Health

With temperatures growing ever higher as the sun continues to bake Britain, skin experts and the car industry are combining to issue important health advice for motorists

Millions of Brits are unknowingly putting themselves at risk of sunburn every time they get behind the wheel.

New research has found that 47% of motorists take no precautions against UV exposure despite an estimated 14million experiencing sunburn while travelling by car. Around one in three (31%) said they didn’t even realise it was possible to get sunburnt inside a vehicle, according to the survey by Autotrader and the British Skin Foundation.

While modern windscreens block the vast majority of UVB radiation, many side windows can still allow significant levels of UVA rays into the vehicle. Dr Zainab Laftah, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said: “A common misconception is that being inside a vehicle provides complete protection from the sun.

“In reality, both short periods of intense UV exposure and repeated exposure over time contribute to an increased risk of skin cancer. While standard car windscreens block most UVB radiation, the amount of UVA that enters a vehicle varies depending on the type, thickness and tint of the glass.

“This means a significant amount of UVA can still penetrate vehicle windows, contributing to cumulative skin damage, premature skin ageing, pigmentation changes and an increased risk of skin cancer over time.”

While UVB rays are those primarily responsible for sunburn, UVA rays can cause deep skin damage and heighten the risk of skin cancer. Dr Laftah’s warning comes as demand for open-top motoring rises with the temperature. During the May heatwave, searches for convertibles on Autotrader increased by 8 per cent week-on-week, with models including the Porsche 911, Mazda MX-5 and Mercedes-Benz SL among the most-viewed vehicles on the platform.

She said that those driving convertibles need to be even more wary – and take care they know how long they are spending in the sun. “Many drivers also underestimate how long they’re exposed during everyday journeys, particularly on longer drives or when sitting in traffic,” she said.

“For drivers of convertibles and other open-top vehicles, the risk is even greater because the face, scalp, neck, arms and hands are exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods.”

The stark warning follows separate British Skin Foundation research from 2025 which found that a third of Brits had already been sunburnt by early summer. The same proportion (31%) admitted they simply “couldn’t be bothered” to wear sunscreen in sunny weather.

Rory Reid, YouTube director at Autotrader, continued: “Nothing beats driving with the roof down on a sunny day, and every time the weather improves, we see demand for convertibles climb. What many people don’t realise is that spending time behind the wheel can expose them to harmful UV rays, even inside the car.

“Whether you’re driving to work, heading off on holiday or simply enjoying the sunshine, applying sunscreen should be as much a part of your journey as checking your tyre pressures, topping up your screen wash or making sure you’ve got water in the car.”

To browse the UK’s widest choice of new and used cars, including convertibles, visit here.

How to stay safe behind the wheel

• Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF30 or higher to all exposed skin at least 15 minutes before setting off, paying particular attention to often-forgotten areas including the ears, neck, scalp, hands and forearms.
• Reapply sunscreen during longer journeys, particularly if you’re spending extended periods behind the wheel.
• Consider UV-filtering window films if you drive frequently or spend long periods in the car.
• If driving a convertible or other open-top vehicle, keep the roof up during peak UV hours (12pm–2pm) where possible, wear protective clothing and ensure all exposed skin is covered with high-factor sunscreen.
• Wear UV-protective sunglasses to protect both your eyes and the delicate skin around them.

According to WHO figures, 999 people have died in DRC and two in Uganda due to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Nearly 1,000 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the country’s health ministry says.

DRC’s National Institute of Public Health said on Wednesday that 999 deaths have been confirmed since the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus began in May.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two people have also died from the virus in neighbouring Uganda.

DRC’s Health Ministry said that as of Monday, 2,473 cases had been recorded in the latest outbreak. At least 737 patients are currently in isolation and hospitals, it added.

The DRC outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths were recorded in the northeastern province of Ituri, where cases remain concentrated. Several cases linked to the DRC’s outbreak were then reported in Uganda.

This outbreak has killed more people at a quicker rate than any Ebola outbreak on record, including the 2013-2016 outbreak that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the current outbreak had over the past month “expanded faster than any previous outbreak” of the virus.

Cases of Ebola, which spread through close contact and infected bodily fluids, have also been found in other Congolese provinces outside of Ituri.

‘We must act now’

The WHO’s incident manager for the Bundibugyo strain, Thierno Balde, told reporters on Tuesday that despite plans to ramp up responses to the virus, “the outbreak remains ahead of us and we are still in a phase of catching up”.

Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

Separately, on Tuesday, the head of Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also said the outbreak was “escalating at an alarming pace”.

“We must act now. If we do not stop it today, this will become the worst outbreak the world has ever documented,” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said in a post on X.

“This is not the time for delay. We must mobilise every available resource, strengthen the response on the ground and stop this outbreak before more lives are lost.”

Kaseya also separately told a conference on Tuesday that he had written to US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and asked him to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda since the country has not reported any new infections in about a month.

Uganda’s last Ebola patient was discharged on July 16, beginning a 42-day countdown after which it can be declared free of the virus, according to WHO guidelines.

But the US is restricting entry for all travellers who were recently in DRC and some travellers who recently visited Uganda or South Sudan.

The Great British Sewing Bee returned with 11 amateur sewers hoping to be crowned winner.

A contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee has opened up about her health condition.

The popular BBC competition has returned for its 12th season, with Esme Young and Patrick Grant reprising their roles as judges, whilst comedian Sophie Willan replaced Sara Pascoe as presenter.

As the new season aired its second week, the 11 remaining amateur sewers took part in three challenges.

First, they faced the Pattern Challenge, constructing a top with adaptive elements, then they faced a Transformation Challenge, where they had to convince the judges that their least favourite colours, brown and purple, could be transformed into attractive garments.

Finally, in the Made-to-Measure, the sewers had to use one colour to create an eye-catching outfit.

During the first task in the show, two contestants opened up about their passion to promote adaptive clothing.

Oxfordshire engineering PhD student Beth shared: “The adaptive side of it is really great because it’s quite a personal thing for me.

“My dad broke his neck in a motorbike accident. Very luckily, he’s still with us but he can’t feel with his hands.

“I’ve used really big buttons with quite large button holes so he can do them himself.”

Beth, 24, also shared how she creates clothes for her own needs, explaining: “I have scoliosis which is the curvature of the spine, and so being able to make dresses or tops that celebrate my back from all the lifting I do is quite an empowering thing.

“Without sewing that wouldn’t be possible for me.”

Not long later, another Sewing Bee star shared their health condition, after suffering from pain.

Contestant Rebecca, 27, revealed she made garments adjusted for her own needs.

She said: “Almost everything I make for myself is adaptive. I have chronic stomach pain, so for me, adaptive fashion is making sure there is nothing tight around my stomach.”

The chartered actuary from London was crowned winner of the first challenge, and celebrated: “I’m so thrilled to have specifically won the adaptive fashion challenge as an invisibly-disabled person.”

The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Research shows language barriers on holiday are among the biggest obstacles when falling ill abroad — but a new service aims to help Brits in need.

Just one in three holidaymakers feel confident they could adequately describe a medical problem to a doctor while overseas. A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that language remains one of the most significant obstacles when falling ill on holiday.

A mere 28% are confident they could comprehend medical advice given to them, and 13% have delayed seeking help for a medical issue while abroad because of issues with the language, or a lack of knowledge on how to get help in a different country.

Two thirds of travellers couldn’t request a new prescription if they urgently needed one, and wouldn’t know how to communicate that they were suffering an allergic reaction or had been bitten or stung.

Despite most holidaymakers being perfectly capable of ordering a drink or locating the nearest loo, a mere 5% bother to learn essential medical phrases before jetting off.

The research was commissioned by the Staysure, to launch its free 24/7 Travel Doctor service.

The service will enable travellers to speak to an English-speaking doctor or dentist in many worldwide locations via video call, arrange prescriptions, or make an in-person appointment at a clinic or at their hotel when they need medical assistance abroad.

