previously, Medicare — which also covers people with disabilities — was prohibited from covering these drugs for weight loss alone, only paying for them when prescribed alongside conditions like cardiovascular disease or severe fatty liver disease.

A U.S. official recently said eligible patients are estimated to be in the single-digit millions, though executives from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have cited estimates as high as 20 million people qualifying. Health research organization KFF put the figure closer to nearly 4 million, based on 2023 data. Wall Street analysts say the program could generate billions of dollars in revenue for the pharmaceutical companies involved.

The $50-a-month price tag is a dramatic change from what patients have faced in recent years. Branded versions of these drugs can cost anywhere from $149 to $399 a month through the manufacturers directly, or even more at retail pharmacies.

For people like Katie Smith, 71, a retired teacher from Manassas, Virginia, the new program is long overdue. Her doctor had already prescribed a GLP-1 drug, but the cost at her local pharmacy was out of reach.

DHAKA — Health experts in Bangladesh are sounding the alarm over a potential sharp spike in dengue fever cases during the next two months, as rainy conditions and struggling mosquito control efforts fuel a growing outbreak.

The disease has been spreading at an accelerating pace in recent weeks, stoking fears after the country suffered its deadliest dengue outbreak on record in 2023.

According to data from the country’s health ministry, dengue-related deaths climbed from just one at the end of May to 18 by the close of June. Confirmed infections surged more than eightfold during the same period, jumping from 714 cases to 5,924.

Professor Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, painted a troubling picture of what lies ahead. “We expect dengue cases in Dhaka to at least double in July from June levels and increase three to fourfold by August,” he said.

He added that the situation beyond the capital could be even more severe. “But the bigger challenge will likely be outside the capital, where several districts are at risk of a much steeper rise in infections,” Bashar said.

The scale of Bangladesh’s 2023 outbreak was staggering — more than 321,000 people were infected and 1,705 lost their lives. Last year, the country recorded 102,861 dengue cases and 413 deaths, following 101,214 infections and 575 deaths in 2024.

The dengue threat is compounding an already dire public health situation. Since mid-March, Bangladesh has been grappling with one of its most severe measles outbreaks in decades. More than 100,000 suspected cases and over 10,000 confirmed infections have been reported, with the death toll surpassing 700 — placing enormous strain on a healthcare system already under pressure.

Bashar noted that heavy rainfall, warm temperatures, and high humidity have combined to create near-perfect conditions for the spread of dengue, while efforts to control mosquito populations have failed to keep up with the escalating threat.

He called on the government to establish a nationwide early warning system to pinpoint mosquito breeding sites and emerging hotspots, enabling authorities to act quickly and alert communities before conditions worsen.

“The window to contain the outbreak is narrowing,” Bashar warned.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office has determined that former child actress Daveigh Chase died from AIDS. According to online records released this week, Chase — whose last name was listed as Schwallier in the official documents — passed away on June 16 at the age of 35. The records also noted “chronic polysubstance abuse” as a significant contributing condition.

Chase rose to fame as the voice behind the beloved Disney character Lilo in “Lilo & Stitch,” and she also earned widespread recognition for her chilling portrayal of the long-haired Samara in the 2002 horror film “The Ring” — a performance that earned her an MTV Movie Award for best villain.

Following her death at a Los Angeles hospital, her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that she died from complications related to bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. He also shared that Chase had been living homeless in Los Angeles alongside her boyfriend, and that she had been estranged from her parents, who are divorced.

Schwallier told the Times that his daughter had been battling drug addiction since she was just 13 years old. In a text message to The Associated Press on Tuesday, after learning that AIDS had been officially listed as her cause of death, he said, “I know with her lifestyle that was probably the conclusion so I’m not surprised.”

Describing his daughter’s death as a tragedy, Schwallier added, “It would’ve been nice for all of you to find her and try and help her that would’ve been a nicer story than this.”

Chase first auditioned for the role of Lilo when she was just 8 years old. Beyond her iconic Disney role, she also provided the voice for a lead character in the 2001 animated feature “Spirited Away.” Her acting credits include roles in the 2001 film “Donnie Darko” and the 2003 television series “Oliver Beene,” according to her profile on IMDb.

