Outbreak Kills Over 200; ACIP Investigation Launched; Hackers Demand $75M From Novo

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Ebola cases in Congo have increased almost 40% in a week, and the outbreak’s confirmed death toll has now topped 200. (AP)

The U.S. CDC activated $107 million in emergency funding to support the international Ebola response, but the Africa CDC said less than 10% of the money donors have pledged has been received. (The Guardian, Reuters via MSN)

In a stunning reversal, Luigi Mangione’s lawyers told a judge Thursday that he will no longer be asserting a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP)

A parliamentary committee in Canada recommended against the nation’s 2027 plan to allow people with mental illness to be eligible for medical aid in dying. (CBC)

The Trump administration asked an appeals court to allow Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to select members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). (Reuters via MSN)

Meanwhile, senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) launched an investigation into Kennedy’s ACIP changes. (The Hill)

While Kennedy has gone quiet on vaccines ahead of the midterms, the NIH is urging scientists to study vaccine injuries and immunization schedules. (Washington Post)

Researchers projected that U.S. funding cuts to needle-exchange programs and other harm reduction efforts could increase the number of deaths among people who inject drugs in the U.S. by as many as 39,600 over the next 5 years. (JAMA Network Open)

Potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes — which are up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl — are spreading across the U.S. (STAT)

The Supreme Court sided with a Texas marijuana user who wants to legally own a gun. (AP)

A look at some of the recent research on cannabis and its effects on the brain. (Washington Post)

The New York Times examined research suggesting anti-inflammatory drugs may have a role in treating some people with depression.

Misinformation about sunscreen is more likely to go viral on TikTok than all the accurate information, according to a study in PLOS Digital Health.

The abortion ban in Texas was associated with worsening mental health outcomes in moms. (JAMA Network Open)

Two hacker groups that claimed they breached Novo Nordisk systems demanded $75 million from the pharmaceutical giant. (Fierce Pharma)

Residents in the Lake Tahoe area are putting up fierce resistance to a plan to use the weedkiller glyphosate (Roundup) on public lands. (The Guardian)

Families of kids with disabilities warned that recently proposed changes to the Education Department could break an already flawed system. (AP)

Randomized trial data from China showed that letrozole can boost sperm concentrations in men with spermatogenic failure. (JAMA Network Open)

NPR profiled three boys in Zambia who lost their parents to AIDS.

At least 90 people have died in a fast-spreading cholera outbreak in Nigeria. (Reuters via U.S. News & World Report)