Spokesperson Simon McCulloch said: “I’m not surprised to see, in true British style, most of us would be able to order a beer in another language when we’re on holiday.

“But while we hope we never need to deal with a health issue while we’re away, the research shows a third of people have had to seek medical advice and come up against language barriers.

“While it’s good to be able to order a drink or ask for the bill in other languages, it’s arguably more important that travellers feel confident they can get the right medical assistance quickly if they’re ill or injured.

“We can’t be prepared for every single eventuality but knowing a few key phrases can help especially if you require fast care, have a medical condition or take medication.

“But the thought of speaking with a pharmacist or doctor abroad can be a worrying and daunting experience especially with language barriers.

“In fact, we’ve already seen 50% of those who use the service opt for a video consultation with an English-speaking doctor taking that stress away.”

Can you tell the difference between ordering a coffee and a cry for medical help? Take the quiz now to find out.

The study found when it comes to communicating abroad, 59% assume they’ll be able to get by in English when travelling to a non-English speaking country. While 37% simply rely on translation tools, and 12% would ask AI to understand.

Others admit they would turn to alternative ways to communicate, including using hand signals or gestures (70%), speaking English slowly (10%) or asking someone else to translate (nine%). With 39% even admitting to putting on a foreign accent to try and communicate better.

But these tactics don’t always pay off, with 39% ending up in an embarrassing or difficult situation due to language mix-ups.

Simon McCulloch, from Staysure, added: “When we travel, we don’t ever imagine we are going to end up needing medical help, but there are many occasions where we do.

“That’s why we launched the free 24/7 service, providing travellers with that extra layer of confidence. Our research also found that 79% of respondents said they would be inclined to use the service”.

IT was seen as total madness by many and a charade by others.

But pop duo Wham!’s 1985 trip to China for two special concerts in the newly opened communist state turned out to be a stroke of genius.

The gruelling ten-day trip saw Wham! become the first Western band to perform in Communist China, and helped fast-track school pals George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, now 63, to superstardom.

During their illustrious time together they sold more than 25 million records worldwide and clocked up five UK No1 singles including Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, I’m Your Man and Last Christmas.

Crucially the trip helped the duo crack America and, armed with their catalogue of hits and flanked by a camera crew, it was filmed for what would have been a gritty documentary about the band leading a Western revolution in the country.

Speaking in the documentary, George, who died on Christmas Day 2016, recalls: “It was historic. There were only a few things that you can do as a pop band that haven’t been done before.

“It was a great privilege being the first people to play real Western pop music to those people.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. It’s just that it was a pretty hard couple of weeks.”

Wham!’s manager, Simon Napier-Bell, initially believed that getting renowned British director Lindsay Anderson on board to make the film was a massive coup which would add credibility.

But, it quickly became apparent they had completely different visions for the documentary.

George and Andrew just wanted to make a glossy concert film, while Lindsay, who openly criticised the group, was focused on a hard-hitting documentary about the westernization and opening up of Communist China.

And due to these creative differences the documentary was never shown and the tapes were archived.

Now, for the first time, the incredible footage has been unearthed and the historic trip is told in George and Andrew’s own words in the 90-minute film, Wham! 10 Days In China.

While often unpredictable, the late singer was by all accounts far better at playing the media game than his bandmate.

At a VIP screening at Soho House in London, Andrew told The Sun: “Frankly, I behaved like a bit of a t**t, honestly.

“We were relatively young, but we had also had a good two or three years worth of experience with the press.

“We knew the game. We knew what was at stake. We knew how to behave and how not to — but I just chose not to.”

The band had formed just four years earlier, releasing their debut single Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) in June 1982.

Andrew knew going to China was a “risky” move for the famous duo, who had experienced phenomenal success but were yet to reach the international stardom they eventually went on to achieve.

He adds in the film: “Wham! In China . . .  I was cynical. Untried. Untested. Risky.

“I didn’t really like it. Landing in China, I felt we were there on false pretences. It was a circus. Wham! in China was more than just the shows.

“A show had to be made of Wham! in China and that meant official events, interacting with our hosts. It was just part and parcel of being there.

“Being dragged around to contrived scenes was not something either of us was particularly comfortable with.”

However they took the risk, determined to break the US market as quickly as possible.

Andrew continued: “To break the States was a huge ambition for any act — and George’s ambition overrode everything.

“However, he had suffered with his voice breaking down.

“He had undiagnosed polyps on his vocal cords at that point and so he didn’t want to spend months touring small venues. We wanted to fast-track Wham! straight to the top. Something was going to have to be done.”

Run like a royal tour, as well as the two concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou, the trip included a number of photo opportunities and government-organised events.

The whole tour was masterminded by Napier-Bell, who saw the opening of China as a way to make history and fast-track the boys to the top.

In return, China got foreign investment.

Alongside the more obvious choices, such as a trip to the Great Wall of China, Wham! were guests of honour at a State Dinner and a garden party at the Ambassador’s house inside the British Embassy.

Publicly, the pair put on a great show, making small talk and mingling with dignitaries.

But amusing new footage reveals the stars oscillated from finding the whole thing hilarious to being sick to death of being wheeled out to all and sundry.

During the dinner, they were presented with an intricate tapestry, prompting George to whisper to the camera like a naughty schoolboy: “It’s a bath mat. We will cut it down the middle. My mum can have one half and Andrew’s mum can have the other half.”

The long, drawn-out trip to the Ambassador’s house almost pushed them too far.

Andrew recalls: “Our schedule was such that we were being pulled in a variety of different directions.

“The Ambassador’s residence was a bit of 1930s Blighty transported into Peking. They seemed to exist in this colonial microcosm. It’s quite strange.

“There was nowhere to hide in there. I thought I would be polite and play the game, but Yog [George’s nickname] didn’t feel the same way. He thought it was an utter charade.”

George was so fed up with parts of the trip that he upped sticks and left Andrew in the middle of a cassette signing with fans.

His bemused bandmate was forced to make up excuses that George was feeling sick and needed a lie-down to cover up the fact the star had simply had enough.

In historic footage of the moment, seen for the first time, a baffled Andrew says: “He’s left me in the lurch before, but once bitten, twice aware — or twice as aware.”

Grilled as to how he would describe his partnership with George, he added: “Stormy, but mostly on the fair side. He’s a nice enough chap.”

While the band split in 1986, the pair went way back before fame, having known each other since 1973, after meeting on their first day at Bushey Meads School, Herts.

Asked if he found watching footage of his late friend difficult, Andrew added to The Sun: “Sometimes it catches me out.

“The moments that really appeal to me are scenes like the one where we are bickering in the back of the car — just two youngsters, two friends.

“They are the ones where you can see the essence of real friendship. They are the things I miss, as we are unable to share them now.

“Anyone who had his company and his friendship for an extended period of time will know he was a deeply caring chap, and we all miss him. To have lost the best friend I have ever had is difficult, as they are irreplaceable. A childhood friend who you have spent all those years with.”

The trip wasn’t without drama.

During an internal flight, one of the band’s trumpet players suffered a breakdown — stabbing himself in the stomach and forcing his way into the cockpit.

For the first time, backing singer Shirlie Kemp — who went on to become one half of Pepsi & Shirlie along with Helen DeMacque — speaks about how she was left terrified and covered in her bandmate’s blood.

Shirlie said: “It was one of the most scary experiences of my life.”

Despite the mile-high terror, Wham!’s trip was hailed a success, both in terms of winning over the Chinese with their music and cracking America.

Chatting to The Sun, Andrew says he believes his late pal would be most proud of the fact the gigs helped inspire a generation of children in China to get into music, many of whom had never even danced in public before attending the Wham! gig.

Andrew told us: “I think George would feel very much the same way as I, in that the legacy that exists for the Chinese people who were at the show is the most meaningful and substantial of all the legacies.

