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

Amid an ongoing Salmonella outbreak that has infected hundreds of people, vulnerable groups in the UK are being advised to avoid undercooked or runny eggs.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued the precautionary advice after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national outbreak. The outbreak has infected 207 people across the UK, with one death and 34 hospitalisations.

Officials suspect imported eggs or food products containing imported eggs may be behind the outbreak.

However, the FSA said well-cooked eggs served in restaurants, cafes and takeaways are safe to eat.

Who Is at Risk?

The FSA advised vulnerable groups, including:

• Children under five
• Adults over 65
• Pregnant women
• People with certain health conditions or weakened immune systems

Ian Young, chief scientific adviser at the FSA, said vulnerable people eating out should ensure that eggs and egg products are thoroughly cooked.

Which Foods Should Be Avoided?

The FSA advised vulnerable people to avoid runny eggs and freshly made foods that may contain uncooked eggs, including:

• Mayonnaise
• Soufflés
• Hollandaise sauce

Are Supermarket Eggs Safe?

Young reiterated that people can continue to buy British eggs from supermarkets. Chickens bred in the UK are vaccinated against common strains of Salmonella.

“There is no link to those eggs to this current outbreak,” he said.

He described the outbreak as “unusually large and rapidly increasing” and urged people to take precautions.

The UKHSA has launched an investigation to identify the source of the outbreak. Initial findings suggest it may be linked to eggs imported from outside the UK, although the source has not yet been definitively established.

Dr Kathleen O'Reilly, associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the investigation involves identifying additional cases and examining possible common sources of infection.

Where Have Cases Been Reported?

Cases have been reported across the UK:

• England: 199 cases
• Scotland: 6 cases
• Wales: 1 case
• Northern Ireland: 1 case

In England, London has reported the highest number of cases, with 47, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber with 38.

What Is Salmonella?

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhoea and gastrointestinal illness.

Common symptoms include:

• Diarrhoea
• Stomach cramps
• Vomiting
• Fever

How Does Salmonella Spread?

The UKHSA stated that Salmonella Enteritidis is the most common Salmonella serovar in England and a leading cause of salmonellosis.

Like other non-typhoidal Salmonella infections, it can spread through contaminated food, including:

• Eggs
• Poultry
• Meat
• Unpasteurised dairy products
• Fresh produce

The bacteria can also spread through contact with contaminated environments or from person to person.

How to Reduce the Risk of Salmonella

Dr O'Reilly advised people to fully cook eggs before eating them and maintain good food hygiene.

Key precautions include:

• Cook eggs thoroughly, including omelettes, rather than leaving them runny.
• Wash your hands with soap after handling food and during food preparation.
• Clean chopping boards and utensils after preparing food.
• Check food hygiene ratings when choosing catering outlets.

People who develop diarrhoea or stomach cramps should rest and drink plenty of fluids. Young children, older adults and other vulnerable people who become ill should seek medical advice.

Moderna and Merck’s personalized mRNA cancer vaccine has shown statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements. The late-stage trial showed recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) when combined with Keytruda in patients with melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.

The vaccine, intismeran autogene (mRNA-4157/V940), is custom-made for each patient based on the unique genetic characteristics of their tumor. It is designed to work alongside Keytruda (pembrolizumab), an immunotherapy that helps the immune system attack cancer cells.

What Makes the Vaccine Different?

According to experts, the development moves personalized cancer therapy closer to a practical clinical reality.

“A tumor-specific mRNA vaccine offers a way of making the immune response more targeted by using the individual tumor’s molecular characteristics to identify the abnormal signals that the immune system should recognize,” Prof. Jyoti Bajpai, Director – Medical Precision Immuno-Oncology, Apollo Hospitals, Mumbai, told HealthandMe.

What Did the Phase 3 Trial Find?

In the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial, the combination met its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS).

Compared with Keytruda alone, the combination of intismeran autogene and Keytruda showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in both RFS and DMFS.

The findings were reported in patients with stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV cutaneous melanoma who had undergone complete surgical removal of their cancer and had not previously received systemic therapy.

The mRNA Vaccine: How It Works

After tumor sequencing, up to ~34 patient-specific neoantigens are encoded into a single mRNA construct delivered in lipid nanoparticles.

Host cells translate the neoantigens, which are then presented on MHC, driving de novo and expanded neoantigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses.

