Close-up of examination table in doctor’s office (Grace Cary/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Fewer than 49% of Americans can afford healthcare, the lowest rate since tracking began in 2021, according to Gallup data released Thursday.
In a single year, roughly 2.8 million people no longer identified as being “Cost Secure” meaning they could no longer afford access to quality care or pay for visits and prescriptions, according to the data. Worry about future healthcare costs, including visits and prescriptions, amongst Americans is also at an all-time high of over 40%, according to Gallup.
Gallup developed what it calls the “Healthcare Affordability Index,” which is sponsored by West Health, in 2021 drawing on self‑reported experiences from nationally representative surveys. The latest data comes from a study conducted between October and December of 2025, according to Gallup and West Health.
Healthcare has become a financial burden across income levels, according to the new data. According to the index, one in three upper-middle income households ($120,00 to $180,000) are not cost secure, nor are one in five households earning above $180,000.
Young adults, aged 18-29, have experienced the sharpest decline in ability to afford healthcare with those identifying as “cost secure” dropping 7 percentage points in a year.
Women continue to trail behind men when it comes to affording healthcare.
Between 2021 and 2024 the difference between men and women being able to afford care was 9% but in 2025 the gap widened to 15%, making it the largest gender gap in healthcare affordability on record.
Healthcare and inflation continue to rise with healthcare spending reaching $5.3 trillion in 2024. This, in part, is due to hospital prices increasing to 3.4% in 2024, the fastest rate increase since 2007, and insurance premiums going up by 20% after the expiration of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
With many Americans experiencing significant healthcare-related financial challenges, studies show that this can lead to significant consequences, including delaying or deferring care, leading to worse health overall.
Torie A. Livingston, MD, MPH, is a third-year pediatric resident physician at the University of Chicago and is a medical intern of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Serge, an international Christian missions organization, has confirmed that American medical missionary Dr. Peter Stafford, his wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children have arrived safely in the United States. (Courtesy of Serge)
(NEW YORK) — The American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has returned to the United States.
Dr. Peter Stafford; his wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford; and their four children arrived safely on Monday, according to Serge, the international Christian missionary group that employs the couple.
“I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me. I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids,” Peter Stafford said in a statement. “Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”
Peter Stafford tested positive while working with patients in the DRC and was evacuated to Germany to receive specialty care. He was hospitalized at Charité University Hospital in Berlin.
Rebekah Stafford and their four children were also evacuated to Germany and moved into a separate space at the hospital as high-risk contacts.
The family was discharged from the hospital earlier this month and Peter Stafford has remained Ebola free since May 30, according to Serge. U.S. health authorities are in regular contact with Peter Stafford, Serge said.
“Our hearts remain deeply saddened for our Congolese friends and colleagues and those impacted by this outbreak,” Matt Allison, executive director of Serge, said in a statement. “Our mission is more critical than ever as we mobilize medical support and resources to partners in the area.”
Allison continued, “Thank you to those who have prayed and given sacrificially to this work. Also, we would like to express our immense gratitude to the many international organizations, governments, and partners who cared for the Stafford family and brought them home safely.”
The outbreak was first detected in the DRC’s northeastern province of Ituri, with cases officially confirmed by the health ministry on May 15. It marks the 17th outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the DRC, which is Africa’s second-largest country and its fourth-most populous nation.
Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said during a press briefing on Monday evening that the DRC has now recorded 808 confirmed Ebola cases and 192 deaths. In neighboring Uganda, at least 19 cases — mostly linked to travel — and two deaths have been confirmed, according to the Ugandan health ministry.
Viviane Nzale, a health worker responsible for triage, stands at a screening post at the entrance of Mongbwalu General Hospital while monitoring patients and visitors entering the facility as they respond to the continuing Ebola outbreak here on June 12, 2026 in Mongbwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Michel Lunanga/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reported a record one-day increase in Ebola cases since the current outbreak was first detected one month ago.
The DRC Ministry of Health reported 72 new confirmed Ebola cases on June 13, bringing the total number of cases to 782. Additionally, 29 deaths were recorded, bringing to 181 the number of fatalities that have occurred in the last month.
The majority of cases are still concentrated in three provinces in the northeast part of the country: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Two new health zones, Nia-Nia in Ituri and Mabalako in North Kivu, reported cases for the first time, increasing the number of affected health zones to 31, according to the Ministry of Health.
