An experimental treatment happens to be the solution to delay Alzheimer's symptoms in some people. These people are the ones who are genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s. These new findings form ongoing research has now been caught up in Trump administration funding delas. The early results of the study has been published on Wednesday and the participants too are worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.

One of the participants had said, "It is still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having." The participant is named Jake Henrichs, form New York City, who is 50 years old. He is one of them to be treated in that study for more than a decade now and has remained symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer's-causing gene that had killed his father and brother around the same age.

Slowing Down The Symptoms

Two drugs which can modestly slow down early-stage Alzheimer's are sold in the United States. These drugs clear the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk-like part called the amyloid. However, there have not been any hints that removing amyloid far earlier, way many years before the first symptoms appear, may postpone the disease.

How Was The Research Conducted?

The research is led by Washington University in St Louis, which involved families that passed down rare gene mutation as participants. This meant it was almost guaranteed that they will develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did.

The new findings is based on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset. The study is published in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Washington University's Dr Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network of studies involving families with these rare genes says, "What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease if we keep treating them?”

The researchers before though did not know what exactly caused Alzheimer's which affects nearly 7 million Americans, most of them in their later life. However, it is clear that these silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptom shows up. The big contributor. At some point amyloid buildup can trigger a protein named tau that then starts to kill neurons, which can lead to cognitive decline.

Researchers are now thus studying the Tau-fighting drugs and are looking into other factors, like inflammation, brain's immune cells and certain virus.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has expanded its focus as researchers have found more reasons for Alzheimer's. In 2013, the NIH's National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimer's drugs over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drugs and 18% of them target amyloid. However, there are scientists too who think that amyloid is not everything and their is way more in the brain tissue, immune cells, and more which can be studied.

The US is actively advancing government-funded clinical trials of ibogaine, a psychedelic drug that remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance and has been linked to several dangerous health effects, including irregular heart rhythm.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now seeking public input on how early-stage clinical trials of ibogaine should be designed, including dosing, patient selection, and safety monitoring.

The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, directing federal agencies to accelerate research into psychedelic drugs for serious mental health conditions.

The federal government has allocated $50 million for ibogaine research. The first government-funded trials will focus on adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The research is being supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Clinical Interest In Ibogaine

Also read: FDA Links Lettuce To Cyclospora Outbreak That Infected Almost 13,000: Here's Why Mexico Disputes It

Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound derived from the iboga shrub, which primarily grows in parts of Central and West Africa. It has sparked interests of scientists and researchers as it is reported to reduce drug cravings and alleviate symptoms of withdrawal. In a nutshell, it has shown benefit in people with opioid and other substance-use disorders.

Unlike existing addiction treatments, ibogaine can produce a prolonged psychedelic experience and affects several neurological systems.

Researchers are investigating whether these effects could help alter brain circuits related to addiction and reduce substance use.

But it must be noted that plenty of this evidence comes from observational studies, open-label research, and small clinical trials. Therefore the FDA is trying to ramp up more evidence rather than introducing the drug directly into widespread medical use.

Safety Concerns Related To Ibogaine

Also read: After 488 Sickened & 65 Hospitalised In Salmonella Outbreak, FDA Issues Highest-Risk Recall For Salad Dressing

Ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine could disrupt the heart's electrical system and prolong the QT interval, a measurement of the time taken for the heart to electrically reset between beats.

Excessive prolonged QT can trigger dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, including Torsades de Pointes, which can prove to be fatal.

Although considered rare, a 2026 review published in Addiction found that these cardiac events have occurred at therapeutic doses and even in people without known heart disease.

Ibogaine could also lead to neurological toxicity. Reuters reported that FDA officials have highlighted both dangerous heart arrhythmias and brain toxicity as risks that need to be better investigated and understood before the drug can be developed more safely.

Why US Is Accelerating Research Despite The Risks?

