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

Regaining weight is one of common effects of stopping GLP-1 treatment for obesity. But apart from this, users have reported unusual side effects like hair fall, vision loss and even psychiatric symptoms.

According to two case reports published in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, stopping GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may ensue serious psychiatric symptoms in some patients like hallucinations, paranoia, mania and severe depression.

The reports describe two men who developed acute psychiatric symptoms after abruptly discontinuing tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound. Both patients needed hospitalisation and psychiatric treatment.

The latest findings raise questions about the possible psychiatric effects of stopping GLP-1 medicines on the brain.

What Happened To The Two Patients?

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The first case involved a 61-year-old man with a history of depression who stopped taking tirzepatide in August 2025 because of nausea.

Around two months later, he was hospitalised with worsening confusion and erratic behaviour. He experienced paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and Cotard's delusion, a rare condition in which a person believes they are dead or no longer exist.

Medical investigations, including brain imaging, an electroencephalogram and tests of cerebrospinal fluid, did not identify a clear explanation for his symptoms. He received antipsychotic medication along with his existing antidepressant treatment.

Although his psychotic symptoms initially improved, he was readmitted weeks later with severe depression and catatonic features, a condition involving symptoms like reduced movement, unresponsiveness and difficulty communicating. He subsequently required electroconvulsive therapy.

The second case involved a 52-year-old man with a history of anxiety who abruptly stopped tirzepatide in September 2025 after losing approximately 100 pounds (45 kg) over six months.

About a month later, he developed significant mood and behavioural changes, including irritability, impulsivity, grandiosity and rapid, disorganised speech. Doctors diagnosed a manic episode. He was treated with an antipsychotic and transferred for psychiatric care.

Can Stopping GLP-1 Drugs Affect Mental Health?

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GLP-1 receptors are found not only in the digestive system but also in the brain, including regions involved in appetite, reward processing and mood regulation.

GLP-1 medicines influence these regions, which may partly explain why researchers are investigating their effects on mental health.

The authors of the case reports suggest that abruptly stopping the medication could contribute to sudden changes in mood or behaviour in certain vulnerable individuals. They also point towards dopamine signalling and neuroinflammatory processes.

However, researchers could not establish that withdrawal from tirzepatide was responsible for the psychiatric symptoms.

Both patients had pre-existing mental health conditions, which may have contributed to their symptoms. The second patient also had low vitamin B12 levels and increased marijuana use before developing symptoms.

The authors described the psychiatric symptoms after discontinuation of medication as “an underrecognized clinical phenomenon” and called for further research.

GLP-1 Drugs & Psychiatric Symptoms

The case reports do not mean that GLP-1 medicines cause psychosis, mania or other psychiatric disorders when stopped.

In January 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said its review of 91 clinical trials involving more than 107,000 participants found no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviour with GLP-1 medicines.

It also found no increased risk of other psychiatric adverse events, including anxiety, depression, irritability and psychosis, compared to placebo.

However, that assessment primarily examined risks associated with taking the medicines. It does not settle the question of whether abrupt discontinuation could be linked with psychiatric symptoms in a small, vulnerable group.

The findings, however, indicate that patients should not stop GLP-1 treatment without discussing it with their healthcare provider. People may discontinue these medicines because of side effects, cost, access problems or other reasons, but a clinician can help change treatment plans.

Anyone experiencing new symptoms like confusion, hallucinations, extreme mood changes, paranoia or unusual behaviour after stopping a GLP-1 medication should seek urgent medical intervention.

A new blood test may help identify microscopic precancerous changes linked to ovarian cancer before a tumour develops, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers found that the test could detect a molecular signal associated with an early precursor of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, one of the most common and aggressive forms of the disease.

The study, led by researchers at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute in California, identified elevated levels of an RNA molecule called Tu-Stroma in blood samples from women with a condition known as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC).

The findings could eventually help identify women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, especially those with inherited genetic mutations.

What Is STIC And How Is It Linked To Ovarian Cancer?

High-grade serous ovarian cancer mostly originates in the fallopian tubes rather than directly in the ovaries. It may begin with microscopic changes in the cells lining the fallopian tubes, known as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma or STIC.

These lesions are precancerous, which means they are not invasive cancer but can lead to the development of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

STIC is difficult to detect because the abnormal cells are microscopic and cannot be identified through routine imaging. They are often discovered incidentally when women undergo surgery to remove their fallopian tubes or ovaries.

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How Does The New Blood Test Work?

The researchers found that women with STIC had elevated levels of Tu-Stroma, an RNA molecule related to interactions between abnormal cells and surrounding healthy tissue.

