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.
As part of the 10 year Health Plan for England that Wes Streeting initiated, there is legislation to require GPs and hospitals in England to share patient data by entering it into a single system.
In many ways great, it means if you turn up really ill anywhere, people helping you can see your history. It's quick, complete, saves waiting for records and prevents pointless duplication. It will save lives, and a lot of time and money hopefully. I know it would be handy for me, in Scotland, for my GP to have access to my full NHS record (I've got a rebuilt part plastic abdomen).
However, it also means your entire medical history is there for any medical reason - and your mental health 10 years ago may not be relevant if you break a leg. GPs are also worried that the more people who access your records, the more chance someone makes a mistake or accidentally deletes something. Plus, Palantir - a lot of people aren't keen on a Palantir-created system which holds all the medical records of the entire English population...
There is a new Ebola outbreak in North Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
We only heard about this today, but already at least 65 people have died, and there are almost 250 suspected cases.
Testing shows this is NOT Zaire Ebolavirus and that is very bad, because Zaire Ebolavirus is more usual and there are vaccines and treatments for it. Sequencing and testing is underway to find out if we have anything that might help stop this - results due later.
Africa CDC is leading an urgent meeting today with health authorities from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, plus the US, EU and Chinese CDCs, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank and other financial institutions, all of the major pharmaceutical companies and others. "The meeting will focus on immediate response priorities, including cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, dignified and safe burials, and resource mobilization."
There is thankfully only a small chance this will spread beyond DRC, but it could still kill a heck of a lot of people.
I wrote a big post on Monday about the MV Hondius Andes strain Hantavirus outbreak, but obviously this is an evolving situation. Here’s what's happened since then... At this point there appear to be 8 confirmed cases and 3 probable cases, as well as 9 possible cases/people with mild symptoms. 3 people have sadly died. 184 people were on the ship and are considered high risk, 90 people who were never on board have been identified as contacts. There are no confirmed cases in anyone who was not on board the MV Hondius.
In total 125 passengers and crew from 23 countries were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship within 40 hours of it docking in Tenerife. The ship left for the Netherlands on Monday night, it's due to arrive on 17th May. 25 crew have stayed on board (17 from the Philippines, 4 Ukrainian, 1 Russian, 1 Polish, 2 Dutch), along with a doctor and nurse who were flown in from The Netherlands.
That must be terrifying. I wish them all the best of health.
- Argentina is sending a team to investigate potential sites where the outbreak may have originated, including the landfill site the first 2 patients visited to photograph birds.
- The Spanish passenger who tested positive is now in serious condition.
- A French passenger has tested positive. Now in serious condition.
- Both Americans who were flown home in bio-containment cubicles now have symptoms. One has tested positive, he is a retired Oncologist from Oregon, who stepped in when the ship's doctor became ill.
- The 25 year old Italian man who flew seated next to patient 2 (the lady who collapsed at the airport) has been quarantined.
- The US CDC is monitoring a total of 41 people for Hantavirus - 17 from the MV Hondius and others who left the ship early or shared flights with symptomatic passengers. They are all expected to quarantine until day 42 after potential exposure.
- 3 people who had "international" contact with someone who has tested positive for Hantavirus have been taken to hospital and placed under observation in Kansas.
- 12 healthcare workers from Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands have entered quarantine after contact with a patient without the correct PPE.
- A British tourist in his 60's, who was also on the flight with patient 2, and his companion who was not on the flight, were picked up at a bar in Milan by Italian authorities and taken to isolation in Sacco hospital until 6th June. They had travelled to various other locations including Amsterdam, and the Italian authorities were notified of their whereabouts by the UK Government.
(In the extremely unlikely situation that this outbreak isn't ancient history in 2 months time, it'll be people like this guy to blame.)
- In France a close contact from Brittany who was not on board is showing symptoms and being tested.
- The UKHSA is supporting relocation of 9 asymptomatic contacts from the UK overseas territories of St Helena and Ascension Island to Arrowe Park on The Wirral, UK. A medic on Ascension has developed symptoms and will be separately medically evacuated to the UK for specialist assessment at the High Consequence Infectious Disease Unit in the South of England. They are a known contact and testing has been negative so far.
- 7 of the people quarantining at Arrowe Park have relocated home or to another suitable place. They will be supported to remain isolated until their 42 days are up.
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| Hantavirus Timeline Ian MacKay PhD 14th March (link below) |
Tristan da Cunha is the most remote UK overseas territory. A UK national who lives on the island got off the MV Hondius when it stopped there on 14th April. He developed symptoms on 28th April and rapidly became very poorly. With limited oxygen supplies on the island he was in dire straits.
