On Thursday, Uganda confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in its capital city Kampala, with the first confirmed patient dying from it a day before. As per the new developments, the officials are now preparing to deploy a trial vaccine to put an end to this outbreak.

Groups of scientists are working on the vaccine and deployment of more than 2,000 doses of a candidate vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola has been planned and confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), Uganda has access to 2,169 doses of trial vaccine. For now, however, there are no approved vaccines for the strain and officials are still investigating the source of the outbreak.

The WHO had also allocated $1 million from its contingency fund for emergencies to support quick action and contain the outbreak in the country.

Confirmed Case

On Wednesday, the Sudan strain of Ebola killed a nurse employed at Kampala's main referral hospital. It is after his death that Ebola was declared an outbreak in the country. Post-mortem samples too have confirmed the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease and at least 44 contacts of the deceased man have been listed for tracing. 30 of these are health workers.

Ebola is a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and tissue. Symptoms include headache, vomiting of blood, muscle pains and bleeding.

it was in the late 2022, when Uganda had last suffered an Ebola outbreak. It killed 55 of the 143 people who were infected and was declared over on January 11, 2023.

What Is Ebola Virus Disease?

As per the WHO, Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a rare but severe illness in humans and is often fatal. People can get infected with the virus if they touch an infected animal when preparing food, or touch body fluids of an infected person such as saliva, urine, faeces or semen, or things that have body fluids of an infected person like clothes or sheets.

How Does Transmission Work?

Ebola enters the body through cuts in the skin or when one is touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Early symptoms include fever, fatigue and headache.

It was first discovered in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreak, when in Nzara, South Sudan and other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred near a village near the Ebola River, which is where it gets its name from.

It is highly infectious and transmissible disease, in fact, there have been cases of health-care workers who have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola. This occurs through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not practiced strictly.

Cases of people conducted burial ceremonies, involving direct contact with the body of the deceased too can lead to the transmission of Ebola. Even after the long suffering and recovery, there is a possibility of sexual transmission. Pregnant women who get acute Ebola and recover may still carry the virus in their breastmilk, or in pregnancy related fluids and tissues.

Symptoms:

• feeling tired
• headache
• muscle and joint pain
• eye pain and vision problems
• weight gain
• belly pain and loss of appetite
• hair loss and skin problems
• trouble sleeping
• memory loss
• hearing loss
• depression and anxiety

Newly released national sexual health data shows that Australia is seeing an alarming rise in STIs like syphilis and gonorrhoea. The data from Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney shows that diagnoses have increased by more than 50% over the past decade.

In 2025, Australia recorded 5,986 syphilis diagnoses and 42,393 gonorrhoea diagnoses, with rates of both infections shooting up by more than 50% since 2016.

Apart from the sharp rise in cases, one pattern that has drawn attention is the difference in the number of infections between men and women. Syphilis diagnoses among women increased 167% over the past decade, compared with a 39% increase among men.

Health experts say the rise is especially alarming as syphilis, when left untreated, can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital syphilis and infant death.

Signs Of Syphilis Can Vanish Without Actually Leaving The Body

Also read: Ferritin Face: Can Pale Skin Signal Iron Deficiency?

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and the infection unravels in stages. The first stage causes a painless sore, called a chancre, typically at the site where the bacteria entered the body. The sore can occur around the genitals, anus, rectum, lips or mouth and may disappear on its own within weeks.

The disappearance of that sore could be misleading because when it heals, it does not mean that the infection has not necessarily gone away.

Without treatment, syphilis can progress to a second stage, which comes with a rash, swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue, and other symptoms. These symptoms can also eventually disappear.

If left untreated, the infection can then enter its latent stage, when a person has no visible signs or symptoms. This is what makes syphilis particularly difficult to detect.

During latent syphilis stage, the bacteria remain in the body even though the person may feel completely well. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, untreated syphilis can remain in the body for years.

Rising Syphilis Cases In Women Women May Impact Pregnancy

Also read: Scientists Grow Human Brain Tissue Inside Mice: Could This Help Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy & Autism Research?

The latest Australian data show men accounted for 78% of syphilis diagnoses in 2025, but the much faster increase among women is raising particular concern because an infected pregnant woman can pass the bacteria to her unborn baby.

Dr Skye McGregor, an epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute said, “It’s really concerning because the rise among women has contributed to syphilis in pregnancy, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital syphilis and infant deaths,” McGregor said. “These are really substantial impacts on infants, but also the community as a whole. Across that same 10-year reporting period, there were 113 congenital syphilis cases and, tragically, 40 of those infants died.”

Australia recorded 14 cases of congenital syphilis in 2025. Over the past decade, there have been 113 reported congenital syphilis cases, with 40 resulting in infant deaths.

The infection is preventable from reaching the baby when it is identified and treated during pregnancy. To curb the same, Australia has recently updated national guidelines to recommend at least three syphilis tests during pregnancy, reflecting concern about rising infections.

What Happens If Syphilis Is Left Untreated For Years?

Not everyone with untreated syphilis develops latent-stage disease. But in some people, the infection can eventually damage multiple organs.

Tertiary syphilis can affect the heart and blood vessels, brain and nervous system, and several other organs. It can emerge 10 to 30 years after the original infection and can cause severe disability or death.

Syphilis can also affect the nervous system, eyes or ears at different stages of infection. Neurosyphilis can cause headaches, weakness, problems with movement, confusion or cognitive changes.

Ocular syphilis can cause vision problems and potentially permanent vision loss, while otosyphilis can cause hearing loss, tinnitus or dizziness.

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory stating that stem cell therapy should be used as standard care only for diseases or indications approved by the Ministry.

The advisory reiterates the existing regulatory framework governing stem cell research and therapy.

