HEALTH NEWS
Showing 12 articles
AP
Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Drives Search for Treatments","description":"A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a worldwide cruise ship has spurred scientists to test new therapies and push vaccine development forward.","summary":"When a rare rodent‑borne virus infected passengers on a popular cruise line, there were no treatments or vaccines. Researchers from Chile, Argentina and the U.S. unveiled promising results using the rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab and continue to develop antibody and vaccine strategies, while experts warn that rare diseases like hantavirus face huge funding and trial challenges.","image":"https://assets.apnews.com/1e/24/b6e8792884e1e642fbe174465f46/adce3b6a211d479abb0f10aadd970f95","text":"<p><strong>When a rare rodent‑borne virus crossed the decks of an international cruise ship, the world stood without an antidote or a shot to stop the spread. The virus, a hantavirus, had no proven vaccines and treatments were inexistence to those who fell ill.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Hantaviruses are long known to the scientific community, yet the ones that cause pneumonia and can, in some strains, pass between people remain unprotected by existing medical tools. Researchers from Chile, Argentina and the United States have quietly been hunting for drugs and vaccines, but the rarity of outbreaks and limited public funding have stalled progress.</p>\n\n<h2>Outbreak Highlights the Gap</h2>\n\n<p>Three of the 13 likely cases aboard the cruise ship died, and separate data from Chile confirm 15 deaths, 42 infections so far this year. Argentina reports 32 deaths and 102 cases since June 2025, while in the United States a high 35% of hantavirus cases since 1993 have been fatal.</p>\n\n<h2>Variant Causes Distinct Symptoms</h2>\n\n<p>Hantaviruses shed in rodent droppings can infect humans via inhalation. The Andes virus, the species linked to the cruise incident, may spread among humans and can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe, often fatal lung infection.</p>\n\n<h2>Findings from Argentina</h2>\n\n<p>In an Argentine study, doctors tested the rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab on five patients with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Tocilizumab blocks the interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) molecule that drives harmful inflammation seen in the disease. Four of the five patients survived after receiving both the drug and supportive care in a hospital; the remaining five who did not receive the drug (because supplies were limited) all died. Although the treated patients were younger and less severely ill, the results suggest tocilizumab deserves further study.</p>\n\n<h2>Antibody‑Based Approaches</h2>\n\n<p>Other teams have investigated using monoclonal antibodies derived from people who survived hantavirus infections. Researchers from Chile, the U.S. NIH’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute successfully used such antibodies in animal models. While no human trials have yet been funded, the strategy is actively pursued by groups at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Vanderbilt’s Antibody Therapeutics Center.</p>\n\n<h2>Vaccine Development</h2>\n\n<p>There are vaccines for several Old‑World hantaviruses, but none are licensed for the Andes strain. University scholars have taken steps toward a vaccine, with early human trials showing the ability to generate protective antibodies. The U.S. Army’s Institute of Infectious Diseases is also pushing a candidate that has triggered strong immune responses in initial studies.</p>\n\n<h2>Challenges Ahead</h2>\n\n<p>Dr. Paul Bollyky, infectious disease specialist at Stanford Medical Center, explains that rare diseases like hantavirus face steep hurdles: limited laboratory resources, unpredictable outbreak patterns that impede clinical trials, and an uncertain market that throws away potential commercial incentives. Yet he stresses that sustained investment could unlock lifesaving therapies sooner.</p>\n\n<p>“What happened was a tragedy, but it can happen not only with this but also other diseases,” adds Dr. Fernando Tortosa, lead author of the study from Argentina’s National University of Río Negro. He called the cruise ship outbreak a chance to galvanize global collaboration and fast‑track research.</p>\n\n<p>For now, the world watches as scientists race to move hantavirus science from the lab bench toward practical medicines and vaccines.</p>
AP
