“Spain reported a ​new case among the passengers who ⁠are in quarantine, which brings the ​total number of cases to 13,” WHO ​chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

Among them, three died, but there ​have been no new deaths since ​May 2, Ghebreyesus said.

“The situation remains stable. Passengers who ‌got ⁠sick are receiving needed care, while others remain in quarantine,” Ghebreyesus said.

In the last two weeks, all remaining passengers, ​crew members ​and ⁠medical staff disembarked the MV Hondius luxury liner at the ​centre of the outbreak.

Hantaviruses are ​rodent-borne ⁠viruses that can infect people and cause illness.

The WHO estimates there are ⁠10,000 ​to 100,000 human cases ​globally each year, with severity varying by strain.

Doctors say severe dehydration caused by diarrhoea can become dangerous for children if treatment is delayed, leading to extreme weakness and other medical risks.

According to medical experts, children suffering from diarrhoea should immediately be given low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS), which contains lower levels of glucose and sodium to help the body absorb water more effectively.

They said the increasing temperatures are contributing to a growing number of dehydration-related illnesses, particularly among children.

Doctors also advised parents to ensure children remain hydrated during the heat and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen.

The new cases ​include a Ugandan ​driver who transported the country’s first confirmed ​case as well ​as a health worker ‌who ⁠was exposed to the virus while taking care of ​the ​same ⁠person, the Health Ministry ​said in a ​statement.

A ⁠Congolese woman was the third ⁠new ​case.

US bans entry

The United States on Friday temporarily banned the entry of lawful permanent residents ​who have been in the Democratic Republic of ‌Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, citing concerns over Ebola.

US citizens, nationals and green card holders had ​been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, ​but the US CDC said on Friday that ⁠extending the ban to green card holders was necessary ​to stop the virus from entering the country.

“Applying this ​authority to lawful permanent residents for a limited period of time provides a balance between protecting public health and managing emergency ​response resources,” the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention ​said in a statement.

The World Health Organisation on Friday raised to “very ‌high“ ⁠the risk of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the DRC and has declared the outbreak there and in Uganda an emergency ​of international ​concern.

The CDC first ⁠issued the order on Monday under Title 42 of the US public health law, ​which allows federal health authorities to prohibit ​migrants from ⁠entering the country to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.

Green card holders have historically been shielded from US ⁠entry ​restrictions.

The CDC’s COVID-era Title 42 ​order did not apply to them, nor did President Donald Trump’s ​various travel bans.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of ‌the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the Congolese delegation needed to maintain a bubble where they are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry ​after a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in the central African country.

The Congolese team ​are to be based in Houston at the tournament and will play an opening ⁠Group K fixture against Portugal on June 17, followed by matches against Colombia on June 23 ​in Guadalajara, Mexico, and against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta.

“We’ve been very clear to Congo that ​they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said.

“We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well that they need to maintain that bubble, ​or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any ​clearer.”

But a team spokesperson said that at this stage there was no change to their schedule in the coming weeks, which ‌includes ⁠a friendly against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3 and another against Chile in Cadiz, Spain, six days later.

The team had planned a three-day trip to Kinshasa next week as a celebratory send-off before heading to their first World Cup in 52 years but that was cancelled before the US warning.

“We have ​kept our training programme. ​No player in the ⁠squad has come from DR Congo,” the official said.

“The friendly matches are still scheduled. The only modification to the programme has been the cancellation of ​the Kinshasa leg.”

The entire squad of players are based outside the DR Congo, ​mostly in ⁠Europe, including coach Sebastien Desabre.

A few team officials arrived at the training camp in Belgium from the DRC earlier this week.

The World Health Organisation on Friday raised to “very high” the risk of the rare Bundibugyo ⁠strain of ​Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the DRC and ​has declared the outbreak there and in neighbouring Uganda an emergency of international concern.

Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths ​have been recorded following the outbreak in DRC.

The new deaths bring to 131 the fatalities associated with the outbreak in eastern DRC. There have been 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in Congo, according to a daily bulletin published by health authorities, and two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.

WHO Director-General ​Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus a public health emergency of ​international concern on Saturday. It has alarmed experts because it was able to spread for weeks undetected across ⁠a densely populated part of Congo.

Butembo, a city of hundreds of thousands of people in Congo’s North Kivu province, recorded its ​first two confirmed cases on Monday, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), told Reuters.

Americans to be evacuated to Germany

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding. According to the WHO, the average fatality rate from Ebola is around 50%, varying from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.

“I’m deeply ​concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” Tedros told members of the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, ​citing the number of cases being reported in urban areas and among healthcare workers.

One American tested positive for Ebola as part of their work in ‌Congo, ⁠the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.

The individual, identified as Dr Peter Stafford by his Christian mission organisation, and six other Americans who were exposed to the virus are being moved to Germany for care and monitoring, the CDC said.

The US State Department said it had mobilised an initial $13 million in foreign assistance for immediate response efforts to the outbreak.

Experts try to develop treatments and vaccines

Unlike with ​the more common Zaire strain ⁠of Ebola, there are no approved virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain.