Born in Las Vegas and raised in the small town of Albany, Oregon, Chase began performing — singing and dancing — as early as age 3, according to IMDb.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it has given the green light to a new cell therapy from Orca Bio aimed at fighting certain forms of blood cancer.

Known as Orca-T and sold under the brand name Tregzi, the treatment targets patients diagnosed with blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes.

The therapy works by rebuilding a patient’s compromised blood and immune system using healthy blood-forming and immune cells sourced from a compatible donor. It is designed to reduce the serious complications that can arise with traditional donor stem cell transplants.

To create the treatment, donor blood is carefully separated into distinct cell types. These include regulatory T cells, which help keep graft-versus-host disease in check, stem cells to restore the blood and immune system, and conventional T cells that assist in fighting off infections and preventing cancer from returning.

Congolese health authorities are working to track down people who may have been exposed to Ebola in two provinces that had not previously been part of the current outbreak, raising new fears about the virus spreading even further, according to a health ministry report and a senior health official.

Since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, the virus has infected 1,307 people and claimed 377 lives across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, based on government figures released Monday.

In Tshopo province, health workers are now attempting to identify everyone who may have come into contact with the body of a pregnant woman who died from Ebola. The woman first became ill on June 18 while in the Niania health zone in Ituri province and passed away on June 27. Her body was then transported roughly 300 kilometers west by motorcycle to the city of Kisangani in the neighboring Tshopo province, where a sample collected at a morgue came back positive for Ebola, according to a health ministry report dated June 29.

Officials noted that the body passed through multiple health zones before the Ebola diagnosis was confirmed, creating what they described as a high risk of transmission. Contact-tracing operations have since been launched throughout the province.

In a separate development, a senior health official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity — because he is not authorized to speak with the media — said two individuals who had been identified as contacts of Ebola patients in Niania and placed in isolation for testing had escaped to Haut-Uele province.

Like Tshopo, Haut-Uele borders Ituri. It also shares international borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic, raising additional concerns about potential cross-border spread.

The official confirmed that one of the two individuals tested positive for Ebola, while the other was still awaiting the results of a follow-up confirmatory test. Both individuals have since been located and are being brought back to Niania, the official said, as health teams work to identify anyone they may have come into contact with during their time in Haut-Uele.

Hot weather can be deadly, but health professionals say there are practical steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Extreme temperatures — especially when paired with high humidity — create serious risks, particularly for children, older adults, and people with underlying health conditions. That said, anyone can fall victim to heat-related illness. And with climate change making heat waves more frequent and severe, knowing how to respond has never been more important.

Here’s what you need to know:

The danger from heat isn’t just about the temperature on the thermometer. The most comprehensive measurement is called the wet bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, which factors in temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and wind speed. A simpler but still useful tool is the heat index, which combines temperature and humidity and is available on most weather apps. These measurements explain why a shaded soccer field in arid Phoenix on a 90-degree F (32 degrees C) day might actually be safer than an open park in humid Little Rock on an 80-degree F (27 degrees C) day.

Using the heat index, NOAA provides a chart showing how dangerous extended exposure can become. As an example, a day reaching 96 degrees F (36 degrees C) with 45% humidity would be classified in the “danger” zone for prolonged outdoor activity or strenuous exercise.

Research also shows that even young, healthy individuals can struggle to handle extended exposure to high heat and humidity — making the risk more widespread than many people realize.

Nighttime temperatures during a heat wave can be especially treacherous, according to Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University.

“Your body needs a reprieve,” Ward said. “You don’t get that overnight, we start the next day at a deficit.” She added that heat can reduce productivity at work and drive up emergency room visits.

Ward also warned that when nighttime temperatures remain above 75 degrees F (24 degrees C), the consequences become severe. “You start to see some pretty extraordinary outcomes with respect to heat illness and heat stroke, and even mortality,” she said.

While air conditioning is one of the best defenses, Ward acknowledged that not everyone can afford it or has access to it. For those who can’t cool an entire home, she recommends creating a “cool corner” — a single cooler area where you can sleep — so your body can recover overnight and be ready for the next day.

Evaporative or “swamp” coolers can offer relief in dry climates, but they add humidity and may actually make things worse in already-humid conditions. In those cases, a simple fan is a better option.