Contact tracing remains a concern. Health officials said only 56.5% of identified contacts have been followed up on, far below the desired 90%-95% target needed to contain the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
DRC health officials say they’re still experiencing community hesitance as well as shortages of essential medicines and infection-control supplies.
Meanwhile, Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases, in large part linked to cross-border transmission from the DRC, and two deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Last week, United Nations agencies warned that children in the eastern DRC could become increasingly affected by the Ebola outbreak. The U.N. said it may be difficult to accurately track the number of children who may be affected by the outbreak due to inefficient surveillance.
Although most infections have been among adults, “as the outbreak evolves, we must be prepared for increasing household transmission which means we may see more children affected in the days ahead,” Dr. Douglas Noble, UNICEF global lead for public health emergencies and global incident manager for Ebola, said on Friday.
“These are already very vulnerable children, so the capacity for this community to absorb any additional stressors was already stretched to breaking point,” he said.
In past Ebola outbreaks in the DRC, children “made up a significant share of cases and an even greater share of deaths, with the youngest facing the highest fatality rates and many left orphaned or separated from caregivers,” Noble said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department recently announced plans to provide $50 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which describes itself as “a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats,” to help develop vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that’s driving the current outbreak.
The State Department further said it has committed more than $270 million directly to the Ebola response, with U.S.-funded partners screening more than 6,300 people in Ituri, supporting 100 health facilities and carrying out 200 safe burials.
Workers wearing protective visit a patient in an isolation unit an Ebola treatment center on June 2, 2026 in Monigi, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Daniel Buuma/Getty Images)
(GENEVA) — The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the risk of Ebola transmission in Europe and World Cup host countries is low as the tournament gets ready to kick off across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said in a statement that there are currently no Ebola cases in North America or Europe amid an outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The DRC has recorded 676 confirmed cases as of Thursday morning, according to DRC’s minister of health. In Uganda, there are 19 confirmed cases — many of them travel-related — and two deaths, the country’s health officials said.
Kluge made reference to an Ebola patient who was treated in the European Region after being evacuated from the outbreak region.
An American physician, Dr. Peter Stafford, tested positive for Ebola after being exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital. Stafford, a medical missionary with the mission organization Serge, was transferred to Germany and treated at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital.
His wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children were also transferred to the same hospital, where they were monitored in quarantine for 21 days as high-risk contacts.
Last week, the family was released from the hospital after Dr. Peter Stafford had no symptoms for more than 72 hours and a negative result in repeated PCR tests, Serge said.
“There is no reason to change your plans. Travel as normal, stay informed and enjoy the tournament,” Kluge said.
Kluge said there are several reasons why the risk is low in other countries: most cases are in remote areas of the DRC, Ebola is not an airborne illness and it is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sick person.
Additionally, screening is in place before travel is allowed from affected regions and people are only infectious once visibly ill, according to Kluge.
The CDC has temporarily restricted entry to the U.S. for certain travelers who were recently in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan. Currently, U.S. citizens and nationals may still enter but will undergo enhanced public health screenings.
Kludge said the WHO does not recommend travel restrictions, “though if you don’t have to travel to the affected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda, it is safer not to.”
He added that it’s important to challenge the stigma associated with Ebola patients and those from affected regions or African communities.
“The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity,” he said. “Stigma discourages people from seeking care and can make outbreaks harder to control. Stay informed, rely on trusted sources and treat others with understanding. With common sense and compassion, we can keep both people and the game safe.”
Medical workers wear protective equipment to disinfect equipment used to treat an Ebola patient, who recovered and was released this week, at the Heal Africa Hospital on June 4, 2026 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Daniel Buuma/Getty Images)
(GENEVA) — The number of Ebola infections and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has “increased rapidly” since late May, the World Health Organization said Monday.
Since the last update from the WHO on May 29, an additional 390 confirmed cases including 74 confirmed deaths were reported. The increase in cases — more than tripling the prior confirmed count — is in part due to better testing and diagnosis abilities, the WHO said.
Cases continue to be reported in various parts of the DRC across 25 health zones, with some infections hundreds of miles away from the epicenter of the outbreak in the Ituri province.
The outbreak remains concentrated there.
As of June 6, there are a total of 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths in the DRC. So far, 12 patients have recommended recovered there.
