COVID-19, H5N1, Bundibugyo Ebola, Cyclosporiasis, Vaccination and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 4th August 2026
I completely forgot to mention that I'd be busy with family over the next 2 or 3 weeks, so here is an early surprise news update, then I'm having a an extra week off between reports, and I'll be back every 2 weeks from 28th August...
UKHSA estimates show that 2,877 people in England lost their lives in May and June because of the heat. That is almost double the whole of last year and only 108 off the full year record of 2,985 deaths set in 2022. With more hot weather expected this coming week, please be sensible, and look out for vulnerable friends and family.
The UK's JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) have recommended that the UK NHS continue to offer Meningitis B vaccinations to teenagers and young adults, to protect them when they go out into the wider world for uni or other higher education or training. Aside from when you are a baby, this is when you are most at risk from Meningitis.
It's been found that people who received a Men B vaccination as an infant only need 1 top up dose later on. Infant Men B in the UK was rolled out in 2015, so from 2030 the JCVI recommend we can switch to a single booster dose for all 15 year olds.
Never mind Palantir, it appears NHS patient records have already been sold to a US equity firm. As summarised by The Guardian:
"The investment firm TPG has bought Optum UK, the healthcare technology business behind the electronic patient record system used by most GP practices in England, in a deal worth about $400m (£300m)."
Why? Just why? Why would the UK feel any need not to run this themselves? Why do the public find out after it's already been sold?
Investment firm TPG quite obviously, as it suggests, exist to make profit for investors, and do not prioritise patients, medical staff or the NHS.
The US Cyclosporiasis (parasitic stomach illness) outbreak has surpassed any expectations, it really is immense - in an horrific way. As you'd hope, it's slowing down now that the main culprit (Central Mexican lettuce) has been identified and cleared from sale. It can take a couple of weeks for people to become ill, and then you soldier on for a few days hoping you'll simply get better, which is why more cases are still coming forward even now.
In total the last report from the US CDC said there have been 6,707 confirmed cases, with around 11,500 others still undergoing testing and analysis. This is an undercount. A lot of people will have got better by themselves without ever visiting a doctor. US CDC figures also have a notable lag. As of yesterday Michigan alone had reported 11,234 cases, with 193 people hospitalised, and tragically 2 fatalities. Fatalities are incredibly rare, especially in any area which can offer IV fluids and antibiotics.
As well as the main MASSIVE outbreak, the US CDC has 5 other active Cyclosporiasis investigations ongoing. No rest for the wicked...
Cyclosporiasis isn’t confined to the US. It happens occasionally anywhere, but I've seen a few people online saying they have increased cases across North America - which seems logical given the widespread nature of the US outbreak(s), and the fact the main link appears to be iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico. Now the UK Government have issued a warning that travellers are bringing cases home - specifically from Mexico.
The UK usually has an average annual cases of around 93, but between 30th April and 15th July 67 cases have been reported in returning travellers in England (30), Scotland (27) and Wales (10). 48 of the 67 visited the Riviera Maya and Cancún regions of Mexico.
Advice is frequent handwashing with soap, drink only bottled or boiled water, and avoid raw fruit or veg that you haven't peeled yourself.
There is no good news regarding the Bundibugyo Ebolavirus outbreak in DRC. On 1st August WHO gave a somewhat demoralised update:
"The Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the DRC is intensifying, with sustained transmission, rising cases and deaths, and expanding geographic spread.
This is now the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country.
As of 30 July 2026:
-3605 confirmed cases and 1587 deaths have been reported
-The continued rise in cases, widening spread, and high mortality highlight the growing nature of this public health emergency.
During the past week, the outbreak reached its highest weekly total, with 567 cases and 296 deaths, underscoring the exceptional pace of transmission.
Factors like insecurity, population displacement, and cross-border movement continue to hamper response efforts and increase the risk of further spread."
The latest figures to 3rd August are 3,823 confirmed cases and 1,709 confirmed deaths. 746 people have thankfully already recovered.
DRC really is struggling to deal with any of this. Healthcare workers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients, and demoralised by the incredibly high death rate. At least 100 healthcare workers have themselves become infected, many have died, or been attacked by angry patients and relatives of the deceased. Now they are staging additional walkouts because they haven't been paid performance bonuses, and in some cases wages, for up to 8 weeks.
A team of 3 researchers studying the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak have visited a mining town called Mongbwalu where it is assumed the outbreak originated. This is 75km North of the Ituri regional capital Bunia. The results have been published on Science dot Org.
