An experimental treatment happens to be the solution to delay Alzheimer's symptoms in some people. These people are the ones who are genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s. These new findings form ongoing research has now been caught up in Trump administration funding delas. The early results of the study has been published on Wednesday and the participants too are worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.

One of the participants had said, "It is still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having." The participant is named Jake Henrichs, form New York City, who is 50 years old. He is one of them to be treated in that study for more than a decade now and has remained symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer's-causing gene that had killed his father and brother around the same age.

Slowing Down The Symptoms

Two drugs which can modestly slow down early-stage Alzheimer's are sold in the United States. These drugs clear the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk-like part called the amyloid. However, there have not been any hints that removing amyloid far earlier, way many years before the first symptoms appear, may postpone the disease.

How Was The Research Conducted?

The research is led by Washington University in St Louis, which involved families that passed down rare gene mutation as participants. This meant it was almost guaranteed that they will develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did.

The new findings is based on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset. The study is published in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Washington University's Dr Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network of studies involving families with these rare genes says, "What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease if we keep treating them?”

The researchers before though did not know what exactly caused Alzheimer's which affects nearly 7 million Americans, most of them in their later life. However, it is clear that these silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptom shows up. The big contributor. At some point amyloid buildup can trigger a protein named tau that then starts to kill neurons, which can lead to cognitive decline.

Researchers are now thus studying the Tau-fighting drugs and are looking into other factors, like inflammation, brain's immune cells and certain virus.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has expanded its focus as researchers have found more reasons for Alzheimer's. In 2013, the NIH's National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimer's drugs over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drugs and 18% of them target amyloid. However, there are scientists too who think that amyloid is not everything and their is way more in the brain tissue, immune cells, and more which can be studied.

The third recorded outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The 17th outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed over 130 lives, with more than 513 suspected cases, BBC quoted local officials as saying.

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.

With the disease spreading to newer regions and both the death toll and case count rising, experts have raised fresh global health concerns, noting that delayed detection may have allowed the virus to spread across multiple regions.

According to health authorities, early tests failed to identify the correct Ebola strain, leading to crucial weeks being lost before containment efforts began.

Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: A Look At How It All Began

The first known case was reportedly a healthcare worker in Bunia, DRC, who began experiencing fever, hemorrhaging, vomiting, and intense malaise on April 24. That person later died, according to the WHO.

However, it took another three weeks before health officials officially confirmed that Ebola was spreading.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak: University of Glasgow Researcher Explains Why Bundibugyo Virus Is Concerning

The WHO noted that a critical four-week detection gap between the onset of symptoms in the presumed index case, and the laboratory confirmation of the outbreak on May 14, suggests a low clinical index of suspicion among healthcare providers.

“This is compounded by the presence of co-circulating arboviruses and influenza-like illnesses, masking the initial index of suspicion for Ebola disease and exacerbating community transmission,” the WHO said.

Further, the infection and death of four healthcare workers within four days at Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital underscores critical breaches in infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols. A large number of community deaths have also been reported, potentially associated with unsafe burial practices, the WHO added.

The US CDC stated that the initial samples tested in DRC were negative for the Ebola virus, but by May 15, eight out of 13 samples tested positive, while five were inconclusive.

Using genetic fingerprinting, the illnesses were identified as the Bundibugyo virus, one of the four types of orthoebolaviruses that cause Ebola disease in people.

On May 17, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a “public health emergency of international concern.”

This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC since 1976. The previous outbreak ended in December 2025.

The current outbreak is the third involving the Bundibugyo virus. The strain was first identified during an outbreak in Uganda in 2007, which resulted in 131 cases and 42 deaths.

Another Bundibugyo outbreak was reported in 2012, killing 50 per cent of infected people in Uganda and 34 per cent in DR Congo.

Bundibugyo Ebola OutbreakWhy Delayed Detection Is Concerning

Speaking exclusively to HealthandMe, Professor Emma Thomson, Director of the Centre for Virus Research (Virology) in the School of Infection and Immunity at University of Glasgow, said the initial negative GeneXpert Ebola tests suggest the outbreak may have gone undetected for some time.

“The reports that initial GeneXpert Ebola testing was negative suggest that the outbreak may have gone undetected for some time, with early diagnostic blind spots delaying recognition,” she said.

Notably, Ebola cases have also been identified in Kinshasa and Kampala. According to Professor Emma, the spread to locations “hundreds of kilometers from Ituri province” indicates that the virus had already moved through human mobility networks before full containment measures were in place.

As a result, “the number of cases is going to go up pretty dramatically,” public health expert and Ebola survivor Craig Spencer told Associated Press.

Health experts stated that the outbreak went undetected for weeks because early tests looked for the wrong strain of the virus.

“Because early tests looked for the wrong strain of Ebola, we got false negatives and lost weeks of response time,” Matthew M Kavanagh of Georgetown University told AP. “We are playing catch-up against a very dangerous pathogen.”

