The US Food and Drug Administration has approved TNKase or Tenecteplase, which is a thrombolytic or clot-dissolving agent, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in adults.

Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. It can cause permanent brain damage and death. If enough brain cells die, you can also lose the abilities or body functions those cells control. They are also the most common types of stroke, with 80% of all strokes being ischemic strokes.

How is TNKase administered?

It is delivered as a single five-second intravenous bolus, which is faster than the standard of care Activase or alteplase, which is administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion. The manufacturer of TNKase, Genetech said a new 25-mg vial configuration will also be available in the coming months.

How Was TNKase approved?

The approval came at the backdrop of a study that compared TNKase to Activase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients also presented with a disabling neurological deficit. Results show that TNKase was comparable to Activase in terms of efficacy and safety.

How Common Are These Strokes?

In the United States it self, it affects more than 795,000 people each year and is the leading cause of long-term disability. It is also the fifth leading cause of death. Since brain damage can happen if this progresses rapidly, one needs an immediate, fast-acting medical care.

TNKase thus provide a faster and simpler administration which can be critical for anyone. The chief medical officer and head of global product development at Genetech, Levi Garraway, MD., PhD., said, "Today's approval is a significant step forward and underscores our commitment to advancing stroke treatment options for patients."

What Are The Symptoms Of Ischemic Strokes?

Some of the most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis on one side of your face and body. You may also feel trouble speaking or have loss of speech, also known as aphasia. You may faced slurred or garbled speaking, also known as dysarthria. Other symptoms include loss of muscle control on one side of your face, or sudden worsening or loss of your senses, including vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Other symptoms include:

• Loss of coordination or clumsiness
• Blurry vision or double vision
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Mood swings or sudden personality changes
• Confusion or agitation
• Seizures
• Memory loss (amnesia)
• Headaches which are sudden and severe
• Passing out or fainting
• Coma

Are There Any Warning Signs?

While these are symptoms one has who is prone to this condition. However, often, many may confuse it with other illnesses. It is best to keep an eye out for warning signs. These could be looking out for yourself or your loved one. Note if there is a sudden loss of balance. Look out for sudden vision loss or changes in one or both eyes. Look for a droop on one or both sides of your face, especially when you smile. Raise both arms and see if one arm sags or drops in a way it usually does not. Note for your speech. Are you as fluent? Are you have trouble speaking? If you see any of such signs, start tracking it and talk to your healthcare provider.

NHS doctor and regular BBC guest star Dr Punam has shared a warning about a flu variant that appears to be more severe for children than strains seen in previous years. Speaking on BBC Morning Live on Friday, she explained why many in the medical field are paying close attention to the current flu season.

Dr Punam noted that people often brush off flu concerns, but this winter is prompting far more worry. She pointed out that the rise in cases normally appears toward the end of November. This year, however, the surge began in early October. According to her, this has left many people without adequate protection, as recent NHS vaccination drives have tended to start later in the year.

She repeated that the early spike is unusual and has added to concerns. She also highlighted that a new form of the virus has now appeared. She said the usual strain has undergone a mutation during the summer. Health services look to Australia each year for early signs, and their winter season has been especially harsh, giving the UK a strong indication of what may come.

What Is The New Flu Strain Spreading in UK?

The current form of H3N2 is moving quickly across several regions. Dr. Wenqing Zhang, who leads the World Health Organization’s Global Respiratory Threats Unit, said at a recent media briefing that it has begun to dominate in a number of Northern Hemisphere countries.

James Mackey, head of the U.K.’s National Health Service, added that this winter may be one of the most demanding periods staff have ever handled. Experts do not see this as a situation on the level of a pandemic, but it still poses notable risks for older adults and those who already live with health conditions.

The doctor strongly encouraged eligible groups to get their flu vaccinations without delay. She also stressed that the new strain could be more damaging for children than those seen previously. The children’s flu vaccine is available for those aged 2 to 3 years, school-aged children from Reception to Year 11, and children with certain chronic conditions. If a child has missed their scheduled dose, parents can book a free NHS appointment through a pharmacy or the NHS App.