The US is working to develop a monoclonal antibody therapy as a potential treatment, the CDC said on Monday.

A panel ​of experts led by the WHO will also meet on Tuesday to discuss if there ​are any vaccine ⁠options to help tackle the outbreak.

The US officially left the WHO in January in a move President Donald Trump said was motivated by the organisation’s poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An outbreak of the Zaire strain from 2018-2020 in Ituri and North Kivu provinces was the ⁠second deadliest ​on record, killing nearly 2,300 people. The international response then was complicated ​by widespread armed violence in eastern Congo that continues today.

One Ebola case has been confirmed in North Kivu province’s capital, Goma, which was seized by M23 rebels ​last year.

Here is what we know about ​this strain of the Ebola virus, known as Bundibugyo.

What is Bundibugyo Ebola?

The current Ebola outbreak - so far limited to the Democratic Republic of ‌the Congo and Uganda - is due to a rare strain of the virus known as Bundibugyo, named after Uganda’s Bundibugyo province, where it was first identified during an outbreak in 2007-2008. A second Bundibugyo outbreak occurred in 2012 in the DRC.

Bundibugyo kills 30% to 40% of infected people, making it less lethal than the more common Zaire strain, which causes death in up to 90%, according ​to a global study published in 2024.

Bundibugyo is one of the four species in the genus Ebolavirus that cause life-threatening illness in humans. All Ebola viruses are ​transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or humans or objects contaminated with such fluids.

Body fluid transmission ⁠is a particular risk for hospital workers. A US doctor working in the DRC has been infected in the current outbreak.

According to the World Health Organisation, ebolaviruses initially cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, that can start suddenly, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, and eventually by internal and external bleeding and multi-organ failure.

Are there treatments for Bundibugyo?

There are no approved vaccines or drugs for Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Emergency use authorisation would be necessary for the deployment of any experimental treatments or existing treatments that have been effective against other strains.

Potential candidates that have helped to control Bundibugyo in trials in non-human primates include Merck’s Ervebo, Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s MBP 134, and Auro Vaccines’ VesiculoVax.

NanoViricides said its experimental antiviral drug ​NV-387, currently in clinical trials against mpox, could be effective against the Bundibugyo strain. It mimics the immune cell surface proteins to which all ebolaviruses attach themselves ​and could thereby act as a decoy to “soak up” the virus and prevent it from attaching to healthy cells.

Earlier in the pipeline, an mRNA vaccine being developed in China has shown promise ‌against Bundibugyo ⁠in mice but has not yet been tested in primates.

For now, response efforts will rely on public health measures such as rapid case detection, isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, safe burials, and community engagement, said Dr Daniela Manno of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in a statement.

“These measures were critical in eventually controlling the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, and if implemented rapidly and effectively, they can also help control this outbreak,” Manno said.

Is there a test for Bundibugyo?

Tests for Bundibugyo exist but ​are not widely used. Initial analysis ⁠of samples in the current outbreak using standard tests did not detect the infections.

“Because early tests looked for the wrong strain of Ebola, we got false negatives and lost weeks of response time,” Dr Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Georgetown University Centre for ​Global Health Policy & Politics in Washington, DC, said in a statement.

“By the time the alarm was raised, the virus had ​already moved along major ⁠transport routes and crossed borders,” Kavanagh said.

What makes BundiBugyo different from other strains?

Differences in genetic makeup between Bundibugyo and other ebolaviruses impact its virulence, or infectiousness, its diagnosis, and the availability of medical treatments.

Compared to the Zaire strain, which quickly reproduces itself to reach high levels in the patient’s body, Bundibugyo replicates more slowly.

Bundibugyo is also slower to invade, disable ⁠and kill ​immune cells, eventually crippling the patient’s immune defences.

The incubation periods for the Bundibugyo virus and the Zaire ​virus are nearly identical, averaging 8 to 10 days but sometimes lasting up to three weeks.

A recent study of survivors of the 2007 Bundibugyo outbreak that found persistent symptoms and immune and metabolic alterations nevertheless ​concluded that overall, Bundibugyo may have less severe long-term effects on the liver and kidneys than the Zaire strain.

The campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will run in 23 selected districts from today until May 24, during which more than 4.6 million children will be administered polio drops.

According to the National Emergency Operations Centre, over 1.65 lakh frontline workers will go door-to-door to administer the polio vaccine.

Authorities have urged parents to cooperate fully with vaccination teams, as each additional dose strengthens children’s immunity.

Children up to the age of five must receive polio drops during this and all future campaigns.

The campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa covers Peshawar, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan divisions, Abbottabad, Torghar, Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Bajaur, Lower Dir, Mohmand, Mardan, Nowshera, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Kurram, and Karak districts.

In Peshawar and Khyber districts, the campaign will run for seven days, while in other districts it will continue for four days.

The Health Department has deployed 22,450 vaccination teams, supported by over 35,000 security personnel, to ensure the safety of polio workers during the campaign.

Authorities said the drive is a critical step toward strengthening children’s immunity against polio and urged all parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine.

The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, but that countries sharing land borders with DRC ​are at high risk for further spread.