What Does The Advisory Say?

The advisory directs that stem cell therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) be restricted to approved clinical trials.

This aligns with the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research, 2017, issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), along with other applicable government instructions.

The advisory also says unproven stem cell interventions, including those for ASD, should not be offered as “routine, standard or commercial clinical services.”

“All States and Union Territories must adopt the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, regarding regulation of stem cell therapy,” the Ministry said.

The directions apply to government and private clinical establishments involved in stem cell research, treatment, promotion or administration.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled against the use of stem cell therapy for autism outside approved clinical trials. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has also warned doctors and hospitals against offering it as routine treatment for ASD.

Also read: Autism Care Begins Early: Why the First 1,000 Days Matter Most, Says AIIMS Expert

Action Against Violations

The Ministry has asked States and Union Territories to ensure that hospitals, clinics and other establishments involved in stem cell research or treatment comply with the regulatory framework.

The Supreme Court, in its January 30, 2026 judgment, said violations can lead to professional misconduct proceedings, as well as action under the Clinical Establishments Act, including cancellation of registration and penalties.

NMC: Stem Cell Therapy Only For Approved Uses

Read More: Could Tylenol Taken During Pregnancy Affect Girl Child’s Future Reproductive Health? Study Raises Concern

In its September 5, 2026 advisory, the National Medical Commission (NMC) said stem cell therapy can be offered as standard clinical care only for approved indications.

Unauthorized administration, prescription, promotion or advertising of stem cell therapy beyond approved indications may amount to professional misconduct, it said.

State Medical Councils have been asked to examine alleged violations and take disciplinary action where professional misconduct by a registered medical practitioner is established after due process.

Which Diseases Can Be Treated With Stem Cells?

Earlier this year, ICMR Director-General Dr Rajiv Bahl told the NMC that stem cell treatment could be used in regular medical practice only for 32 government-approved diseases.

These include:

• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Thalassemia
• Multiple myeloma
• Aplastic anemia
• Myelofibrosis
• Germ cell tumors

The ICMR DG asked doctors not to offer stem cell therapy for diseases outside the approved list. Current international guidelines also do not recommend stem cell therapy as a treatment for ASD.

What Did The Supreme Court Say?

In January, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan said stem cell therapy lacks “scientific support” and has not been recognized as a sound medical practice backed by empirical evidence.

The Bench ruled that “every use of stem cells in patients outside an approved clinical trial is unethical and shall be considered as malpractice.”

The Court said stem cell therapy can still be studied through monitored clinical research trials, and patients can participate in approved and regulated trials.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy, also called regenerative medicine, uses stem cells to repair or replace damaged tissues.

While stem cell therapy is used for certain blood cancers and blood disorders, there is no established scientific evidence supporting its use as a treatment for autism.

Stem cell therapy remains vastly unregulated in India, and some private labs have been making money by promising treatment for autism, according to experts.

Stanford University scientists have grown lab-made human brain tissue inside mice, successfully creating a new kind of animal model whose constitution is the closest to those of humans. This could help researchers study brain development and neurological diseases in living organisms with a lot more accuracy.

The study, published in Nature recently, discusses mice whose cerebral cortex was largely replaced by human brain tissue grown from stem cells.

The human tissue expanded to occupy more than 90% of the space available for the mouse cortex and formed connections with the animals' nervous systems successfully.

The researchers call them xenocortical mice. The breakthrough could provide scientists with a way to study human neurons in a living brain, something that cannot be done directly in people and is difficult to reproduce using conventional laboratory models.

How Did Scientists Create A Part-Human Brain In Mice?

The researchers first genetically engineered mice so that most of the cells destined to form their cerebral cortex and hippocampus would not develop. This created space for human brain tissue.

Then they transplanted human cortical organoids, three-dimensional structures made from human stem cells, into the brains of newborn mice.

The organoids were able to grow rapidly inside the animals. In successful transplants, the human tissue expanded nearly five-fold over a period of three months and eventually occupied more than 90% of the available cortical space.

The human cells also developed different types of neurons and formed connections with the mouse brain and, in some cases, extended nerve fibres into the spinal cord. It is important to note that these are not mice with an entirely human brain.

The animals still have a mouse nervous system, including their sensory organs and deeper brain structures. What has been humanised is the cortex, the outer part of the brain involved in functions including perception, learning, and complex information processing.

Also read: Cefepime: Antibiotic Used For Pneumonia, UTI Linked To Higher Death Risk In Adults

Why This Could Be A Milestone For Brain Disease Research?

One of the biggest problems in neuroscience is that findings in mice do not always translate to humans.

Human brain organoids grown in laboratory dishes have helped researchers study development and disease, but they lack many features of a living brain. They do not receive normal sensory information or interact with muscles and other organs. Putting human neural tissue inside a living animal provides that missing environment.

The Stanford researchers tested the model by exposing the mice to a temporary lack of oxygen. The human cortical cells showed significant damage, and the animals developed movement and coordination problems. This provided a way to observe how developing human neural tissue responds to an injury inside a living organism.

The researchers say the approach could eventually help investigate conditions including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental or neurological disorders, while also providing a platform for testing potential treatments.

Also read: India’s Hidden Stillbirth Burden: Lancet Study Finds 2.2 Lakh Pregnancy Losses Missed By Current Reporting Method

Ethical Questions

The experiment also raises difficult ethical questions. As scientists become increasingly capable of integrating human neural tissue into animals, researchers must consider whether increasingly sophisticated brain models could acquire unexpected characteristics or alter animal welfare.

The Stanford team sought outside ethical review of the work. Experts have emphasised that there is currently no evidence that these mice possess human-like consciousness, but they also argue that ethical oversight will become important as these models become more complex.