Who Is Eligible For A Free NHS Flu Jab This Autumn And Winter?

• Pregnant women
• All children who were aged 2 or 3 years on August 31, 2025
• Children with certain long-term health conditions (aged 6 months to under 18 years)
• Primary school aged children (Reception to Year 6)
• Secondary school aged children (Year 7 to Year 11)
• All children in clinical risk groups aged 6 months to under 18 years
• Everyone aged 65 and older
• Adults aged 18 to under 65 with certain long-term conditions
• Residents in care homes
• Carers receiving Carer’s Allowance or those who support an older or disabled person
• People living with someone who has a weakened immune system
• Frontline health and social care workers

Will This Year’s Flu Shot Be Helpful?

Every February, global health agencies and vaccine manufacturers identify which strains to include in the flu shot for the Northern Hemisphere by studying the patterns seen in the Southern Hemisphere. This year’s vaccine covers three types of influenza, including two influenza A strains and one influenza B strain.

The flu shot does not completely stop infection, but it helps reduce how sick a person becomes. Last year’s dose was up to 55 percent effective at keeping adults with flu out of the hospital.

This week, UK health officials released early data showing that the current vaccine may lower the risk of hospitalization among adults by up to 40 percent.

Multiple states across the United States have reported a rise in whooping cough this year. On Nov. 3, the Texas Department of State Health Services released a notice describing a “significant increase” in cases, with 3,500 infections reported from January through October 2025.

This figure is four times higher than the number seen during the same period in 2024. Two days later, on November 5, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced that whooping cough cases have “dramatically increased,” reaching 130 so far this year.

What Is Whooping Cough?

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It usually begins with symptoms similar to a simple cold but can progress to intense coughing spells that create a “whooping” sound when a person breathes in, as per Cleveland Clinic.

These coughing fits can lead to vomiting or short pauses in breathing, especially in babies. The illness is particularly dangerous for infants, although routine vaccination offers strong protection for people of all ages.

Whooping Cough Symptoms

Whooping cough develops in stages. The incubation period, which is the time between exposure and the first symptoms, can range from five to 21 days. The illness progresses through three stages.

The first resembles a mild cold, with tiredness, low fever, coughing, sore throat, watery eyes, and nasal congestion. The second stage can last from one to ten weeks and is known for severe coughing fits called paroxysms, vomiting, and the well-known “whoop” that follows a coughing spell. Cleveland Clinic notes that recovery forms the third stage, which can last up to six weeks.

Symptoms may shift as a person moves through the phases.

• Initial stage (1 to 2 weeks): Symptoms mirror a common cold, including a runny nose, sneezing, light cough, and low-grade fever.
• Paroxysmal stage (after 1 to 2 weeks): The cough becomes harsher and arrives in bursts. Breathing in after a fit can create a high-pitched “whoop.” In this stage, some people may experience:
• Vomiting after coughing spells
• Blue or purple skin due to low oxygen
• Short pauses in breathing (apnea), especially in infants
• Recovery stage: Coughing fits begin to ease but may linger for several weeks or months.

Whooping Cough: Why Are Whooping Cough Cases Increasing In the US?

Experts link this rise to dropping vaccination rates, especially among children, which makes it easier for the infection to spread. Specialists warn that vaccination is the strongest tool to keep numbers under control. They also point out that whooping cough often increases in cycles every few years, and the illness cannot be fully eliminated.

“We practitioners and public health professionals are concerned because we are seeing a year-after-year trend of a significant increase in cases when this is preventable,” said Hector Ocaranza, a pediatrician and member of the Texas Medical Association’s Council on Science and Health Promotion, as per Texas Tribune. “Especially a disease that can have such a severe effect on infants, older people, and those who have chronic conditions.”

The agency’s latest alert, issued on November 3, also mentioned that more than half of last year’s cases appeared in November and December, suggesting that numbers may keep rising.

Whooping Cough: Who Are More Vulnerable?

