Cases

Government estimates that one in 60 adults in Fiji now living with HIV, as escalating use of methamphetamine fuels ‘epidemic’Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency amid a spike in infections as the Pacific nation grapples with a correlating rise in methamphetamine use.The country’s health and medical services minister, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, said in a statement on social media that an outbreak-level response was no longer sufficient to address what he described an “epidemic”. Continue reading...

• An unvaccinated 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, died from measles complications in 2026. • Pennsylvania has recorded 693 confirmed cases across 38 counties and has refused the CDC Epi-Aid outbreak assistance that six other states requested. • The refusal of federal help and the rise in fatalities increase the health risks for unvaccinated residents in the affected regions.

Some 41 states restrict abortions, a ‘core component’ of maternal fetal practice, high-risk pregnancy non-profit saysMaternal fetal specialists should see abortion care as a “core component” of their practice in states where laws restrict abortion, according to a new special statement from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).Some 41 states ban abortion at some point in pregnancy, and these legal restrictions make it difficult or impossible for clinicians to practice “standard-of-care, evidence-based medicine”, the report, released on Tuesday, says. Continue reading...

Newly collated data also shows Indigenous Australians experiencing disproportionally high rates of infectionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRates of reported gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis have increased by more than 50% across Australia over the past decade, with experts warning of concerning rises among women.Newly collated sexual health data from UNSW’s Kirby Institute shows 42,393 gonorrhoea notifications and 5,986 infectious syphilis notifications were recorded in 2025. The figures represent 10-year increases of 57% and 56%, respectively. Continue reading...

Chickens – which can test positive for viruses but cannot spread them – an ideal early warning system for mosquito-borne diseaseThe start of West Nile virus transmission began unusually early in some US states, with the most cases in early summer since 2004, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in July – so Delaware turned to chickens.“They kind of are the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” said Tom Moran, head of the mosquito control section at the Delaware department of natural resources and environmental control. Continue reading...

• Kaja Kallas, the head of European Diplomacy, proposed granting the European Prosecutor's Office the authority to open legal cases against those circumventing sanctions on Russia. • The European Commission separately approved an additional €6.1 billion in funding for Ukraine to purchase drones, ammunition, and air and missile defense systems. • These measures increase the legal risks for companies bypassing trade restrictions and provide Ukraine with critical electronic warfare systems to counter Russian strikes.

• The 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has reached 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths. • The World Health Organization currently recommends using the licensed Ervebo vaccine only within research protocols because there is insufficient evidence it protects humans against the Bundibugyo virus. • Patients and health officials lack a validated vaccine for this specific strain, leaving the population vulnerable while Bundibugyo-specific countermeasures are developed.