The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded 4,000 confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo strain since mid-May, with 1,850 deaths reported. Health officials warn the virus may be mutating, as the WHO urges vaccine trials for what is being described as the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic on record.
In a stunning reversal, lawyers for Luigi Mangione informed a judge Thursday that he will no longer pursue a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk. The withdrawal means Mangione will not introduce evidence that he was experiencing an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the alleged killing.
The United States has supplied experimental antibody drugs for clinical trials in Democratic Republic of Congo as the Ebola outbreak exceeds 1,000 confirmed cases. Meanwhile, Kenya's health minister ordered a halt to construction of a US-run Ebola quarantine facility following court orders and public opposition.
The World Health Organization officially validated Tunisia as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a major milestone after decades of public health efforts. Trachoma is a leading infectious cause of blindness.