“It achieved what it was supposed to. The trip was designed to raise our profile in the US, as we didn’t want to do a long tour. Yog didn’t like being away from home for extended periods.

“He would find the fact that there are Chinese artists whose careers may exist only because they saw Wham! incredible.”

• Wham! 10 Days In China will be in cinemas from July 28 and will then air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in August.

Officials in New York and New Jersey have issued an air quality health alert because of wildfire smoke just days before the World Cup final.

Haze caused by Canadian wildfires has blanketed the New York region, prompting officials to urge residents to reduce outdoor exertion and stay indoors if possible.

New York New Jersey Stadium – which is in East Rutherford, New Jersey – will host the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, 19 July (20:00 BST).

Conditions deteriorated just before Spain landed in New Jersey on Wednesday night, a day after their semi-final victory over France in Texas.

Spain spent Thursday training outdoors, looking unaffected by the air quality. They have not commented on whether they are concerned.

Argentina, meanwhile, stayed in Georgia after their semi-final win over England, but will begin training in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.

Contractor Dan Edgar said his daughter Kaitlynn was practising at New York New Jersey Stadium on Thursday, where she will be dancing and performing for the final.

“She’s texting me that it’s bad out there,” he said. “It’s hard to dance, she says you can feel the air, it’s heavy.”

The smoke-filled sky and extremely hot temperatures have already been experienced by some footballers. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) went ahead with a match between Gotham FC and Washington Spirit on Wednesday night in front of a record crowd at Citi Field in Queens despite the orange haze.

The air quality index meant players were mandated to take two breaks per half according to NWSL policy.

Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman said after the match that the air quality was rough, and in her opinion, they shouldn’t have played.

Rodman said: “Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break’.”

New Yorkers are relieved conditions are not as intense as they were in June 2023, when the skies turned completely orange because of Canadian wildfires.

New York New Jersey Stadium is an open-air facility, but at the moment there is no suggestion the World Cup final, with more than 80,000 spectators and a star-studded half-time show, will be affected.

The air quality in the area is expected to improve on Friday while forecast rain on Saturday should further help disperse some of the smoke.

On Thursday, the Major League Soccer match between Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps was postponed because of poor air quality conditions in the Chicago area.

Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was set to make his debut for Chicago having joined as a free agent last month.

JESY Nelson says she “can’t stop crying” over her “bittersweet” victory to test all babies in England with SMA – knowing it came too late for her twin daughters.

The groundbreaking rule change comes as the former Little Mix star faces fresh heartache over her one-year-old kids, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, whose latest test results sparked concern following treatment for the muscle-wasting disease.

It’s feared the girls will never be able to walk after a late diagnosis of the life-threatening condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1.

In her new Prime Video show, Jesy Nelson: Life Changing, the singer breaks down in tears over the guilt she carries and worries her children will blame her, when they’re older, for not spotting the signs sooner.

Jesy told The Sun: “I know it’s not my fault, but when I watch back videos of when I brought them home and they were kicking their legs, I realise now that over the course of a month, they just stopped.

“That’s the part where the guilt kicks in because I don’t understand how I didn’t see that. Why didn’t I spot that?

HELL & BACK

I had first look at Jesy Nelson’s new doc… watching her break apart stunned me

TEST WIN

Victory for Jesy Nelson as all babies to get free tests for muscle wasting disease

“But when I left the neonatal ward, I was constantly told to check their temperature, make sure you’re monitoring their breathing and there was so much other stuff that I was looking out for because they were premature babies.

“I just honestly didn’t focus on the movement of their legs.

“Thank God for my mum, because God knows what position I would have been in if she hadn’t spotted it.

“That will probably never leave me. I’ll be honest, I don’t think it ever will. But I really hope as they get older, they understand how flipping amazing they are because they are the most resilient little girls I’ve ever known.

“I’m literally in awe of them. Even with what they have to endure every day, they are the happiest babies.”

At Ocean and Story’s most recent three-month review at St Ormond Street’s Children’s Hospital, doctors warned Jesy the girls were not responding to treatment the way they had hoped.

She said: “Unfortunately, some of the numbers have gone down. We had a long discussion and there’s a possibility they may have to go back on treatment, which is just heartbreaking.

“I constantly battle between manifesting they’re going to defy the odds and trying to come to accept that that may not happen.

“It’s a really weird position to be in because you you think ‘well, if that doesn’t happen, am I just going to feel heartbroken for the rest of my life?’

“Then you worry, if I accept it, am I also manifesting that?”

She added: “I don’t ever want them to feel any less than or feel like it defines them. I really want them to know how special they are.

“I want this to be their little superpower.”

Speaking candidly, Jesy admits the success of her campaign for a breakthrough rule change – adding screening for spinal muscular atrophy to the NHS‘s newborn blood spot test – was a tough pill to swallow.

Every year 50 babies born with the condition will now find out they carry the genetic condition at birth. It means they can be given treatment before nerves and muscles are damaged beyond repair.

Jesy said: “I’ve not stopped crying, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just keep going through waves of emotions. I’ve had an outpouring of messages from families within the SMA community.

“It’s just a real weird one because obviously there’s a lot of mixed emotions. I think for people dealing with children that have got SMA, who got diagnosed too late, feel it’s almost a bit bittersweet.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow to know that, yes, this change is amazing and I really don’t want to take anything away from it, but if only this had been here for our children.

“It’s just sad because so many families have campaigned about this for years.

“So yeah I’ve going through a real mix of emotions, but ultimately I am super proud. I’m ridiculously proud and cannot wait until our children are old enough to tell them they’ve played a massive part in change.”

Her new Prime Video doc is released on Friday, July 17.

The 60-minute episode shows the moment Jesy finds out her daughters’ diagnosis and her grit and determination to launch her campaign.

While a phased rollout will begin in October 2026, Jesy’s fight continues to raise awareness of the condition because the screening won’t be available in other parts of the UK.

“I hope as many people as possible see the documentary because I wanted to raise as much awareness as I could about it and the signs to look out for.

“As amazing as the rollout is, Northern Ireland and Wales are still not part of the heel-prick test, meaning many babies will still be undiagnosed and not treated in time.

“I’m just praying that if they watch this documentary, they will spot the signs early enough, take them to the doctor and get them treatment.”

• Jesy Nelson: Life Changing will be available exclusively on Prime Video on July 17.

Uganda ⁠discharges last-remaining patient, as WHO says Ebola has ‘expanded faster than any previous outbreak’ in DRC.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Ebola is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo more quickly than in any previous outbreak.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC in 2018-2020 “took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases”. But this time more than 2,000 cases were confirmed in only two months, including 796 deaths.

“It is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record,” Tedros said. “In the past month, it has expanded faster than any previous outbreak.”

The DRC reported 62 new cases on Thursday, increasing its total number of confirmed infections to 2,073, though the ⁠⁠WHO has said the ⁠⁠true tally could be at least double that.

The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths in Ituri, the mineral-rich northeastern province patrolled by several armed groups.

Cases of Ebola, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, have so far been found in five DRC provinces and neighbouring Uganda, though the vast majority are in Ituri.

The WHO chief highlighted that over 80 percent of new cases were being detected “outside known contact lists, showing that transmission chains are still being missed”.

He added that 377 people have recovered from Ebola in the DRC, “showing that with early diagnosis and safe care, this disease can be survived and stopped”.

To compound problems in Ituri, healthcare workers began a strike and blocked the entrance to Bunia General Hospital on Wednesday. Staff said they had not received any compensation for their work since the outbreak began, despite working under extremely difficult conditions.

In Uganda, things were looking up as its last remaining Ebola patient was discharged on Thursday, starting a 42-day countdown after which it can ⁠⁠be declared Ebola-free, said the East African nation’s health ministry.

Uganda had 20 cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola since mid-May. Fifteen were people infected in the DRC who then travelled to Uganda.

Unlike the surging number of infections in DRC, Uganda has not reported a new case since June 22 .

