Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines: Updates on Ebola in DR Congo
- Ebola – Operation Update #1
IFRC The 16th outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has occurred in the province of Kasai. It was declared on September 4, 2025, by the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention. As of October 6th, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the… Read more: Ebola – Operation Update #1 - Ebola virus in Kasai revives 50-year-old questions on viral latencyThe Lancet On Sept 4, 2025, DR Congo declared its 16th Ebola virus outbreak. The epicentre of this outbreak occurred in the Kasai province—the first resurgence in this region since 2008.1 Genomic analysis identified an Ebola virus with more than 99·5% identity to the lineage that was responsible for the first outbreak in Yambuku in 1976.2 Instead… Read more: Ebola virus in Kasai revives 50-year-old questions on viral latency
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheeseNature Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses have recently spread to dairy cattle, with high levels of virus detected in milk from affected animals, raising concern about the risk posed by unpasteurized dairy products consumed by humans. Here we evaluated H5N1 virus persistence in raw-milk cheeses (n = 3 per condition) made with milk acidified to pH… Read more: H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheese
- Bird flu virus survives in raw-milk cheese for monthsMedical News.net A new study published in Nature Medicine reveals that highly pathogenic avian influenza virus can remain infectious for up to 120 days under certain pH conditions in raw-milk cheese produced from contaminated milk. This finding raises serious public health concerns, as contaminated raw-milk products can potentially increase human exposure to the virus. The highly pathogenic… Read more: Bird flu virus survives in raw-milk cheese for months
- After a summer respite, bird flu is backNBC Bird flu is spreading again as water fowl migrate. In poultry, cases are spiking earlier than expected, so some state officials are bracing for a challenging autumn. It was a quiet summer for bird flu: Egg prices fell a bit, fewer sick poultry flocks were culled on farms, and officials took a breath. “It… Read more: After a summer respite, bird flu is back
- With milk testing and new tools, UW scientists are helping prevent bird flu outbreaks in Wisconsin and beyondUniv of Wisconsin On a recent Thursday morning, Becky was hard at work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL). A few test tubes at a time, hundreds of milk samples were carefully poured, measured and prepared for testing. Becky doesn’t wear a typical lab coat or safety glasses. Why? Because Becky… Read more: With milk testing and new tools, UW scientists are helping prevent bird flu outbreaks in Wisconsin and beyond
- France reports bird flu outbreak on northern farmReuters France has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, on a farm in the north of the country, authorities said, as Europe faces a seasonal upturn in the deadly disease. The virus was detected at a pheasant and partridge breeding farm in the village of Pihen-Les-Guines, near the port town of Calais,… Read more: France reports bird flu outbreak on northern farm
- More HPAI reported in Minnesota, Utah, British ColumbiaWatt Poultry New cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry have been reported in the United States and Canada. Those include three flocks in Minnesota, two in Utah and one in British Columbia. Avian influenza in Minnesota The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported that the presence… Read more: More HPAI reported in Minnesota, Utah, British Columbia
- Vaccination of 3 Or More Doses Reduces Incidence of COVID-19 Symptoms for Young AdultsDrug Topics A study shows young adults with 3 or more COVID-19 vaccine doses experience fewer symptoms, emphasizing vaccination’s critical role in public health. Link to study here Young adults—aged 16 to 35 years—who received 3 or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had a lower… Read more: Vaccination of 3 Or More Doses Reduces Incidence of COVID-19 Symptoms for Young Adults
- First-Trimester COVID Vaccination Not Linked to Major Birth DefectsMedPageToday Large study reinforces recent research demonstrating mRNA vaccine safety in pregnancy. There were 176.6 major congenital malformations (MCMs) per 10,000 infants exposed to first-trimester COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, compared with 179.4 per 10,000 infants not exposed to the vaccines. There were no associations between mRNA vaccine… Read more: First-Trimester COVID Vaccination Not Linked to Major Birth Defects
- Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Reduces Long COVID Risk in Older Adults, Not AdolescentsVaccine Advisor In nonhospitalized patients, treatment of acute COVID-19 with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir reduced long COVID risk in older vs younger adults, supporting its use in high-risk patients to prevent both acute severity and long-term sequelae. Treatment of acute COVID-19 with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is associated with a lower risk… Read more: Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Reduces Long COVID Risk in Older Adults, Not Adolescents
- Young Women With Symptomatic Long COVID At Higher Risk of POTSPharmacy Times In a Swedish cohort, young women with symptomatic long COVID were found to be at higher risk of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), conferring additional burden. A cohort of predominantly younger women with highly symptomatic post-COVID-19 sequalae (PCS), also known as long COVID, demonstrated… Read more: Young Women With Symptomatic Long COVID At Higher Risk of POTS
- Association of 2024–2025 Covid-19 Vaccine with Covid-19 Outcomes in U.S. VeteransNEJM We conducted an observational study that used the electronic health records of the Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2024–2025 Covid-19 vaccine among veterans who received the Covid-19 and influenza vaccines on the same day (164,132 participants) and in an active-comparator… Read more: Association of 2024–2025 Covid-19 Vaccine with Covid-19 Outcomes in U.S. Veterans
- Veterans study finds updated COVID-19 shot reduces hospital visits and deathMedical Xpress Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis reports that the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with lower risks of COVID-19–related emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in a national cohort of U.S. veterans. The pandemic is not over, but conditions have shifted greatly. Since the initial outbreak spread around the… Read more: Veterans study finds updated COVID-19 shot reduces hospital visits and death
- Spike in mpox cases in Chicago prompts warning from city health officialsWGN Chicago City health officials are offering a warning to residents in Chicago amid a recent spike in mpox cases in the city. According to the mpox dashboard, operated by the Chicago Department of… Read more: Spike in mpox cases in Chicago prompts warning from city health officials
- California: Long Beach health officials confirm first case of more serious mpox virusLong Beach Watch Dog A Long Beach resident with no recent travel history has tested positive for clade I mpox, a more serious version of the mpox virus that first began circulating in the… Read more: California: Long Beach health officials confirm first case of more serious mpox virus
- More than 150 unvaccinated students quarantined in South Carolina measles outbreakScripps News The students were identified as having been exposed to measles and lacking vaccination against the highly contagious disease. More than 150 unvaccinated students in South Carolina are under mandatory 21-day quarantine due to a measles outbreak affecting two schools in Spartanburg County. State health officials confirmed measles cases at both schools — Global… Read more: More than 150 unvaccinated students quarantined in South Carolina measles outbreak
- Australia: Health issues urgent warning measles outbreak alert after 47 cases detectedThe Australian A measles outbreak is spreading in WA, with 47 cases now detected so far this year. WA health authorities issued a fresh warning about the potentially fatal disease on Wednesday, saying eight cases had been detected in an outbreak in the Pilbara region. Measles is highly infectious and can spread via airborne droplets,… Read more: Australia: Health issues urgent warning measles outbreak alert after 47 cases detected
- Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaksThe Conversation More than three-quarters of U.S. counties and jurisdictions are experiencing declines in childhood vaccination rates, a trend that began in 2019, according to a September 2025 NBC News–Stanford University investigation. The report also found a “large swath” of the U.S. no longer has the “basic, ground-level immunity” needed to stop the spread of measles.… Read more: Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaks
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
- We Can Stop Deadly Hospital Outbreaks — So Why Aren’t We?MedPage Today Aaron Young was a patient in a California hospital undergoing a routine procedure investigating the source of his pancreatitis. He needed an exam using a duodenoscope — something more… Read more: We Can Stop Deadly Hospital Outbreaks — So Why Aren’t We?
