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Good morning. Here’s the news you need to know after the long weekend.
Ebola outbreak continues to worsen
As of yesterday, there have been 101 confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo — but the actual number is likely substantially higher, with more than 900 suspected cases, according to a post from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Ten deaths have been confirmed, with 220 more suspected.
“This outbreak is going to be a beast to contain,” STAT’s Helen Branswell wrote online yesterday. “And the longer it goes before the world mounts an effective response, the harder it’s going to be.”
In a new First Opinion essay, two public health professors point out that outbreaks like this also increase the risk of violence. We know what’s about to happen in eastern Congo, they argue, because we’ve seen it happen before. Read more about the risks for girls and women in particular, and what preventive measures can be taken.
The outbreak has also spread to neighboring Uganda, with seven confirmed infections per the AP. Rwanda, which shares a border with both countries, has issued a travel ban for anyone who has been in the DRC within the past 30 days, similar to the U.S. (Experts say that travel bans don’t stop the spread of viruses.)
Momentum stalls on a men’s health office
When assistant health secretary Admiral Brian Christine was sworn in last year, it served to many advocates as a sign that men’s health was finally going to be a major federal priority. Momentum has been building around the idea of a dedicated office for men’s health established by Trump administration leaders or through a bipartisan bill in Congress as a “parallel track” to women’s health. But as the midterm elections approach, political concerns seem to be growing.
“There’s no expectation this is going to be done in just a few months, but we’re dedicated to seeing this through, however long it takes,” urologist Mark Edney told STAT’s Annalisa Merelli. Read more from Nalis on what’s holding people back.
New acting FDA head is defying expectations
Over the last year, acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas has built a reputation among leaders in the food industry, public health groups, and FDA career staffers as a serious, thoughtful guy. (A biotech executive once said he “radiates normal.”) His demeanor is likely to serve him well in the leadership role, which he took on a few weeks ago after Marty Makary resigned and several of his lieutenants were removed from their roles. Already, Diamantas seems to have won what Makary and many other Trump officials could not: the approval of FDA career staffers.
Diamantas may lead the agency for a while, given the obstacles the Trump administration faces in selecting a new commissioner and getting that person confirmed. STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence spoke about him with 10 industry and public health stakeholders, along with his former colleagues and former FDA commissioners. Read more about how a little-known Florida attorney ended up at the top of the FDA and what he’s doing to staying afloat.
1.17 billion
That’s the estimated number of people living with a mental disorder globally in 2023 — nearly double the number in 1990, according to a study published last week in The Lancet. That includes anxiety, mild and major depression, autism, ADHD, eating disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and more.
Some of the increase could be accounted for by changes in surveillance and how people self-report mental health struggles. But some increase is undeniable: Anxiety and major depressive disorder were most responsible for the global mental health burden, with rates rising by more than 47% and 24%, respectively, since 2019.
The problem is particularly urgent for young people. Another recent U.S.-based study found that the number of pediatric primary care visits where mental health came up rose steadily over the last decade.
Former CDC directors say save PEPFAR
Since 2003, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has saved more than 26 million lives, keeps 20 million people alive on HIV treatment today, and built the laboratory and disease-surveillance systems that protect Americans every day from outbreaks that begin overseas. But in a new First Opinion essay, eight former CDC directors argue against an impending State Department plan that they believe could derail PEPFAR and endanger lives.
“After more than two decades, it is reasonable to ask how PEPFAR should evolve,” they write. Both American and African leaders have expressed interest in transferring ownership of PEPFAR programming to the partner countries. “But how reform is sequenced matters.” Read more on what’s ahead.
What we’re reading
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Our warming planet is a petri dish for new and deadly microbes, New Yorker
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U.S. researchers face new restrictions on publishing with foreign collaborators, Science
- Congress slashed Medicaid funding to providers. The Trump administration wants to cut even further, STAT
- Pap smears are designed to screen for cancer. Why are people afraid to get them? The 19th
- An AI biotech CEO sets the record straight on AI drug development hype, STAT