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

Sleep disorders have long been associated with daytime fatigue, poor concentration, and memory problems. Now, a new neuroimaging study suggests that the impact of sleep disorders could be deeper.

Researchers have found that people with sleep disorders show structural changes in brain regions involved in attention, motivation, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

The findings, published in the Nature Portfolio journal Scientific Reports, are based on one of the largest neuroimaging meta-analyses examining structural changes in the brain across multiple sleep disorders.

Common Brain Changes Due To Sleep Disorders

Researchers analyzed data from numerous brain imaging studies involving people diagnosed with various sleep disorders. The following alterations were absorbed in different regions of the brain:

• The prefrontal cortex plays a key role in planning, attention, and decision-making.
• The anterior cingulate cortex, involved in emotional regulation, conflict navigating, and motivation.
• The thalamus, which helps regulate attention and acts as a communication link between different brain regions.
• The posterior cingulate cortex, associated with examining choices, memory, and internally directed thinking.

“As more people recognize how important sleep is, there’s growing urgency to understand what’s happening in the brain,” said Matthew Sutherland, a cognitive neuroscientist at FIU and senior author of the study. “By bringing together results from many studies, this research gives us a clearer picture of how sleep disorders affect brain structure and function and where we need to focus next.”

Sleep And Brain Health

According to the researchers, disrupted sleep may interfere with the brain's ability to maintain biological functions.

Rather than affecting a single region, sleep disorders appear to impact multiple interconnected networks in the brain.

“Most research looks at sleep disorders one at a time,” said Katharine Crooks, a recent FIU cognitive neuroscience doctoral graduate and lead author of the study. “By looking across many studies, we found shared patterns in the brain that help explain why sleep problems can impact focus, decision-making and everyday functioning. With so many people struggling with sleep, understanding what is happening in the brain is key to finding better interventions, diagnostic tools and personalized treatments.”

This could be why many people with chronic sleep disorders experience symptoms beyond tiredness. Some of them are:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Slower thinking
• Poor decision-making
• Reduced motivation
• Emotional instability
• Problems with memory and attention

Also read: Pediatric Sleep: The Foundation Of Healthy Growth, Behavior And Society

These symptoms are commonly reported in conditions like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and other chronic sleep disorders.

The new study adds to the evidence that healthy sleep is essential for maintaining optimum cognitive function.

Previous studies have linked sleep deprivation to poor attention, slower reflexes, increased dementia risk, and poor emotional processing.

They have also indicated that even chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to changes in brain health alongside metabolic and cardiovascular effects.

Also read: Why Are Sleep Disorder Cases Rising In Children Under 10 In South Korea?

Poor Sleep Can Also Affect Heart Health

In an earlier study, researchers discovered that even just three nights of insufficient sleep were enough to change blood chemistry, affecting heart health.

In the study, it was observed that the levels of proteins linked to a higher risk of heart disease and inflammation went up after just three nights of poor sleep.

It was further observed that while exercise had some positive effects on protein levels, it wasn't enough to completely eliminate the harm caused by not sleeping enough. Even with exercise, participants still showed increased levels of 16 proteins associated with heart disease.

The study points out how young and healthy people can face these negative biological changes from short-term sleep loss.

Bottomline

Persistent problems with falling asleep, staying asleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, or interrupted breathing during sleep deserve immediate medical attention.

As researchers continue to unravel how sleep shapes the brain, one message has become increasingly clear: quality sleep is not simply a time of rest. It is an essential biological process that supports physical health, attention span, decision-making, emotional well-being, and overall cognitive health.

Tiny plastic particles in the human body may cause serious heart attacks. A recent study observed that people who had microplastics present in their arteries supplying blood to the heart are more likely to experience severe heart attacks.

The study has raised concerns about the effects of plastic pollution on cardiovascular health.

Dangers Of Microplastics In Heart Arteries

A new study published in the European Heart Journal has found that people with microplastics present in the arteries supplying blood to the heart were more likely to experience larger and more severe heart attacks, raising concerns about the cardiovascular effects of plastic pollution.

Microplastics are plastic fragments smaller than five millimeters that originate from the breakdown of larger plastic items.

“Micro and nanoplastics are tiny plastic particles that are found virtually everywhere in the environment, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, and many foods we consume,” said Pasquale Paolisso, lead author of the study.

Although microplastics have already been detected in human blood, lungs, brain, and arteries, researchers are still trying to understand their long-term health effects.

Also read: Recovering From A Heart Attack? Avoid These Dangerous Mistakes

What Did The Study Find?