The UN health agency said in a statement that 80 suspected deaths, ​eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases had been reported as of Saturday in DRC’s ⁠Ituri province across at least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.

International spread documented: WHO

The DRC health ​ministry had said on Friday that 80 people had died in the new outbreak in the eastern province.

The outbreak — ​the 17th in the country since Ebola was first identified there in 1976 — could be much larger, given the high positivity rate of the initial samples and increasing number of suspected cases being reported, the WHO said.

The outbreak is “extraordinary” as there are no approved ​Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike for Ebola-zaire strains, it said.

All but one of the country’s previous outbreaks were ​caused by the Zaire strain.

The DRC-Uganda outbreak poses a public health risk to other countries, with some cases of an international spread ‌already ⁠documented, the agency said, advising countries to activate their national disaster and emergency-management mechanisms and undertake cross-border screening and screening at main internal roads.

In Uganda’s capital, Kampala, two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, were reported on Friday and Saturday, from people travelling from the DRC, the WHO said.

A laboratory-confirmed case was also reported in the DRC capital, ​Kinshasa, from a person returning ​from Ituri, the WHO ⁠said.

Bundibugyo virus-disease contacts or cases should not travel internationally, unless as part of a medical evacuation, the WHO said.

The agency advised immediately isolating confirmed cases and monitoring contacts daily, ​with restricted national travel and no international travel until 21 days after exposure.

At the ​same time, the ⁠WHO urged countries not to close their borders or restrict travel and trade out of fear, as this could lead to people and goods making informal border crossings that are not monitored.

The DRC’s dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir ⁠for the ​Ebola virus.

The often-fatal virus, which causes fever, body aches, vomiting and ​diarrhoea, spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated materials or persons who have died from the disease, according to ​the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to reports, cardiac surgeon Dr Zaigham Rasool performed open-heart surgery on patient Chaudhry Saqlain on April 4 at the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology.

The patient reportedly returned to the hospital nearly three weeks later after suffering severe chest pain. An X-ray conducted on April 23 allegedly revealed that a pair of surgical scissors had been left inside his chest during the earlier operation.

Sources said Dr Zaigham Rasool performed a second surgery the same day to remove the instrument.

An inquiry committee formed over the incident reportedly placed responsibility on two staff nurses, Aqsa Sardar and Nida Arfa. Hospital administration also declared both nurses responsible for the negligence.

According to reports, nurse Aqsa Sardar had assisted Dr Zaigham during the original surgery.

Sources further alleged that the patient’s medical record was later removed from the hospital’s online system.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over patient safety and oversight in Punjab’s public hospitals.

The ship arrived off Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday, carrying 146 people.

Authorities began a two-day evacuation operation, with passengers flown back to their home countries under strict health protocols.

British nationals were among those evacuated and transported on chartered flights to the UK, where they entered quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside.

Officials said none of the UK passengers was showing symptoms.

Passengers and crew had remained confined to their cabins for several days as health teams monitored the outbreak.

Medical workers in protective gear screened those onboard before allowing them to disembark.

According to authorities, eight additional people became ill during the outbreak.

Hantavirus can initially cause flu-like symptoms and, in severe cases, lead to respiratory failure and death.

French and US officials confirmed that some repatriated passengers were showing mild symptoms or had tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus.

Spanish authorities said the evacuations were carried out in coordination with the World Health Organisation to prevent contact between passengers and the public in Tenerife.

The ship had earlier been denied permission to dock in Cape Verde amid fears of the outbreak spreading further.

Health officials stressed that hantavirus does not spread as easily as COVID-19 and said fears of a new pandemic were unfounded.

However, countries involved in the evacuation are continuing contact tracing and quarantine measures due to the virus’s incubation period, which can last several weeks.

A small number of essential crew members remained onboard the vessel to help sail it to Rotterdam.

“List of Pfizer Covid jab side effects ​includes Hantavirus pulmonary infection!” said a widely shared May 7 post on Facebook, which shared a screenshot of ‌submissions Pfizer filed to the US Food and Drug Administration in 2021 to get a biological license for its vaccine.

The narrative was also shared on X, with one post suggesting the COVID vaccine contained a hantavirus.

The reference to hantavirus pulmonary infection in the Pfizer document is on the fourth page ​of the nine-page appendix, titled “List of Adverse Events of Special Interest”.

However, this is not confirmation that the vaccine ​causes hantavirus pulmonary infection, a spokesperson for Pfizer said in an email. A disclaimer on page 6 ⁠of the document makes a similar point.

The appendix lists any medical event experienced by a person during the study period ​between December 2020, when the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was first authorised for emergency use, up to February 28, 2021, regardless of whether ​it was related to the vaccine, the spokesperson added. It was compiled using voluntary reports through various national reporting systems, such as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the United States.

Britain granted full marketing authorisation to the Pfizer vaccine in late 2022 after reviewing its safety, efficacy, ​and other information, including a list of adverse events identified as having a causal link with the shot.

These adverse events are published in Pfizer’s product leaflet. Hantavirus is not mentioned.

