Deadly Cheese-Linked Outbreak; 15 Med Schools Probed; ‘Concern’ on FDA Voucher Pilot

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FDA said a multi-year Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to soft ricotta/requeson cheese sold in Maryland, New York, and Virginia has hospitalized seven people, with one death.

More than a third of World Cup matches are at high risk of being played in dangerously hot and humid conditions, and health experts are warning that a ban on reusable water bottles could put fans at risk. (NPR, BBC News)

Studies touted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies to justify changes to vaccine policy are facing renewed scrutiny. (The Guardian)

HHS said Americans exposed to Ebola will have access to Mapp Biopharmaceuticals’ investigational antibody treatment (MBP-134), which has shown promise in animal studies. (STAT)

How gold mining is driving the spread of Ebola. (New York Times)

An Ebola burial team in Congo was attacked by residents, forcing it to abandon the coffin and raising fears of transmission. (Reuters via MSN)

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and Africa CDC announced plans to raise over $500 million for the outbreak response.

The Department of Justice said it’s expanding an investigation into potential race discrimination in medical school admissions to 15 new schools.

Federal law enforcement officials indicted two state employees in Ohio and two co-conspirators in connection with an alleged $30 million Medicaid billing fraud scheme. (CBS News)

In related news, the Trump administration said it was cutting $3 million in funding to Hawaii’s Medicaid fraud program for failing to bring an indictment or conviction in recent years. (The Hill)

The chairman of Roche likened U.S. tariff policies to “blackmail.” (Reuters via AOL)

Experts expressed “deep concern” at the FDA’s first public meeting about the controversial Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program. (Fierce Biotech)

The FDA launched a 6-month safety study of the abortion pill mifepristone. (Wall Street Journal via MSN)

Kyle Diamantas, the acting head of the FDA, said he wasn’t interested in the job permanently. (Endpoint News)

There are 2 million fewer children enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since January 2025. (Fierce Healthcare)

Following the death of a Texas teen, the state’s attorney general launched an investigation over caffeine amounts in Celsius energy drinks. (CBS News)

The rare Borrelia mayonii type of Lyme disease that had previously only been found in the Midwest has been detected in New York. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

An FDA notice warned of a recall of Gas-X gel capsules over potential contamination with a coolant chemical that could cause gastrointestinal events.

Researchers want to know more about male puberty timing and health outcomes. (STAT)

Bernard Roizman, ScD, a virologist known for his research on herpes, died at the age of 96. (New York Times)