American Positive for Hantavirus; RFK Jr. Weighed SSRI Ban? Ant-Infested Hospital

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An American and a French woman tested positive for the hantavirus, as nations around the world scrambled Monday to repatriate passengers from the cruise ship hit by the deadly outbreak and quarantine or isolate them. (AP)

Seventeen Americans returning from the ship will quarantine in Nebraska. (NBC News)

A Spanish woman and another British passenger also have suspected hantavirus infections. (NBC News, The Guardian)

Futurism pointed out that all full-time employees for CDC’s program responsible for public health on cruise ships were fired amid the Trump administration’s 2025 layoffs.

The hantavirus outbreak is “very much, we hope, under control,” said President Trump. (The Hill)

No treatment or vaccine exists for the family of hantavirus, but scientists are trying to develop them. (New York Times)

In more typical cruise ship health news, norovirus sickened 115 people aboard a Princess Cruises ship, according to the CDC. (NBC News)

According to sources familiar with the discussions, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explored a possible ban on widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which Kennedy has linked to violence and fetal harm; an HHS spokesperson denied the claim. (Reuters via MSN)

Senior leaders at HHS were behind the effort to oust Marty Makary, MD, MPH, as FDA commissioner, a Politico report indicated.

The FDA is saying there’s no estrogen patch shortage, amid widespread reports of women unable to fill their prescriptions.(NBC News)

The FDA expanded the approval of intravenous ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to include treating children ages 10 and up, drugmaker Genentech announced.

And the agency expanded the labels of efgartigimod alfa (Vyvgart) and efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase (Vyvgart Hytrulo) to include treatment of all serotypes of generalized myasthenia gravis in adults, said maker argenx.

As the Supreme Court weighs mifepristone’s fate, former FDA officials are speaking out in support of the agency’s authority to regulate access to the abortion pill. (STAT)

Experts are raising concerns about forever chemicals and phthalates in the U.S. infant formula supply after looking at FDA’s data themselves. (The Guardian)

California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-nation program. (AP)

Also in California, miniature horses that can “play” the piano make rounds at hospitals to comfort patients. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, a Canadian hospital has had to cancel elective surgeries after being overrun by ants … again. (New York Times)

Premenstrual disorders and mental health conditions share bidirectional associations, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

Cases of dermatophilosis, a bacterial skin infection that normally infects livestock, has been diagnosed in a number of men who have sex with men in Europe but who reported no contact with animals. (STAT)

The FDA issued a series of alerts over products recalled for potential Salmonella contamination, including sour cream and onion cheese curds and popcorn seasoning; Parmesan, garlic, and herb pita chips; and other products containing white cheddar seasoning.

The agency also broadcast a recall of Ma Cohen’s kippered herring over the possible presence of Clostridium botulinum.