Hantavirus as a vaccine ingredient

Some hantaviruses cause hantavirus pulmonary infection or syndrome, according to the US National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organisation.

There are no hantaviruses in the ingredient list of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, now called Comirnaty.

According to Pfizer, the Comirnaty shot does not contain live viruses.

As of May 7, an outbreak of hantavirus on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship has killed three people.

South Africa’s health ministry said on May 6 that the Andes strain of hantavirus was identified in two victims ​who had been evacuated from ​the ship to the country.

The ⁠World Health Organisation said in an online factsheet that the Andes strain is the only hantavirus that has seen human-to-human transmission. Transmission remains uncommon and, when it does happen, is associated with “close ​and prolonged contact”, the WHO added.

The US Food and Drug Administration did not respond ​to a request ⁠for comment. An FDA spokesperson said in a previous Reuters fact-check that reports to VAERS post-vaccination “do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem”. Anyone can submit a report, regardless of plausibility, added the spokesperson.

Verdict

Misleading. Hantavirus pulmonary infection appeared in a list that ⁠recorded ​any medical event a person experienced during Pfizer’s study period, regardless of whether ​the medical event was caused by the vaccine. Pfizer’s regulatory document lists events that were later found to have a causal effect, and this list ​does not include a hantavirus pulmonary infection.

The ‌passengers, none of whom have displayed signs of infection, will be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they remain asymptomatic and then transported to land in small boats, according to ​Spanish officials.

Sealed-off buses will then take the passengers to the Spanish island’s ​main airport about 10 minutes away, where they will board planes ⁠heading to their respective countries.

All passengers on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius ​are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe’s public health agency said late on ​Saturday as part of its rapid scientific advice.

The evacuation is expected to begin between 7.30 and 8.30am, according to Spanish authorities.

Spanish nationals are set to disembark first, with other ​nationalities to follow in groups, government officials said on Saturday.

Thirty crew members will ​remain on board and sail to the Netherlands, where the ship will be disinfected.

The ship left ‌for ⁠Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the World Health Organisation and European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers after the hantavirus outbreak was detected.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on Saturday evening in Tenerife ​in the Canary Islands, ​alongside Spain’s interior ⁠and health ministers and its minister for territorial policy, to coordinate the arrival of the ship.

The WHO said on Friday that eight ​people had fallen ill, including three who died — a Dutch ​couple and ⁠a German national.

Six of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with another two suspected cases, the WHO has said.

Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents ⁠but ​can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person.

The WHO ​has said the risk to the wider global population is low, but the risk to passengers and crew ​on the ship is moderate.

Two British nationals ​have been ​confirmed as cases of hantavirus, ‌as ⁠part of its monitoring of the deadly outbreak ​on ​a ⁠luxury cruise ship, the UK ​Health Security ​Agency ⁠said in an update on ⁠Friday.

Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius.

Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected of having contracted the virus, according to the World Health Organisation.

The Dutch government has said around 40 ​passengers had disembarked the ship in Santa Helena, where the ship made a stop on its way to Cape Verde — before the ​outbreak was reported.

Contact tracing

The whereabouts of many of these passengers is as yet unknown.

One of those to disembark was ⁠the wife of the Dutchman who had died aboard the ship on April 11.

She fell sick herself and died before she could reach the ​Netherlands.

Dutch airline KLM on Wednesday said it had taken the woman off a plane in Johannesburg on April 25 due to her deteriorating medical condition.

According to ​broadcaster RTL, a KLM stewardess who had been in contact with her has now been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam after showing possible symptoms of a hantavirus infection.

The Dutch health ministry did not mention her job or who she may have been in contact with, but did confirm that a Dutch woman has been admitted to hospital and ​will be tested to determine whether she is infected with the hantavirus.

A spokesperson for KLM said the company could not “discuss individual cases” due to ​privacy concerns.

The virus found in the victims has been confirmed as the Andean strain, which can spread among humans through very close contact.

Experts have stressed ‌that contagion ⁠is very rare and requires very close contact, but the outbreak has put health authorities on high alert.

The United States’ Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was closely monitoring the situation with US travellers on board the ship, adding that the risk to the American public was extremely low at the time.

One French citizen has been in contact with a person who had fallen ill but was not currently showing symptoms, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot ​said.

Argentina’s health ministry has said it ​will carry out rodent trapping and ⁠analysis in the southern city of Ushuaia, the origin point of the cruise ship.

Ship heads for Spain

The MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board, headed for Spain late on Wednesday and is expected to dock in Spain’s Tenerife, ​in the Canary Islands, on Sunday, the EU’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

There is still no one showing ​any hantavirus symptoms ⁠on the ship, the ECDC, which is part of the medical team onboard the Hondius, said, adding that it was working with Spanish authorities to finalise a protocol for disembarkation.

Once in Tenerife, if they are still healthy, all non-Spanish citizens will be repatriated to their countries, while 14 Spanish passengers will be quarantined in ⁠a military ​hospital in Madrid.

Three patients were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday.

One of them has ​been admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands, while another one was transferred to Germany for medical care.