“Today, Uganda has discharged the last Ebola patient, a Congolese national who has successfully recovered and [is] ⁠⁠ready to be with his family,” Uganda’s health ministry posted on X.

“Uganda starts ‌‌counting down. If 42 days pass without a single new case, WHO guidelines stipulate ‌‌that we will be declared Ebola-free.”

Employers are bracing for what could be the highest rise in health insurance premiums in 16 years in 2027, driving up the average cost of family coverage in California to more than $30,000 — the price of a new compact car.

Health insurance companies expect the cost of medical services and prescription drugs to soar by 9% in 2027, according to a new survey by PwC, the highest rise the researchers have found since 2011. Insurers use those expected medical costs to calculate the price of premiums in the coming year. Many employers require workers to pay part of that cost.

Experts say the escalating costs of employers’ premiums are reducing workers’ wages and take-home pay, while raising the prices of goods and services in California and across the country.

“It’s going to erode the standard of living for lots of California families,” said Glenn Melnick, a USC professor of healthcare finance.

Melnick said when employers are forced to spend more on health insurance, there is less money available for wages. The skyrocketing premiums, he said, are like a hidden pay cut for working families.

The higher cost also has small-business owners wondering whether they can continue paying for their workers’ health insurance.

Co-owner Camden Avery makes a sale at the Booksmith in San Francisco.

(Josh Edelson / For The Times)

This year, premiums for staff at the Booksmith, an independent bookstore on Haight Street in San Francisco, leaped by 17%, said Christin Evans, the store’s owner. Next year could bring even more pain. The monthly premium for four employees is $3,250.

To try to cope, Evans said, she has reduced staff hours by closing the store earlier.

“We have to absorb it,” she said. “We’re not paying the wages we want to pay or delivering the customer service we’d like to deliver.”

Seventeen million Californians receive health benefits from an employer. Those premiums have been rising faster in California than the national average.

Between 2022 and 2025, the average family premium for employers in the state rose by 24% to $28,397, according to a survey by KFF and the California Healthcare Foundation. That was nearly double the 12.2% increase in consumer prices during those years.

Hospital, pharmaceutical and other medical costs escalated even faster after 2025.

PwC’s annual survey of insurers last year found an expected rise of 8.5% in 2026, which its researchers later revised to 9%.

A key driver of the rising medical costs, according to experts, is prices charged by hospitals. In recent years, some health systems, including UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, have grown larger by buying nearby hospitals and expanding their clinics, becoming more dominant in the community and reducing competition.

Melnick said the expansion of some health systems into giant organizations means that they can “tell insurance companies what the price will be.”

A Cedars-Sinai spokesperson pointed to a 2022 paper that found that for-profit health system prices had escalated faster than those at nonprofit systems like Cedars. The paper was partly funded by Cedars.

“Cedars-Sinai Health System’s growth in recent years has expanded access to the highest levels of patient care and medical innovation across the Los Angeles region,” the spokesperson said.

UCLA did not respond to requests for comment.

Another factor is the rising cost of prescription drugs. Spending on cancer drugs, the most costly category, reached $143 billion in 2025, an annual increase of 12%, the PwC survey found.

The nation’s spending on obesity medicines, including GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, soared by 81% last year, PwC said. A 30-day supply of the drugs lists for more than $1,000.

An Ozempic injection pen.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Gallup said this month that its survey found that 11% of U.S. adults are now taking the GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

The obesity drug manufacturers say the medicines can reduce medical expenses by preventing other costly conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, but data don’t yet show such reductions, PwC said.

Researchers at the California Healthcare Foundation say a large part of the problem is that hospital operating costs, prescription drug prices and doctor fees have been allowed to grow unchecked for decades.

The foundation estimated in a report last year that 25 cents of every dollar spent in California — more than $73 billion each year — does nothing to help patients. Instead it goes to excessive profits for providers, administrative red tape and other waste, the foundation found.

California employer premiums are expected to rise next year for another reason: Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers agreed in June to raise taxes on the private plans to help pay for the cost of Medi-Cal, which covers the medical costs for the poor, and to help balance the state budget.

The California Assn. of Health Plans said insurers will add the tax to next year’s premiums. The trade group estimates the higher tax will cost each insured person $100 next year or $400 for a family of four.

The higher tax must still be approved by the Trump administration. Republicans in the state Assembly wrote a letter to the administration this month, asking officials to deny the request.

Researchers also expect a jump in premiums for families without employer insurance who purchase policies on state marketplaces such as Covered California. Some of those families faced double-digit increases this year because of rising medical costs and the end of enhanced federal subsidies that Congress had approved as a temporary measure during the pandemic. Almost 400,000 Californians dropped their Obamacare plans this year as prices soared.

To deal with the higher premiums, some employers are changing the design of their health plans to shift more of the cost to workers by raising deductibles and co-pays.

Those higher out-of-pocket costs are just the beginning of the fallout. Twenty-two percent of chief financial officers surveyed by Mercer in February said the high price of health benefits had forced them to stop hiring or led to layoffs. Thirty-six percent of those executives said the rising premium costs have harmed workers’ wages and raises.

Candice Elliott, a human resources consultant in Santa Cruz, said smaller businesses such as restaurants struggle to find ways to cover the higher costs.

Many restaurants, Elliott said, already have a slim margin between their revenues and expenses. When premiums rise, she said, some restaurants have added a fee to the customer bill to help cover workers’ health costs. Others have hiked menu prices.

“That impacts affordability for the consumer,” Elliott said. “It makes inflation greater.”

Some small businesses have moved from so-called silver plans to the lower-priced bronze plans, she said, which cover less of the employee’s monthly premium. “It’s effectively a decrease in pay for the employee,” she said.

Others are hiring employees overseas, Elliott said. “You can pay someone in the global south half of what you pay an American and still afford them a good standard of living and benefits that are unaffordable in the U.S.,” she said.

Melnick, the USC professor, said many workers don’t realize how much they are losing as their employers’ premiums rise. He tells people to look at their W-2 tax form from last year, where employers are required to report the cost of the employee’s premium in box 12, under “Code DD.”

He said USC’s premium for his family of four is $45,000.

“The base is so high that even a small increase has a big impact,” he said. The continuing annual increases, he said, are “bad news for everybody.”

Monitor ranks Toronto as having the worst air quality on earth, surpassing Kinshasa, DR Congo, and New Delhi, India.

Toronto’s air quality has ranked the worst among all major cities in the world as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario blankets the skies and spreads into the northeastern United States, triggering multiple health warnings and evacuations.

Wildfires continued burning through sparsely populated areas hundreds of miles from Toronto, Canada’s largest city, on Wednesday, sending smoke over a wide area, although cities in the area are not being threatened.

Environment Canada reported an Air Quality Health Index reading of 10+, classified as “very high risk”, for Toronto. Forecasts suggested that hazardous conditions could persist through Thursday night.

IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, ranked Toronto as having the worst air quality across the globe, surpassing the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kinshasa and India’s New Delhi.

“The biggest contributor to Toronto’s spike in air pollution right now is wildfires, though the higher-than-average temperatures are also playing a role,” Armen Araradian of IQAir told the AFP news agency.

While this year’s wildfire season in Canada has been fairly muted compared with recent years, there are more than 800 active fires nationwide.

A video that went viral on social media showed a Canadian National train surrounded by fire near Armstrong, Ontario. Canadian National employees in the area and residents of Armstrong were evacuated on Monday night, the railroad operator said in a statement. It suspended rail operations near Armstrong as a precaution.

Smoke from the wildfires also worsened air quality across the border in the US, with the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire particularly affected.

Authorities in New York City have issued an alert over unhealthy air quality, urging residents to reduce strenuous outdoor activity and take extra breaks if they are outside on Wednesday and Thursday.

The National Weather Service said smoke could linger until the end of the week.

