Here, we look at the clinical stories patients might be reading in the mainstream news media and provide the original evidence behind the stories so that you can answer any questions that may come up. Cahal McQuillan reports.\n<\/p>\n
Three midlife health factors could delay dementia for 13 years<\/p>\n
Having normal blood pressure, no diabetes, and not smoking between the ages of 46 and 70 could delay the onset of dementia for approximately 13 years, a new study has found.\n<\/p>\n
The findings, published in the journal Neurology Open Access<\/a> and reported on by The Guardian<\/a> and Sky News<\/a>, showed that having good vascular health could be key to maintaining your brain health and slowing cognitive decline. <\/p>\n After analysing data from more than 12,000 participants, the researchers from NYU Langone Health in New York found that people with these three midlife risk factors had nearly three times the chance of developing dementia, compared with individuals with no risk factors.\n<\/p>\n \u2018Maintaining optimal midlife vascular health was associated with up to 12.6 additional dementia-free survival years, reflecting both higher dementia hazard and markedly higher competing mortality,\u2019 researchers said.\n<\/p>\n From age 55 years, participants with no risk factors typically lived more than 30 additional years without developing dementia. This decreased to 26 years with one risk factor, 21 years with two, and 17 years with all three.\n<\/p>\n Notably, the authors acknowledge that optimal vascular health also increased overall lifetime dementia risk due to individuals living longer lives.\n<\/p>\n The study also found that women tended to live longer without developing dementia than men, and white people tended to live longer without dementia than black people.\n<\/p>\n Uganda declared Ebola free while cases rise in DRC<\/p>\n Uganda was declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization (WHO)\u00a0<\/a>last Thursday, but cases continue to mount in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). <\/p>\n Related Article: Clinical quiz \u2013 managing illness in the returning traveller<\/a>\n<\/p>\n After 42 days without a new case, numerous outlets<\/a> reported that Uganda had been declared Ebola-free by WHO on 27 August.\n<\/p>\n At the same time, the outbreak in DRC is being described<\/a> as \u2018the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded,\u2019 with nearly 6,200 confirmed cases and 3,000 deaths reported as of 1 September<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Authorities are stating that instead of slowing down, transmission has increased in the past two weeks, with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus now identified in six provinces<\/a> in the DRC.\n<\/p>\n A recent report<\/a> from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described the increase in cases in DRC as \u2018unprecedented\u2019, with approximately 5,000 cases in 100 days.\n<\/p>\n In response to the continued spread, WHO published new emergency guidance<\/a> on 31 August providing recommendations on the potential use of the Ebola vaccine (Ervebo) during the ongoing outbreaks.\n<\/p>\n Ervebo<\/a> was developed for the Zaire strain of Ebola, and while animal studies hint at possible cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain, evidence remains limited as to its effectiveness in the current outbreak. <\/p>\n The first human trials for a vaccine targeting Bundibugyo<\/a> ebolavirus started in July.\n<\/p>\n On 1 September, the UK government accelerated support<\/a> for efforts to stop the Ebola outbreak with a \u00a350 million package.\n<\/p>\n At the beginning of August, Nursing in Practice spoke with intensive care nurse Karen Ruts about her experiences working as part of the Ebola<\/a> response efforts in DRC.\n<\/p>\n Salmonella outbreak in the UK\u00a0<\/p>\n A salmonella outbreak linked to imported eggs has resulted in nearly 530 illnesses and two deaths, according to the UK\u2019s health protection watchdog.\n<\/p>\n The outbreak, which has been covered by multiple outlets<\/a>, was first identified in late May, when the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) launched an investigation.\n<\/p>\n This followed a rise in the reported number of cases of Salmonella Enteritidis caused by a single strain, with the original cluster<\/a> being linked to 305 infections and one death between 11 August 2025 and 21 August 2026.\n<\/p>\n Two additional clusters<\/a> were subsequently identified, accounting for 223 further cases and another death.\n<\/p>\n According to the UKHSA, their investigation indicates a link to imported eggs and cases continue to be associated with eating at a range of food outlets, including small caf\u00e9s, restaurants and takeaway businesses. <\/p>\n Related Article: Filters should be used when administering parenteral nutrition, MHRA states<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Since 2021, total egg imports into the UK have increased by 60%,<\/a> rising from around 1 billion to 1.6 billion eggs per year.\n<\/p>\n Eggs with a UK-origin should carry the British Lion mark or be clearly marked as being produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.\n<\/p>\n Professor Ian Young<\/a>, chief scientific adviser for the Food Standards Agency, highlighted that if consumers are eating out or buying food that contains eggs, they are unlikely to know if they carry the British Lion mark or are Laid in Britain assured.\n<\/p>\n He, therefore, advised: \u2018When eating out, the safest approach for vulnerable people is to ensure [their eggs are] thoroughly cooked and to avoid dishes containing raw or lightly cooked egg, such as mousses, fresh mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce.\u2019\n<\/p>\n Overall, authorities are emphasising that the risk to the\u00a0general public\u00a0from Salmonella\u00a0remains\u00a0low.\n<\/p>\n More than 100 deaths linked to weight-loss jabs<\/p>\n More than 100 deaths in the UK have been linked to the use of weight-loss jabs, according to an analysis published in The Times\u00a0<\/a>on 5 August.\n<\/p>\n Following their reporting, The Independent<\/a> later attributed more than 150 deaths to the jabs, while Sky News<\/a> put the figure at more than 200 deaths.\n<\/p>\n These data were collected through the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)\u2019s Yellow Card scheme.\n<\/p>\n The outlets\u2019 analyses also indicate that patients using weight-loss medications have reported between 150,000 and 158,000 adverse reactions to the medicines watchdog.\n<\/p>\n Notably, since suspected medication side-effects can be reported more than once per patient on the Yellow Card scheme, the total figure may not equal the number of individuals affected. <\/p>\n