The plane carrying the third patient landed in the Netherlands on Thursday morning, after facing ​a delay due to a problem with the patient’s life support system.

But later that ‌evening, on May 2, Rosmarin posted: “For those who have seen recent news, yes, I am currently onboard the M/V Hondius,” adding that he did not wish to say more, “out of respect for those involved.”

The following day, with his ship marooned off the Cape Verde islands and refused permission to offload its passengers and crew, a visibly distraught Rosmarin said, “What’s happening right now is very real for all of us.”

“We’re not ​just headlines. We’re people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home,” he added, his voice trembling as he choked back tears, a ring ​on his ring finger visible in the frame.

“All we want is to feel safe and to get home,” he said.

That was two ⁠days after conveying his excitement at spotting a critically endangered Wilkins’s Finch on Nightingale Island.

Dozens trapped on ship

About 150 people remain stuck on the ship, which had been visiting ​some of the most remote places on Earth, including Tristan da Cunha, an island in the south Atlantic between Argentina and South Africa where Rosmarin filmed the cows.

Three people on board — ​a Dutch couple and a German national — have died, the operator said.

Rosmarin did not immediately respond to a request for comment via text message, but his post was a rare insight into the atmosphere on the M/V Hondius.

The first stricken passenger, the Dutchman, died on April 11 as the ship steamed towards Tristan da Cunha.

His body remained on board until April 24, when it “was disembarked on St ​Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation,” the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said in a statement on Monday.

Three days later, the man’s wife also fell sick and later died, while ​another passenger, a Briton, became “seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa,” the company said.

South African authorities have confirmed that the British patient, who is being treated in a Johannesburg hospital, tested ‌positive for ⁠the hantavirus.

The Netherlands has confirmed the virus in the Dutch woman who died.

Cruise goes on as deaths continue

The Hondius left Ushuaia in southern Argentina in March, according to company documentation, on a voyage marketed as an Antarctic nature expedition, with berth prices ranging from 14,000 to 22,000 euros ($16,000-$25,000).

It travelled past mainland Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan, St Helena, and Ascension before reaching Cape Verdean waters on May 3.

On May 1, the ship’s chef Khabir Moraes posted a joyful video of himself and colleagues swimming in the ocean off a rubber ​dinghy, the cruise ship anchored in the ​background.

“The day was pleasant and the depth ⁠was 4,700 metres,” he said, commenting in the video about his colleagues laughing as they hauled him back onto the dinghy.

Moraes did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment sent via text message.

Reuters could not establish if he was aware of the ​deaths before he made his post.

The following day, another passenger died, Oceanwide said in Monday’s statement, adding that the cause had not ​yet been established and ⁠that the passenger was of German nationality.

Oceanwide Expeditions said Cape Verdean health authorities had not yet granted permission for a medical evacuation of the ship and screening of its passengers.

It is now considering sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife for this purpose.

Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases, according to the World Health Organisation.

As concern ⁠mounts in South ​Africa, health authorities said there was no need for locals to be concerned about the virus spreading onshore, ​while Cape Verde authorities also put out a statement to calm fears, saying that since the ship has remained at sea, “there is currently no risk to the population on land”.

Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions said in a news release it was “managing a serious medical situation” on a polar expedition ship, the MV Hondius, which was off Cape Verde, an island nation in ​the Atlantic west of Africa.

The cruise departed from Argentina about three weeks ago ​with around 150 passengers and stopped in the Antarctic and other locations on ⁠its way to Cape Verde, according to media reports.

A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that ​two Dutch passengers had died, but gave no further details.

The World Health Organisation said in an ​X post that one of the sick passengers was in intensive care in South Africa.

Sky News reported the passenger is British, citing South Africa’s Department of Health.

The WHO said it was investigating the outbreak. Lab tests have ​confirmed hantavirus in one of the six people, the agency said.

Oceanwide Expeditions said Cape Verde ​authorities had not given permission for passengers requiring medical care to disembark, and Dutch authorities were seeking to ‌organise ⁠the repatriation of two symptomatic passengers along with the body of a deceased passenger.

Hantavirus can be spread when droppings and urine of rodents become airborne, such as when people sweep out sheds where mice have been living.

WHO said the virus can be spread between people in rare ​cases.

The illness begins with ​flu-like symptoms and can ⁠lead to heart and lung failure, with around 40% of cases resulting in death, according to the US Centres for Disease Control.

There are ​no specific drugs to treat hantavirus, so treatment focuses on supportive care, ​including putting ⁠patients on ventilators in severe cases.

“WHO is facilitating coordination between member states and the ship’s operators for medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as full public health risk assessment and ⁠support to ​the remaining passengers on board,” the WHO said.

The British ​Foreign Office and South Africa’s Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the family, the three-year-and-eight-month-old child was admitted with pain in her right leg. However, surgeons reportedly operated on her left leg despite clear instructions in the patient chart.

The child’s father said that when he raised the issue, hospital staff responded rudely and refused to acknowledge the mistake. He also alleged attempts to alter medical records to conceal the error.

The family staged a protest at the hospital and submitted a formal complaint to the Medical Superintendent, demanding a transparent inquiry and strict action against those responsible.