They interviewed 97 Mongbwalu residents and found that for 4 months before the outbreak was identified, it was known locally that there was a problem. Whole families were dying, local taxi drivers refused to go to some parts of town, and health care facilities were hard hit, with 13 health care workers dying. In total the researchers identified over 500 suspected cases from mid January to mid May.
The big questions now are why on Earth, when all the signs and symptoms were there, no-one in Mongbwalu reported suspected Ebola, or any problem at all?
Had the outbreak been identified while it was confined to Mongbwalu, it would have been far, far easier to contain, and could be over already.
Sadly, only 6 weeks after discovering the first H5N1 Avian Flu infected bird on the Australian mainland, Australia has had it's first mass mortality event. 49 dead and another 35 sick Greater Crested Terns have been found on Baudin Rocks, near Robe/Cape Jaffa off the South Eastern coast. The area was last surveyed 2 weeks earlier when no signs of illness were found.
As of 2nd August Australia had reported 62 confirmed or presumed positive cases of H5N1 Avian Flu in wild birds. When these birds are added, that number will increase dramatically.
New Zealand has also had their first 2 confirmed cases of H5N1 Avian Flu, and are desperately attempting to protect some of the world's rarest species, with what really amounts to the situational equivalent of an Ark:
"The Department of Conservation will continue its vaccination programme for 300 core breeding birds from 5 of our most endangered birds – kākāpō, takahē, tūturuatu/shore plover, kakī/black stilt, and kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet."
Best of luck to all involved.
I've spent 6 years reporting that the UK can't do quick handovers from ambulances because we can't make space in A&E, because we don't have empty beds for A&E patients to be admitted, because we can't send people in recovery home unless there is someone else to help look after them, and there isn't. Finally, finally, it feels hopeful.
Newly installed UK PM Andy Burnham has brought forward the review into social care, and says it is a major priority. He didn't say it in the way we've heard it said before, he actually sounded like he meant it. I honestly hope he means it, and I don't mind if they tax inheritance at 10% to fund it. My mother wasn't rich, but she had a house. I would have loved to have paid 10% of that value to know that while she was dying from cancer and too proud and independent to let family help, she could have had effective social care keeping an eye on her, because she might have listened to them.
Andy Burnham also says the UK's Assisted Dying debate should wait until palliative and social care are fixed. It should. Making such a serious decision based on a situation that hopefully will change in the near future would be wrong.
The Oxford COVID vaccine collaborator AstraZeneca is reportedly discussing a merger with another pharmaceutical giant, Bristol Myers Squibb. If it goes ahead they will be a mega-pharmaceutical behemoth with a value of around $400 BILLION.
US Head of Health and Human Services (HHS) RFK Jr had a well-publicised interview with Dana Bash of CNN.
He did tell people to vaccinate their kids against Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), but didn't accept any responsibility for the massive increase in measles cases since he's been in charge, in fact he said they'd 'stopped measles outbreaks at record speed', whatever that is meant to mean.
He said there isn’t a single study that shows COVID vaccines save lives. There are many - so, so many.
He went on to repeat several debunked claims about causes of autism, and then told Dana Bash "You probably don’t understand this because you’re not a scientist". Fantastic response from Dana "Well you're not either".
The most appalling things he said during the interview concerned COVID, and specifically the early pandemic. He said Intensive Care Units were empty across the US, including New York, and used his claims to suggest lockdowns were an unjustified removal of civil liberty. ICU and other doctors and nurses from across the US have been sharing their heartbreaking real-life experiences ever since.
Rewriting history will not work. A lot of people bear witness, we have the true numbers, and every one of them is a person.
The first ever patient has been given an entirely personalised brand new cancer vaccine at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool.
Chris Jones has advanced lung cancer that has not responded to standard immunotherapy treatment as well as you'd hope. The vaccine matches the unique genetic changes in Chris' cancer, and alongside immunotherapy, should trigger her immune system into recognising the threat and fighting it.
In total 10 participants with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will be enrolled for this early stage NEOVACC trial, which also uses a cell-free technique called ‘doggybone DNA’ (dbDNA) to create the vaccine. This is much cheaper and quicker than traditional methods, helping to make it a realistic future option for regular use if the trial proves successful.
UK police last week launched a manhunt for a man who 'may have a contagious condition', who walked out of Preston Hospital.
They have thankfully found him, and aren't telling us what he has/might have, because patient confidentiality means they cannot. A logical shot-in-the-dark guess is possibly multi-drug resistant TB? You can test for that pretty quickly, and it would explain the mask. It’s catchy, but generally only after spending a fair amount of time together (hours), and it's one of the very few conditions in the UK for which you can be held and treated against your will.
