Follow the latest public stories in Health and branch into related briefings, coverage, and the broader ZettaWire wire.
More than 2,000 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the outbreak began in mid-May, with 4,381 confirmed cases including 2,011 deaths across 53 health zones in five provinces, according to Anadolu Agency.
Researchers at Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute have created human heart valve tissues from stem cells, according to a study published in Cell Stem Cell. The lab-grown tissues could advance treatments for childhood heart valve disease and help model inflammatory conditions such as rheumatic heart disease.
Taiwan recorded 14 COVID-19 deaths and 72 severe cases over the past week, the highest weekly toll of the current wave, with outpatient and emergency-room visits rising 27.6% from the previous week to 24,645. Since October last year, Taiwan has recorded 337 domestic COVID-19 cases with 42 deaths.
The WHO told Anadolu Agency that thousands of patients in Gaza still await medical evacuation, reporting that 12,913 patients—including 6,186 children—and 16,000 companions have been evacuated since October 2023, with 101 patients and 164 companions evacuated between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8.
TASS reports that prosecutors organized inspections of food service establishments in Salekhard after people were poisoned through a delivery service, with 51 victims reported including minors.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said genetic sequencing indicates the DRC Ebola outbreak likely began as early as February, months before it was officially declared on May 15. Speaking in Bunia, Ituri Province, he said the virus had probably been circulating for months before detection, with 4,209 confirmed cases and 1,916 deaths recorded as of Aug. 7.
Organizers of the Royal Adelaide Show in South Australia canceled all bird and poultry exhibitions for the 2026 event due to a surge in H5N1 bird flu cases, the first such cancellation in the show's 187-year history. South Australia reported 32 new cases on Friday, bringing Australia's total to 175 confirmed H5N1 cases.
Australia's government on Tuesday announced it will begin vaccinating high-risk captive birds against the H5N1 avian influenza strain, acquiring an initial 1,500 vials of vaccine, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said in Canberra. As of Monday, Australia had reported 231 confirmed H5N1 cases, with the number rising more than 300 percent since the start of August, while Environment Minister Murray Watt said wild birds will be vaccinated where possible and captive breeding programs expanded.
Australia's government laid out details of its A$2 billion (about US$1.4 billion) lawsuit against 3M over PFAS contamination at 28 defense bases at a federal court case management hearing on Friday. The matter returns to court on Oct. 16, with 3M required to file its defense by Dec. 11.
UN humanitarians said Friday that women and children continue to bear a disproportionate share of the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Spanish health officials say a new Andes hantavirus patient may have been contagious for up to 10 days while traveling through France; authorities say transmission risk remains low and is limited to close contacts, with contact tracing underway.