Hospital authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Officials said 1,183 children are currently infected with the highly contagious disease across the province.

Health experts have attributed the surge to low immunisation rates, with some parents reluctant to vaccinate their children despite repeated campaigns.

Dr Khalid Shafi, a child health specialist, stressed that vaccination remains the only effective protection against measles, adding that authorities had carried out door-to-door awareness drives last September.

Cases have been rising steadily since February, he noted.

The provincial government had launched a 13-day measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign from November 17 to 29 last year, offering free vaccines to children aged six months to five years in all 30 districts of Sindh.

Nationwide, health authorities aimed to vaccinate around 35 million children under the same campaign.

Measles and rubella spread through respiratory droplets and can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.

The authority said the action was taken after receiving a request from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) regarding the sale of unregistered therapeutic goods, including medicines, medical devices and vaccines.

PTA said it enforced measures to block access to the identified content. It added that the concerned websites have confirmed removal of illegal products, while efforts are ongoing to have social media platforms take down related pages and groups.

“PTA remains committed to supporting national regulatory efforts to safeguard public health and prevent misuse of digital platforms,” the statement said, adding that further action will continue under applicable laws.

Meanwhile, local drug manufacturers have warned of a possible rise in smuggled and counterfeit medicines in the market, citing delays in official pricing approvals for new and advanced medicines, including treatments for cancer, heart disease and blood pressure.

Manufacturers said they have submitted applications for retail price approvals for around 80 to 90 medicines over the past year.

They added that while DRAP and the relevant pricing committee have approved the rates, final approval from the federal cabinet has been pending for an extended period, delaying market introduction of these drugs.

An 18-year-old citizen was confirmed to have monkeypox, officials said.

According to the health department, seven patients are currently undergoing treatment at Mayo Hospital, of whom four have been confirmed to have monkeypox, while three suspected patients are also under observation.

Health officials said the situation is being closely monitored and citizens have been instructed to take precautionary measures.

The Sindh Health Department said a total of 122 suspected mpox cases had been reported across the province as of April 14, 2026. Of these, 25 cases were confirmed through laboratory testing, while nine deaths have been recorded.

Two new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, including one in Karachi and another in Khairpur, the department said.

Data from the health department showed that Khairpur district accounted for the highest number of confirmed cases at 18. Sukkur reported three confirmed cases, while Karachi recorded four.

Authorities said immediate measures had been taken in response to the situation and urged both the public and healthcare workers to strictly follow precautionary guidelines.

The department advised individuals to seek medical attention at the nearest hospital if symptoms appear and to exercise special care when handling newborns.

According to available data, a total of 108,400 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported nationwide. Punjab ranks first with the highest number of cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

In Punjab, more than 45,000 individuals are living with the virus. Lahore tops the list with over 10,000 reported cases, followed by Faisalabad with around 5,000 and Multan with more than 3,000. Sargodha and Gujrat each have over 2,800 cases, while Nankana Sahib has reported more than 2,000 cases.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 39,702 cases, including 1,276 reported this year alone. Peshawar accounts for 1,877 cases, while Bannu has reported 988. Cases have also been detected in districts including Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera.

Sindh ranks third, with 15,639 HIV-positive individuals. During the first three months of the current year, 894 new cases were reported in the province, including 332 men, 204 women, 29 transgender persons and 329 children. Karachi, as the country’s largest urban centre, continues to report a significant number of cases.

In Balochistan, a total of 3,303 cases have been recorded, including 707 women and 90 transgender individuals. Quetta has the highest number with 2,614 cases, followed by Turbat (368), Hub (159), Nasirabad (66) and Loralai (96).

The federal capital Islamabad has reported 4,756 cases, including 3,432 men, 805 women, 422 transgender persons, 67 boys and 30 girls.

Health experts warn that the actual number of infections could exceed 350,000, as many individuals remain unaware of their condition due to the absence of early symptoms.

They attribute the rise in cases primarily to the reuse of contaminated syringes, unsafe blood transfusion practices, lack of basic healthcare facilities, and the use of unsterilised instruments for procedures such as ear and nose piercing.

Experts have called for urgent awareness campaigns, improved screening and stricter health regulations to curb the spread of the disease, which they describe as a “silent and dangerous threat.”

The condition, known as Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is among the fastest-growing liver disorders globally, the Guardian said in a report.

An estimated 1.3 billion people are currently living with MASLD — a 143% increase over the past three decades — meaning roughly one in six people are affected.

The findings come from the Global Burden of Diseases study and were published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Researchers found that cases have surged from about 500 million in 1990 to 1.3 billion in 2023, with numbers expected to rise by a further 42% by 2050.

The global prevalence rate has also climbed significantly, reflecting both population growth and lifestyle changes.

The disease was found to be more common in men, with the highest rates seen among older adults aged 80 to 84.

However, the largest number of cases occurred among younger age groups, particularly men aged 35 to 39 and women aged 55 to 59.

High blood sugar emerged as the leading driver of MASLD-related health complications, followed by high body mass index and smoking, underscoring strong links to conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Regionally, North Africa and the Middle East recorded some of the highest prevalence rates, although increases have been observed worldwide.