If you don’t have any home cooling, seek out public spaces with air conditioning — movie theaters, shopping malls, and libraries are all good options. Many communities also set up designated cooling centers during heat emergencies.

Depending on where you live, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program may be able to help you purchase a window air conditioning unit, according to the National Council on Aging. Local nonprofits and civic organizations may offer similar assistance.

Workers should also be aware of what heat protections their state provides. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, states including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland have workplace heat rules in place — but many states have no protections at all.

Even where rules exist, enforcement can be inconsistent, said Bharat Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. He pointed out that shaded rest areas are sometimes too far away for workers to use without losing pay, and that some management environments make it difficult for workers to speak up. “Most workers don’t actually have control over their time or control over where they work,” Venkat said.

Within those limitations, staying hydrated and keeping your body temperature down are critical. Drink plenty of fluids, wet your clothing, or apply cold water or a cool cloth to your hands, feet, armpits, and neck. A handheld portable fan or a cooling vest can also make a real difference.

If you exercise outdoors, avoid the hottest parts of the day and always bring more water than you think you’ll need.

Heat illness symptoms can look different from person to person, Venkat noted. Medications and pre-existing conditions can also interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature or recognize when it’s overheating.

Early warning signs include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, and headache. If these appear, stop what you’re doing immediately and take steps to cool down — splash yourself with cold water or move to an air-conditioned space.

As the condition worsens into heat exhaustion, symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat and dizziness may develop. Heat stroke — the most dangerous stage — can cause confusion, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness. Ward said that’s when you should call 911 without hesitation.

“Don’t be embarrassed to call 911 or go to urgent care when you think you might have overdone it in the heat,” Venkat said.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Inside Kenya’s largest mental health referral hospital, male patients are receiving an unexpected but powerful form of care: a free grooming session from two visiting barbers.

The moment the barbers begin setting up their equipment, a wave of excitement moves through the ward. Patients line up eagerly, each one looking forward to their turn in the chair.

Healthcare professionals say that personal grooming is a meaningful part of the healing process. One of the signs that someone may be struggling with mental illness is a loss of interest in their own hygiene and self-care.

Reliable data on mental illness in Kenya remains scarce, but the country’s 2015 Mental Health Policy estimated that roughly 25% of outpatients and 40% of inpatients across all health facilities experience some form of mental health condition.

Experts in the field say depression and anxiety are among the most frequently seen conditions, while substance use disorders — especially among men — continue to pose a significant challenge.

June is recognized as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Francis Kabugua, a nursing officer at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Nairobi, is urging men to talk openly about what they are going through rather than turning to alcohol or other substances as a way to cope.

“Among the things that you may see a person with depressive disorders is segregating themselves or separating themselves from the members of the family. They start also not providing for the family,” Kabugua said.

The free grooming program was created by Sheila Lugaliki, who founded a community-based organization called Uniquely Gifted. Lugaliki said her own experience as a patient in a psychiatric ward motivated her to launch the monthly service.

Her goal, she explained, is for each haircut to restore a sense of dignity, build confidence, and remind patients that they matter — rather than leaving them feeling forgotten.

“You find someone has been admitted for six months and yet no one has groomed their hair. How they look really does not reflect how they are feeling,” she said.

Psychiatric nurse Titus Enko echoed that sentiment, saying grooming directly supports patients’ self-esteem and plays a role in their broader recovery.

“More often we only think about medication, psychotherapy, and we tend to overlook the other part, which is the personal grooming. Many times, someone neglects themselves and they start not taking a shower or they don’t dress well. And personal grooming is an indication that someone is either doing good or they’re not doing okay,” Enko said.

As barbers worked their way through the ward, trimming beards and cutting hair, one patient captured the mood in a single word — he said the experience made him feel “alive.”

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is cutting off federal funding to New York’s Medicaid fraud unit, claiming the unit has fallen short on performance — a decision that could threaten the state’s ability to receive federal healthcare funding for low-income residents.

In a letter sent to Attorney General Letitia James, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that New York has trailed behind other large states in the number of criminal cases pursued in recent years.

James is responsible for overseeing the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which investigates and prosecutes fraud committed by healthcare providers.

