Sweden Shooting, Ebola Vaccine, and a New Earth Photo

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Sweden Mass Shooting

At least 10 people were killed and an undisclosed number of people wounded yesterday after a shooter opened fire at an adult education center in central Sweden in what officials described as the country's worst mass shooting. The attacker was shot and killed; a motive remains unclear as of this writing, though officials believe he acted alone. 

The assailant began firing around 12:30 pm local time at the city of Orebro's Campus Risbergska, a school for adults seeking remedial education and vocational training, including immigrants. The institute—located in the vicinity of other schools for children—was less populated at the time of the attack; students present were forced to shelter in place. Officials had not released information on the type of weapon used or the identity of the attacker or victims as of this writing. 

While gun violence in much of Europe has declined over the last two decades, increased juvenile gang conflict in Sweden has lifted the country's gun homicide rate to roughly four deaths per million inhabitants—more than double the European average. 

Ebola Vaccine Trial

Uganda has initiated the first-ever trial for a vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus following an outbreak declared last week. At least one person has died, and two others have been infected.

The trial began with the first participant—currently in isolation—receiving a vaccination dose Monday. The initiative is considered groundbreaking because no approved vaccine for the Sudan strain exists. Conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the trial aims to vaccinate 40 individuals who were in contact with the first victim; Uganda has identified 234 contacts to monitor. If proven effective, the vaccine could help protect communities against future outbreaks of the Sudan Ebola virus. See the history of Ebola outbreaks here.

The strain is one of four Ebola viruses that give rise to Ebola virus disease, a hemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, with an average 50% fatality rate. See what makes Ebola so dangerous here (w/video).

'Killer Nurse' Dispute

A panel of 14 international medical experts has cast doubt on the evidence that led to the conviction of Lucy Letby, a British nurse serving 15 life sentences for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. Dr. Shoo Lee, a retired Canadian neonatologist, said they found no evidence of murder in any of the cases reviewed. Letby, 35, was convicted in August 2023 of crimes allegedly committed between June 2015 and June 2016.

The experts concluded the prosecution had misinterpreted Lee's 1989 research during Letby's trial, particularly regarding skin discoloration as a sign of air embolism. They determined the infants' deaths or injuries were due to natural causes or errors in medical care, contradicting the prosecution's claims that Letby killed the babies using different methods. The defense has applied to the UK's Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent public body that reviews possible miscarriages of justice.

A separate investigation into the hospital's systemic failures that led to repeated harm to babies is set to conclude next month.

Editor's note: Many readers wrote in yesterday asking whether USAID was established via a congressional act and what it would take to eliminate or restructure the agency. See an expert review here (note—to avoid linking directly to a PDF here, we've uploaded the report to the 1440 website).

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