COVID-19, H5N1, Hantavirus, Ebola and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 15th May 2026

COVID-19, H5N1, Hantavirus, Ebola and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 15th May 2026

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has resigned.  I've absolutely no idea who will replace him, but by the state of the Labour Party these days it'll probably be someone who has never set foot in an NHS doctor's surgery in their life.

The UK NHS has had the biggest improvement in waiting times for 16 years, hitting it's March 2026 target of 65% of patients beginning treatment within 18 weeks (it was 65.3%).

Critics are out in force, showing graphs and suggesting the number of patients being treated is not higher, so the drop in people waiting is due to people being removed from lists. 

Honestly, I see a slightly increasing average in those graphs, and we also know they are cleaning up lists (removing people moved to different treatment, died, treated as an emergency, paid privately etc). So, bit of both, and a net benefit to patients and the NHS. It's a good thing. 

The MV Hondius Andes strain Hantavirus outbreak...

I generally cover virus, and this is what I'm reading about the Hantavirus outbreak...

All of the big questions out of the way first...

1. Will we all die from Hantavirus? Absolutely not. 

2. Will there be another pandemic? Almost certainly not.

3. Will I catch Hantavirus from this outbreak? Were you on the MV Hondius? Have you hugged, kissed, or shared food or a room with anyone who was on board the MV Hondius?

If yes - It’s possible.

If no - Almost certainly not.

4. Is this a super variant? No. Genetic testing reveals it's the exact same strain that is endemic to Argentina and the Andes region, with a couple of hundred cases a year (and none of those have ever previously caused a pandemic). It has not mutated, nor is it likely to. 

4. Should we lose sleep fretting? No.

Hantavirus was in the news last year when the wife of actor Gene Hackman died from it. It is back in the news because of an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius.

COVID-19, Measles, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 1st May 2026

COVID-19, Measles, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 1st May 2026

COVID, flu and other respiratory ailments are at very low levels in the UK, Europe, and the US... ahhh bliss. New variant B.3.2 isn’t doing anything much right now, and certainly isn’t increasing overall cases (although it is a bit harder on young people than other variants). So if you have a cough, sneezes and sore eyes, consider hayfever... 

The cost of getting prescription drugs into the UK continues to rise, and pharmacists are warning it's becoming impossible to get them at the prices the NHS will pay, and some drugs are increasingly hard to get at all.

The NHS list prices are lower than much of Europe, so with shortages due to disruption to flights and shipping channels, plus increases in the price of oil pushing up transportation costs, wholesalers would rather sell any stocks they do have to other countries. 

210 drugs are currently on an NHS concessions list, which means the NHS will pay extra as it knows they're unavailable at NHS list price, but even the concessions list is becoming out of date and pharmacists are having to pay the shortfall out of their own money.

The BBC has spoken to pharmacists and one gave an example of someone's epilepsy meds. They didn’t even have the whole prescription, yet what they could give left them £9 out of pocket.

This is not a situation that can carry on for long, and it will kill people.