The FDA's recent request seeks input on dose escalation, clinical settings, cardiac and neurological monitoring, eligibility criteria, stopping rules and independent safety. A proposed starting dose for early-phase studies would not exceed 10 mg/kg.

The agency has also said that people with serious conditions that have not responded to existing treatments deserve rigorous investigation of new options.

“Patients facing serious conditions that have not responded to existing treatments deserve rigorous scientific investigation of promising new approaches,” said Michael Davis, MD, PhD, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“With ibogaine, there are important scientific questions as well as serious safety concerns. We are seeking high-quality data and input that can help inform clinical research while putting patient safety first.”

Ibogaine's Schedule I classification means that under the US federal law it is considered to be most likely be used for abuse and it cannot be currently accepted for medical use.

Items under this category carry extensive restrictions on possession and research. But Schedule I classification does not mean a substance can never be studied. Rather, research of such compounds require regulatory controls and approvals.

The FDA has already allowed an early-stage study of noribogaine hydrochloride, which is a desrivative of ibogaine, for alcohol use disorder. It means that the regulator is actively seeking to study psychedelic drugs that could have medicinal potential.

Several people who came into contact with a woman who died of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Russia’s Irkutsk Region have tested positive for COVID-19 and rhinovirus, the country’s sanitary watchdog said.

“Laboratory tests have confirmed two COVID-19 and two rhinovirus infection cases,” Rospotrebnadzor said, adding that no other infectious disease pathogens were detected among the contacts, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

The development comes amid reports that the woman, a researcher at an anti-plague institute in Siberia, may have been exposed to Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. Russian authorities have not confirmed plague as the cause of her illness or death.

What Happened in Russia?

Also read: Russia Plague Outbreak: Lab Worker Dies Of 'Unknown Infection' After Suspected Exposure

The researcher was identified by Russian reports as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.

Russian media initially reported that Shipilova had broken a test tube containing plague bacteria in late September, subsequently developed severe pneumonia and died.

However, Rospotrebnadzor said her diagnosis was “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Expanded testing did not identify microorganisms associated with her professional activities.

The World Health Organization said Shipilova died of severe pneumonia overnight into October 2 and that the cause of death had not been confirmed, The CBS News Report said.

Nearly 200 people who may have had contact with her have reportedly been placed under medical observation.

Rospotrebnadzor said the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov remained stable and that special measures had been implemented following her death.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Rospotrebnadzor was the lead agency with expertise in the matter and urged Russians to follow information from its “highly qualified professionals”, media reports said.

Trump Offers US Help

US President Donald Trump has offered to help Russia after a laboratory worker died following an illness at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia, amid reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case.

Russian authorities, however, have said the situation is under control and have not confirmed plague.

“We’ll help,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Everybody who has that kind of a problem, we’ll always help”.

Describing the plague as a “rough disease,” Trump said he had not spoken to Russian officials about the case but that the US would do what it could to help.

“That’s a disease we used to be able to control,” Trump said, adding that “somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and stronger, they’re like an army.”

“They called it pneumonia, and pneumonia, you know, years ago, you could treat pneumonia easier. The microbes and the germs have gotten stronger disproportionately. But we’ll help them, we’ll help them,” Trump said.

Read More: Russia Plague Scare: Could It Trigger A New Pandemic? Experts Explain

US, EU Monitor Situation

The US State Department said it was monitoring the reports with the CDC and other agencies.

CDC officials said plague is a known and treatable disease, with antibiotics particularly effective when treatment begins early.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the situation was “not cause for alarm” but warranted continued monitoring.

The European Commission said it was “monitoring very closely” the reports and was in contact with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

WHO Says Public Risk Is Low

The World Health Organization said testing was underway and the cause of death had not been confirmed.

The WHO said it was in contact with Russian authorities and had offered support if needed. Based on available information, it assessed the risk to the general public as low.

What Is Pneumonic Plague?

Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium generally found in small mammals and their fleas.