Over 5,000 people have been identified as contacts due to exposure from someone who was infected. Contact tracing efforts continue to be underway.
At least 16 of the infections reported so far were identified in health care workers.
Uganda has 19 confirmed cases as of June 6, an increase of 10 since the last update on May 29.
While the WHO assesses the risk of transmission in the Congo as “very high” and “high” in bordering countries, the risk to the rest of Africa and the world is “low.”
Human crowd surrounding an injectable measles vaccine bottle on purple background. Horizontal composition with copy space. ( MicroStockHub/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 2,000 for the second year in a row, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
So far in 2026, 2,030 confirmed cases have been recorded in 39 states and the District of Columbia, CDC data shows.
Cases have been confirmed in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Just 10 measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.
Last year, 2,288 confirmed measles cases were reported for all of 2025. Prior to this, measles cases had not surpassed 2,000 in the U.S. since 1992.
The majority of measles cases have been confirmed among children and teenagers aged 19 and younger, according to the CDC.
About 92% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, CDC data shows.
Meanwhile, 4% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — New guidelines from the American Cancer Society are expanding colon cancer screening options beyond colonoscopies and established stool-based tests.
The recommendations still call for colorectal cancer screening in people at average risk starting at age 45 and continuing through age 75 for those with a life expectancy of 10 more years.
And colonoscopy is still considered the gold standard test.
But for the first time, the updated guidelines now include a blood-based screening test done in a doctor’s office. They also add new stool sample kits and a recently FDA-approved at-home test that looks for blood and different molecular markers in stool samples.
Experts note that offering more choices is critical to address gaps in screening for this highly preventable disease, which is most treatable when caught early.
“Individuals who decline or do not complete [testing] are probably a greater number than are actually appreciated,” Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, told ABC News. “And I think a lot of our data on colorectal screening probably overstates the number of people actually up to date on their screening guidelines.”
As the new guidelines point out, the most effective colorectal cancer screening test is the one people are willing to get. More than 20 million eligible Americans remain unscreened, according to the ACS.
While stool-based tests are reasonable options for most people, the new guidelines stress that the blood tests should be considered a last resort for people unable or unwilling to get any other form of testing because they are less likely to catch issues compared to other types of screening.
People who choose colonoscopy should be tested every 10 years. Other screening tests should be done every one, three, or five years, depending on the specific method selected.
These new guidelines come as colon cancer rates rise in younger adults across the US. ASC statistics show that 1 in 5 new colorectal cancer cases now occur in people younger than 55, up from about 1 in 10 in the mid-1990s.
“This is a disease that historically, we saw in older individuals, so people 50 and over or maybe even 60 and over. And now we are starting to see an inching up of incidents in people who are less than age 50,” Dr. Fola May, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told ABC News.
She said she hoped that having a range of choices would push more people to get tested.
The ACS likely wants to “make sure that patients understand that these tests can be done at home. So you don’t need to take a day off of work. You don’t need an escort, you don’t need to have an invasive procedure,” May said.
The ACS advised people to work with a trusted healthcare provider to decide which test is best for them.
Dahut stressed that the recommendations apply only to people of average risk without symptoms and with no family or personal history of colorectal cancer. Consumers should check with their insurance provider to see which options their plan covers.
It’s important to be aware of the symptoms and take them seriously, he added.
“So if one has symptoms, blood in their stool, symptoms of obstruction, abdominal pain that’s persistent or change in stool patterns, then they need to have a workup for those symptoms and not have a blood-based test like this or a stool-based test,” he said.
Ari Goldstein, MD, MPH, is a board-certified family physician and preventive medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
(GENEVA, Switzerland) — The head of the World Health Organization warned on Monday that a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda “will get worse before it gets better.”
More than 900 cases and more than 220 deaths have been reported in the DRC, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual briefing. Of those totals, 101 cases and 10 deaths have been confirmed.
Additionally, there have been five travel-related cases and a death in Uganda, according to the WHO and the Uganda Ministry of Health.
“We are facing an extremely serious and difficult outbreak. It will get worse before it gets better,” Tedros said on Monday. “But we know this virus, and we know how to stop it. We have stopped every previous Ebola outbreak, and we will stop this one, too.”
Tedros said he wanted to echo comments made by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about overcoming the outbreak with unity.
