Until law, GLP-1 drugs were used to treat diabetes, obesity and even the recent evidences suggest that it could as well be used to treat chronic kidney problems. There is yet another research, published in JAMA Psychiatry on February 25, titled Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial that explores if GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide reduce alcohol consumption and cravings in adults with alcohol use disorder.

What Do Studies Say?

The research was conducted over a period of 9 weeks, where in the randomized clinical trial, the participants who were administered semaglutide, it led to reductions in some but not all measures of weekly consumptions. It also reduced weekly alcohol and craving related to placebo, and also led to a greater relative reduction in cigarettes per day.

The research also found that weekly injections of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in weight loss drugs like Wegovy also helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorder.

The lead author Christian Hendershot said that these findings will help in developing new approaches to treat alcoholism. "Two drugs currently approved to reduce alcohol consumption aren't widely used. The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder," said Hendershot in news release by the University of Southern California's Institute for Addiction Research, where he is the director.

The study is government-funded research and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study was small, and took in account for only 48 adults over two months, thus experts say that it is not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who do not need to lose weight. Though the results do add up with the evidence form animal studies on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on how it helps manage cravings, not just for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Scientists are also studying these drugs on smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.

Co-author Dr Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who treats people with obesity and diabetes said, "This is such promising data. And we need more of it. We frequently will hear that once people start these medications that their desire to drink is very reduced, if not completely abolished."

Why Does It Work So Well Against Alcoholism?

The GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking hormones GLP-1 in the gut and brain that regulates appetite and feelings of fullness. This response is what helps one lose weight, and what helps one curb their craving for alcohol. These drugs that mimic the functioning of your brain, which is responsible to tell your body when to stop consuming, are the same hormones that tell your body about other kinds of consumptions, including alcohol. Therefore by consuming the weight loss drugs one can treat alcohol use disorder.

However, the researchers have pointed out on the limited data on the research and have suggested to continue using the three approved drugs by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, namely, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate to treat alcohol use disorder until large studies confirm these findings.

India’s national capital is reporting a significant surge in influenza H1N1 cases. In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported 166 fresh H1N1 cases, up from 138 cases recorded the previous day, taking the cumulative tally to 2,612, officials said.

The total number of H1N1 cases in Delhi stood at 2,612, while cumulative Influenza-A cases were around 3,300, according to an official statement.

Delhi Reviews Hospital Preparedness

Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh inspected Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka amid the rising number of H1N1 cases in the national capital and reviewed the hospital's and the Health Department's preparedness.

The Minister said he has been closely monitoring preparedness across hospitals.

Beyond Delhi, areas including Mumbai and Bengaluru have also reported a significant spike in H1N1 cases.

DG ICMR Dr. Rajiv Bahl said H1N1 in India is showing expected seasonal changes, with no unusual genetic shift detected.

“No cause for panic: seasonal influenza remains self-limiting; no new or unusual virus strain detected,” he added.

Doctors Flag Atypical H1N1 Symptoms

Dr. Atul Kakkar, Senior Consultant and Head of Department, Internal Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told HealthandMe that H1N1 cases are significantly higher than last year, possibly due in part to seasonal changes.

Most patients are presenting with flu-like symptoms, including cold, cough, body aches and upper respiratory tract infections.

However, doctors are also seeing atypical symptoms.

“We are seeing patients having diarrhea also and myalgias, which are getting very, very frequent.”

Patients at extreme ages are more prone to complications and may require oxygen, high-flow oxygen, NIV or BiPAP, he said. Those at higher risk include people who are unvaccinated against flu, patients undergoing chemotherapy, and those with COPD, bronchial asthma, cancer or those on immunosuppressive treatment.

H1N1 Can Affect The Heart

As per experts, H1N1 infection may also be associated with cardiovascular complications, including:

• Heart inflammation
• Abnormal heartbeats
• Worsening heart failure

“Those with pre-existing heart conditions should be more vigilant whilst they’re recuperating. As the infection puts more work on the body, you can find that previous heart problems are more noticeable,” he added.

H1N1 Can Affect The Eyes

While H1N1 primarily causes fever and respiratory symptoms, some people also have some eye discomfort and sudden vision changes.

Dr. Maitri Jindal Chowdhary, Consultant, Ophthalmology: Yashoda Medicity told HealthandMe that eye symptoms during H1N1 may manifest as a bit of redness, watery eyes, some irritation or dryness, which should resolve as the H1N1 is overcome. But a change in vision definitely warrant an eye professional’s attention.

The expert said that vision changes such as blurry or double vision, acute vision loss, seeing flashes of light or floaters or a drop in your vision should be brought to the attention of an eye doctor. Don’t automatically attribute such vision changes to your “flu”.

"Some eye concerns are of course not as serious. There might be some watering of eyes, slight discomfort that resolve as you feel better. However if symptoms such as sudden blurry vision persists, if eye irritation persists or worsens – you need to get yourself checked out.

Likewise if you feel pain in the eye, there’s an alarming redness, a lot of light sensitivity, swelling or an discharge - go get those eyes checked out," Dr. Maitri told HealthandMe.

Be very careful if you wear contact lenses. Do not wear them if your eyes become red, painful or vision blurring as this could worsen the issue. Remove your contacts immediately and seek attention.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax-Sanofi for the 2026-27 season, the companies said.

