Stomach cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lining of the stomach. Also, known as Gastric cancer, it affects the elderly more than the adult. According to the American Cancer Society, about 6 of every 10 people diagnosed with stomach cancer each year are 65 or older. Also, the lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men (about 1 in 101) than in women (about 1 in 155).

A health expert, speaking to a leading media house, emphasized five common symptoms of stomach cancer that should not be ignored:

1. Unexplained weight loss: Losing weight without trying or experiencing an unexplained drop in appetite, which may signal cancer progression.

2. Pain in the upper part of the abdomen: Persistent or occasional pain in the stomach area, often after eating, can become more severe as the condition progresses.

3. Frequent vomiting after meals: Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, may occur especially after meals and is linked to cancer blocking or irritating the stomach.

4. Vomiting blood, which may appear coffee-colored: This can indicate bleeding in the stomach, often caused by ulcers or tumors, and requires immediate medical attention.

5. Black, tarry stools: This occurs when blood from the stomach is digested and passed through the intestines, signaling potential internal bleeding

There are also other concerning signs that should not be overlooked such as jaundice, unexplained weight loss, early onset of diabetes, dark stools, and loss of appetite. Health experts strongly advise seeking immediate medical attention if you notice any of these symptoms. If you or a loved one experience these signs, it's crucial to visit a physician for a thorough evaluation to rule out serious underlying health conditions.

How Does Stomach Cancer Spread?

Oncologist Dr Pankaj Kumar Pande, Director–Surgical Oncology, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi explained that this form of cancer spreads through three main pathways: Direct spread, lymphatic spread, and bloodstream.

1. Direct Spread: In its early stages, stomach cancer can invade nearby tissues and grow into the deeper layers of the stomach or spread to surrounding organs such as the oesophagus, liver, pancreas, or intestines.

2. Lymphatic Spread: Cancer cells can travel through the lymphatic system. The most common areas affected are the regional lymph nodes near the stomach, particularly those around the liver and diaphragm.

3. Bloodstream: "Cancer cells can enter the bloodstream and travel to distant parts of the body," which is a common route for stomach cancer to metastasize to distant organs.

He further explained that cancerous cells spread from the original tumour to other parts of the body through a process called Metastasis. The most common sites for the spread are the liver, lymph nodes, peritoneum, lungs, bones, and ovaries.

Ebola is a highly lethal viral hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976. Over the last five decades, it has caused more than 30 localized and widespread outbreaks, primarily in Central and West Africa. The virus takes its name from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Three strains of the virus — Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus — have caused the largest outbreaks in Africa. Among them, the Ebola virus is considered the deadliest, with fatality rates reaching up to 90% without treatment.

The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is also highly dangerous, carrying a mortality rate of around 50%. Experts warn that the situation is more concerning because there is currently neither a vaccine nor a proven antiviral treatment specifically for this strain.

These viruses have repeatedly emerged from animal reservoirs and infected humans across several African countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, this marks the 17th Ebola outbreak and the third linked to the Bundibugyo strain. So far over 900 cases have been reported from DR Congo and Uganda. The deaths due to the virus has also crossed 200.

But what actually is behind the periodic recurrence? HealthandMe spoke to two experts, who flagged several factors driving repeated Ebola outbreaks, including:

• Human-animal interaction

• Poverty and lack of food security

• Weak healthcare systems

• Traditional burial practices

• Limited diagnostic facilities

Human-Animal Spillover

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-Chairman of the National IMA COVID Task Force and Past President of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, explained that Ebola is a zoonotic disease — meaning it spreads from animals to humans, similar to rabies, Nipah virus, and bird flu. He noted that the root of an outbreak is often an animal to human spillover event.

"All of these Ebola outbreaks are eventually tracked back to a spillover and the spillover is believed to be human-animal interaction as in bushmeat trading. These are impoverished areas of Africa which are also conflict-ridden and also short of medical facilities for many reasons, economically backward,” he told HealthandMe, adding that civil unrest often results in shortages of healthcare workers, medical supplies, and access to treatment.

He noted that bushmeat remains a major food source for many communities living in forested regions, where animals such as bats, monkeys, and apes are hunted for survival, because of widespread poverty and food insecurity.

Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, Director of Infectious Disease at Gleneagles Hospital in Chennai, added that this ability of the virus to skip from one group of animals to another entire species has happened again and this probably is because of humans venturing out into the forest and the bushmeat trade.

Why Ebola Spreads Quickly In Communities

The experts noted that Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals. Caregivers, family members, and healthcare workers are therefore among the groups at highest risk.

Dr Rajeev pointed out that traditional burial practices in some affected regions continue to contribute to transmission. In many communities, relatives physically wash or touch the bodies of the deceased as a sign of respect and affection.

He noted that health organizations have tried for years to educate communities about safer burial practices, but long-standing customs and social pressure often make behavioral change difficult. In some cases, refusing to touch the body of a deceased family member may be seen as disrespectful, forcing relatives into risky contact with infected bodies.

"There are many forces at play here. conflict, war, ignorance, poverty, lack of food, distrust of health care facilities, customs and beliefs that refuse to go away. These are dangerous. And so it's a difficult situation for these people," the expert told HealthandMe.

Diagnostic Challenges With Bundibugyo Strain

Another major concern is the lack of reliable diagnostic facilities for the Bundibugyo strain. Dr Rajeev explained that test kits designed for the Zaire strain may fail to detect Bundibugyo infections, causing infected individuals to test negative and continue spreading the virus unknowingly.