The UK Army sent a plane 7,000 miles (it had to refuel on land and twice in the air) and within 56 hours dropped 6 parachutists. Strapped to them were a Consultant Anaesthetist and an ICU Nurse. They also dropped oxygen, drugs and medical equipment.
Without the parachute drop it would have taken a week to send help by boat.
This is a literal lifeline for the patient and is also to support the islanders if anyone else becomes ill, including the patient's wife, who is isolating. Everybody on Tristan da Cunha is considered a close contact because several went on board the MV Hondius, and passengers got off and mingled with islanders. This is around 200 people.
A UK military boat is already on the way to bring people back when ready - and offer support if there are any other patients.
Best of luck to the sick gentleman and all of the people now on Tristan da Cunha.
The US CDC didn’t have a PRC test for Andes Hantavirus, so while people were being evacuated home, a lab at University of Nebraska created one.
It can detect tiny quantities of virus, hopefully before patients begin showing symptoms and also hopefully before they are at risk of spreading it to anyone else.
For now blood tests are also necessary, but the PCR test can be trialled on the US citizens currently isolating/quarantined, and if it proves as effective in the real world as it is in the lab, it'll be a cheap and rapid bonus for the entire world.
Moving on, fantastic COVID news for the less virally robust. For the first time ever, an antiviral (taken as a 5 day course of tablets) has been shown to offer post-exposure protection when someone in the household has COVID.
This isn't a miracle, it won't work for everyone, but it prevents around 2 in every 3 housemates becoming ill, and 1 in every 3 testing positive. If you are already very sick or vulnerable, living in a care home or immunosuppressed etc then it could be a genuine lifesaver.
The drug, Ensitrelvir (sold as Xocova), is made by Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, and blocks coronaviruses from replicating (making copies of themselves).
The trial looked at housemates of people with COVID who had symptoms. 9% of housemates developed symptoms themselves within 3 days, but with Ensitrelvir it was just 3%.
It also looked at testing positive, with or without symptoms. 21.5% of housemates tested positive, this dropped to 14% when they were given Ensitrelvir.
Japan has already approved Ensitrelvir, and other countries are considering it.
A student from Henley College in Southern England has died from Meningitis B and 2 other people with suspected cases have been tested. Close contacts have been offered antibiotics as a precaution.
There are around 300-400 cases a year in England, and only rarely does it ever involve more than 2 or 3 people, most of the time it is just a single person who becomes ill.
I think this is making the news because of the recent outbreak in Canterbury, and hopefully it won't involve anyone else. However... speed is of the essence with meningitis, so it's never a bad thing to remind the public to watch for symptoms. Worst hangover ever without having a drink? Can't touch your chin to your chest? Go directly to hospital.
Something you really don't want as a tiny baby is E Coli, yet it is the leading cause of sepsis in newborns in America. This story gets worse from here on...
Researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City studied the E Coli found in newly born infants and split it into 2 time periods: 2006-2013 and 2014-2021.
Overall 54% of the E Coli was not killed by ampicillin and 11% not killed by gentamicin—the two recommended antibiotics for these babies.
They discovered that antibiotic resistance to ampicillin increased significantly over time, from 46% (2006-2013) to 61% (2014-2021). The alternative therapy when those antibiotics don't work is cefazolin, but nonsusceptibility (it doesn't work either) of cefazolin rose from 8% (2006-2013) to 36% (2014-2021).
We need to develop new antibiotics, or in a few years a cut finger could easily be the death of you...
It turns out the US FDA blocked publication of CDC-backed research that found COVID vaccines were safe, and they also blocked research that found Shingles vaccines were safe.
Health experts are very unhappy - it's clear censorship. You should publish all the results, you don't sift through until you find something RFK Jr and vaccine-sceptics say is okay.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary was the next through the US health services revolving door. Amid rumours that Trump was about to fire him, he resigned.
Apparently approximately 3,500 employees have left the FDA since he was put in charge last March, and that was after DOGE made all their cuts, so it wasn't going fabulously.
Avian Flu continues, but with the end of flu season and very few migrating birds just now, it really has slowed right down - thankfully!
The UK has not reported any new bird flocks infected in the last 4 weeks.
The US has reported just 13 newly infected bird flocks in the last 30 days (7 commercial, 6 backyard). Sadly they have also reported 13 infected cattle herds in Idaho. The 18 Idaho herds confirmed infected since March are the first since a Wisconsin herd last December.