When combined with PD-1 blockade, the vaccine supplies the antigenic “signal” while the checkpoint inhibitor supplies the “permission” to attack.

“The result is a more focused, polyclonal, and potentially longer-lived anti-tumor immune response—exactly what is needed to clear residual microscopic disease after resection,” Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman, Medical Oncology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told HealthandMe.

Early translational data from KEYNOTE-942 already showed durable neoantigen-specific T-cell responses, supporting the idea that the vaccine can generate immune memory that outlasts the treatment period.

“Immunotherapy releases the body’s natural brakes to attack cancer, whereas the custom vaccine acts like a precision GPS—training the immune system to recognize the unique genetic signature of that patient's specific tumour. Immunotherapy mobilizes the immune response, but the vaccine tells it exactly where to go,” Prof. Jyoti said.

What Could It Mean for Cancer Treatment?

“The practical implication is a shift in the adjuvant paradigm: rather than relying solely on broad immune checkpoint inhibition or chemotherapy, we can now envision adding a tumor-specific ‘instruction set’ that educates the patient’s own T-cell repertoire against the unique mutational fingerprint of their cancer,” the noted oncologist said.

He added that the manufacturing turnaround, currently ~6 weeks from biopsy to first dose, remains a logistical and cost challenge. However, the COVID-era mRNA infrastructure has shown that rapid, decentralized production of custom constructs is feasible.

mRNA’s Potential For India

India’s cancer burden has continued to rise steadily over the past five years, with the estimated number of new cancer cases increasing from 14.26 lakh in 2021 to 15.70 lakh in 2025, while annual cancer-related deaths also climbed from 7.89 lakh to an estimated 8.69 lakh during the same period, according to data placed before Parliament recently.

For India, this technology has intriguing potential, Dr Jyoti said.

While typical skin melanoma is less common here, India sees higher rates of acral and mucosal subtypes, which tend to be aggressive and diagnosed late.

“A tailored neoantigen approach could be very useful for these complex cases. However, manufacturing costs, long turnaround times for genomic sequencing, and cold-chain logistics mean translating this into routine clinical care in India may take time,” she added.

Almost all states in the US are reporting a growing summer wave of COVID-19 cases, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While the numbers aren’t especially high and there aren’t many hospitalizations or deaths, the test positivity rate for the week ending August 8 rose above 3% for the first time since March, with numbers climbing in every state. Emergency department visits related to COVID-19 are also “very low.”

Wastewater Data Offers Closer Look At COVID Activity

According to the CDC, wastewater data can be a key tool for tracking where the virus may be circulating. Testing sewage can detect the presence of COVID-19 in a community and “can pick up signs of infection even from people who feel perfectly healthy,” the CDC said.

COVID-19 Activity By State

• Hawaii and Mississippi show signs of elevated viral activity.
• Both states have “moderate” levels of COVID-19.
• Wastewater data for Mississippi is limited.
• The West and South are seeing higher COVID-19 activity than other regions.
• Low wastewater levels: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
• Very low levels: The remaining states.
• In Alabama, COVID-19 is not reflected in hospitalizations or mortality data yet, but cases are registering an “uptick” rather than a surge.

“It is going up. We don’t know how to describe these numbers that we’re seeing in terms of what the denominator is anymore,” Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, told the media.

“Now we just know when we get a positive test, and we don’t even have clinical data sometimes to put that in context.”

‘August Is Solidly Covid Season’

“August is solidly Covid season,” Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an expert in outbreak science and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health and Security, told CNN.

“Right now, the South and the West are sort of the leading edge of this Covid season. In the past, it almost always starts in Florida, Texas and Georgia, which is exactly what we’re seeing this year.”

Who Is At Higher Risk?

COVID-19 can still be serious and even deadly, especially for people who remain vulnerable to severe disease. These include:

• Elderly individuals
• Pregnant women
• People with chronic heart disease
• Patients with COPD or interstitial lung disease (ILD)
• Those with chronic kidney or liver disease
• Immunocompromised individuals

How To Prevent COVID-19?

To reduce the risk of infection, people should:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Wear masks in crowded indoor settings.
• Maintain hand hygiene.
• Ensure good ventilation.
• Avoid close contact with others when unwell.

Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough or breathlessness should get tested and seek timely medical advice.

If you didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine last year, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist about getting one, including the vaccine formulated for last season, Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of health for the New York State Department of Health, told CNN.