COVID-19, Bundibugyo Ebolavirus, Vaccination, Andes Hantavirus, Measles and other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 26th June 2026

COVID-19, Bundibugyo Ebolavirus, Vaccination, Andes Hantavirus, Measles and other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 26th June 2026

This week's extreme heat has been disastrous for the UK's overstretched NHS. A&E departments received far more patients than any normal week, IT systems went down, MRI machines refused to work, servers overheated, non-essential electricals had to be turned off, machines for treating cancer patients decided it was not happening, ambulance staff responded to the largest number of category 1 incidents ever, and melting staff on very little sleep had to work in sweltering Victorian buildings or wards with broken aircon, and cover for staff who couldn't come in because schools were shut. 

Several NHS hospitals declared critical incidents on Thursday and shut down non-emergency appointments or admissions. 

Fun times. 

Good news. Resident doctors in England cancelled this week's strikes. The British Medical Association (BMA) says that the UK Government made a new last minute offer which is interesting enough to be put to the vote. Fingers crossed everybody. 

COVID-19, Bundibugyo Ebolavirus, Vaccination, Meningitis, Hantavirus, Measles and other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 12th June 2026

COVID-19, Ebola, Hantavirus, Measles and other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 12th June 2026

Analysis published by the Royal College of Em
ergency Medicine (RCEM) estimates that in England in 2025 there were 15,860 excess deaths due to long waits in A&E.

This is down almost 800 on 2024 when it was 16,644, but still almost 10 times what it was in 2015 (1,657), and frankly heartbreaking. It equates to 300 people a week dying when they should have survived.

Risk of death began to rise after 5 hours waiting, becoming increasingly worse. After an 8-12 hour wait, there is one excess death for every 72 patients. 

In 2025: "1,688,555 patients waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, discharged or transferred from major Emergency Departments. Of these patients, 1,141,944 were waiting to be admitted to a ward for further care".

The RCEM make it clear this is a "conservative estimate", the true numbers could well be higher. They are rightly unhappy that this situation is not being urgently addressed by Government. It requires more hospital beds and staff throughout hospitals. Emergency departments are not going to be able to solve this however hard they keep trying, and they really are trying. 

COVID-19, Bundibugyo Ebolavirus (Ebola), H5N1 (Avian Flu) and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 29th May 2026

COVID-19, Bundibugyo Ebolavirus (Ebola), H5N1 (Avian Flu) and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 29th May 2026

Ebola later... everything else first... 

Some good news. COVID levels are really low. So low in fact that Scottish COVID levels are at their lowest since 2020 - and that includes wastewater, so it isn't even a result of no-one testing. 

I dunno, I usually end on a high, but I start with a COVID update. I'll remind you again at the end. 

Resident doctors in England will hold their 16th walkout over pay and conditions from 7am on Monday 15th June to 7am Friday 19th June. The BMA says there'll be “more strike dates in July” if no further progress is made.

Seems they get on with the UK's new Health Secretary James Murray as well as they got on with Wes Streeting... 

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.