On Wednesday 12th August - the UK will have its most complete solar eclipse since 1999. It'll be around 85-95% covered, depending where you are. I was on a hilltop campsite in Cornwall in 1999, watching dawn race towards me across the fields like something from a Stephen King movie. It was incredibly epic, however not worth burning your eyes for. Please DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN with unprotected eyes. Get some eclipse glasses or watch the reflection on a sheet of plain white paper.
The fun begins around 6.15pm, with the greatest portion of darkness just under an hour later.
Don't blind yourself.
It's results day in Scotland, and both of my youngest lads had big envelopes through the door. One has the results he needs, and the other one isn't looking until he gets home from visiting his big brothers in Manchester - he clearly has more self-control than I did at his age!! Whatever exam results you or yours get, I hope they allow you to do what you want to do. Remember they only measure a tiny part of the whole, you really are so much more than your grades.
I will be back on 28th August - all things willing. Have an excellent break if you get one, and if you don't, please plan yourself something nice for when you can take some time off. We've all earnt it!! Be kind to yourself, and to others, and I shall see you in 3 and a bit weeks...
Wear A Hat, Use Sunscreen, Save The NHS...
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Sources recurring
UK Health Data
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/
UK latest COVID cases UPDATES THURSDAY 4pm
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/respiratory-viruses/covid-19
GP surveillance England Primary Care
https://www.rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/research-at-rcgp/research-surveillance-centre/public-health-data
US CDC respiratory dashboard
https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html
Reference pages H5N1
https://bnonews.com/index.php/human-cases-of-h5n1-bird-flu/
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
Infectious disease tracker
Measles Sit Rep US CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
UK cases Measles
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-region-and-upper-tier-local-authority-2025
Canada Measles
https://health-infobase.canada.ca/measles-rubella/
Sources images
Drowning advice WHO IMAGE
Image shocking number of ailments linked to vaccination in Denmark
Sources text
England on track for record heat-related deaths this year, UKHSA estimates - BBC News
Vaccine update: issue 373, July 2026 - GOV.UK
Alarm at NHS patient records being put under control of US private equity firm | NHS | The Guardian
Cyclosporiasis
2 people in Michigan have died from cyclosporiasis
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/health/deaths-cyclospora-outbreak
US reports first deaths cyclosporiasis outbreak
Week 1 Wednesday
More than 18,200 cyclosporiasis cases now suspected in US: Where it’s getting worse
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there are 9,253 cases in the state as of July 27; an increase of 1,077 from the 8,176 cases as of July 24. Michigan has more cases than any other state in the U.S. in the summer of 2026.
In addition, 160 Michigan residents have received hospital treatment as of July 23. That number has also jumped at a fast pace, as there were 102 hospital cases reported as of July 16 and 44 reported as of July 9.
Michigan cyclosporiasis week 1 Monday
Nurses on Cyclospora frontlines work to trace infection’s origin : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/01/nx-s1-5915633/cyclosporiasis-washtenaw-michigan-foodborne-illness-cdc
Sharp rise in cyclospora infections linked to Mexico travel - GOV.UK
Cyclosporiasis advice UK Gov
WHO update Bundibugyo 1st August
WHO Bundibugyo statement 1st August
As Ebola cases in Congo near 3,000, more health workers go on strike
Congo’s Ebola epidemic started at least 4 months before it was detected
Congo Ebola outbreak DRC's biggest ever
https://archive.is/KDvQw
NZ Government bird flu updates
First Australian mass mortality event suspected as deadly bird flu virus rapidly escalates among native birds
H5N1 Australia mass mortality
Bird flu in South Australia: Local transmission confirmed as authorities warn of threat to endangered sea lions. 11 new H5N1 cases in greater crested terns, a local species.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has confirmed the spread of H5N1 bird flu by local transmission in Australian wildlife.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases confirmed local transmission in Australian wildlife.
Seven suspected new bird flu cases are ‘evidence of spread’ into Australian wildlife, experts warn | South Australia
NZ Government bird flu
Social care uk assisted dying debate
AstraZeneca holds talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on $400bn merger | AstraZeneca | The Guardian
RFK Jr interview
RFK Jr interview video
RFK Jr videos CNN interview
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. urging parents to vaccinate kids against measles https://share.google/PFw6vA0lawN9VU1wt
Fauci
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Urgent hunt for man who 'may have contagious condition' after vanishing from hospital
https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/31/urgent-hunt-man-may-contagious-condition-vanishing-hospital-29268902/
Preston man found
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