In the latest study, researchers analyzed 61 Italian patients who were treated for heart attacks and measured the presence of microplastics in blood collected from the coronary arteries.

Researchers also collected data on whether the patients were smokers and on their exposure to pollution.

“In our study, smoking history was strongly linked to microplastics in the blood. Our findings suggest that smoking might make it easier for micro and nanoplastics to enter the bloodstream via the lungs. Air pollution may act in a similar way,” Dr Emanuele Barbato, an author of the study from Sapienza University of Rome, said.

Scientists detected micro and nanoplastics in 84 per cent of patients who had heart attacks.

In comparison, only 40 per cent of patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and 32 per cent of patients with normal coronary arteries were found to have micro and nanoplastics.

Also read: US Senator & Trump's Close Ally Lindsey Graham Died Of Aortic Dissection: All About The Fatal Heart Emergency

They discovered that patients with higher levels of microplastics tended to have larger areas of heart muscle damage and greater inflammation, suggesting that these particles may be linked to more severe cardiovascular events.

“While the findings do not prove that plastics directly cause heart attacks, they strengthen the growing scientific evidence that plastic pollution is an emerging public health issue deserving serious attention,” said Thava Palanisami,” a plastic researcher at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Built On A Landmark Study

The study is built on earlier research published in 2024, which found that patients whose arterial plaque contained microplastics and nanoplastics were more than four times as likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or death.

That landmark study was among the first to find that plastics accumulating inside blood vessels could have important clinical consequences.

Scientists believe microplastics may trigger chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, damage the cells lining blood vessels, and make fatty plaques in arteries more unstable. This could increase the likelihood of heart attacks.

Almost a year after the last Senate-confirmed director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was fired for backing science and vaccines, President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to head the agency, making her his third CDC nominee in less than two years.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) for her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Schwartz pledged to restore public trust in the CDC through transparency and evidence-based decision-making.

However, she also faced pointed questions about vaccine policy, scientific independence, and whether she would resist pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Erica Schwartz: 'I Will Never Betray Science'

Read More: US Appeals Court Revives Over 500 Tylenol Lawsuits Over Autism Claims

Schwartz highlighted her military background and said restoring confidence in public health institutions would be her top priority.

"If confirmed, my first priority will be restoring trust in public health institutions through radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity," she said.

"As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest, and evidence-based. I will never betray science," she added.

Schwartz previously served as deputy US surgeon general during Trump's first administration and held the rank of rear admiral in the US Coast Guard.

Who Is Dr. Erica Schwartz?

Dr. Erica Schwartz is a physician with an extensive background in medicine, public health, engineering, and law. She holds a medical degree (MD), a Master of Public Health (MPH) in epidemiology, a law degree, and a degree in biomedical engineering.

Before being nominated to lead the CDC, Schwartz held several senior public health and military leadership roles, including:

• Serving as a Navy occupational medicine physician and clinical epidemiologist
• Joining the US Public Health Service, where she was detailed to the US Coast Guard
• Serving as the Chief Medical Officer of the US Coast Guard
• Serving as the Deputy US Surgeon General, where she helped oversee national public health initiatives and emergency preparedness.

Erica Schwartz Backs Vaccines, Calls for Autism Research

Throughout the hearing, Schwartz repeatedly expressed support for vaccines, including mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, and strongly endorsed vitamin K injections for newborns to prevent life-threatening bleeding.

She also acknowledged that scientific evidence does not support a link between vaccines and autism, while arguing that more research is needed to better understand the rising prevalence of autism.

"We owe it to the American people to figure out why one in 30 children now has autism," she said.

Schwartz stated that she did not believe either President Trump or Health Secretary Kennedy would ask her to take actions that would harm public health or violate the law.

She also said she was unaware of Kennedy's decision to cancel nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts and was unfamiliar with reported cuts to smoking cessation and food safety programmes.

Public Health Experts Express Concern

Although many observers consider Schwartz a qualified nominee with mainstream public health credentials, some experts said her testimony did not provide enough reassurance that she would independently defend scientific evidence if political pressure arose.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, chief executive of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said she wanted stronger commitments to evidence-based science from leaders overseeing the nation's top public health institutions.

The hearing also renewed criticism of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handling of the CDC.

Several Democratic senators, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, argued that former CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez was removed because she resisted Kennedy's vaccine policies.

"Dr. Monarez, to her credit, stood up for science, public health, and for the scientific method. Frankly, she stood up for protecting the well-being of the American people, and that was the reason that she was fired," Sanders said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz would replace Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who’s been serving as acting CDC director since February.