The molecule is linked to a process in which cancer cells weaken neighbouring healthy cells, creating an environment that allows abnormal cells to thrive.

By measuring Tu-Stroma in blood samples, researchers investigated whether this molecular signal could identify STIC before invasive cancer develops.

In a separate validation group, the test detected STIC in 92.3% of women who had the precancerous condition and correctly identified 98.2% of healthy women.

Researchers also modelled how the test might perform in a population of women with inherited risk factors for ovarian cancer. They estimated that approximately 72% of positive results would be accurate, while a negative result would be correct nearly 100% of the time.

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Could The Test Help Women With BRCA1 And BRCA2 Mutations?

The findings may be relevant to women carrying inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancers significantly.

Women with these mutations may be advised to consider surgery to remove of their fallopian tubes and ovaries. While this can reduce ovarian cancer risk, it also has consequences like including the loss of fertility and the possibility of early menopause.

Dr Esha Madan, co-author of the study and a researcher at Hoag Family Cancer Institute, said, “For women at high risk, this could transform how we approach prevention.”

She added, “Today, decisions about preventive surgery are largely guided by inherited risk, without knowing whether precancerous lesions are actually present. Our discovery could eventually provide that missing biological information.”

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Can This Blood Test Be Used For Ovarian Cancer Screening?

The study analysed previously collected blood samples from women whose diagnoses were already known. It did not test the blood marker prospectively in a large population of women undergoing routine screening.

The test performed well in samples from people with confirmed conditions and may not achieve the same accuracy in the general population.

Researchers are now planning prospective studies involving women with and without inherited risk factors. These studies will assess whether Tu-Stroma can identify precancerous changes before they progress and whether the results can shape clinical decisions.

Dr Rajan Gogna, who led the research, said, “We asked a fundamentally different question: What if we could identify the earliest molecular warning signs before invasive cancer even develops?”

The discovery offers a new direction for ovarian cancer detection, shifting the focus from finding an existing tumour to identifying biological changes that may precede it.

Long known to be a key risk factor for lungs and heart, a new study now shows that long-term exposure to air pollution and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 16%.

A rise of 10 micrograms per cubic metre in PM2.5 concentration was associated with a 10% to 16% increase in diabetes risk.

The findings come amid rising pollution levels in Delhi, highlighting the potential metabolic health consequences of prolonged exposure to poor air quality.

Published in the Journal of Vascular Diseases, the analysis found that air pollution is not just a cardiopulmonary concern but also a potential contributor to metabolic health problems.

What Did The Study Find?

The researchers analysed 13 major previous reviews, covering more than 200 million participant observations worldwide.

Reviews examining new diabetes cases consistently found an association between air pollution exposure and a higher risk of developing the disease.

The studies also reported higher diabetes prevalence, elevated blood sugar levels and an increased burden of related health complications.

The association was observed even among populations living in areas classified as having clean air. Since nearly everyone is exposed to outdoor air pollution, even relatively small increases in individual risk could translate into millions of additional diabetes cases worldwide.

South and East Asia are among the regions likely to face a particularly high burden.

Air Pollution Must Be Part Of Diabetes Prevention

Dr. Anoop Misra, Padma Shri, Executive Chairman and Director, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Fortis C-Doc Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, said air pollution should be recognised as a potential contributor to metabolic disorders, including diabetes, rather than viewed only as a respiratory and environmental concern.

“Air quality management must become a core part of diabetes prevention,” he said.

He also highlighted the growing public health burden in heavily polluted South Asian cities and stressed the need to integrate air quality management into diabetes prevention.

Yashendra Sethi, first author of the study, said India must focus on improving environmental conditions to protect metabolic health.

“If India wants to tackle both diabetes and pollution, we must improve metabolic health and clean up our environment. We cannot fight diabetes while ignoring the air we breathe,” Sethi said.

The researchers emphasised that diabetes prevention should be considered alongside heart and lung health when framing clean-air guidelines.

They recommended strengthening continuous air quality monitoring, tightening emissions standards and incorporating environmental factors into national healthcare policies.

Delhi Air Quality In Very Poor Category

Delhi's air quality slipped into the 'very poor' category on November 11, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 313. This came a day after stronger winds brought some relief, pushing the AQI into the 'poor' category.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are also expected to rise over the next two days.

Of the 58 monitoring stations that recorded data on Wednesday, one reported 'severe' air quality, 34 were in the 'very poor' category, 22 in the 'poor' category and one in the 'moderate' category.