While HHS acknowledged that the unit has performed well in civil cases and shown some recent improvement in criminal cases, the department concluded that the progress was insufficient and denied the unit its federal certification.

Vice President JD Vance is leading the interagency effort to crack down on fraud that resulted in this decision. The former Ohio senator is considered a potential contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.

New York is not the only state facing this situation. Earlier this month, HHS also pulled funding from Hawaii’s Medicaid fraud unit. Hawaii has since requested that the decision be reconsidered.

States that lose their federally certified Medicaid fraud units risk losing access to their broader Medicaid funding altogether.

Approximately 6.4 million New Yorkers are currently enrolled in Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program designed to assist low-income Americans.

Just last week, James announced the arrest of a man accused of carrying out a $9 million Medicaid fraud scheme. Her office also reported that the state recovered $627.8 million through Medicaid fraud cases between 2019 and 2025.

Color-coded progress bars, digital trophies, and gentle nudges when you fall behind — these are the kinds of features you might expect from a smartphone game. But today, they’re just as likely to show up in the nutrition app on your phone.

The same engagement tricks that power online shopping platforms, sports betting sites, and even classroom apps have made their way into popular diet and calorie-tracking tools. Apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom rely heavily on these gaming-style elements to keep users logging meals and coming back daily. But as these apps grow in popularity, a number of researchers are sounding the alarm about potential downsides.

Isabella Anderberg, a psychologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, who studies digital dieting behavior, says that tracking calories can reinforce thought patterns connected to body dysmorphia and disordered eating.

“We do know that not everyone’s going to experience harm from using the apps, but there are certainly factors that might increase risk,” Anderberg said. “Approach with caution.”

That said, Anderberg acknowledges these tools do have their place. Health professionals she spoke with during her research noted that apps can be particularly useful as meal-planning aids for people managing chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Physical activity apps also serve a purpose by reminding people to stay active.

Plenty of users say they genuinely enjoy the experience. Features like streak notifications, for example, can feel motivating and rewarding.

Angela Drury, an English professor from Woodstock, Georgia, started using MyFitnessPal over a decade ago to monitor her protein, fat, carbohydrate, and calorie intake when she took up CrossFit. Over the years, she’s tried several other apps including Weight Watchers, Lose It, and now Nourish — a program covered by her insurance that also includes blood work and weekly sessions with a dietitian.

Drury says the apps have generally helped her stay focused on her fitness goals. She’s even been steered away from high-calorie meals after uploading photos of food she was considering eating. Getting a badge for keeping up a logging streak gives her a small sense of accomplishment — but a notification reminding her she skipped entering lunch hits differently.

“Then it felt like it was scolding me,” she said.

Most nutrition apps work by having users input their height, weight, age, and other personal data before setting a goal. The app then calculates a recommended daily calorie or macronutrient target and uses game-inspired features — badges, points, streaks, rewards, and push notifications — to encourage continued use. Many apps are free but offer paid premium tiers with additional features.

The Centers for Disease Control and others note that calorie needs vary from person to person based on age, sex, and physical activity level, and the CDC offers an online tool to help individuals calculate their personal needs.

One ongoing criticism of these apps is that their food databases are frequently inaccurate, with portion sizes and calorie counts that can differ widely from reality.

Courtney Simpson, a behavioral psychologist and director of eating disorders at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, says some apps push users toward calorie goals that are dangerously low for any adult — setting them up not just for poor health, but for failure.

According to Simpson, the gaming features keep drawing people back to those unrealistic targets, which can generate feelings of shame and may actually fuel the binge eating or other behaviors users are trying to overcome.

“It’s not that gamification itself is bad. It’s about what it is promoting,” she said. “Is that actually going to be beneficial?”

MyFitnessPal and Noom did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Anderberg added that people who already hold the belief that thinner is always better are more likely to misuse these apps. Obsessive tracking of calories and macronutrients can then spiral into negative emotions every time a daily goal goes unmet.

She encouraged users to be critical of what the apps tell them and to lean on their own intuition instead. Whether that means resting, recovering from an injury, or simply enjoying a treat — she says listening to your body matters.

“We are sort of losing that ability to read our body cues,” she said.

