The Union Health Ministry implemented a ban on 156 "irrational" FDC medicines, effective immediately. These medicines, including widely used antibiotics, painkillers, and multivitamins, were commonly used to treat fever, cough, and infections. The ban was imposed due to the associated health risks and lack of therapeutic justification for the ingredients in these FDCs.

What are FDC medicines?

FDCs or fixed-dosed combinations, also known as "cocktail drugs," are medications that combine multiple drugs in a single pill. They are designed to treat multiple symptoms or conditions simultaneously. While they offer convenience, they can pose significant risks. These risks include the possibility of overdose, adverse interactions between the drugs, and the development of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, many FDC medicines lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and efficacy.

Expert opinions on FDC medicines

Experts have raised concerns about the use of FDC medicines. They believe that many of these combinations lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and effectiveness. Additionally, the combination of multiple drugs in a single pill can increase the risk of adverse side effects and interactions with other medications.

Experts have also found that FDC medicines may not be as effective as individual drugs in treating certain conditions. It is important to note that safer and more effective alternatives are available for most of the medical conditions that FDC medicines were used to treat. One particular concern is the inclusion of antibiotics in some FDCs. Overuse of antibiotics can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance, a major public health threat.

The risks of FDC medicines

The use of FDC medicines can lead to adverse effects, including serious ones. Additionally, safer alternatives, tested in clinical trials, are available to treat the same medical conditions. Experts recommend prescribing drugs individually based on a patient's clinical symptoms rather than combining them in FDCs.

The ban on irrational FDC medicines by the Union Health Ministry can be seen as a positive step towards promoting rational drug use and protecting public health. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary and potentially harmful drug combinations. This is a step forward in reducing the risks associated with medication and ensure safer and more effective treatment options for patients.

India's southern state of Karnataka has reported a suspected case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in a 28-year-old woman who returned from Uganda, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak.

The woman who arrived in Bengaluru from Kampala, Uganda, on May 23, was suspected of infection after developing mild symptoms, including body ache, health officials said..

She was shifted from a hotel to the state-run Epidemic Diseases Hospital on May 26, 2026, according to The Hindu. Her test results are awaited.

Her blood samples and other required specimens were collected today and sent to a specialized laboratory in Pune for detailed testing. Health department officials are currently awaiting the medical report, which is expected by Wednesday.

Authorities said only after the laboratory results arrive can it be officially confirmed whether the woman is infected with the Ebola virus.

Ebola Virus Disease has caused over 900 cases and more than 200 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The global health agency has also determined that the deadly outbreak is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”.

“With air travel being common and the outbreak already having spread to multiple countries in Africa, it is entirely possible for someone who had contact with a person with Ebola virus disease to get on a flight to another country,” Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-Chairman of the National IMA COVID Task Force and Past President of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, told HealthandMe.

“All patients with Ebola disease may not know they have it — as the initial symptoms are nonspecific such as fever and body ache. In addition, scarcity of the exact PCR test to diagnose the latest Bundibugyo Ebola virus in Africa makes it possible to miss it entirely,” he added.

India’s Preparedness

The suspected case comes as India has been ramping up screening and surveillance measures across the country, especially at airports and seaports.

Recently, the Karnataka government also issued guidelines for passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries. As part of the precautionary measures, travelers entering Bengaluru from such nations are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine period.

People showing symptoms have been advised to immediately report to the nearest hospital. The Health Department has also directed strict surveillance and monitoring of suspected cases under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

Also read: WHO Chief Warns Ebola Epidemic ‘Outpacing Us’; India Intensifies Screening At Airports

Officials have strengthened coordination at airports and other entry points to monitor international passengers. Separate quarantine and isolation facilities, along with referral ambulance services, have also been kept ready.

The Health Department has additionally instructed hospitals to enhance infection-control measures and provide special training to healthcare workers to handle any possible emergency situation.

