Health Highlights: June 12, 2019

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Ebola Spreads Beyond Congo, Claims First Life in Uganda

In a setback to health workers trying to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first three cases of the often fatal virus has been confirmed across the boarder in Uganda.

The cases are three family members who crossed into Uganda from Congo, including a 5-year-old boy who died, the Associated Press reported.

The two other cases are the boy's 3-year-old brother and 50-year-old grandmother. They have been isolated in a hospital.

Officials want to find out how this family was able to cross a border where millions of people have been screened for months, the AP says.

To date, more than 2,000 Ebola cases and 1,400 deaths have occurred in the Congo.

That the disease has spread across the border is "tragic but unfortunately not surprising," Dr. Jeremy Farrar with the Wellcome Trust, told the AP.

"We can expect and should plan for more cases in (Congo) and neighboring countries. This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon," he said.

-----

FDA Outlines Path to E-Cigarette Approval

On Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave makers of e-cigarettes a clearer directions on getting their new products approved.

To get FDA approval companies have to prove that their products "would be appropriate for the protection of the public health,"CNN reported.

The agency's action comes a month after a federal judge ordered the FDA to expedite its review of the vaping products already being sold.

It took a lawsuit from many health and antismoking advocates to force the agency to act. The lawsuits claim is that the FDA was in violation of the law by allowing companies to sell these products until 2022, before they had to seek approval.

Dr. Ned Sharpless, FDA's acting commission, acknowledged in a statement that: "There are no authorized e-cigarettes currently on the market."

According to the agency, its job is judge how these products affect behavior. Specifically, if nonsmokers will start using e-cigarettes and if e-cigarettes do help people quit tobacco cigarettes.

In addition, the FDA plans to analyze what ingredients are in these products, how they are made and how they are sold and labeled.

The review might look at risk such as exploding batteries and nicotine poisoning of kids, CNN said.