Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines: Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
- DRC’s Ebola-hit towns under confinement as cases tick upTimes Live Towns affected by Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) latest Ebola outbreak have erected checkpoints to restrict population movements, officials said this week, as cases increased slightly and aid workers warned that the response was underfunded. DRC’s health ministry last week declared the country’s first Ebola outbreak in three years, with 28 suspected cases… Read more: DRC’s Ebola-hit towns under confinement as cases tick up
- Two deaths suspected of being linked to Ebola virus disease in KikwitLink to article in French (machine translated to English) An alert has been issued in the town of Kikwit, capital of Kwilu province, after two deaths with signs suggestive of the Ebola virus were recorded at the Kikwit General Reference Hospital (HGR). According to information obtained from a local source, the first case involved a… Read more: Two deaths suspected of being linked to Ebola virus disease in Kikwit
- Red Cross responds as deadly Ebola resurfaces in DRC’s Kasaï Province after 17 yearsIFRC The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially declared a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Kasaï Province. This marks the country’s 16th recorded Ebola epidemic and the first in this region since 2008. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in coordination… Read more: Red Cross responds as deadly Ebola resurfaces in DRC’s Kasaï Province after 17 years
- Ebola Outbreak in the DRC: Current SituationCDC On September 4, 2025, the DRC Ministry of Public Health officially declared an outbreak of Ebola in Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province. This is the 16th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was discovered there in 1976. As of September 10, 2025, there are 58 people with suspected or confirmed… Read more: Ebola Outbreak in the DRC: Current Situation
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- H1N1 Flu Pandemic of 2009 May Be Protecting Against Bird FluJAMA New animal research suggests that the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 may have provided the public some protection against illness during the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has affected wild birds, poultry, dairy cattle, and other mammals. Between March 2024 and July 2025, there have been 70 confirmed bird flu cases among people in the US and 1 death. But most… Read more: H1N1 Flu Pandemic of 2009 May Be Protecting Against Bird Flu
- Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in SealsNYT If the results are promising, veterinarians hope to give the shots to wild Hawaiian monk seals, which are endangered. Wildlife veterinarians have begun testing bird flu vaccines in marine mammals, which have suffered enormous losses in the ongoing global outbreak. The first trial, which began in July, is tiny, enrolling just six northern elephant seals that were already… Read more: Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
- Lessons from HPAI in dairy cattle: Preparing for the next disease outbreakOhio Country Journal In 2017, as I was preparing for the board exam for the College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, I spent long days buried in textbooks and long evenings in small-group discussions about hypothetical disease outbreaks. These tabletop scenarios covered everything from foot-and-mouth disease to zoonotic threats, and one in particular still sticks with… Read more: Lessons from HPAI in dairy cattle: Preparing for the next disease outbreak
- Covid-19 falls off list of top 10 causes of death in U.S.STAT Death rates declined overall, but not for leading killers heart disease and cancer. Covid-19 fell out of the top 10 causes of death in the United States in 2024, according to new data released Wednesday, and the estimated overall mortality rate declined to its lowest level since… Read more: Covid-19 falls off list of top 10 causes of death in U.S.
- Health Officials Hunt for Cases Connecting Covid Shot and Harm in Pregnant WomenMSN op health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are compiling examples of harmful effects of Covid shots on pregnant women to share with the public, people familiar with the matter said, furthering the administration’s scrutiny of vaccines and a debate with GOP lawmakers over their… Read more: Health Officials Hunt for Cases Connecting Covid Shot and Harm in Pregnant Women
- Are You Ready for Measles’ Wrath?Med Page Today Going forward, expect the unexpected. Not all patients will be children. Paul Natterson, MD, was very sick — and scared. One day, the 26-year-old intern was seeing patients at a county hospital and attending a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The next morning, he was so fatigued he could barely walk. High… Read more: Are You Ready for Measles’ Wrath?
- IOM Expands Support to Contain Mpox Threat in West and Central AfricaIOM The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is ramping up its efforts to contain the spread of Mpox in West and Central Africa, reinforcing border health systems and ensuring that mobile and hard-to-reach communities… Read more: IOM Expands Support to Contain Mpox Threat in West and Central Africa
- Whatever happened to mpox? Is it still a threat?NPR In August 2024, the news came in quick succession. On Tuesday — Aug. 13, 2024 — Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency of continental concern. The… Read more: Whatever happened to mpox? Is it still a threat?
- Unapproved tests and alternative treatments for Lyme disease are proliferatingPBS Lyme disease can cause serious harm, but so can bogus tests and treatments. The complexity of diagnosing the tick-borne disease has given rise to an entire industry of unapproved tests and unproven alternative treatments that experts say should be avoided, including lasers, herbal remedies and electromagnets “It really is a buyer-beware situation,” said Dr.… Read more: Unapproved tests and alternative treatments for Lyme disease are proliferating
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
- Five things to know about tuberculosis as it surfaces in Maine and North Carolina. Who is at risk?Northeastern News One of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases, tuberculosis requires months of treatment. Tuberculosis, one of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases, has been reported in a handful… Read more: Five things to know about tuberculosis as it surfaces in Maine and North Carolina. Who is at risk?