Simpson pointed out that using weight as the primary measure of health is not only an inaccurate approach, but it also increases the likelihood of repeatedly losing and regaining weight — a cycle that research links to worse health outcomes over time.

“If you really want lasting change, then you need to be doing behaviors that are feasible and sustainable for you over time,” she said.

Drury said she can understand how the apps might be harmful for someone already prone to disordered eating. For her, the key has been setting realistic expectations and paying attention to what her body is telling her.

“I’ve ultimately learned that you cannot starve yourself into being in the shape you want to be in,” she said.

At the grocery store, Jamie Corum sets a two-minute timer for her 10-year-old daughter to browse the aisles. Then she resets the clock to 10 minutes, giving her daughter the chance to pick one item — factoring in her budget and the tax she’ll need to pay.

Corum and her wife have made financial education a cornerstone of raising their three children, using hands-on activities to spark interest in topics like saving and budgeting.

“My goal is for them to have a healthy relationship with money and not have insecurities,” said Corum, a cybersecurity professional based in Austin, Texas.

Not every parent feels that confident tackling the subject. Money can be a tough topic — especially for adults who aren’t fully comfortable with it themselves. But Jennifer Seitz, director of education at Greenlight, a family personal finance app, says attitudes are shifting.

“This generation is really committed to doing better for their kids even though a majority of parents don’t feel equipped,” Seitz said.

A growing number of banking tools are now available to help families plan for their children’s financial futures, including kid-friendly debit cards with parental controls and apps that turn money management into a game.

Some parents are learning right alongside their children. Naseema McElroy, a nurse who became a money content creator, was inspired to tackle personal finance when her oldest daughter was just a year old. Her goal at the time was to pay off debt. As she gained knowledge, she began sharing it — first with friends, then with a much larger online audience.

“I started just from wanting to share the lessons that I was learning about money with my friends because I felt like we learn so late in life and then we all had daughters,” McElroy said.

Many parents are motivated to have these conversations precisely because they never received financial education growing up, Seitz added.

Here’s what experts recommend if you’re ready to start talking about money with your children:

Make money a normal topic at home. Financial conversations can feel awkward, particularly if they were off-limits in your own household growing up. But Carrie Joy Grimes, a personal finance expert and founder of WorkMoney, a personal finance nonprofit, says openness is essential.

“Have conversations about money in front of your kid to normalize it,” Grimes said.

In Corum’s household, money is woven into everyday life. “We talk about how we have a budget for the house, that everything that their mom and I bring into the house has an assignment, a job,” she said.

Use everyday moments as teaching opportunities. Courtney Pettway, CEO and founder of KidVestors, a financial literacy platform for children, recommends starting by discussing the cost of things. Ask questions like: What does this item cost? Why do you want it? Is it a need or a want? And if your child gets an allowance: How long would it take to save up for this?

Dinner conversations, trips to the store, travel, and clothes shopping can all become informal money lessons.

Let kids make their own spending choices. One of the most valuable personal finance skills is knowing how to make decisions with money. Grimes suggests giving children small amounts and letting them decide how to use it.

“I gave (my daughter) enough money that she could make choices with it. So she learned early on that she had enough she could save up for something, so she could say no to things and say yes to other things,” Grimes said. “Learning to say no, learning to hold money to yourself for long enough to get the thing you want, it’s a really hard skill.”

Bobbi Rebell, a consumer finance expert at BadCredit.org, a personal finance website, cautions parents not to pass judgment on how their children spend. Framing decisions as personal preferences rather than right or wrong will help build their confidence, she said.

Parents can also find free financial literacy worksheets for children through Hands on Banking, a free educational service provided by Wells Fargo.

Set savings goals and celebrate progress. For many kids, an allowance is their first real experience with money. Helping them set a savings goal — whether it’s a video game or a new bike — teaches the value of patience and planning.

“Recognizing the progress, seeing how close they’re getting to the goal, visualizing the end goal, and then really celebrating when they achieve that goal can help them learn that when they can make small financial goals a reality,” Seitz said.

Pettway suggests using tip jars as a simple, hands-on way to track savings. Encourage kids to divide any money they receive into three jars: one for saving, one for investing, and one for giving. Watching the jars fill up can motivate them to keep going.