Dr. Subramanian said the current outbreak strain appears to be genetically different from previous Bundibugyo outbreaks.

“This is not the Bundibugyo variants which have caused outbreaks in the past, this is completely new,” he told HealthandMe. added that genomic sequencing suggests the virus may have crossed from animals to humans again due to increasing human activity in forest regions and bushmeat exposure.

Why Ebola Is Considered So Dangerous

Dr. Subramanian described Ebola as one of the world’s most feared infectious diseases because mortality rates can range from 50% to 80%, depending on the strain.

He explained that symptoms initially appear non-specific, including fever, respiratory symptoms, body ache, and diarrhea, before progressing to severe internal bleeding and multi-organ complications in many patients.

Although Ebola does not spread through casual airborne contact like COVID-19, it spreads efficiently through secretions and bodily fluids, making caregivers and healthcare providers particularly vulnerable. Religious and funeral gatherings can also become amplification points for transmission.

Dr. Subramanian added that there is currently no “perfect treatment” for Ebola. While monoclonal antibodies are still being studied, treatment largely remains supportive and focused on symptom management, infection control, and preventing transmission.

Travel Precautions And Global Risk

The expert advised people to avoid travel to outbreak-hit areas in Zaire and Uganda, particularly border regions. Those who must travel should take strict precautions, while travelers returning from affected areas should remain under observation and quarantine if necessary.

He also urged the public to closely follow updates from scientific organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, Dr. Subramanian stressed that Ebola is unlikely to become a global public health crisis on the scale of COVID-19 because it does not spread through airborne transmission.

“It’s more likely to cause a lot of disruption in a small area,” he said. “As of right now there’s really no cause for alarm but there is cause for concern.”

Chirag Patel, a UK-based top neurosurgeon, has been suspended by a medical tribunal due to a sexual relationship with his patient and prescribing addictive painkillers repeatedly without proper records and safeguards.

Patel, a consultant at the University Hospital in Cardiff, Wales, was punished with an 8-month-long suspension by the tribunal after his confession.

Patel had his first encounter with the patient in February 2019 when he treated her. At that time, the woman referred to as Patient A had a surgery to remove damaged spinal disc tissue. Patel again performed a surgery on her in August 2019 and then again for the third time in December 2021 when the patient had inserted a spinal cord stimulator.

The relationship between the patient and Patel began after her first surgery and went on throughout the treatment. The relationship became a problem for Patel after his fallout with Patient A in 2023. Soon after the end of their relationship, she reported the incident to the police and informed the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

After the whole incident came to light, he was tried before the MPTS, and Patel accepted the charges.

The tribunal said he had shown “a reckless disregard for patient safety”.

Patel said, “I was afraid that if she did so, I could lose the job I so loved and had worked so hard to obtain. Given my specialty, this would have a knock-on effect on other patients if I were unable to work. With the benefit of hindsight, I know I should nonetheless have ended the relationship and been honest with my employer. However, at the time I felt panicked and unable to break it off - a decision I now bitterly regret.”

An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), Patel also informed the panel of the monetary demand of 11,000 pounds.

Although Patel argued his case, the tribunal found him guilty of misconduct.

The tribunal said that Patel has shown "genuine remorse, a high level of insight and substantial remediation". But they concluded by emphasising the necessity of an eight-month suspension due to the seriousness of the case and to maintain public confidence in the law. Although the universities of Cardiff and Vale confirmed his termination with them.

India's neighbor in the east, Bangladesh, is facing the worst of a crisis in the form of a massive measles outbreak. As per media reports, measles in Bangladesh has taken 545 lives. Facing this growing challenge, the authorities are in complete disarray.

The nation has been struggling with the disease almost from the beginning of the year, but as of now, the situation has worsened and appears as one of the worst outbreaks of measles since the inception of the country in 1971.

According to the local media, the country has a total of 458 suspected deaths and 87 confirmed deaths linked to measles since mid-March of this year. On the other hand, Bangladesh has seen 64,940 suspected measles cases and 8,719 confirmed infections in the same period.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh has said that since the 15th of March, the number of admitted patients with measles was 51,585. This information was directly released by the Health Emergency Operations Center and Control Room, which is under the authority of DGHS.

Why The Measles Cases Are On The Rise In Bangladesh?

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that gaps in immunization worsened during and after the 2024 student-led uprising that toppled the government, leaving large numbers of children unprotected. UNICEF emphasized the need to boost vaccination programmes and provide more funding for health facilities in the future.

Why The Situation Can Go South From Here?

Bakrid or Eid al-Adha is an occasion that is widely celebrated in Bangladesh. This Eid usually sees massive gatherings and festivities. As measles is a highly contagious disease, the chances of spreading the disease during the festivities are very likely. The public health experts and doctors are warning against attending mass gatherings. Other than that, usual long-distance travel and family visits during Eid holidays could spread the disease at an exorbitant pace.

What Is Measles?

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through direct contact or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is a vaccine-preventable disease that can cause devastating complications, including blindness, pneumonia, encephalitis, and long-term immune dysfunction.

Symptoms usually appear in 7 to 14 days after exposure and may include:

• high fever,
• cough,
• runny nose,
• red eyes,
• rashes across the body.

How To Stay Safe From Measles?

• Maintaining good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing and covering the mouth while coughing or sneezing, helps reduce transmission.

• Avoiding close contact with infected individuals and ensuring proper nutrition to boost immunity are also important.

• Public awareness and community health programs play a crucial role in prevention.