Bundibugyo Ebola: No Approved Vaccine Or Treatment

More concerning is the fact that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

“We do not currently have a proven, licensed, Bundibugyo-virus-specific vaccine available for outbreak control,” Professor Emma told HealthandMe, stressing the need for urgent vaccine research.

She also highlighted the importance of strengthening therapeutics against the Ebola virus.

Amid an India-wide strike of more than 15 lakh chemists and druggists slated for May 20, the government today noted that access to medicines will remain unaffected in the country.

“All pharmacy chains and hospital pharmacy stores, Jan Aushadhi stores, AMRIT Pharmacy stores will remain open tomorrow,” according to official sources from the Ministry of Health.

These stores will remain open “in addition to the many state and chemist associations who have already pulled out from the strike,” the sources said.

Retail pharmacy associations from at least 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, have formally distanced themselves from the strike call, citing “public interest”.

What Is The Nationwide Chemists’ Strike About?

Earlier this week, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) announced that more than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across the country will keep their medical stores shut on May 20 to protest against illegal online sale of medicines and “unprofessional competition” by corporate firms.

The trade body flagged the sale of prescription drugs without proper verification and warned that AI-generated fake prescriptions may worsen the misuse of antibiotics.

The nationwide strike also demands the withdrawal of notifications issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that allegedly enabled the misuse of online medicine sales, said AIOCD president and former MLC Jagannath Shinde during a press conference in Mumbai.

Shinde noted that online sales had led to the circulation of fake drugs, antibiotics, and scheduled medicines without prescriptions, posing a serious threat to public health, particularly among the youth.

Also read: ‘I Was Vocal About Cancer But Silent About Menopause Out Of Shame’, Says Actress Lisa Ray

“The online sale of drugs has become hazardous for the nation and needs to be checked on priority. Moreover, deep discounts offered by online companies were proving to be a death knell for small chemists and retailers,” he alleged.

During the COVID pandemic, the government had issued special exemptions to ensure home delivery of medicines. Shinde pointed out that those provisions are continuing even after the pandemic ended.

Online companies were exploiting these relaxations and engaging in unfair competition through discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent, he added.

CDSCO Reviewing Retail Pharmacy Concerns

Read More: No Ebola Case in India, Public Risk Low: Govt Steps Up Surveillance at Airports and Seaports

Official sources in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) reiterated that public health and patient access to medicines remain paramount.

They noted that any disruption in the functioning of chemist shops has the potential to cause serious inconvenience to patients, particularly vulnerable groups dependent on regular access to life-saving and essential medicines, besides impacting critical medical supply chains.

“Any disruption in the functioning of chemist shops has the potential to cause serious inconvenience to patients and impact critical medical supply chains,” a source said.

They also added that constructive dialogue remains the preferred mechanism for addressing sectoral concerns while ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services for citizens across the country.

The 17th outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed over 130 lives, with more than 513 suspected cases, local officials have said.

A spokesperson for the DR Congo government said cases were now being reported across a wider area, according to the BBC. Cases are now being identified in new areas, including Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu, and the city of Goma.

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, an international emergency. The agency has also warned that it could potentially become “a much larger outbreak” than what is currently being detected and reported, with a significant risk of local and regional spread. However, it does not meet the criteria of a pandemic.

Meanwhile, an American doctor in the DR Congo who was caring for patients also tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo disease on May 17.

“The person developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late on Sunday,” the CDC said, adding that the agency is working to move the patient to Germany for treatment and care.

CBS News also quoted sources as saying that at least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus during the outbreak in the DR Congo.

The CDC noted that "high-risk contacts associated with this exposure are also being moved to Germany".

The Bundibugyo Virus: Previous Outbreaks

The Bundibugyo virus has previously caused two recognised outbreaks. The first was in Bundibugyo District, Uganda, in 2007–2008, with 131 reported cases and 42 deaths, and a case fatality rate of 34–40 per cent.

The second was in Isiro, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 2012, with 38 laboratory-confirmed cases and 13 deaths, although wider outbreak reports, including probable and suspected cases, gave higher totals.

These figures are lower than the fatality rates seen in many outbreaks caused by other Ebola strains, but they are still extremely serious.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak: University of Glasgow Researcher Explains Why Bundibugyo Virus Is Concerning

The largest outbreak of the Ebola virus since its discovery in 1976, took place in 2014–2016. The outbreak infected more than 28,600 people in West Africa.

The disease also spread to several countries within and outside West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, killing 11,325 people.

How Does Ebola Bundibugyo Spread?

The Bundibugyo virus spreads through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a person infected with, or who has died from, the rare Ebola strain.

It can also spread through contact with contaminated objects such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment, or through infected animals such as bats and nonhuman primates.

Historically, Bundibugyo virus outbreaks have recorded fatality rates ranging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

Symptoms To Watch For

Symptoms of Bundibugyo virus disease are similar to other forms of Ebola and include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Unexplained bleeding or bruising, usually in later stages of illness.