The same bacterium caused the Black Death, which swept across Europe in the 14th century and killed an estimated 25 million to 50 million people.

Plague can occur in several forms. Bubonic plague primarily affects the lymph nodes, while pneumonic plague affects the lungs and is the form most capable of spreading directly between people.

Pneumonic plague can become rapidly life-threatening without treatment but is treatable with antibiotics when diagnosed and treated promptly.

The United States is in the middle of its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades as Pennsylvania has recorded more than 1,000 cases. New York also declared a disaster emergency across the state recently as the highly contagious infection continues to spread.

Pennsylvania health department reported 1,004 measles cases as of October 5, that includes 198 hospitalisations and five deaths. Lancaster County, the hardest-hit area, has reported 391 cases alone. All five people who died in the state this year were unvaccinated, according to Reuters.

The outbreak is the worst recorded in the US since the major measles resurgence between 1989 and 1991. The CDC reported 3,887 confirmed measles cases in the country as of October 1, 2026.

Measles Has Resurfaced In The US

Measles was eliminated in the US in 2000. It means that there was no continuous spread of the virus within the country. However, elimination does not always mean that the virus has disappeared globally. Imported infections can still trigger outbreaks when they infiltrate communities where vaccination coverage is insufficient.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides about 97% protection against measles after two doses. But protection at the community level depends on high vaccination coverage as measles is extremely contagious. The CDC says more than 95% of people in a community need to be vaccinated to maintain herd immunity.

Vaccination coverage has fallen in several parts of the country, leaving several parts of communities more vulnerable to transmission.

Also read: Measles Cases Are Rising in US—Who Should Get A Booster Shot?

New York Declares A Disaster Emergency

On Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency after the state recorded 108 measles cases through October 3. Among these, 92 cases were reported since July 15 across 18 counties, especially in under-immunised rural communities.

The emergency, which remains in effect till November 4, authorises other group of healthcare professionals like nurses and pharmacists who can administer MMR vaccines. The state has also increased testing and vaccination efforts in affected areas.

“No ⁠one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” Hochul said. More than 1,000 MMR doses have already been administered in rural areas since July 15.

Also read: Pennsylvania Reports Fifth Measles-Related Death As Outbreak Continues To Spread

Who May Need a Measles Booster?

The first measles vaccine was introduced in the US in 1963, but the formulation used between 1963 and 1967 was less effective than current versions. Adults vaccinated during that period may need another dose if they have not received a later measles vaccine.

People born before 1957 are generally considered to have presumptive evidence of immunity because measles circulated widely before routine vaccination, and most people in this age group were naturally infected.

Some people may need individualized vaccination guidance rather than standard recommendations, including:

• People with uncertain vaccination status or no vaccination records
• People who received an inactivated measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967
• People with a weakened immune system
• Pregnant people

Also read: Rabies Day Exclusive: ‘We Need To Target The Source’ For A Rabies-Free India By 2030, Says Veterinary Epidemiologist

Death Toll According To CDC & Pennsylvania

The CDC has reported 13 measles deaths in the US so far in 2026. The deaths have occurred among people who were not fully vaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

There is a striking discrepancy in the reported death toll. Pennsylvania health officials say five residents have died after getting infected with measles this year, but the CDC’s national tally lists only two measles-related deaths across the US.

The CDC has shifted to relying on death-certificate data reviewed by the National Center for Health Statistics, while Pennsylvania uses the state definition that considers factors including a positive measles test, symptoms and the timing of death. The CDC has said it is working with state epidemiologists on a standard definition and that its count could change after reviews.

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through respiratory droplets and can remain in the air after an infected person leaves an area. It commonly causes high fever, cough, runny nose and a characteristic rash, but complications can get serious. These can include pneumonia, swelling of the brain and, in extreme cases, death.

Young children, pregnant women and people with weak immunity systems are more prone to develop serious complications of measles.