Uganda Closes Border with Congo Over Ebola Outbreak

Uganda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo following a decision by a local Ebola task force. The closure comes after the U.S. and Rwanda took similar steps. A recent WHO statement said such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science.

An experimental drug made by GSK helped about 20 percent of patients with hepatitis B achieve functional cures in two clinical trials. Functional cure is defined as six months with no detectable levels of the virus. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide have chronic hepatitis B infections that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

A small study tested thin patches of heart muscle made from induced pluripotent stem cells attached to damaged heart chambers after heart attacks. The patches were given to 20 patients. Researchers had originally viewed the patches as a possible bridge to heart transplant or device implantation.

Further research is needed to determine whether the method could help some patients avoid those procedures.

A Commonwealth Fund report found that the U.S. health care system ranks below 19 peer nations based on 2024 data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The U.S. has 0.3 primary care doctors per 1,000 people, the lowest rate among the countries studied.

The U.S. spends 18 percent of gross domestic product on health care, nearly twice the average of the other nations. Life expectancy in the U.S. stands at 79 years, compared with 84 years in Spain, Japan, and Switzerland.