Ebola Outbreak & New Long COVID Research - 9/24/2026
Hey AED!
I hope you all have had a great start to the semester! My name is Caleb Dawson, and I am one of the Global Health Chairs for this year. This year, we’ve decided to start sending out a regular Global Health Newsletter to keep you all updated on the latest healthcare news from around the world. Below, you can expect to find a current story on global disease outbreaks and control, as well as a story on the latest research findings from around the world. The hope is that this newsletter will be a short, easy read and a way to keep you well-informed on all things global health. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Global Disease Outbreak and Control
This week, the Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains uncontrolled, as the country has now recorded 7,733 new cases and 3,732 deaths. This outbreak has now spread to 7 of the country’s 26 provinces and is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s history. Healthcare workers are now worried that the outbreak could spread to the rest of the continent as the disease’s path nears the country’s border with Sudan. As of now, the WHO is testing whether the existing Ebola vaccine is effective against this new strain of the virus. 70,000 doses of the vaccine have been made available so far in hopes of expediting its testing and distribution once it is approved for treatment.
Global Research
Researchers at the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have uncovered a possible cause of long COVID fatigue and brain fog. A new imaging study has found that long COVID is associated with damage to dopamine-releasing neurons in the brain, which could explain problems such as loss of motivation, slower movement, and memory difficulties that have previously been linked to COVID. The researchers hope that these findings will lead to new treatment research to combat long COVID by focusing directly on dopamine-releasing neurons, potentially improving future patient outcomes.
I hope you all enjoyed this first Global Health Update and have a great rest of your week!
— Caleb
