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.

Excessive screen time use is harming sleep, mental health, learning, and development of children, according to a new advisory by the US surgeon general’s office, which urged parents to limit children’s screen time.

Even as President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general awaits confirmation, the "Harms of Screen Use" bulletin warns that children and teens are spending more time on their digital devices than on sleep or school, the USA Today reported.

It noted that excessive screen use is linked to heavy or compulsive screen use

• anxiety,
• depression,
• poor academic performance,
• behavioral problems
• developmental delays.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said evidence of risks to children’s physical and mental health is “mounting,” even though screens can also provide some benefits.

The advisory promotes the slogan “Live real life,” encouraging children and families to replace excessive screen use with in-person activities and healthier routines.

Alongside the report, the officials also released a toolkit recommending steps for parents, schools, healthcare providers, and policymakers to help reduce screen dependence and encourage safer technology habits among young people.

The advisory also links excessive and "compulsive" screen use to

• poor sleep and school performance,
• mental health issues like anxiety and depression,
• behavioral and social issues, substance abuse, and developmental disruptions.

The report aligns with recent studies, which show how too much screen time affects developing minds.

Recent findings from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, suggest that early digital exposure to children before the age of one increases the baby's risk of autism.

The findings led by the Department of Pediatric Neurology showed that infants exposed to high levels of digital media at around one year of age are significantly more likely to display autistic signs by the time they reach age three.

India has also issued pediatric and education guidelines advising parents to limit screen exposure for young children, though there is no nationwide ban. States like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have also taken up action against social media use and screen time.

Countries banning screen time

While countries are not fully “banning” screen time, several of them have introduced restrictions, guidelines, or proposed laws aimed at reducing children’s screen time, especially around smartphones and social media in schools.

• France banned smartphones in primary and middle schools in 2018 and has tested stricter “digital pause” policies for students under 15.
• China has some of the world’s toughest rules, including limits on video game play for minors, restrictions on nighttime gaming, and proposed limits on smartphone use for children.
• South Korea introduced laws targeting gaming addiction among minors, including past shutdown rules that blocked late-night gaming for children.
• Netherlands and Finland have encouraged schools to restrict phones in classrooms to improve concentration and learning.
• Australia has debated stronger social media age restrictions, and several states have tightened school phone bans.
• United Kingdom schools widely enforce smartphone bans, while lawmakers continue discussing stricter online safety rules for children.
• Sweden has pushed for reduced screen exposure in early childhood education, emphasizing printed books and traditional learning methods.

India has successfully linked the health records of more than 100 crore people with Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

Implemented by the National Health Authority, the milestone marks a major step towards building an integrated, citizen-centric, and interoperable digital healthcare ecosystem in the country.

“The linking of over 100 crore health records with ABHA is an important milestone in the journey of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. ABHA-linked health records empower citizens with secure and consent-based access to their health information and support continuity of care across the healthcare ecosystem,” said Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, NHA.

The Growing Adoption Of ABDM

According to the Ministry, more than 450 public and private health technology solutions have integrated with the ABDM ecosystem, enabling digitisation and seamless exchange of health records across healthcare facilities.

The ministry said ABDM doubled the number of linked health records from 50 crore in February 2025 to over 100 crore in just 15 months.

Nearly 10 crore health records are now being linked every two to three months. From fewer than 1,000 linked records during its initial phase to over 100 crore today, ABDM has evolved into one of the world’s largest digital health ecosystems.

Uttar Pradesh emerged as the leading contributor with over 15.03 crore ABHA-linked health records, followed by Andhra Pradesh with over 11.95 crore linked records.

Bihar, Rajasthan, and Gujarat also recorded major progress by linking over 7.37 crore, 6.32 crore, and 4.77 crore health records, respectively.

Also read: Preeclampsia Is Preventable & Treatable. Yet It’s India’s 3rd Leading Cause Of Maternal Deaths, Says AIIMS doctor

Programs Contributing To The Milestone

Among the major government programs and digital platforms contributing to the milestone are:

• Non-Communicable Disease Program
• CoWIN
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
• Uttar Pradesh government’s eKavach platform
• Andhra Pradesh health programs
• Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) program
• eHospital by National Informatics Centre
• eSushrut by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
• Gujarat government’s TeCHO platform
• Rajasthan government’s iHMS platform

Private health technology partners and ABDM-enabled digital solutions have also contributed significantly towards the creation and linkage of ABHA-linked health records.

What Is ABHA?

ABHA is a unique digital health identity that allows citizens to securely link and access their health records across hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and healthcare providers.

Through ABDM’s consent-based health information exchange mechanism, citizens can digitally share their medical records with registered healthcare providers while maintaining the privacy and security of personal health information.

“ABDM is designed to place citizens at the center of the digital health ecosystem. With consent-based sharing of health records, individuals can access their medical information whenever required and share relevant records with healthcare providers digitally. This will help make healthcare delivery more accessible, efficient, and patient-centric,” Barnwal said.

Key Digital Building Blocks Of ABDM

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is creating the digital public infrastructure required for an interoperable healthcare ecosystem through key digital building blocks such as:

• Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA)
• Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR)
• Health Facility Registry (HFR)
• Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM)
• Unified Health Interface (UHI)
• National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX)

With over 100 crore health records now linked with ABHA, ABDM has marked another milestone towards creating longitudinal digital health records for citizens and enabling a more connected, paperless, efficient, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem in the country.

Amid the rising cases of Ebola virus infection in nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, the whole world has gone to an alert mode. The state government of Kerala has declared that it will keep the visitors from the countries flagged by the World Health Organization (WHO) under mandatory health surveillance for up to 21 days after arrival.

The government of India has already issued an advisory on this important issue. In accordance with the direction, the state government of Kerala has also taken some strict steps to protect the general public from this infectious virus. On Thursday, at the meeting of the State Rapid Response Team, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said the measure was being adopted as an additional precaution.

The Union Health Ministry has also propagated a stricter stance on preventing the virus outbreak in the country. The ministry emphasizes its stance by issuing orders to strictly follow the special health guidelines.

As per the new norms, the travelers from Ebola-affected nations are asked to report to the health authorities at the airport if they feel symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, like fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain, sore throat, or bleeding. Those who had any contact with confirmed or suspected Ebola patients have also been informed by the health authorities.

The state government has made screening of passengers stricter in the international airports and seaports.

In addition to that, the authorities have also searched isolation wards and intensive care facilities throughout the state to find those who require treatment or observation.

The health minister of the state ordered ample training of healthcare personnel in infection prevention and control. There is also emphasis on the use of PPE kits, proper treatment protocols, and critical care management.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe and, in most cases, deadly disease caused by viruses predominantly found in Africa. The spread of the disease happens through contact with infected body fluids.

Some symptoms can indicate a possible infection. This includes fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, and unexplained bleeding. This eventually leads to severe complications like bleeding, organ failure, and death. The hosts of the virus are animals like bats, primates, and antelopes.

WHO Says Vaccine Could Take Months

Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Chief said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”. He noted that the numbers are expected to rise given the time taken to detect the virus.

The WHO says it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against this particular species of Ebola is ready.

Two possible "candidate vaccines" against the Bundibugyo species are being developed, but neither has gone through clinical trials yet, WHO advisor Dr. Vasee Moorthy said, according to the BBC.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Tedros said 51 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo — where the first case was reported — and two in neighboring Uganda.