Babies younger than six months face the highest risk because they have not yet completed their vaccination schedule. One in three infants with whooping cough needs hospital care, and one in five may develop pneumonia. Some babies experience seizures or swelling in the brain. Many infants do not cough but instead gag or turn blue or purple due to long pauses in breathing that may last more than 20 seconds, a condition known as life-threatening apnea.

Healthy teenagers and adults can also catch the infection and may develop pneumonia, along with coughing fits that cause vomiting, exhaustion, and sometimes rib fractures. However, the chance of death is much lower in older children and adults. If treated early, antibiotics can ease symptoms and limit the spread of the illness.

The Texas health department notes that vaccination remains the strongest form of protection and urges parents to ensure that children are current on their pertussis shots.

Alpha gal: The first recorded death linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a dangerous allergy to red meat that can develop after a tick bite, has been confirmed. UVA Health shared on Thursday that the victim was a 47-year-old man from New Jersey who had enjoyed good health until a family camping trip in the summer of 2024.

One evening, he and his family ate steak around 10 p.m. A few hours later, at about 2 a.m., he woke with sharp stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. By morning he felt stable again, and told his son, “I thought I was going to die.” Two weeks later, after eating a hamburger at a barbecue around 3 p.m., he fell sick again.

He went to the bathroom at 7:20 p.m. His son found him on the floor ten minutes later, unconscious and surrounded by vomit. Emergency services were called while the son attempted CPR.

Paramedics continued trying to revive him for nearly two hours as he was taken to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m. An autopsy showed no major issues with his heart, brain, lungs, or abdomen, and the medical examiner recorded the case as “sudden unexplained death.”

When Platts-Mills and the UVA Health team tested a blood sample, they discovered the man had become highly sensitive to alpha-gal. The results showed a reaction pattern similar to what is seen in fatal anaphylaxis, a severe allergic response marked by breathing trouble and widespread hives.

What Is Alpha Gal Syndrome?

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a meat allergy that develops after bites from certain ticks, most often the lone star tick. People with AGS react to mammalian meat such as beef, pork, or lamb, and sometimes to other products made from mammals.

Symptoms do not appear right away. They usually surface between two and six hours after eating foods that contain alpha-gal. Doctors diagnose AGS by reviewing symptoms, checking IgE antibody levels, and seeing whether a patient improves after avoiding mammalian meat. Treatment focuses on steering clear of foods and items that contain alpha-gal and reducing the risk of future tick bites, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Alpha Gal Syndrome: First Death Linked To Tick-Borne Meat Allergy

Platts-Mills learned from the man’s wife that her husband had been bitten 12 or 13 times by tiny mites called chiggers that summer. After looking more closely, the doctor realised that many of those bites were actually from young lone star ticks. The Independent reported that Platts-Mills and his team believe a beer the man drank on the day he died, along with ragweed pollen exposure, may have intensified his reaction.

Alpha Gal Syndrome: What Is Leading To Alpha Gal Syndrome?

Although lone star ticks were once thought to be the only source of alpha-gal sensitisation, researchers have now found that two more species can trigger the condition. Deer ticks and western black-legged ticks have also been linked to AGS. Tick activity rises during warmer months, placing people in much of the eastern United States at greater risk.

Scientists think that when a tick bites, it may introduce the alpha-gal sugar molecule into the bloodstream, which can set off changes in the immune system. After that, eating beef, pork, lamb, or other mammalian products can cause a delayed allergic reaction.

Alpha Gal Syndrome: Early Warning Symptoms

Early signs of AGS may include hives, itching, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or general abdominal discomfort, usually beginning two to six hours after eating red meat or dairy.

Some people may also develop wheezing, trouble breathing, light-headedness, or a dangerous reaction known as anaphylaxis. Anyone who experiences severe symptoms such as breathing difficulty or a sudden fall in blood pressure should get medical help right away.

About 110,000 possible cases were recorded in the United States between 2010 and 2022, though experts believe the real number may be higher. Because symptoms appear long after a meal, many people go undiagnosed or struggle to connect their reactions to the foods they ate.