“The question is just how quickly we can do it, and how many more lives will be lost before we do,” Tedros added.
Tedros’ comments come amid a hospital in northeastern Congo facing growing tension as officials have trouble following safety rules following the death of a well-known religious leader.
Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital in Ituri province — one of three provinces where the Ebola outbreak is concentrated — told ABC News the facility is under heavy tension after the body of a confirmed Ebola victim, who was also a major religious figure in the region, was brought there.
Lokudi said that family members and groups of young people are demanding the body be returned.
Because the patient was a confirmed Ebola case, authorities are insisting on a “safe and dignified burial” under outbreak protocols, and the body is being temporarily kept at the hospital until burial on Monday.
Lokudi said police and military forces have been securing the hospital and firing warning shots to disperse protesters gathered outside.
He added that the gunfire around the hospital has left him exhausted and stressed.
Last week, Tedros classified the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern — one level below a pandemic in the United Nations agency’s alert system.
The WHO continues to consider the national risk assessment as “very high” while the regional level risk remains “high” and the global risk level remains “low,” Tedros said on Monday.
The outbreak has led to multiple countries, including the U.S., India, the U.K. and Australia, putting travel restrictions in place.
Entry to the U.S. is restricted to foreign travelers who have recently been in the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.
Meanwhile, U.S. passport holders and U.S. nationals returning to the U.S. from the three countries will be funneled to Dulles Airport in Virginia to be screened for symptoms and interviewed about possible exposure.
Enhanced screening efforts have also begun at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as of Saturday morning and efforts at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston will begin late Tuesday.
Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) who have been in any of the three countries over the last 21 days are barred from entering the U.S. temporarily.
Tedros said on Monday that WHO teams are on the ground in the outbreak zones assisting with response including contact tracing, establishing treatment centers and infection prevention and control. Tedros added that he will be traveling to the DRC on Tuesday.
The WHO chief said that several aspects of this outbreak make it “especially challenging,” including the delays in detecting the outbreak.
“[It] means that we are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic,” he said on Monday.
US doctor infected with Ebola critically ill but says he is ‘cautiously optimistic’ He said that due to recent fighting in the provinces facing the brunt of the outbreak, it means tens of thousands of people are displaced and there is “significant distrust of outside authorities among the local population.”
An additional challenge is that there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the strain of Ebola responsible for the outbreak: Bundibugyo virus.
Tedros said the WHO has recommended prioritizing two monoclonal antibodies to advance in clinical trials and recommended evaluating the antiviral obeldesivir in a clinical trial as post-exposure prophylaxis for those who are high-risk contacts.
ABC News’ Eric M. Strauss contributed to this report.
A medical staff member disinfects a quarantine room in an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 21, 2026. (Str/Xinhua via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is “spreading rapidly,” the head of the World Health Organization warned during a press briefing on Friday.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the U.N. health agency has upgraded its risk assessment for spread at the national level from “high” to “very high.” At the regional level, the risk remains “high” while the global level is still “low.”
There have been almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths from Ebola in the DRC, the WHO said in a post on X.
So far, at least 82 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in DRC as well as seven deaths, but Tedros said “we know the epidemic in the DRC is much larger.”
Tedros described the situation in Uganda as “stable” with two cases confirmed in people who traveled from the DRC, with one death.
The epicenter of the current outbreak is in a “highly insecure” area — the DRC’s eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri — where ongoing armed conflict has sparked a displacement crisis, according to Tedros.
The WHO chief also acknowledged a “security incident” that took place Thursday in Ituri in which “medical tents and supplies were set on fire.” He noted that building trust in the local communities is “critical.”
The WHO’s representative in the DRC, Dr. Anne Ancia, who appeared from the field via video link during the press briefing, said Thursday’s incident “significantly jeopardized” the Ebola response operations her team is trying to initiate in the hotspot area.
She noted that there is still very low contact tracing in Ituri, particularly the city of Bunia, but that there was better contact tracing happening in North Kivu.
So far, one American has contracted Ebola in relation to the outbreak. Dr. Peter Stafford tested positive after treating patients in the eastern DRC.
He was evacuated to Germany and is currently being treated at Charite University Hospital in Berlin in an isolation ward, the hospital said.
Stafford’s wife and children, who are considered high-risk contacts, are also at the hospital and are currently in quarantine in a separate section of ward. The family is symptom free, according to the hospital.
