The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has hit 500,000 since the disease started spreading rapidly through the war-torn country in April. Nearly 2,000 people have died of the disease, which can spread through contaminated water. Health officials have been encouraged to see that the disease is spreading more slowly in some parts of the country now, though it's still spreading quickly in other areas where it has more recently taken hold. The two-year conflict in Yemen has devastated the country's health care system — more than half of all health facilities are closed, millions don't have access to clean water, and there's a widespread shortage of medical supplies. 

Health officials are warning consumers and health care providers to steer completely clear of any dietary supplements or liquid drugs produced by PharmaTech, because the products might be contaminated with the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia. The company sells liquid vitamins for kids, stool softeners, and other products under three brands — Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals, and Leader Brands — that are sold in pharmacies and online. B. cepacia poses a serious risk to vulnerable patients such as young children, people with weakened immune systems, and hospitalized patients. It’s often resistant to common antibiotics and can result in serious respiratory infection.

The FDA is putting a new hiring protocol in place that might make it much harder for foreign scientists to find jobs and research opportunities at the agency, STAT’s Erin Mershon reports. FDA leaders recently told hiring managers not to extend any employment offers — including fellowship and contractor positions — to people who haven’t lived in the U.S. for at least three of the five previous years, according to briefing documents presented to some employees at the agency. The documents indicate the new protocol is due to changes to the background checks all government employees must undergo to obtain ID cards. More here.

Lindsey Newcomer with her father, Eric Newcomer, while Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander prepares to perform a biopsy. (ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR STAT)

A genetic mutation has disabled at least six generations of the Deater family, leaving them with nerve damage, gnarled fingers, and serious pain. It’s a rare mutation — the relatives of the Deater family make up the majority of U.S. patients who have the disease. It’s nicknamed Deater disease after Alvin Deater, who was born in the 1800s and passed the genetic glitch on to seven of his 12 children. For decades, his descendants have offered themselves up as research subjects to help doctors understand their disease. And if researchers are able to unlock the secrets of Deater disease, it could point to potential treatments for other more common neuropathies. STAT contributor Karen Weintraub has the story here.

More people have fallen ill in a salmonella outbreak blamed on Maradol papayas from Mexico. Since the outbreak began in mid-May, 141 people in the U.S. have been sickened with salmonella — which can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever — including 45 who had to be hospitalized. There are two strains of salmonella involved in the outbreak, and nearly 70 percent of those sickened are Hispanic individuals. The CDC is warning consumers not to eat Caribeña, Cavi, and Valery brand papayas, which are all produced at the same farm in Mexico.

transparent tissue poses for a photo. (Ozcan Research Group at UCLA)

Researchers have come up with a new microscopy technique that can take 3-D pictures of thick tissue samples with the help of a holograph. The first step of the new technique is turning tissue transparent to make it easier to visualize. Then, the tissue is stained, photographed, and run through an algorithm that helps focus the image on a computer. The computer stacks up a series of sample images to come up with a 3-D image of the tissue. One big limitation: The technique is still prone to shadows or other problems that might make it hard to distinguish what’s happening in the tissue, but the researchers say it’s a first move toward a potential new diagnostic tool that’s more accessible in developing nations.

The FTC is warning consumers to steer clear of free trials for products that promise whiter teeth, shinier hair, and flatter stomachs because they’ll likely just leave you with is a thinner wallet. Federal officials say they’ve seen a slew of scams for free trials of personal wellness products that have cancellation policies so circuitous and strict that it’s all but impossible to stop yourself from being charged for the next delivery of the product. Other companies have made big bucks off of shipping and handling fees that get customers to fork over their credit card information, only to find other ways to charge them as soon as the trial ends. (The FTC has created a helpful, if clip-art-heavy, infographic to help consumers figure out free trial scams here.)