Four COVID vaccines have been approved for use in the US after an advisory panel recommended that the shots target the dominant XFG variant.

What Are The New COVID Vaccines?

Moderna: mNEXSPIKE and Spikevax

• Spikevax: Approved for people aged 6 months through 64 who have an underlying condition, and anyone aged 65 or older.
• mNEXSPIKE: Approved for people aged 12 through 64 who have an underlying condition, and anyone aged 65 or older.

Pfizer-BioNTech: Comirnaty

It is approved for:

• All adults aged 65 and older.
• People aged 5 through 64 who have a condition that raises their risk of severe illness.

Novavax-Sanofi: Nuvaxovid

• Nuvaxovid is the only protein-based COVID vaccine available in the US. It is approved for everyone aged 65 and older and for those aged 12 through 64 who have underlying conditions.

The vaccine targets the JN.1 strain.

When Will The Updated Shots Be Available?

All manufacturers had previously said they could make the updated shots in time for the 2026-27 immunization season, although Novavax could take longer to manufacture its vaccine.

The Donald Trump administration had shelved the universal COVID vaccine recommendation. It now recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older consult a healthcare provider before getting the shot.

In May, eight of the committee's nine experts voted in favor of targeting the XFG variant for the 2026-27 campaign.

For the 2025-26 season, the FDA had recommended that COVID shots target LP.8.1, a subvariant of the JN.1 strain. The CDC has yet to make an official recommendation for this year's vaccines.

Experts say the vaccines should begin reaching pharmacies and doctors' offices in September, CNN reported.

What Is The Current COVID Situation In The US?

The CDC's latest respiratory illness data, updated August 21, shows that national and regional COVID-19 activity is increasing, although overall acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains very low.

Doctors have been reporting an increase in patients testing positive through the summer. But some physicians are noticing a change in how the illness is presenting.

Reports have emerged stating that COVID is resurfacing with new symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

COVID-19-related visits to the emergency room are also increasing.

Recent reports from doctors in Georgia describe patients arriving with gastrointestinal symptoms alongside, or sometimes instead of, the more familiar respiratory symptoms.

Although these symptoms may seem unusual compared with the classic COVID presentation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are not new symptoms of COVID-19.

The CDC has included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea among the possible symptoms of COVID-19 for years.

Dr James Black, medical director of emergency services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, said doctors are still seeing fever, cough and upper-respiratory symptoms, but added, “A lot of people are coming in with gastrointestinal symptoms - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes to the point of mild dehydration.”

Even as the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus continues to spread, a new case study has revealed a striking finding: the lesser-known virus can remain at very high levels in a patient’s throat.

Ebola viruses are primarily known to attack the vascular system, damaging blood vessel integrity and disrupting the body’s ability to clot. This can lead to severe fluid loss, organ failure and, in some cases, internal or external bleeding.

However, a case study of a 39-year-old American healthcare worker infected with Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) found that his throat carried more than 10 times as much viral RNA as his blood.

The patient was later medically evacuated to Germany, where he received experimental treatment at a high-level isolation unit in Berlin.

Throat Carried 10 Times More Virus

On day five of illness, testing showed:

• Throat: About 90 million viral RNA copies/mL
• Blood plasma: About 7 million copies/mL
• Difference: The throat had more than 10 times the viral RNA found in blood.

The case was published in Nature Medicine by researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, with collaborators including the CDC, US Department of State, Robert Koch Institute, Emory University and Congo’s Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale.

How Was He Exposed?

The healthcare worker had performed an ultrasound nine days before symptoms began.

Eight days before symptoms, he performed two surgeries using standard personal protective equipment and reported no specific high-risk exposure.

He voluntarily isolated himself when symptoms began. His early symptoms included:

• Severe muscle pain and malaise
• 38.9°C fever despite acetaminophen
• Positive pan-Ebola PCR on plasma by day two

By day three, he developed abdominal pain, vomiting, confusion and orthostatic symptoms.

Experimental Treatment Was Given

Bundibugyo Ebola virus has so far caused three recorded outbreaks, but there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific treatments for the disease.

The patient had received a dose of rVSV-ZEBOV 41 months earlier, but that vaccine targets the Zaire species.

He received the investigational antibody cocktail MBP134 on day four, along with a 200 mg loading dose of remdesivir off-label.

He reached Berlin on day five with thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia and elevated liver enzymes.

Viral RNA Cleared From Most Samples

By day 13, viral RNA was below detection levels in his:

• Plasma
• Throat
• Urine
• Stool

However, the virus was still detected in semen on day 20 but was gone by day 25. Three laboratories failed to culture live virus from throat, plasma or semen samples, the report said.

The researchers cautioned that this cannot be directly attributed to MBP134 because pre-treatment culture data were unavailable. The patient was discharged 22 days after symptom onset.

His Immune System Also Responded

Researchers found rising antibodies against the virus between days five and six, along with virus-specific IgM and IgA, suggesting that his own immune system mounted a response despite receiving monoclonal antibodies.

However, the researchers stressed that the case does not prove MBP134, remdesivir or their combination works. Larger studies are needed.

Congo Ebola Outbreak

Congo declared the outbreak in Ituri Province on May 15, 2026, followed by a WHO public health emergency of international concern two days later.

As of August 22, the ECDC reported:

• 5,514 confirmed cases
• 2,642 deaths
• 4,607 cases and 2,065 deaths in Ituri