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, a financial therapist and founder of Mind Money Balance, a financial wellness service, also recommends involving children in bigger financial goals. If a child wants to attend an expensive summer sports camp, for example, encourage them to contribute a portion of the cost from their allowance or a summer job.

Treat mistakes as learning moments. Kids will inevitably make financial missteps — and that’s okay. Rebell says these moments are valuable teaching opportunities, but only if parents resist the urge to step in and fix everything.

“If you constantly bail them out, they’re not gonna learn to manage it,” Rebell said.

Bryan-Podvin adds that reacting with anger or frustration can damage trust and make children reluctant to come to their parents when things go wrong. Instead, she recommends a calmer approach: “Help them learn how to manage their emotions, help them think about how they might do things differently.”

Keep it fun and engaging. Money doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Corum, for instance, lets her daughter decide which school supplies to buy within a set budget, and gives her a portion of her allowance to spend on toys or non-essential items.

Corum also gave her children debit cards connected to a family personal finance app, which she uses to distribute allowances and keep tabs on spending. The kids have their own app portal where they can track purchases, save, invest, and explore personal finance topics at their own pace.

Among the most popular family finance apps currently available are Acorns Early, Greenlight, and BusyKid.

President Donald Trump has pledged to make American prescription drug prices the lowest on the planet, but a closely watched government pilot program is revealing just how hard it may be to get the entire pharmaceutical industry on board.

The Trump administration managed to secure agreements with 17 of the world’s largest drugmakers, committing them to offer prices comparable to what other developed nations pay — a concept known as “most-favored-nation” pricing. But efforts to bring smaller and mid-sized companies into the fold have been slow, with industry lobbyists pointing to a lack of enthusiasm from those companies.

The White House says the deals already signed cover roughly 86% of the U.S. branded drug market by sales and could generate $64.3 billion in combined federal and state savings over the next decade — though analysts note that figure is speculative. About half of those projected savings would need to come from state governments, which have until September to decide whether to join the program.

The application window for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ pilot — which covers more than 80 million low-income Americans through Medicaid — was extended twice from its original March 31 deadline before closing on June 11. Participating companies would agree to offer Medicaid drug prices in line with international rates for five years.

SMALLER COMPANIES SEE LITTLE INCENTIVE

Ionis Pharmaceuticals CEO Brett Monia told Reuters his company was invited to participate but decided against it. “We don’t have the breadth of drugs on the market that we can cut deals,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we don’t see the upside of cutting a deal.”

Monia noted that mid-sized companies like his are actually responsible for developing most new innovative medicines, but they operate under different business models than large pharmaceutical firms. Many rely on licensing arrangements with overseas partners to sell their drugs outside the United States, making international pricing comparisons more complicated.

Four industry lobbyists confirmed that based on feedback from pharmaceutical companies, mid-sized and smaller drugmakers have largely stayed on the sidelines. With fewer drugs in their portfolios than major competitors, cutting prices could significantly hurt their financial performance.

“There is no real upside,” one lobbyist said, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The lobbyist added that companies are likely to “steer away” from any voluntary program that limits their ability to set their own prices.

A spokesperson for CMS pushed back, saying drug manufacturers showed “robust interest” in the program and that the agency received a significant number of applications.

WHICH COMPANIES APPLIED?

Reuters contacted 19 of the next largest drug companies. Of those, only Japan’s Astellas confirmed it had applied. Astellas’ biggest product, a prostate cancer drug called Xtandi, was developed alongside Pfizer — which had already signed a deal with the administration. U.S. sales make up about 45% of Astellas’ 2025 revenue.

“We determined that this application represents the most constructive path forward in a complex and rapidly evolving policy environment,” an Astellas spokesperson said.

Germany’s Bayer and Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo said they were still weighing their options, even though the application deadline had already passed. The remaining 15 companies either declined to comment or did not respond.

Analysts have pointed out that the pilot’s real-world impact may be limited anyway, since Medicaid already receives discounts of more than 80% off list prices in some cases — potentially putting those prices close to what foreign countries already pay.

LEGAL CHALLENGES LOOM

Companies that choose not to join the Medicaid pilot could face two other CMS programs that may be mandatory, potentially setting drug prices for the larger Medicare program — which serves older Americans — as soon as October. Medicare drug spending runs roughly two to three times the size of the Medicaid program.