The country has also issued a travel advisory for citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

How Ebola Spreads

Ebola spreads through:

• Direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids
• Contact with contaminated surfaces or medical equipment
• Unsafe caregiving exposure
• Traditional burial practices involving direct contact
• Certain zoonotic animal exposures.

• fever,
• weakness,
• headache,
• muscle pain,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• sore throat,
• unexplained bleeding.

People suffering from shingles after COVID-19 infection may be at a higher risk of neurological conditions such as Bell’s palsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), as well as Myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a large study.

Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) is a painful condition caused by the varicella zoster virus that lives in the nervous system of people who have had chicken pox.

The study, led by researchers from Taiwan and Australia, showed that Bell’s palsy risk increased early after shingles. At the same time, GBS and MG showed delayed increases emerging more than a year later.

GBS, Bell’s palsy, and MG are all neurological conditions that cause muscle weakness, but they affect different parts of the nervous system. While GBS and MG cause widespread muscle weakness, Bell’s palsy is strictly localized to the face.

The findings, published in International Journal of Medical Sciences, highlighted “the need for symptom-based neurological awareness during both early and delayed post-infectious periods,” the researchers said.

What Did The Study Find?

Also read: ‘Heat Dome’ Triggering Record-Breaking May Temperatures In France, UK, Spain

During the COVID-19 pandemic, shingles was reported to occur in people with COVID-19 and in COVID-19 vaccine recipients; shingles vaccination programs were also disrupted.

The increased incidence of shingles following COVID-19 suggests a period of immune dysregulation, but the associated long-term neuro-immunological risks remain unclear.

To better understand this, researchers from Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and Queensland University of Technology used electronic health records and compared COVID-19 survivors with individuals with and without shingles reactivation over a three-year follow-up period.

The results showed that shingles reactivation after COVID-19 was associated with a significantly increased three-year risk of several neurological disorders.

• The risk of Bell’s palsy increased early and remained consistently elevated throughout the study period.
• Patients showed more than three times the risk compared to those without herpes reactivation.
• The risks of GBS and MG also increased, although these associations appeared later, emerging after the first year of follow-up.

The study suggests that post-COVID shingles "may serve as a clinically relevant marker of neuro-immunological vulnerability, particularly among individuals with metabolic comorbidities", the team said.

Importantly, the researchers noted that "COVID-19 vaccination was not linked to an increased risk of these neurological outcomes".

US FDA Blocked Study Showing COVID And Shingles Vaccines Are Safe

Read More: Donald Trump To Undergo 3rd Annual Medical Check-up Today

Meanwhile, in recent news, officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blocked the publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against COVID-19 and shingles in recent months, according to a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

While the studies found serious side effects to be very rare, the HHS said they were pulled over concerns about their conclusions. These withdrawals aim to limit access to vaccines, reflecting broader policy changes under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a staunch critic of vaccines.

“The studies were withdrawn because the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data. The FDA acted to protect the integrity of its scientific process and ensure that any work associated with the agency meets its high standards,” said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the HHS, which oversees the FDA, in an email to Reuters.

“The design of that study fell outside the agency’s purview,” Nixon said on rejecting the shingles vaccine.

Ebola is a highly lethal viral hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976. Over the last five decades, it has caused more than 30 localized and widespread outbreaks, primarily in Central and West Africa. The virus takes its name from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Three strains of the virus — Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus — have caused the largest outbreaks in Africa. Among them, the Ebola virus is considered the deadliest, with fatality rates reaching up to 90% without treatment.

The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is also highly dangerous, carrying a mortality rate of around 50%. Experts warn that the situation is more concerning because there is currently neither a vaccine nor a proven antiviral treatment specifically for this strain.

These viruses have repeatedly emerged from animal reservoirs and infected humans across several African countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, this marks the 17th Ebola outbreak and the third linked to the Bundibugyo strain. So far over 900 cases have been reported from DR Congo and Uganda. The deaths due to the virus has also crossed 200.