The Hidden Crisis: Medical Neglect in U.S. Immigration Detention Centers","description":"A comprehensive investigation into the alarming medical neglect conditions in ICE detention facilities, amplified by federal lawsuits, court documents, and personal testimonies.","summary":"Over the past decade, U.S. immigration detention has been plagued by systematic medical neglect. From untreated health conditions to failed treatment plans, detainees across 33 states face life-threatening shortages of medication and care. This article examines court filings, healthcare data, and survivor stories to expose the grim reality behind the walls of ICE facilities.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/960d6c46d26429c8b93a29453aa959f3?format=webp&quality=90","text":"<p>An Albanian man’s pain grew so unbearable he pulled out his own tooth while languishing for months in a New Mexico immigration detention center. A Honduran mother of two was hospitalized for a heart problem after being denied blood‑pressure medication while held in Florida. A Venezuelan man’s leg swelled with flesh‑eating bacteria when staff at a Vermont facility neglected a scheduled doctor’s appointment.</p>\n<p>Hundreds of detainees in at least 33 states have filed federal lawsuits alleging failures to provide adequate medical care. Court records show detainees received medications late or not at all for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, HIV, and untreated cancer. Their requests for help went unanswered for weeks; blood sugars rose, infections festered, seizures occurred, and some detainees collapsed.</p>\n<p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody is deadlier than it has been in two decades, researchers reported in JAMA, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tallied 51 deaths in detention since the second Trump administration — especially suicides that spiked to unprecedented numbers.</p>\n<p>ICE claims to provide “timely and appropriate medical care” to all detainees, and DHS has stated healthcare staff are recruited to maintain high standards. Yet private companies and ICE facilities often cite unfamiliarity with court allegations or blame detainee negligence for lapses. Some facilities, such as the “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida, have been described as “not designed to house people” and are found insecure and overcrowded.</p>\n<p>One detainee in Georgia suffered an infected wound after a transport crash that forced him to sleep on a dirty concrete floor. A 48‑year‑old former Guatemalan immigrant reported the correctional staff ignored his emergency medical request until he passed out, later learning his leg had almost been amputated. Only after a judge declared the institution was required to correct a lost pair of glasses did the detainee feel some relief.</p>\n<p>Even basic medical supplies were denied: gauze for an open foot wound, prenatal care for a high‑risk pregnancy, pillows for a cancer patient, and sanitary pads for postpartum bleeding. A woman missed a week of HIV medication when transferred from Colorado to Wyoming, and a Russian man’s scheduled gastroenterology appointment never materialized due to constant relocations.</p>\n<p>Some courts ordered ICE to take detainees to specialists. In a California case, a man with possible prostate cancer was ordered to a specialist, but the court found ICE missed the appointment citing “internal scheduling error.”</p>\n<p>More than 40,000 habeas corpus petitions have been filed during Trump’s second term, reflecting heightened denial of bond for many immigration cases. These petitions frequently reference medical neglect, yet many judges focus on duration of detention rather than the care question, with some rulings refusing to release detainees based on alleged medical issues.</p>\n<p>ICE’s Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman has been eliminated, removing a critical avenue for detainee complaints. Families now feel helpless, calling the facilities, government agencies, and legislators as they watch loved ones deteriorate.</p>\n<p>A former paramedic and political dissident in a Nevada detention center claimed in a court declaration, “I have never seen such disregard or medical neglect like this anywhere.” Such statements echo across various detentions, from Florida’s “Deportation Depot” to New Mexico’s Central Detention Complex.</p>\n<p>In fiscal year 2023, ICE spent more than $390 million on healthcare for detained noncitizens. With mandatory detention, attorneys argue that people remain locked up with severe and expensive conditions that should be treated as urgently as any criminal prisoner’s health concerns.</p>\n<p>Detained families and caregivers continue to struggle. A mother sees her cancer‑treated wife fail to receive a simple pillow, a female detainee missed a week of antihypertensive medication, and a man with a heart condition experiences repeated medication shortages leading to a stroke during a video call with his daughter.</p>\n<p>Despite the evidence, ICE cites that medical care standards are “high” and that the facilities comply with set regulations. Yet court documents, personal testimonies, and data reveal systemic failures that threaten the lives of thousands of detainees.</p>
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