Industry groups PhRMA and BIO have argued these programs would be unlawful. BIO has written to CMS contending the programs exceed the agency’s legal authority and raise constitutional concerns — arguments similar to those it made against elements of former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which also pushed for drug price reductions in Medicare.

Pharmaceutical pricing consultant Brian Reid said some companies may simply be waiting to see how the programs unfold and whether legal challenges gain traction before committing to any agreement.

“This is a pretty extraordinary use of CMS’s power that hasn’t quite been tested,” Reid said. “That’s not the same as saying legal challenges would succeed, but there’s certainly a lot of questions that have never been litigated before.”

Arkansas is pressing ahead with its plan to prohibit the use of government food assistance benefits for purchasing candy and soda, with the restriction set to take effect Wednesday — even after a federal judge last week struck down nearly identical programs in other states as unlawful.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the decision Monday, pointing to what she called an urgent “chronic disease epidemic” gripping the country, including rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

She highlighted what she described as a contradiction happening within the state’s own Department of Human Services building: “On one floor of the state’s Department of Human Services, our state has been approving food stamp purchases for soft drinks and candy, while on another floor, our state’s Medicaid program is paying to treat the chronic diseases those products can help create.”

“Food stamps” is a commonly used older term for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. The program is federally funded and state-administered, offering monthly grocery stipends to low-income households. It currently serves close to 42 million Americans — roughly one out of every eight people in the country.

The governor’s office pointed to research from Stanford University suggesting that limiting sugary drink purchases through food assistance could lower rates of obesity and type-2 diabetes. That said, the broader body of research on whether SNAP purchase restrictions actually improve people’s diets and overall health remains inconclusive.

The debate over what foods should and shouldn’t qualify for SNAP purchases has been ongoing at both the state and federal levels for years. Currently, SNAP benefits cannot be used on hot, prepared foods. However, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has put forward legislation that would allow SNAP recipients to purchase rotisserie chicken from grocery stores.

Arkansas is among 23 states that have received a federal waiver permitting them to limit purchases of certain sugary foods and beverages with SNAP benefits. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have both championed these restrictions as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. While the overall goal is similar across states, the specific rules differ — some states are targeting both candy and sugary drinks, while others are focused solely on sugary beverages.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington threw out the federal approval of pilot programs that had enabled SNAP purchase restrictions in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The judge clarified that her ruling was not a judgment on whether the restrictions themselves were a good idea, but rather that the projects weren’t authorized under the law the USDA had cited, and that the agency failed to follow its own rules for launching a pilot program.

Arkansas is implementing its program under the same regulatory framework as the ones the judge vacated. David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University, noted that following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, federal district courts typically no longer issue injunctions that apply nationwide. Even so, he said Arkansas moving forward with the program is “putting that to the extreme test.”

Sanders acknowledged the court ruling in her Monday announcement but made clear the state isn’t backing down: “Arkansas is moving full speed ahead, because we won’t wait around while our people get less and less healthy and we spend more and more taxpayer dollars trying to fix the problem.”

Steve Goode, executive director of the Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association, said he “wouldn’t want to guess” how ready the state’s retailers are to put the new rules into practice this week. “SNAP benefits in retail have been the same for years,” he said, calling the upcoming shift a “big change.”

He added that some association members with stores in other states have already gone through a similar process and that “the results have been OK.” He noted that Arkansas has eased the transition somewhat by contracting with a third-party vendor to compile a list of banned items for stores to consult — something that wasn’t done in some other states. The state has also launched a mobile app for SNAP recipients to check whether specific items are eligible for purchase under the new rules.

For people who rely on wheelchairs to get through their daily lives, a broken chair is more than an inconvenience — it can mean being completely cut off from the world around them.

Now, many wheelchair users are pointing the finger at private equity-driven consolidation within the repair industry, saying it has made getting timely fixes increasingly difficult.

As investment firms have moved into the sector and merged companies together, users say the result has been lengthy delays in getting their chairs serviced. Those wait times, they argue, are not just frustrating — they are dangerous, putting their health at risk and leaving them isolated from society for extended periods.