But what actually is behind the periodic recurrence? HealthandMe spoke to two experts, who flagged several factors driving repeated Ebola outbreaks, including:

• Human-animal interaction

• Poverty and lack of food security

• Weak healthcare systems

• Traditional burial practices

• Limited diagnostic facilities

Human-Animal Spillover

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-Chairman of the National IMA COVID Task Force and Past President of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, explained that Ebola is a zoonotic disease — meaning it spreads from animals to humans, similar to rabies, Nipah virus, and bird flu. He noted that the root of an outbreak is often an animal to human spillover event.

"All of these Ebola outbreaks are eventually tracked back to a spillover and the spillover is believed to be human-animal interaction as in bushmeat trading. These are impoverished areas of Africa which are also conflict-ridden and also short of medical facilities for many reasons, economically backward,” he told HealthandMe, adding that civil unrest often results in shortages of healthcare workers, medical supplies, and access to treatment.

He noted that bushmeat remains a major food source for many communities living in forested regions, where animals such as bats, monkeys, and apes are hunted for survival, because of widespread poverty and food insecurity.

Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, Director of Infectious Disease at Gleneagles Hospital in Chennai, added that this ability of the virus to skip from one group of animals to another entire species has happened again and this probably is because of humans venturing out into the forest and the bushmeat trade.

Why Ebola Spreads Quickly In Communities

The experts noted that Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals. Caregivers, family members, and healthcare workers are therefore among the groups at highest risk.

Dr Rajeev pointed out that traditional burial practices in some affected regions continue to contribute to transmission. In many communities, relatives physically wash or touch the bodies of the deceased as a sign of respect and affection.

He noted that health organizations have tried for years to educate communities about safer burial practices, but long-standing customs and social pressure often make behavioral change difficult. In some cases, refusing to touch the body of a deceased family member may be seen as disrespectful, forcing relatives into risky contact with infected bodies.

"There are many forces at play here. conflict, war, ignorance, poverty, lack of food, distrust of health care facilities, customs and beliefs that refuse to go away. These are dangerous. And so it's a difficult situation for these people," the expert told HealthandMe.

Diagnostic Challenges With Bundibugyo Strain

Another major concern is the lack of reliable diagnostic facilities for the Bundibugyo strain. Dr Rajeev explained that test kits designed for the Zaire strain may fail to detect Bundibugyo infections, causing infected individuals to test negative and continue spreading the virus unknowingly.

Dr. Subramanian said the current outbreak strain appears to be genetically different from previous Bundibugyo outbreaks.

“This is not the Bundibugyo variants which have caused outbreaks in the past, this is completely new,” he told HealthandMe. added that genomic sequencing suggests the virus may have crossed from animals to humans again due to increasing human activity in forest regions and bushmeat exposure.

Why Ebola Is Considered So Dangerous

Dr. Subramanian described Ebola as one of the world’s most feared infectious diseases because mortality rates can range from 50% to 80%, depending on the strain.

He explained that symptoms initially appear non-specific, including fever, respiratory symptoms, body ache, and diarrhea, before progressing to severe internal bleeding and multi-organ complications in many patients.

Although Ebola does not spread through casual airborne contact like COVID-19, it spreads efficiently through secretions and bodily fluids, making caregivers and healthcare providers particularly vulnerable. Religious and funeral gatherings can also become amplification points for transmission.

Dr. Subramanian added that there is currently no “perfect treatment” for Ebola. While monoclonal antibodies are still being studied, treatment largely remains supportive and focused on symptom management, infection control, and preventing transmission.

Travel Precautions And Global Risk

The expert advised people to avoid travel to outbreak-hit areas in Zaire and Uganda, particularly border regions. Those who must travel should take strict precautions, while travelers returning from affected areas should remain under observation and quarantine if necessary.

He also urged the public to closely follow updates from scientific organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, Dr. Subramanian stressed that Ebola is unlikely to become a global public health crisis on the scale of COVID-19 because it does not spread through airborne transmission.

“It’s more likely to cause a lot of disruption in a small area,” he said. “As of right now there’s really no cause for alarm but there is cause for concern.”