“We probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet for New York City. We probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet for the Great Lakes and upstate, and New England yet either,” Dan Westervelt, Lamont associate research professor at Columbia University, told the Reuters news agency.

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the FIFA World Cup final at an open-air stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, with another 50,000 planning to watch the game from New York City’s Central Park, where skies appeared hazy.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged people, especially those with health conditions, to exercise caution.

The Canadian government has said that wildfire season began more slowly this year than in 2023 or 2025 – the two worst seasons for wildfires – but warned that fires were likely, due to warmer-than-usual temperatures across the country.

It said some 835 active fires were burning across the country on Wednesday, with 112 considered out of control, and most in the central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

They have burned 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) so far.

Greg Evans, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, said the city had been simultaneously hit with severe heat and wildfire smoke.

“I expect that this will occur more frequently over the coming decades, so cities and residents need to prepare for this in the future,” he said.

NEW YORK — The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top ally of President Trump and one of Washington’s best-known politicians, is renewing focus on the country’s aging lawmakers.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican who had turned 71 just two days before dying on Saturday, was far younger than many of his Senate colleagues and appeared to have been in good health. He suffered a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary report from the medical examiner.

It was the second time in less than a month that emergency personnel were dispatched to the home of a U.S. senator. In early June, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Republican Senate leader, was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.

After weeks of increasingly dire speculation about his health, he finally revealed on Sunday that he had fallen and suffered from mild pneumonia. He released a photo, complete with a copy of the day’s newspaper.

Graham’s death and McConnell’s hospitalization have come amid an ongoing reckoning about the nation’s aging leaders, two years after the disastrous presidential debate that sparked widespread panic among Democrats about then-81-year-old President Biden’s capacities and accusations of a cover-up.

Some politicians have continued to obscure details about their health challenges, asking for privacy despite their public positions, and fueling conspiracy theories.

“I think we need some transparency,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday. “I wish Sen. McConnell and his team would have done that earlier. I think it would have resolved a lot of questions.”

McConnell is admitted to a hospital

McConnell, who at 84 is only the third-oldest member of the Senate, was admitted to the hospital on June 14 with barely any explanation. Aides said he was “receiving excellent care” but offered no details about his condition.

The dearth of information fueled a wave of speculation about his prognosis, with Laura Loomer, a Trump ally and conspiracy theorist, claiming on social media that a “high level source close to the White House” had told her he was “officially brain dead.”

But McConnell, who will retire from Congress at the end of January after serving as the longest-ever Senate leader, said in a statement that he is on the mend. He said a fall had led to his hospitalization and that he was “briefly unconscious” and treated for mild pneumonia.

“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older,” he said. “Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it.”

That wasn’t enough to put speculation to rest. On social media, many refused to believe the veracity of a photo his office released that included the front page of the sports section of the Washington Post.

Conspiracy theories about McConnell’s health are “a symptom of our times,” said Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who is also from McConnell’s home state of Kentucky. Paul said people should “give him a break.”

“People think they have a right to know everyone’s medical problems,” he said, “but I don’t know, where does it begin and where does it end?”

Trump’s medical reports offer limited details

The oldest person ever elected president, at age 78, has long offered only the rosiest picture of his health.

“Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” he boasted after his last physical in May, adding that he took yet another cognitive test aimed at detecting early dementia and has “aced them all.”

His past medical reports have been criticized for offering limited detail and including statistics that some health professionals have viewed with skepticism.

When he first ran for president in 2016, Trump declined to release his health records, breaking with longtime precedent. He instead offered a four-paragraph note from his doctor declaring that he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), White House doctor during Trump’s first term, later drew headlines when he extolled the president’s “incredibly good genes.”

When he was infected with COVID-19 in the midst of his 2020 reelection campaign, Trump’s doctors and aides withheld key details of his treatment and tried to downplay the severity of his illness.

And after an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally, Trump aides kept the public in the dark for days, declining to discuss the extent of his injuries or release medical records after assuring he was “fine.”

Kean Jr. goes absent for months

The obfuscation extends beyond the septuagenarian and octogenarian set. New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. spent four months missing without explanation before he finally disclosed late last month that he had been in treatment for depression.

He said in a brief floor speech after his return that he had remained silent about his condition because he is a “private person by nature.”

He won an uncontested primary during his absence, despite missing more than 100 votes in the House, and is running for reelection.

The approach stood in contrast to Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, who disclosed his hospitalization for clinical depression the day after he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment. He also suffered a stroke while running for office.

Biden’s stumbles doom his reelection effort

Biden’s halting gait, frail appearance and frequent verbal stumbles eventually doomed his 2024 reelection campaign. After a debate in which he frequently lost his train of thought, he chose to withdraw from the race, sparking an unprecedented swap at the top of the Democratic ticket that ultimately paved the way for Trump’s return to office.

Many others have refused to retire. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, died in office in 2023 at the age of 90, after years of declining health, including a bout of shingles. Though she returned to the Senate after her illness, she appeared frail and confused at times. It was later revealed that her office had failed to disclose in real time that she had contracted encephalitis while recovering.

Longtime Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas spent the final months of her more than two decades in Congress, when she was in her early 80s, suffering from what her office called “unforeseen health challenges” that made travel to Washington difficult.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, 89, the longtime House delegate for the District of Columbia, announced earlier this year that she would not run for reelection amid questions about her competency.

Colvin writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

A proposal to make daylight saving time the year-round default nationwide is once again coming before Congress.

And, as in the past in both California and nationally, proponents and opponents of the switch cite the potential effects (good or bad) on health, business and agriculture as reasons to support or oppose the plan.

The House is expected to vote on the Sunshine Protection Act this week, according to the office of Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), the bill’s author.

The Senate version of the bill, SB 29, is sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). In a statement last year he said, “More daylight after work means more business and more active, safer California communities.”

Most of the U.S. went on daylight saving time in the spring, moving clocks one hour ahead of standard time. The bill would end the “fall back” to standard time that typically takes place in November. The change would mean darker mornings and later sunsets. President Trump has indicated that he supports the plan.

It won’t be the first time the debate over timekeeping has made its way to Capitol Hill. In 2022, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent was approved by the Senate, but the effort stalled in the House.

“It’s clear that year-round daylight saving time is a popular, commonsense reform that will improve everyday life for millions of Americans,” Buchanan said in a statement to The Times. “Passing my bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act will bring us one step closer to ending the outdated and unpopular practice of changing our clocks twice a year.”

Areas that already do not observe daylight saving time would be able to stay on permanent standard time, according to the bill text. For example, Arizona and Hawaii do not move their clocks forward or backward.

Lawmakers in California and other states could opt out making daylight saving time permanent, but would need to decide before the law takes effect, Josh Gregory, a senior advisor to Buchanan, said in an email.

The effort has drawn support from both sides of the aisle. In California, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake), Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) are cosponsors of H.R. 139.

The proposal also has bipartisan opposition.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has also been a vocal opponent of permanent daylight saving time. In a speech last year, Cotton argued that while year-round daylight saving time might benefit some activities and areas — such as golfing in Florida and Alabama — residents of northern states and on the western sides of time zones might not see the sun rise until 9 a.m. in the winter.

Cotton raised concerns that students would need to walk to school in the dark and risk being struck by drivers, as was the case in 1974 when the U.S. briefly adopted year-round daylight saving time to combat an energy crisis.

“The darkness of permanent daylight saving time would be especially harmful for schoolchildren and working Americans,” Cotton said.

Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro) told The Times in a statement that she plans to vote against the bill because “medical experts have warned that permanent daylight saving time is bad for our health.”

She supports a different proposal, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which seeks to make permanent standard time the default nationwide but gives states the option to opt out. The bill, HR 9638, has been endorsed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Stanford professor Jamie Zeitzer, a physiologist who studies circadian cycles and how humans respond to light, supports ending the twice-a-year time changes.

The “spring forward” shift results in a loss of sleep and has been associated with a number of negative health effects, he said. The spring clock change has also been linked to more car accidents and cardiovascular incidents, he added.