- Unapproved tests and alternative treatments for Lyme disease are proliferatingPBS Lyme disease can cause serious harm, but so can bogus tests and treatments. The complexity of diagnosing the tick-borne disease has given rise to an entire industry of unapproved… Read more: Unapproved tests and alternative treatments for Lyme disease are proliferating
- Why some influenza viruses are more dangerous than othersMedical Express Serious infections with influenza A viruses are characterized by an excessive immune response, known as cytokine storm. It was previously unclear why some virus strains trigger these storms,… Read more: Why some influenza viruses are more dangerous than others
- Vermont confirms state’s 1st case of Jamestown Canyon virus in humans VT Digger The state advises protecting against mosquito bites as summer comes to a close. Vermont’s Department of Health confirmed the state’s first-known human case of the mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon… Read more: Vermont confirms state’s 1st case of Jamestown Canyon virus in humans
- ‘Kissing bug’ disease is now endemic in the U.S., researchers say. What is it?
Washington Post The U.S. is seeing a rise in Chagas disease, a life-threatening illness transmitted through “kissing bugs” known to bite human faces. Pets can be carriers. “Kissing bug” disease, also… Read more: ‘Kissing bug’ disease is now endemic in the U.S., researchers say. What is it? - Why is it so hard to find the source of a legionnaires’ outbreak?CBC From sampling to testing, the bacteria behind the illness presents many challenges. It took months of mapping cases, dozens of locations sampled and weeks of lab sequencing to determine… Read more: Why is it so hard to find the source of a legionnaires’ outbreak?
Read more Emerging Infectious Diseases
- CDC Infectious Disease Data Project ShelvedMedPageToday Website was going to make data more available, but HHS put it on hold indefinitely. HHS has put on ice a CDC project that would make information about dozens of diseases available in near… Read more: CDC Infectious Disease Data Project Shelved
- RFK Jr. Vowed to Find Environmental Causes of Autism, but Axed That Type of ResearchMed Page Today “We need to stop trusting the experts,” Kennedy recently said. Erin McCanlies, MPH, PhD, was listening to the radio one morning in April when she heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promising to… Read more: RFK Jr. Vowed to Find Environmental Causes of Autism, but Axed That Type of Research
- Chikungunya Virus Found to Infect Cartilage Cells, Offering Clues to Long-Term Joint PainGlobal Biodefense A new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases provides the first in vivo evidence that chikungunya virus (CHIKV) directly infects cartilage-producing cells known as chondrocytes. Using a genetically engineered virus that glows in infected tissues,… Read more: Chikungunya Virus Found to Infect Cartilage Cells, Offering Clues to Long-Term Joint Pain
- This is what could happen to a child who doesn’t get vaccinatedNPR Pneumonia struck first. Then tonsillitis spiraled into sepsis. Malaria battered him next, and after treatment, the other illnesses flared back up again. This unvaccinated 2-year-old boy is trapped in a relentless cycle. “I… Read more: This is what could happen to a child who doesn’t get vaccinated
- Another US doctors’ group breaks with federal policy, recommends COVID-19 vaccines for all adultsReuters The American Academy of Family Physicians said on Monday that it recommends all adults over the age of 18, children and pregnant women to receive COVID-19 vaccines, a contrast to the U.S. government’s… Read more: Another US doctors’ group breaks with federal policy, recommends COVID-19 vaccines for all adults
- Vaccine misinformation led to an officer’s murder at the CDC – politicians’ silence is deafeningGuardian After a gunman reportedly deceived by anti-vaccine disinformation opened fire on the CDC and fatally shot David Rose, a community grieves as Trump officials remain silent. A lie murdered David Rose. Five hundred cops packed the pews of an Atlanta megachurch… Read more: Vaccine misinformation led to an officer’s murder at the CDC – politicians’ silence is deafening
- The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause AutismNYT The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism. The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says he wants to understand what causes autism. It’s a perfectly laudable goal and one that scientists have been pursuing for decades. But after… Read more: The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism
- Long COVID and Food Insecurity in US Adults, 2022-2023JAMA Importance Long COVID (ie, post–COVID-19 condition) is a substantial public health concern, and its association with health-related social needs, such as food insecurity, remains poorly understood. Identifying modifiable risk factors like food insecurity and interventions like food assistance programs is… Read more: Long COVID and Food Insecurity in US Adults, 2022-2023
- The lessons New York still has not learned from the Covid vaccine rolloutSTAT As Covid-19 has receded from everyday life, New Yorkers — and Americans more generally — haven’t shown much interest in poring over their governments’ pandemic-era performance. In 2024, congressional Republicans released a deeply partisan Covid-19 report, focused on issues like… Read more: The lessons New York still has not learned from the Covid vaccine rollout
Interesting and Sometimes Funny
- I inserted myself into a conversation at a bar about Covid and vaccines. Here’s what happened
STAT This essay was adapted from Jess Steier’s newsletter, “Unbiased Science.” “I did my best to stay out of it. But the science burst out of me” For the last few weeks of summer, my mom visited from Florida. It was amazing, as it always is, to have her here spending time with the family… Read more: I inserted myself into a conversation at a bar about Covid and vaccines. Here’s what happened