- Respiratory virus season has arrived. What to know about getting this year’s vaccinesCNN It’s that time of year when the leaves are turning golden, there’s a chill in the air and the threat of respiratory viruses like Covid-19, influenza or RSV looms… Read more: Respiratory virus season has arrived. What to know about getting this year’s vaccines
- New York confirms 1st locally acquired case of chikungunya virus in 6 years in USABC News The New York State Department of Health has confirmed a case of locally acquired chikungunya on Long Island, marking the first case of the virus reported to be… Read more: New York confirms 1st locally acquired case of chikungunya virus in 6 years in US
- Leptospirosis ripping through California sea lions in record numbersSF Chronicle An “all-time record” number of sick sea lions has washed up on California beaches since a deadly bacterial disease broke out this summer, according to the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center —… Read more: Leptospirosis ripping through California sea lions in record numbers
- Dengue cases surge across Bangladesh as experts call for urgent actionRetuers Bangladesh’s dengue outbreak is worsening rapidly with infections and deaths climbing sharply across the country, health experts have said, warning the disease could spiral if urgent and coordinated mosquito… Read more: Dengue cases surge across Bangladesh as experts call for urgent action
- Public Health Response to the First Locally Acquired Malaria Outbreaks in the US in 20 YearsJAMA Key Points Question Why were there 4 outbreaks of domestic malaria in 2023 after 20 years with no locally acquired cases? Findings In this qualitative study, 10 locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria… Read more: Public Health Response to the First Locally Acquired Malaria Outbreaks in the US in 20 Years
Read more Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Teaching Machines to Fight Infectious DiseasesISDE Artificial intelligence may be the hot, new, sexy term, but the subset of AI that has the most potential for improving the discovery of new antimicrobials, outbreak surveillance, diagnostic testing and other facets of managing infectious diseases is machine learning—teaching… Read more: Teaching Machines to Fight Infectious Diseases
- Understanding the Impact of Federal Cuts to mRNA Vaccine ResearchAmerican Lung Assn Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cancelled $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine research and development. This decision will have devastating consequences for public health and goes… Read more: Understanding the Impact of Federal Cuts to mRNA Vaccine 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
- Trump Rattles Vaccine Experts Over AluminumNYT The president’s call for removal of the metal from childhood inoculations set off alarms. About half of shots for polio, whooping cough and other diseases would be affected. Federal health officials are examining… Read more: Trump Rattles Vaccine Experts Over Aluminum
- Experts Pan Call to Break Up the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella VaccineMedPage Today “I cannot think of a single reason to implement such a concept” The temporary CDC head’s call to split apart the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots drew… Read more: Experts Pan Call to Break Up the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine
- 6 Reasons Why People Believe Health MisinformationPsychology Today Reasons 1 and 2: Mistrust of Experts and Personal Autonomy Almost everyone has had at least one bad experience with the health care system—particularly in the United States, where both insurance and health care delivery lack consistency and… Read more: 6 Reasons Why People Believe Health Misinformation
- Fighting the Pandemic of MisinformationThe Hospitalist On November 28, 2021, scrolling through Twitter, I came across a tweet by @SailingKateMD: “Checked my ICU list after being gone for a few days for the holiday…Every single one of my COVID-19 patients died while I was… Read more: Fighting the Pandemic of Misinformation
- Post-Pandemic COVID-19 linked with high numbers of workforce absences and exitsYale School of Public Health Well after the United States government declared the pandemic emergency over, COVID-19 continued to cause about the same number of monthly work absences year-round as occurred during peak influenza months, a team that includes Yale… Read more: Post-Pandemic COVID-19 linked with high numbers of workforce absences and exits
- What Was the World’s First-Known Pandemic?History.com The Plague of Justinian peaked in the year 542 and lasted for two centuries, contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire. The Plague of Justinian in the sixth century was one of the worst of times. “Now the… Read more: What Was the World’s First-Known Pandemic?
Interesting and Sometimes Funny
- Japanese Farmers Send Out Automated Laser Drones to Defend Chickens
Futurism Chicken farming is a fowl business. To make it, you’ll need extensive knowledge in animal husbandry, business finance, biosecurity, and mechanical repair. If one company in Japan has its way, that list could soon include “drone skills” as well. A Japanese firm called NTT e-Drone Technology Company Ltd has developed a drone-laser system designed… Read more: Japanese Farmers Send Out Automated Laser Drones to Defend Chickens