Zeitzer’s research found that the darker mornings and brighter evenings of permanent daylight saving time weaken the circadian clock for many people.

“The abundance of biological evidence is clear that permanent standard time is a better solution,” Zeitzer said. “When you have a more robust light signal early in the morning, that will help keep your internal circadian system synchronized to the day.”

A 2025 AP-NORC survey found that the current system of changing the clocks twice a year is unpopular. According to the poll of nearly 1,300 U.S. adults, only 12% of respondents favored the current system, while 47% were opposed and 40% were neutral.

In the business world, there’s no consensus on making daylight saving time permanent. Many chambers of commerce and businesses that want to lure customers later in the day generally support it, while agricultural interests and some industries oppose it.

As for making standard time permanent, that faces opposition too. Among the opponents: golf course owners.

Jay Karen, the chief executive officer of the National Golf Course Owners Assn., testified at a congressional hearing in November that losing extra evening daylight could cost the industry $1.6 billion in green fees alone because so many Americans tend to golf in the afternoon or evening.

Buchanan’s office said in a statement that the “well-documented benefits of having more sunshine later in the day after school and after work will be beneficial for millions of Americans’ health and well-being.”

There have been previous attempts to put an end to the twice-annual clock adjustments in California.

In 2018, California voters approved Proposition 7, which was supposed to give the Legislature the authority to impose year-round daylight saving time — but only if the federal government allowed states to do so. It has not yet led to any meaningful change.

Earlier this year, state Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) introduced SB 1197, which seeks to “ditch the switch” by moving the state to permanent standard time.

A spokesperson for Niello’s office said that because his previous efforts failed to gain traction, his current proposal includes a provision requiring California to conform if the federal government adopts permanent daylight saving time.

Walkout over late payments comes as public health officials confirm that the virus has reached two more provinces.

Staff at a hospital treating Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have gone on strike, alleging they have not been paid for months, bringing the facility to a standstill.

Dozens of employees at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, walked off the job on Monday. The strike action came as authorities revealed that the virus has spread to two further provinces in northern DRC.

The striking workers included epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers.

“We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months,” Bahati Claude, a health worker at the centre, told The Associated Press.

The outbreak, concentrated in northern DRC, is the worst in Africa’s history and has already caused severe economic damage, pushing nearly one million people into poverty, according to the United Nations.

Efforts to hold back the spread of the virus have been complicated by the presence of paramilitary rebels, who control parts of the region in a bid to access its valuable mineral deposits.

The response to the outbreak has also been complicated by misinformation, deeply rooted burial practices and a lack of trust in health officials.

Health workers have been attacked by communities that believe the disease is a form of witchcraft, while bereaved families have ignored safety protocols by holding traditional burial ceremonies.

DRC’s National Public Health Institute confirmed on Sunday that the virus has spread to two new northeastern provinces: Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

The World Health Organization has warned that an accelerated response from local, national and international partners is urgently needed to bring the outbreak under control.

DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said last week that the government was working to resolve the payroll issues and ensure employees were paid.

“We must ensure that these payments reach the right people,” Kamba said. “We have faced a few challenges, notably changes to the lists, which have led to complaints from people saying they are not being paid even though they are working. We have the means to sort this out.”

According to the latest figures, the number of Ebola cases in the DRC has risen to 1,926, with 702 deaths. The spread of the disease to Haut-Uele and Tshopo means five provinces now have confirmed Ebola cases.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that the situation is worsening in areas already affected as transmission accelerates, while the risk of the disease spreading to neighbouring South Sudan is increasing as the outbreak expands into new areas.

Meanwhile, a second United States citizen infected with Ebola was admitted to a special isolation unit at Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany on Monday. Timo Wolf, head of the special isolation unit, said the patient’s condition was “currently stable”.

The man, who is in his 60s, was confirmed to have contracted the disease on Friday while working for a Christian aid group in the DRC.

NATALIE Imbruglia has opened up on receiving new mental health diagnoses while managing perimenopause.

The 51-year-old Aussie star who is best known for her hit single, Torn, revealed she was diagnosed with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

She was also dealing with the effects of perimenopause which made her “really angry” and would contribute to her anxiety before performing.

“You name it, there’s a sprinkle of it. They’re just labels. It’s not a negative, it’s my superpower,” she told The Sunday Times.

“But there’s a particular thing about my neurodiversity that’s hard for me to accept, which is how I get when I’m nervous before a show. Perimenopause made it worse.”

Natalie added: “Let’s just say it was a grieving process. I was really angry. I fell off a cliff. It felt like someone had taken some of my personality.”

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The singer and actress reached out to TV presenter Davina McCall, who has been a public menopause campaigner, for advice after battling feelings of “anger and anxiety.”

Natalie is now on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) which has helped her symptoms and she’s glad the topic has become less “shameful or taboo.”

Perimenopause refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, thus marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years.

A woman may begin transitioning sometime in her 40s. However, this transitional period happens at a different age for every woman, and it could happen as early as mid-30s.

Natalie rose to fame on Neighbours in the early 1990s and in 1997 kicked off her pop career with a cover of the Ednaswap song Torn.

Natalie has also appeared in the films Johnny English, Closed for Winter and Underdogs.

She has sold 10 million records worldwide, and is believed to have a net worth of around £10 million.

In 2019, Natalie revealed she had given birth to a son, Max Valentine whom she welcomed via IVF and a sperm donor.

Certain holiday destinations have seen a rise in cases of a nasty infection

British travellers have been issued a food warning amid an outbreak of a bug that causes “explosive” diarrhoea. Mexico and the US are among some of the holiday destinations that have seen a rise in cyclosporiasis.

Cyclosporiasis is an infection caused by a microscopic parasite called Cyclospora. This is typically spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with human faeces containing the parasite.

Symptoms can include “watery diarrhoea” and “explosive bowel movements”, and can last several weeks. In an update provided on its website, Travel Health Pro explained that “most” UK cases have been linked to visits to Mexico.

It said: “Cyclospora is a parasite found in some tropical and subtropical countries. In the UK, infections are most commonly linked to summer travel abroad.

“Cyclospora has been found in Central and South America, South and Southeast Asia, and most UK travel-related cases and outbreaks have been associated with visits to Mexico.”

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recently published data showing there had been 843 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the US between May 1 and July 9 this year. No deaths have been reported, and 86 people were admitted to hospital, the CDC said.

As part of its advice, Travel Health Pro provided guidance on eating while abroad. It said: “People usually become infected by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with human faeces. Foods most commonly linked to Cyclospora include fresh produce such as soft or unpeeled fruit, lettuce, green salads and herbs like coriander or basil.”

It continued: “You can reduce your risk of Cyclospora infection by following good food and water hygiene, even if you are staying in a luxury hotel or high-end all-inclusive resort.” To do so it said you should:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and clean water; use alcohol hand gel only when handwashing is not possible
• Where there is no clean water supply, drink only bottled or boiled tap water (this includes brushing your teeth)
• Avoid ice in drinks
• Avoid fresh produce that may not have been washed with bottled or boiled water, including berries, salads, vegetables and herbs like basil or coriander
• Choose fruit that you can peel yourself, such as bananas and oranges
• Eat food that has been freshly cooked and is served hot
• Remember that smoothies, juices and other drinks may contain raw fruit, herbs or vegetables

Symptoms

Travel Health Pro said: “Not everyone infected with Cyclospora will become ill. If you do get symptoms, they will usually start about a week after consuming contaminated food or drinks.”

Symptoms of Cyclosporiasis include:

• Watery diarrhoea
• Fever
• Stomach cramps
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Tiredness and muscle pain
• Bloating and excess wind
• Feeling sick

It said: “Cyclospora infections are usually mild and resolve themselves. However, symptoms can sometimes last for several weeks and return even after a person seems to have recovered. People with a weakened immune system, including those living with HIV, may be at greater risk of severe illness.”

