Mpox Vaccines Reach the DRC; Drug-Resistant UTIs Rise; RSV Stands Firm
WHO ships mpox vaccines to DRC; ECDC flags resistant E. coli in summer UTIs; RSV jab holds firm into a second season.
By Dr. Asher Knippel
Seven developments from the past 72 hours, spanning infectious disease, antimicrobial resistance, cardiology, and the particular health pressures of a Mediterranean August.
Wednesday, 19 August: WHO Ships Fresh MVA-BN Vaccine Stockpile to the Democratic Republic of Congo
The World Health Organization confirmed this week that a new tranche of MVA-BN mpox vaccines has been delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where clade Ib transmission has maintained a plateau of roughly 300–400 confirmed cases per week since late June. The DRC has recorded more than 12,000 confirmed mpox cases in 2026, with the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu continuing to bear the highest burden. Health workers and close contacts of confirmed cases are the priority groups for this round of vaccination; community-level ring vaccination trials are under way in Goma and Bukavu. The WHO notes that clade Ib, which emerged as a distinct concern in late 2024, carries a higher proportion of adult cases than the clade IIb that drove the 2022 global outbreak — an epidemiological shift that public-health teams are monitoring closely. European travellers to the region and returning diaspora communities should check current guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control before travel.
Wednesday, 19 August: ECDC Flags Fluoroquinolone-Resistant E. coli in Summer UTIs Across Southern Europe
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issued an antimicrobial-resistance alert noting a marked seasonal rise in fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infections in primary-care settings across southern European member states, including Greece, Spain, and Italy. The pattern is partly structural — summer travel concentrates people in settings where antibiotic use is less regulated, and dehydration increases UTI risk — but also reflects a multi-year drift in resistance across the region. The ECDC recommends that clinicians in the Mediterranean order a urine culture before prescribing for suspected UTIs, rather than defaulting empirically to fluoroquinolones, which are now ineffective against a significant minority of circulating strains. For patients, the practical message is familiar: stay hydrated, seek a culture if symptoms persist beyond 48 hours, and do not request antibiotics without a confirmed clinical indication. Cyprus falls within the affected zone; the island's Health Services Organisation (OAY) has endorsed the guidance.
Wednesday, 19 August: RSV Vaccine Sustains 89% Protection in Adults 75 and Older Through a Second Season
A phase-3 confirmatory trial published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that an mRNA-based RSV vaccine maintained 89% efficacy against severe lower-respiratory-tract disease in adults aged 75 and older when measured across a second consecutive respiratory season — an important reassurance about durability. The trial enrolled more than 24,000 participants across 22 countries and found no statistically significant waning of protection against hospitalisation through month 24 of follow-up. The European Medicines Agency is reviewing the data as part of an ongoing label update; if approved, it would support a two-year dosing interval rather than annual revaccination, simplifying uptake for older adults who already carry a heavy immunisation schedule. RSV causes an estimated 160,000 hospital admissions per year in adults over 65 in Europe alone, and the findings will directly inform autumn 2026 vaccination planning across EU member states.
Wednesday, 19 August: NICE Recommends Portable Xpert Ultra Cartridge for Point-of-Care Tuberculosis Testing
The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued a positive recommendation for the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra cartridge as a first-line diagnostic tool in primary-care and community settings, moving tuberculosis testing closer to the patient and cutting the typical wait from weeks to under two hours. The WHO estimates that faster diagnosis at the point of care could interrupt roughly 30% of secondary transmission that currently occurs while patients await laboratory confirmation. The technology uses nested real-time PCR to detect both the pathogen and rifampicin resistance — the most common marker of multi-drug-resistant TB — simultaneously. For the Mediterranean and eastern European context, the recommendation is timely: migration patterns and pockets of overcrowded housing in several EU cities have sustained low-level TB transmission that culture-based systems are too slow to interrupt. Cyprus monitors a modest caseload of imported TB annually; clinicians can request the test through the state laboratory network.
Wednesday, 19 August: ESC 2026 Polypill Trial Finds 22% Reduction in Recurrent Cardiovascular Events
Data presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in Barcelona show that a fixed-dose combination pill — containing low-dose aspirin, a statin, and an ACE inhibitor — reduced recurrent major cardiovascular events by 22% compared with usual care in patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction in the previous 12 months. The SECURE-Plus trial enrolled 7,400 patients from 17 countries across Europe and Latin America and followed them for a median of 36 months; secondary endpoints including stroke and cardiovascular death followed the same directional trend. The polypill approach addresses a persistent gap in post-MI care: even in well-resourced health systems, adherence to the several separate medications typically prescribed after a heart attack falls to around 50% within a year. A single pill reduces pill burden and, the investigators argue, may have outsized benefits in lower-income or rural settings where pharmacy access is limited. EMA review is expected before the end of 2026.
Wednesday, 19 August: Athens University RCT — High-Polyphenol Olive Oil Lowers LDL-C by 11% Without Statins
An 18-month randomised controlled trial conducted at the University of Athens and published in JAMA Cardiology finds that substituting standard refined olive oil with high-polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil (polyphenol content above 400 mg/kg) reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 11% in adults with borderline-high LDL-C who were not taking statins. The 480-participant cross-over trial included a six-week washout period to control for background dietary variability. The investigators caution that the effect size is modest compared with statin therapy and is not a substitute for pharmacological management in patients who meet prescribing thresholds. For individuals with borderline cholesterol who prefer to defer medication, however, a high-polyphenol variety — widely available in Cyprus and across the eastern Mediterranean — represents a well-tolerated dietary tool supported by a solid trial design. Polyphenol content is rarely labelled on commercial products; buyers should look for cold-pressed, single-origin oils with a harvest date within the past 18 months.
Wednesday, 19 August: Cyprus MoH and EMA Remind Chronic-Disease Patients About Drug–Heat Interactions
With ambient temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean forecast to remain above 36 °C through the final week of August, the Cyprus Ministry of Health and the European Medicines Agency have jointly reiterated safety guidance for the estimated 35% of adults in Cyprus managing chronic conditions with daily medication. Diuretics — used for hypertension and heart failure — can accelerate dehydration during heat events and push electrolytes into dangerous ranges faster than patients anticipate. ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers can cause blood pressure to fall more sharply when a person is already volume-depleted from sweating. Beta-blockers can blunt the body's normal heat-dissipation response. The guidance does not recommend stopping any medication without clinical advice, as abrupt withdrawal carries its own risk; instead, it urges patients to drink at least two litres of water daily, avoid outdoor activity between 11:00 and 17:00, and contact a pharmacist or physician promptly if they experience dizziness, confusion, or a marked drop in urine output. Full guidance is available from the Cyprus MoH, and pharmacies across the island can provide a printed drug–heat interaction card on request.
This article is produced for journalistic and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Readers should consult a qualified clinician before making any change to their treatment, medication, or health regimen.