Where things stand
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The WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the DR Congo has its worst cholera epidemic in decades, with more than 60,000 cases and 1,800 deaths since the start of 2026.1 Ebola has caused more than 5,300 deaths and more than 10,400 cases over five months, according to WHO figures cited in several reports.1 The WHO recommended adding two candidate vaccines, from the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India and from Moderna, to clinical trials targeting the Bundibugyo strain.1
- yesterday
US set to lose measles-free status as cases top 5,400 in 2026
The Pan American Health Organization has reportedly ruled that the United States no longer qualifies as measles-free, the first time since 2000, as the CDC counts 5,412 cases this year.
- 4d ago
US reportedly loses measles-elimination status after 26 years as cases top 5,000
The Pan American Health Organization has reportedly revoked the US measles-elimination status held since 2000, after the virus kept circulating for more than a year. The reported decision comes as CDC counts exceed 5,400 cases this year.
- 4d ago
Nature study finds BMI alone misdiagnoses obesity and urges waist measurement as well
A study of 844,108 adults in China, the UK, the US and Spain, published in Nature, finds BMI alone misses hidden obesity in up to 8.6% of participants.
- 5d ago
Nigeria ends Ebola contact monitoring with no new cases as DRC outbreak passes 11,000
None of the 62 contacts of Nigeria's Ebola case fell ill after 21 days of monitoring, the NCDC said on Friday, 13 November. Thirteen contacts reported fever, but all of them tested negative.
- 6d ago
Diwali fireworks push Delhi air to 371 as burn deaths and smog spread across India
New Delhi's air reached 371 on the official index at 10:05 local time on 9 November 2026, after fireworks were set off on the night of 8 November despite court limits. Two fire incidents in Madhya Pradesh killed 12 people during Diwali.
- Nov 8
US strikes cargo ship Huda in Gulf of Oman for breaking Iran blockade
CENTCOM says a US military aircraft hit the stern of the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged Huda on Saturday, 7 November, after its crew ignored warnings. Iranian state media reported explosions at three sites the same evening.
- Nov 5
WHO warns of cholera in DR Congo: 1,800 dead, 60,000 cases amid Ebola outbreak
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the DR Congo has its worst cholera epidemic in decades, while Ebola has killed more than 5,300 people in five months.
- Nov 4
WHO: one in four adolescents, about 240 million, had no active day in 2025
A WHO study covering 140 countries finds about 240 million 11- to 17-year-olds did not reach 60 minutes of activity on any day of the survey week, with little change since 2010.
- Nov 4
WHO says six climate and health measures could save 1.6 million lives a year
The WHO report, published on Wednesday 4 November, puts numbers on the health and economic benefits of heat warnings, safer water, cleaner fuels and fossil fuel pricing for the first time, days before COP31.
- Oct 31
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo passes 5,000 deaths, with over 10,000 cases
Health authorities report 5,026 deaths and 10,351 cases since mid-May, and no approved vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak.
- Oct 28
Lancet report: researchers call for climate change to be declared a global health emergency
The 10th Lancet Countdown report, published on 28 October, links a record 710,000 heat-related deaths to 2023 and says health harms from climate change are growing faster than the global response.
- Oct 26
Uganda orders 21-day quarantine for returning citizens as Ebola spreads in DR Congo
Ugandans returning from DR Congo must spend 21 days in quarantine at their own cost, the health ministry said on Sunday, 25 October. The measure follows two Ebola cases in Kenya and Nigeria, both linked to people who had passed through Entebbe airport.
- Oct 24
WHO-backed Tumaini trial starts vaccinating people against Bundibugyo Ebola in DR Congo
The first participants received the Ervebo vaccine in Bunia on Friday, 23 October, as part of a trial that will test candidates against Bundibugyo, the Ebola species behind the outbreak. No vaccine is yet approved for that species.
- Oct 20
Ebola outbreak spreads across Africa as Nigeria reports case in woman back from Uganda
Nigeria confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo strain on Tuesday, 20 October, the fourth country outside Congo to report an Ebola case. Investigators are now checking whether the patient crossed paths with a Kenyan patient at a Ugandan airport.
- Oct 13
DR Congo Ebola passes 9,000 confirmed cases as WHO plans Bundibugyo vaccine trial
Congolese health ministry data covering cases up to 12 October show 9,066 confirmed infections and 4,381 deaths, a 48.3% case fatality rate. WHO's vaccine advisers have announced a randomised trial platform for the Bundibugyo strain.
- Oct 13
WHO says Russia has not confirmed cause of death of woman lab worker in Irkutsk
The WHO says Russia has not confirmed a cause of death for a 28-year-old woman lab worker in Irkutsk and has seen no evidence of ongoing transmission. Russian authorities say no plague case was recorded in the region and point to pneumonia of undetermined cause.
- Oct 10
WHO says cause of Russian lab worker's death still unknown, no plague case found
Russia told the WHO that no plague case has been recorded after a worker at an Irkutsk research institute died in early October. The agency says the cause of death is still unknown and has asked for more clinical and laboratory data.
- Oct 9
China nominates health official Song Li to succeed Tedros as WHO director-general
Beijing announced on Thursday that Song Li, a senior public health official, is its candidate to succeed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose term ends on 15 August 2027. The World Health Assembly is due to choose the next director-general in May 2027.
- Oct 7
WHO advises against obesity drugs and surgery for children under ten in first global guidance
The World Health Organization issued its first global guidelines for managing pediatric obesity, advising against weight-loss drugs and bariatric surgery for children under 10 while urging comprehensive family-based lifestyle care.
- Oct 6
Russia denies second plague case after Siberian lab worker's death, WHO seeks data
Russian authorities say reports of a second plague patient are false, while the WHO has asked Moscow for information about the death of lab worker Darya Shipilova in Irkutsk, Siberia.