The CDC added: “Cyclospora infects the small intestine (bowel) and usually causes watery diarrhoea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.”

When to seek help

Travel Health Pro says you should do the following if you become ill abroad:

• Drink plenty of “safe” fluids, such as bottled water, or tap water that has been thoroughly boiled and cooled
• Use oral rehydration solutions so that you do not become dehydrated
• Get early medical advice if you have a weakened immune system or are at higher risk of complications
• Seek medical help if your symptoms are severe or do not improve

If you are back in the UK, you should ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have diarrhoea and you’ve recently travelled abroad and:

• The diarrhoea is severe and has lasted for more than three days
• You have bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from your bottom
• You have a high temperature (fever)
• You are dehydrated
• You have a weakened immune system or other condition

The NHS said: “If you’re still abroad, get medical advice where you are as soon as possible.”

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about his condition after weeks of speculation about the Kentucky Republican’s health.

McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.”

“Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it,” he said.

McConnell said he is now in a rehabilitation center and will not be returning to the Senate “quite yet.” He said he continues to work with his staff on Senate business in the meantime.

The statement included a smiling picture of the senator with his wife, Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that McConnell had died or was incapacitated.

It comes following his hospitalization on June 14. McConnell’s office for weeks provided little information, saying only that he was “receiving excellent care” and recovering.

As his hospital stay grew longer, speculation about his condition became so intense that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, took the extraordinary step of asking that McConnell update the public about his health in a “transparent manner.”

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be significantly larger than official figures indicate, with most new infections occurring outside known chains of transmission, raising concerns that health authorities are struggling to keep pace with the spread of the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 80% of newly confirmed Ebola patients in the outbreak’s epicentre are not identified through existing contact-tracing networks, suggesting widespread undetected community transmission.

The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has officially infected 1,792 people and killed 625, according to Congolese government figures released on Thursday. However, WHO modelling indicates the true number of infections could be two to four times higher.

WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told Reuters that in Bunia, the centre of the outbreak in Ituri province, four out of every five newly confirmed cases are emerging outside the lists of people already being monitored after exposure to infected patients.

Public health experts view contact tracing as one of the most effective tools for controlling Ebola. When large numbers of patients are not linked to known cases, it suggests the virus is circulating undetected in the community, making containment much more difficult.

In contrast, neighbouring North Kivu province has shown encouraging progress, with nearly all new infections occurring among previously identified contacts.

Transmission remains concentrated in eastern Congo

Around 90% of all confirmed cases remain concentrated in Ituri province, particularly in the health zones of Bunia, Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Nyakunde, where transmission remains intense.

The outbreak has nevertheless expanded beyond its original epicentre, reaching North Kivu, South Kivu and more recently Tshopo province.

In Bunia—a city of roughly one million people about half of all individuals tested for Ebola receive positive results, reflecting sustained community transmission.

Milder symptoms may be helping the virus spread

Health officials believe the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak may produce milder symptoms than other Ebola variants.

While this appears to improve survival prospects for patients who eventually reach treatment centres, it may also encourage infected individuals to remain at home longer or seek medical attention later, unknowingly spreading the virus to family members and the wider community.

According to WHO, prolonged delays before isolation increase opportunities for transmission.

Community deaths remain another major concern. An analysis of the first 400 Ebola fatalities found that roughly 70% occurred outside designated treatment centres, highlighting continued challenges in identifying patients early enough to provide care and prevent further spread.

Health authorities expand surveillance

To improve detection, Congolese authorities have begun training approximately 21,000 community health workers to conduct door-to-door visits, identify suspected infections and encourage symptomatic individuals to seek medical treatment.

Officials hope stronger community surveillance will help uncover hidden chains of transmission and improve contact tracing, which remains the cornerstone of Ebola control efforts.

Hidden transmission is the outbreak’s biggest threat

The most alarming aspect of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak is not simply the number of confirmed cases but the large proportion of infections occurring outside established surveillance networks. When 80% of new patients are unknown to contact tracers, it indicates the virus is spreading faster than health authorities can detect it.

Although the Bundibugyo strain may cause comparatively milder illness, that characteristic presents a paradox: fewer severely ill patients can reduce public perception of risk, delaying diagnosis and allowing infected individuals to remain in the community longer. Combined with high rates of deaths occurring outside treatment facilities, these trends point to persistent gaps in surveillance rather than failures of medical treatment.

The rapid expansion of community health worker programmes reflects recognition that traditional outbreak response measures alone may not be sufficient. Unless surveillance improves and hidden transmission chains are identified quickly, the outbreak is likely to remain substantially larger than official figures suggest, complicating efforts to bring it under control.

With information from Reuters.

Vernon Kay and close friend Paddy McGuinness appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together on Friday night

A Celebrity Gogglebox star opened up about his health condition on Friday’s episode.

Vernon Kay revealed that he suffers from a foot condition that is a “massive issue” for him. The star opened up about his health condition during Friday’s (July 10) episode of the Channel 4 hit show as he returned to our TV screens alongside his close friend Paddy McGuinness.

Just moments before sharing their hilarious reactions to the week’s top TV shows and films, Vernon announced that he suffers from Morton’s neuroma, a nerve disorder that impacts the third and fourth toes.

According to the NHS, the condition involves a “thickening of tissue” surrounding a nerve in the foot. It typically causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of the foot, often with tingling or numbness in the toes.

Some sufferers report feeling like they are constantly treading on a small pebble. Speaking to Paddy, he said: “I’ve got a massive issue with my left one [toe].”

The BBC Radio 2 presenter then revealed: “I’ve got Morton’s neuroma, I can’t feel my left toe. All the nerve endings on my toes – I can’t feel my toes.”

Paddy was in disbelief as he pointed to Vernon’s toe and asked: “What, that one?” Vernon lifted his leg and replied: “Yeah, squeeze as hard as you can.”

Paddy was keen to find out if Vernon really couldn’t feel pain in his feet as he squeezed Vernon’s toes as hard as he could.

Turning to his close pal Vernon, who didn’t flinch, Paddy asked: “You can’t feel that?” Vernon confirmed: “Nope. Nothing.”

While Morton’s neuroma can often be eased by resting or taking ibuprofen, some people may need to see their GP or a foot specialist. Vernon previously stumbled upon a foot specialist at a local service station by chance.

Speaking on his Radio 2 show, he revealed: “So yesterday I was at the services, I was charging the electric car, and I was struggling a little bit with the machine that actually does it, I was faffing around.

“There’s no instructions, it just assumes that you know how to do it, and I didn’t. I didn’t know how to pay, I didn’t know how to get it started.

“Anyway, we got there in the end and this gentleman who was parked in the bay next door to my car wound down his window and said, ‘Hi Vernon,’ I said, ‘How are you?’ We shook hands, he said, ‘You alright there? You struggling?’ I said, ‘A little bit, I think it’s working now’.

“When we said that it went [buzzing noise] and then it started to charge my car. We got chatting away, ‘Where you going? Blah blah blah.’ Said, ‘I’m going just down the road but I’ve run out of energy so I’m just topping up my car’. ‘Brilliant, what do you do for a living?’ ‘I’m a foot specialist’”.

Celebrity Gogglebox airs Friday nights from 9pm on Channel 4.

The number of deaths comes as healthcare workers threaten to walk off the job over a delay in payments.

At least 600 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have died from Ebola, as the number of confirmed cases of the illness rose to 1,759, according to government data.

The total numbers, released on Wednesday, were confirmed as of Tuesday, while 51 new cases and 20 deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours.

The total of those infected does not include two cases of illness reported in Kisangani, the capital of the Tshopo province and one of the DRC’s biggest cities, as the test results were being validated, the government’s report said. They will be included in the official case total once confirmed.

One of those two cases is linked to the village of Nia-Nia in the Ituri province, where the first illnesses were reported. But the second illness “does not appear to have a geographic link” beyond Kisangani, according to the government.