The Nepalese National Poultry Research Program has been hit by bird flu. It's utterly tragic. The outbreak began in Turkeys and quickly spread, and all birds were lost. They write "around 1200 breeds of chickens including Giriraj, 33 pheasants, 47 white/black turkeys, and about 450 quails have been destroyed".
The US CDC has published a study confirming cat to human transmission of H5N1 avian influenza.
A veterinary professional in Los Angeles County caught the flu from a sick cat they were caring for during Dec 2024 and Jan 2025.
139 veterinary professionals who were exposed to infected domestic cats (all had eaten raw food) were tested. Just one was found to have antibodies, they did not have symptoms and were unaware they had been infected.
China has reported another human death from H5N6 avian flu. The lady had bought and prepared a chicken, and samples from her cutting board tested positive. This is very sad, it was totally avoidable.
Just in case you were still considering a cruise, a massive UK flagged cruise liner, The Ambition, was being held off port in France, after 48 passengers and 1 crew member became sick with gastro-intestinal illness, it was later confirmed as Norovirus.
The health authorities in Bordeaux have now allowed healthy passengers to disembark, however some passengers are confined to their cabins.
The Captain says the cruise will continue - with enhanced hygiene measures and medical monitoring.
There are currently 1,187 passengers and 514 crew onboard.
Latest Measles stats for the UK and Americas:
- In 2026 up to 11th May there have been 542 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England, an increase of 65 cases since the last report on 27th April.
57% (309/542) of these cases have been in London, 21% (116/542) in the West Midlands, and 10% (52/542) in the North West.
- In 2026 up until 2nd May Canada has reported 989 measles cases (913 confirmed, 76 probable).
According to the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in 2026:
- Mexico has reported 10,730 confirmed cases, 25,175 suspected cases and 13 people have died. This is massive, and a huge increase on last year.
- The US has reported 1,911 confirmed cases and 14 probable cases. This is also a huge increase on last year.
Peter Hotez, Vaccinologist and former President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene:
"We are seeing zoonotic spillover events with increasing frequency, just among the better known ones, the list includes:
SARS-1 CoV (2002)
MERS CoV (2012)
Ebola (2014)
Ebola (2019)
SARS-2 CoV (2019) [COVID]
MPox (2022)
H5N1 (2024) [Avian Flu]
ANDIV (2026) [Andes Hantavirus]
Also increasing spread of arbovirus infections, especially those accelerating out of Brazil and reaching more populated areas of Southeast Brazil, or the Caribbean and then Texas and Gulf Coast:
Dengue
Zika
Chikungunya
Yellow Fever
Oropouche
Others"
He says it's like the beginning of Ghostbusters, we see the green blob on the table and the skeleton in the taxi, but they're just the beginning...
These viruses are in large part spreading because climate change is warming the Earth, and humans are squeezing animal habitats until our world and theirs cross over.
Yesterday Cuban officials declared their energy systems were in a critical state, as they had completely run out of fuel oil and diesel. They have very limited amounts of gas. Electricity is only able to be supplied for a couple of hours a day, schools and other facilities are shut, hospitals are barely functioning, there's very little clean water and the population are getting desperate and angry.
The US under President Trump has purposefully and single-handedly caused this crisis.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel:
"This dramatic worsening has a single cause: the genocidal energy blockade to which the United States subjects our country, threatening irrational tariffs against any nation that supplies us with fuel."
In January Trump made it clear he wanted Cuba's leaders ousted, and imposed an embargo, and high tariffs on anyone supplying Cuba with fuel. At the beginning of May the US added a raft of sanctions on senior Cuban officials, claiming they were guilty of "human rights abuses". Yesterday Marco Rubio said Cuba refused a US government offer of $100m (£74m) in aid, if they make "meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system". Cuban authorities deny any offer was made.
Almost 10 million people live in Cuba.
The World Health Organisation's default stance on virus is that they aren't an airborne risk until proven so. The British Medical Journal is suggesting that should be changed - assume it's airborne and fully protect healthcare workers and everyone else unless we know different.
"The proof of burden should not be on those arguing for caution. It should be on those arguing to relax it."
They use the example of Andes Hantavirus.
In 2018 there was an outbreak of Andes Hantavirus in Epuyen, Argentina, when a symptomatic person attended a 100 person birthday party. Eventually there were 34 confirmed cases and 11 people died. One of those infected only crossed paths with the symptomatic first case, they didn't speak to them or sit with them. The conclusion was that Andes Hantavirus is airborne, and that's what pretty much everyone is assuming, including Government health officials, however... WHO have downplayed airborne risk several times in recent advice, instead focussing on droplets and physical contact. Despite that, WHO officials also recommended and used respirators, ventilation etc when evacuating passengers from the MV Hondius. It's a mixed message at best.