In the UK, prevalence rose by 33% between 1990 and 2023, while Australia and the United States saw increases of 30% and 22%, respectively.

Despite the growing number of cases, the overall disease burden — measured in years of life lost due to illness or death — has remained relatively stable.

Researchers say this suggests improvements in treatment and care are helping people live longer and healthier lives, with many cases identified in earlier stages.

However, experts warn that the surge in cases could lead to a higher risk of serious complications, including liver cirrhosis and cancer, in the coming years.

MASLD is often associated with excess weight and is typically managed through lifestyle changes.

The condition frequently develops without noticeable symptoms and is often detected incidentally during medical tests.

When symptoms do occur, they may include fatigue, general discomfort, and pain in the upper right abdomen.

The study was led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, whose authors said the findings highlight a growing impact on younger adults due to worsening health patterns.

They stressed the need to treat MASLD as a major global health priority, calling for stronger policies, awareness efforts and preventive measures to curb its rise and reduce future complications.

The guide is designed to support school administrations, food suppliers, and service providers in ensuring that students have access to nutritious and age-appropriate meals throughout the school day.

Officials said the framework focuses on improving students’ physical and cognitive development by encouraging balanced diets that enhance concentration, memory, and academic performance while reducing risks of obesity and malnutrition.

It also introduces clear standards for the sourcing, preparation, storage, and distribution of food and beverages in schools, along with monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance across all educational institutions.

The policy applies to public, private, independent, and vocational schools, as well as centres for people of determination, and includes food suppliers and canteen operators.

Under the framework, local authorities will oversee compliance, conduct inspections, implement penalties for violations, and report findings to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Schools are required to ensure full compliance with food safety and nutrition standards, maintain hygiene protocols, and ensure that staff handling food receive proper training.

Parents will also be given access to school canteen menus, and complaints must be recorded and addressed.

Food suppliers are required to obtain valid permits and comply with nutritional guidelines, including providing detailed information on ingredients, portion sizes, and dietary content.

Any changes to products must be updated and communicated to schools and regulators.

The guide also classifies school canteens into three types: outlets selling packaged food, cafeterias preparing fresh items such as sandwiches, and full-service school kitchens.

A strict list of prohibited items has been introduced in school environments, including sugary drinks, energy drinks, tea, coffee, confectionery, fried snacks, processed meats, cakes, doughnuts, and foods containing nuts or nut-based products.

Authorities said the initiative is aimed at creating a healthier school environment and strengthening long-term public health outcomes across the UAE.

In Punjab, a week-long campaign will be observed in Lahore, while a four-day drive is being conducted in other districts.

Authorities aim to vaccinate more than 23.3 million children across Punjab during the campaign.

Over 200,000 health workers and supervisors have been deployed to administer the polio vaccine, who will be supported by additional specialists to ensure effective implementation.

Officials said that significant progress has been made against polio in recent months, with the presence of poliovirus in Punjab dropping sharply.

Officials said the presence of poliovirus in environmental samples has declined to just 1%, down from 26% in December 2025 and 56% in August 2025.

Authorities further stated that the presence of the polio virus in South Punjab has now reached zero, calling it a major public health achievement.

Officials said the campaign in Punjab will continue until polio is completely eradicated and urged parents to ensure that all children receive vaccination during every drive.

Meanwhile, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a four-day anti-polio campaign has also been launched across all districts, running from April 13 to April 16.

Health authorities said the province-wide drive aims to vaccinate around 6.5 million children.

For the campaign, 35,500 vaccination teams have been constituted, while 50,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the security of polio workers.

Officials said that special arrangements have been made to ensure a smooth execution of the campaign across the province and to reach every eligible child.

The patient, with no travel history, is showing all symptoms of the disease and is currently undergoing treatment at Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Dr Wahid Rajput confirmed that the youth belongs to the buffer zone and is receiving care.

This follows the first monkeypox case in Karachi reported in January, marking this as the city’s second confirmed instance this year.

Lahore confirms 15-year-old diagnosed with monkeypox

Lahore’s Health Department has reported a new case of monkeypox in a 15-year-old patient.

The patient was diagnosed in the department’s laboratory and has been shifted to Mayo Hospital for treatment.

With this case, the total number of monkeypox patients reported in Lahore this year has reached 26.

The Health Department has urged citizens to take precautionary measures and seek immediate medical attention if they notice any suspicious symptoms.

The push comes after a viral video last year by YouTuber Nick Shirley exposed fraudulent Medicaid providers in Minnesota, prompting the White House and Congress to take public action, according to a report in POLITICO.

Vice President JD Vance and Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz have taken leading roles in the effort.

Vance launched a new fraud task force this spring and appointed an assistant attorney general dedicated to investigating fraud.

Oz has released viral videos promoting CMS’s anti-fraud initiatives and launched investigations in multiple states.

Congressional committees are also investigating, requesting information from ten states about Medicaid oversight and examining cases such as hospice fraud in California, the report said.