As the situation worsens, healthcare workers in the Ituri province, the hardest-hit of the country’s three eastern regions affected by the outbreak, are walking off their jobs to protest against delay in payments.

In an official notice to national and provincial authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if they were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working, although no official strike has been declared, The Associated Press news agency reported.

Some of the health professionals and other front-line workers told AP they had not been paid wages or bonuses since the Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15. They also said they were working with limited gear and treated unfairly by authorities and response teams.

“Since the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared, we’ve been demanding payment for our work,” Dr Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, told AP.

The strike comes at the start of the enrolment for clinical trials for the treatment of the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for this outbreak. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is generally considered less deadly than some others, but there is no approved vaccine.

By the time the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, the virus had already been spreading undetected for weeks through the mining towns of Mongbwalu, Rwampara and Bunia, before reaching neighbouring provinces, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Wambua-Soi reported from the DRC earlier this month.

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s top two Republicans have spoken individually to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to aides, as the former GOP leader remains in the hospital more than three weeks after being admitted for undisclosed health issues.

Aides to McConnell have declined to release any information about his condition, fueling speculation about his prognosis and whether he will be healthy enough to be at the Capitol when the Senate returns to Washington next week after a two-week recess. McConnell, 84, is retiring at the end of his term next January.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he had spoken with McConnell by phone on Monday and that the two had a “lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.” As leader, Thune is generally kept up to date on illnesses and absences in his conference as he has to navigate vote counts and his narrow 53-47 majority.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, had a 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The two discussed Senate races ahead of the midterm elections, the Supreme Court and other topics, the statement said.

“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,” said Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes.

Another McConnell ally, Republican strategist Scott Jennings, posted on X that he had also talked to McConnell for 20 minutes on Tuesday, and that “he’s still recovering in the hospital.” Jennings said they spoke about politics, foreign policy “and even a little bit of Senate history.”

Few details released as McConnell remains in the hospital

McConnell was admitted to the hospital June 14, according to a statement from his office that only said he was “receiving excellent care.”

A statement a week later said he would not be voting that week. And a new statement Thursday said he ”appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

“The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the statement said.

A spokesman for McConnell released the same statement again Tuesday with no new updates.

McConnell has a history of health troubles

The senator’s unspecified health issues come after several hospitalizations in recent years.

While he was still Republican leader, McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He froze up twice during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff — including Barrasso, who is a doctor — came to his assistance.

A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon.

McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs. He also tripped and fell in 2019 at his home in Kentucky and underwent surgery for a fractured shoulder.

The Kentucky senator was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.

Jalonick writes for the Associated Press.

Lionel Richie appears to be on the mend from the unspecified health issue that prompted him to cancel a pair of concerts in June.

The 77-year-old Grammy-winning “Hello” and “All Night Long” singer on Sunday thanked fans for “every message, every kind word and for all your love” on Instagram, sharing photos from recent concerts. He also seemingly addressed his health, writing, “I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”

In late June, Richie unexpectedly hit pause on his concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times while performing “Dancing on the Ceiling.” According to videos shared on social media, the singer told his audience that he felt “dizzy.” Later in the evening saxophonist Dino Soldo told concert attendees that Richie was “not feeling well” and would not continue the show.

TMZ reported at the time that the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution. Richie then postponed his following concerts at Chicago’s United Center and the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. He returned to the stage June 30 for his show in Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh and Detroit were an absolute joy,” Richie said Sunday of his recent concerts. “The energy, the dancing, the faces in the crowd … we made real memories together.” The singer also performed in Toronto on Saturday and in Montreal on Sunday. He is next set to perform in Boston on Wednesday.

Live Nation unveiled Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint tour in January, revealing a 26-city lineup with concerts in Chicago, Orlando, Fla., San Francisco and Los Angeles. Richie and the group are scheduled to play Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on Aug. 9. The tour ends Aug. 14 with a show at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

London, United Kingdom – Should Andy Burnham enter Downing Street as early as July 17, if he is confirmed unopposed as Labour leader, one of his most consequential early decisions will have nothing to do with defence spending, immigration, or the economy.

It will concern a seven-year 330-million-pound ($440m) contract between NHS England and Palantir Technologies, a leading defence and intelligence software firm in the United States that received no contracts from Burnham’s Greater Manchester administration during his nine years as mayor.

The ramifications of such a decision could extend well beyond the NHS.

Media reports surfaced last week that Burnham is minded to hold that line with Palantir across all of the UK government when he arrives in Downing Street.

When approached by Al Jazeera, an Andy Burnham spokesperson said: “We’re not going to comment on individual government procurement contracts or companies and there are legal processes that must be followed.

“However, in general, Andy’s guiding principles on procurement are that we need to be getting value for money for the taxpayer and that we need to be safeguarding people’s data and British interests.”

For a company that has spent six years embedding itself across several public sector entities – the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office, the Financial Conduct Authority – that posture is a real shift from the outgoing Labour administration led by Keir Starmer.

Starmer’s government actively courted US-based AI companies championed by the former UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson.

According to the Financial Times, which cited people briefed on the discussions, Burnham’s advisers, including former tech minister Josh Simons, are working with researchers Antonio Weiss and Martha Dacombe on a new AI strategy prioritising British companies and workers.

The story of how we got here runs through Manchester.

The Manchester precedent

Burnham served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until June, when he returned to Westminster via the Makerfield by-election.

Under his leadership, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority issued no contracts to Palantir. Greater Manchester Police has separately confirmed it did not have a Palantir contract in the past five years.

The more instructive precedent, though, is in the NHS – an institution Burnham has no direct mayoral authority over, but shaped politically through Greater Manchester’s landmark health devolution settlement.

Rather than adopt the NHS England-mandated Federated Data Platform, built on Palantir’s Foundry software, Greater Manchester’s NHS leaders spent six years building their own analytics infrastructure instead. That became a proof of concept, which allies now cite nationally: effective NHS data management, they argue, does not require Palantir.

In May, Al Jazeera spoke to the Good Law Project about its concerns that Palantir was a “potential security risk”.

Some campaigners have interpreted recent political signalling from Burnham’s camp as supportive of their position, although a Good Law Project spokesperson said it has had no direct contact with him or his team.

The political context

In his first major speech since returning to Westminster as an MP, Burnham said he wanted social value to weigh more heavily in government procurement decisions. The reasoning, according to those close to him, is as much political as ethical.

Reports have described concern within his camp that “unfettered tech boosterism” risks alienating voters already uneasy about how much of the state now runs on American software.

Underneath that concern sits a more specific worry: that a company built to serve defence and intelligence clients does not necessarily share the values of an institution built to treat patients.

“A defence company has inherently different values than a healthcare organisation like the NHS,” said Duncan McCann, Technology and Data Lead at the Good Law Project, which has led legal action seeking greater transparency over the contract. “That’s where I think this concern was created.”

Palantir is not unique in this respect. Its origins in US defence and intelligence contracting are shared, to varying degrees, by most of the US AI firms now supplying British government departments – a lineage that, for critics like McCann, taints the whole category rather than one company alone.

What’s next?

The NHS contract is the most visible, but it is unlikely to be the only one making headlines this year.

A parallel battle is already under way in London, where Palantir has launched a High Court challenge after Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a 50-million pound ($67m) Metropolitan Police contract, arguing the decision amounts to stifling free speech.

Khan’s office has since approved a smaller arrangement – a partial reversal that has done little to settle the underlying tension.

For campaigners who have spent years pushing for greater scrutiny of Palantir’s role in British public life, Burnham’s ascent could be the moment the tide finally turns. The NHS break clause falls in March 2027, but a decision needs to be made by December.

Burnham is expected in Downing Street later this month. He will soon decide whether Palantir has a future in Britain’s health service – and, by extension, in the rest of the UK’s public sector.

Al Jazeera reached out to Palantir for comment but had not received a response at the time of publishing.