An Ebola outbreak caused by the highly fatal Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has led to over 1,250 cases and 362 deaths, highlighting critical gaps in understanding the virus's origins and transmission from wildlife.
Doctors and aid workers in Venezuela fear a deepening medical crisis following twin earthquakes, citing untreated injuries, potential infectious disease outbreaks due to poor sanitation and infrastructure damage, and a healthcare system strained by economic woes and emigration.
Guo Xiaoping, a former hospital director in Shanxi, China, founded the Red Ribbon Primary School in 2006. It is the only full-time school in China for children with HIV, providing education to those who contracted the virus at birth and often lost parents to AIDS.
Public health experts are closely monitoring infectious disease threats for the 2026 World Cup, which spans Canada, Mexico, and the US. Measles, dengue, hepatitis A, and mpox are key concerns, with wastewater monitoring being a crucial surveillance tool. The risk of Ebola, despite an ongoing outbreak in DRC and Uganda, is considered low for the tournament.
A market in Hong Kong tested positive for bird flu H9 after a child who visited the location contracted a mild strain. Health officials state the risk of a major outbreak is low.
A sample from Hong Kong's Wo Che Market tested positive for H9 bird flu, days after a two-year-old boy visiting the venue contracted a mild H9N2 strain. The risk of a serious outbreak is considered low, with the boy in stable condition and household contacts asymptomatic.
Oxford University begins human trials for the world's first AI-designed vaccine, targeting Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a deadly virus with 40% mortality rates and no widely approved vaccine, using AI to accelerate development by analyzing genetic data to identify immune response triggers.
Google's "Debug" project plans to release 64 million male mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria in California and Florida over two years to reduce disease-carrying mosquito populations. The EPA is seeking public comment on the experimental use permit.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup expands across the US, Canada, and Mexico, health officials are preparing for infectious disease threats, prioritizing measles and respiratory viruses over Ebola due to lower transmission risk. Enhanced surveillance and screening measures are in place.
A recent poll shows 74% of US midterm voters support funding PEPFAR, an HIV/AIDS initiative. Despite bipartisan popularity and a moral argument for its support, the program faces changes under the Trump administration, with concerns about its future and impact on global health systems.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the 100th anniversary ceremony of the Japan Society for Infectious Diseases in Tokyo on May 22. The society was founded in 1926 as the "Japan Society of Infectious Diseases" by scholars and clinicians to address a surge in diseases like dysentery, typhoid, and cholera following the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.
An infectious disease expert has urged Hong Kong authorities to issue a travel alert and enhance preventive measures against Ebola, citing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and frequent business exchanges with the region.
Hong Kong health authorities are enhancing public awareness and airport screening for Ebola, citing the outbreak in DRC and Uganda. They emphasize the low immediate health impact locally, despite Hong Kong's status as an international city.
A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, linked to 11 cases (9 confirmed, 3 deaths), has raised global health concerns. While the risk to the general public is deemed low due to the virus's limited human-to-human transmission, experts express broader concerns about the U.S.'s preparedness for future infectious disease threats, citing weakened CDC capabilities post-Trump administration cuts.
Two Singapore residents who were on board the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius are currently being isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where they are being tested for the virus. “Their test results are pending. One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low,” the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday. CDA said it was notified on Monday and Tuesday that the...