The hospital said that Stafford does not currently require intensive care but is “severely weakened” from his illness.
Stock image of dental chair. (Zhenjin Li/Getty Images)
(PHILADELPHIA) — Health officials in Philadelphia are recommending certain patients of a dental clinic accused of following “unsanitary practices” get tested for hepatitis and HIV due to potential exposures from April 2025 to May 2026, the city’s Department of Public Health said in a statement this week.
Officials on Wednesday identified the dental clinic in Center City Philadelphia as Smiles at Rittenhouse Square, also called Smiles on the Square, and said it is now closed due to the dentist’s temporary suspension.
James Garrow, Philadelphia’s deputy health commissioner, told ABC News the risk is believed to be low to patients at this time because they have yet to identify any associated cases of hepatitis or HIV linked to this dentist office.
“We don’t have any known reason to say that the risk will be potentially high, but the fact of the matter is, when you are in a dentist office that’s unsanitary, unsafe, the risk always exists,” Garrow said. “So that’s why we’re really pushing folks who are patients there to get tested and make sure.”
The sole dentist practicing at this office has since had their license temporarily suspended, state records show.
“On May 15, 2026, the State Board of Dentistry suspended Dr. Kirti Chopra’s professional license in Pennsylvania because her continued practice of dentistry presents a clear and immediate danger to public health and safety,” a Pennsylvania Department of State official said in a statement to ABC News.
The alleged sanitary problems in the clinic were discovered during an unannounced site visit, the suspension order, reviewed by ABC News, said.
According to the order, the dentist allegedly admitted to investigators that used injectable medication vials were occasionally set aside for reuse on other patients and IV saline bags intended for single use were reused between patients.
Investigators said they identified multiple issues with sterilization and sanitation practices during the site visit that include finding dental instruments that were not properly sterile, handled with potentially contaminated gloves, and packaged in potentially contaminated pouches.
They also reported finding dental handpieces that came into contact with blood and saliva left attached to patient equipment after use that should be sterilized between patients.
The dentist’s temporary suspension order concluded that these findings “place patients at risk for transmission of hepatitis C, hepatitis B, Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as outbreaks of viral, bacterial or fungal infections.”
Hepatitis viruses and HIV are spread through contact with infected blood or body fluids. Garrow said exposure at a dentist’s office is “exceedingly rare” but it is possible to get infected if exposed through contaminated dental equipment.
“The fact of the matter is, if someone who is a patient there was exposed to one of these diseases… these are potentially life-changing chronic conditions,” Garrow said.
Doctors tell ABC News potentially impacted patients may need multiple blood tests, depending on the timing of a potential exposure.
“If it’s a recent exposure it would be a minimum of two or three blood draws to establish a baseline and then follow-up testing to determine seroconversion,” Dr. George Diaz, a spokesperson for the Infectious Disease Society of America, told ABC News.
Doctors say hepatitis B is considered one of the more transmissible bloodborne viruses in healthcare settings when sterilization procedures aren’t followed or if contaminated instruments are reused.
The hepatitis B vaccine offers the best line of protection for a person who is exposed to this virus.
“In this case, vaccination against Hepatitis B would be protective against exposures such as this,” Diaz said. “Risk is virtually zero for those that are vaccinated.”
There are no current vaccines to prevent HIV or hepatitis C. Treatment options vary for each virus, based on timing of exposure or infection.
According to Garrow, the health department is working to finalize a list of patients potentially at risk but due to the timeframe of potential exposure, he estimates that number “could be in the hundreds.”
Garrow also said that there is another dental clinic in the same building with a similar name, Rittenhouse Smiles, that is not under investigation, and they are working on messaging to minimize patient confusion.
Officials say people who are unsure about potential exposure or patients of Smiles at Rittenhouse Square should call 215-685-5488, a hotline the health department set up that is open between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
“Dr. Chopra is cooperating with the Department of Public Health and the Pennsylvania Department of State,” a lawyer representing Chopra and Smiles at Rittenhouse Square said in a statement to 6ABC Philadelphia on Wednesday. “Dr. Chopra will continue working cooperatively with public-health officials regarding patient notification, testing recommendations, and any required infection-control remediation.”
Mark Abdelmalek, MD is a medical contributor and investigative reporter for ABC News. Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, is a fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit.