Researchers studying Andes strain Hantavirus (ANDV) tested samples from a Swiss patient who caught the disease in late 2016. They looked for virus particles in his body until 2022:
"During the acute phase of disease, viral RNA was detectable in the blood, urine, respiratory and semen samples. Viral RNA was undetectable in the urine, respiratory samples, and blood samples 15, 54, and 172 days after the onset of symptoms. RNA remains detectable until the present time (2188 days post infection) in semen samples."
That is 6 years. The virus had barely mutated over all that time, suggesting it was replicating incredibly slowly and at very low levels, but it seems likely from this that ANDV is capable of being transmitted during sex.
Bearing in mind this is a single patient - and his partner had also already recovered from catching ANDV with him. It'll be interesting to see if anyone wants to do a follow up study on any of the latest patients... "excuse me, I know you've had a time and you aren't feeling well, but any chance of a sample?".
Some good news. Tunisia has eliminated Trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness. The 31st country to do so. Nice work people.
It feels a bit like viruses are throwing everything at us at the moment and trying to see what sticks (or at least test politicians while health services are lacking leadership), however... it is the weekend, and I'll be taking 2 full days off from all the news. We can worry for as long as we like, but it won't help any of us. Be informed, be sensible, but grab all the joy you can from life. I have a visit from my sister, so there'll be lots of treats, and fingers crossed some good weather. I hope you have something nice planned for yourself, you have doubtless earnt it. Go on, treat yourself.
There is a lot of disinformation out there, so please follow genuine sources like the European CDC, WHO, UKHSA, US CDC for any updates. I'll be back in 2 weeks unless anything wild happens in the meantime. I will have those at risk from Ebola and Andes Hantavirus especially in my thoughts, with hopes neither situation deteriorates. Until then...
Play Outdoors, Respect Wildlife, Save The NHS...
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Repeating Sources
UK Health Data
UK latest COVID cases UPDATES THURSDAY 4pm
Reference pages H5N1
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
Measles Sit Rep US CDC
UK cases Measles
Canada Measles
Image sources
COVID killed 22.1m people 2019-2021 WHO image
WHO never share antibiotics image
Keep antibiotics working for everyone WHO IMAGE
Tunisia has eliminated Trachoma
Ebola DRC Africa CDC statement and Image
HPV VACCINE integrity project
HPV VACCINE COLLAGE
Text sources
Wes Streeting has resigned
UK NHS hits 65% 18 week treatment target
NHS England stats march 2026
Minimum standards NHS waiting times
NHS waiting times
GPs and hospitals in England to be required to share data to create single patient records | NHS | The Guardian
Single system record keeping NHS
Ebola DRC
Africa CDC Ebola outbreak
Ebola DRC Africa CDC statement and Image
BNO DRC Ebola
Hantavirus
* Image sources Hantavirus *
V3 Ian MacKay
Clinically vulnerable families
* Text sources Hantavirus *
My previous post
UKHSA UPDATE PAGE
Reddit timeline
Tiktok guy @jakerosmarin in Nebraska quarantine unit
UKHSA blog post - 10 people being flown to UK
WHO video Spanish authorities after evacuation successful
Crew remain on board
One of the 14 Spanish passengers has tested positive. Now in serious condition.
Argentina investigating
British overseas forces news - Tristan da Cunha
Reddit Timeline
British tourist bar in Milan
Oregon retired oncologist stepped in when ship doctor became unwell
US CDC monitoring 41 people Hantavirus
Hantavirus outbreak history
Kansas 3 under obs Hantavirus
12 Dutch healthcare workers
US CDC PCR Hantavirus
Hantavirus Brit, in 60s, found in Italian bar instead of in quarantine | News World | Metro News
ensitrelvir - COVID antiviral
ensitrelvir - COVID antiviral study
Meningitis Henley College
Meningitis Henley College
Newborn e coli antibiotic resistance
Study antibiotic resistance newborn e coli
The FDA has blocked publication of research that found widely used Covid-19 and shingles vaccines were safe.
FDA blocks studies
Marty Makary fired / Hantavirus video/ podcast
Marty Makary resigns
Nepalese National Poultry Research Program
Nepalese National Poultry Research Program
Avian flu cat to human
Avian flu cat to human study
Chinese national H5N6
Cruise ship Norovirus
US measles updates?
Americas Measles updates
Trump tariffs destroy Cuba
Cuba crisis
Hantavirus outbreak should reset WHO’s default approach to airborne risk
https://x.com/i/status/2054529734789243391
Andesvirus in sperm
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