Republicans argue that focusing on fraud allows them to shift attention from broader health care cost concerns and counter Democratic criticism of Medicaid cuts enacted in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The legislation, which included expanded work requirements, aimed to reduce waste and fraud in the programme.

“Good governance is good politics, and addressing fraud is good politics,” said Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie.

However, some strategists and experts question whether the emphasis on fraud will resonate with voters, who are largely focused on rising health costs.

“Unless it’s paired with a clear plan to lower costs, anti-fraud efforts are unlikely to outweigh those concerns in 2026,” said Joel White, a GOP health strategist.

Republicans counter with polling that shows the fraud message could appeal to low-turnout Trump voters.

A January poll from the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability found that 85% of low-propensity Trump voters support measures to combat waste, fraud, and abuse, while 61% said the government must do more to prevent welfare fraud.

In Minnesota, fraud concerns have already influenced politics.

The state’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz opted not to run for a third term, following high-profile fraud investigations and CMS penalties, which included a proposed $2 billion cut to future Medicaid payments.

Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya has highlighted these issues in her campaign.

Despite this, analysts caution that fraud alone may not sway voters.

Rising premiums and general health care affordability remain pressing concerns.

A recent KFF poll indicates that 56% of Americans anticipate health care will become less affordable this year, with independent voters showing greater confidence in Democrats to address the issue.

Republicans are weighing additional health care reforms using the Senate reconciliation process, a legislative tool that enables bills to pass without being subject to a filibuster.

Potential measures include cracking down on waste in Medicare Advantage plans and expanding cost-saving initiatives like applying TrumpRx discounts to out-of-pocket insurance costs.

Still, party leaders have not finalised which health policies will be prioritised, reflecting hesitancy after past reform setbacks, including the failed ACA repeal in 2017 and the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits last year.

“A lot of Republicans have thought of health care as a hot stove,” said health policy expert Avik Roy.

“They were burned before, but there are reforms consistent with conservative values that could reduce costs for consumers.”

Researchers at Flinders University in Australia, led by Corey Bradshaw, analysed more than two centuries of population data and found that humans are living well beyond the planet’s long-term carrying capacity.

Carrying capacity is the estimated number of individuals an environment can sustain based on available resources and their regeneration rate.

The study estimates Earth’s maximum human capacity at around 12 billion, while the optimal sustainable population, given current consumption patterns, is only 2.5 billion.

Today’s population stands at roughly 8.3 billion, far exceeding sustainable limits.

Bradshaw’s team noted that the global population is likely to peak between 11.7 and 12.4 billion by the late 2060s or 2070s if current trends continue.

Even with slowing growth rates, humanity is already surpassing what the planet can sustainably support, contributing to overconsumption, biodiversity loss, and environmental strain.

The researchers warn that fossil fuel use has temporarily masked natural limits, but this has come at the cost of climate change, ecosystem disruption, and declining resources such as water.

They stress that without significant changes to energy, land, and food usage, billions could face instability in the near future.

“The Earth cannot sustain the future human population, or even today’s, without a major overhaul of socio-cultural practices,” Bradshaw said.

“Smaller populations with lower consumption create better outcomes for both people and the planet. The window to act is narrowing, but meaningful change is still achievable if nations work together.”

Commissioner Sukhar has written to the Health Secretary, warning of a serious situation, noting that most affected patients are newborns and young children.

An isolation ward has been established at Khairpur Medical College, but district health officials say one ward is insufficient for the district’s eight tehsils.

More than 70 children are suspected to have contracted the disease in surrounding areas, including Nara, Faizganj, Kot Diji, and Subhu Dero.

During the campaign, more than 45 million children will be administered the polio vaccine to protect them against the crippling disease.

In addition to vaccination, children will also receive supplementary doses of Vitamin A to boost immunity.

Around 413,000 polio workers will participate in the seven-day nationwide drive, carrying out door-to-door immunisation activities.

The country conducted its first nationwide polio campaign of the year in January, vaccinating more than 45 million children.

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under the age of five.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.

“The second national polio eradication campaign of 2026 will be held across the country from April 13 to April 19,” the NEOC said in a statement.

“During the campaign, more than 45 million children will be administered polio drops.”

The NEOC said children will be given an additional dose of vitamin A during the campaign, adding that around 413,000 volunteers will take part in the door-to-door vaccination campaign.

In Punjab, authorities aim to vaccinate more than 23 million children and in Sindh, more than 10.6 million.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, more than 7.2 million children will be administered polio drops, while in Balochistan, more than 2.6 million children will be vaccinated, the NEOC said.

In Islamabad, more than 460,000 children will be administered polio drops, and in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, more than 228,000 will be vaccinated.

The NEOC said it expects to see more than 760,000 children vaccinated for polio in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir region during the seven-day campaign.

“To secure the future of the nation, parents should fully cooperate with polio workers,” the NEOC said.

“To protect children under the age of five from polio, they must be given two drops.”

Pakistan reported its first wild poliovirus case of the year earlier this month when a four-year-old girl tested positive for the infection.

Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of the country’s polio cases in 2025, with 17 of the 31 infections reported from the region.

According to health authorities, 74 cases were reported in 2024.