Japan could become one of the first countries in the world to end the HIV epidemic, says the president of Gilead Sciences Japan, Kennet Brysting. The idea for now could seem a little too ambitious, but it is not entirely unrealistic, given that the availability of medicines that can prevent transmission of HIV. Drugs are not the cure, but control over the spread of virus to the point where the disease is no longer a major public health threat.

What Is The Role Of Preventative HIV Medicines?

Gilead's have two key drugs, Truvada and lenacapavir. These two are playing a crucial role in prevention. Truvada is taken as a daily pill, while lenacapavir requires two injections per year. It can make the virus undetectable in infected individuals and prevent transmission to those who are not infected yet. In trials, lenacapavir showed 100% efficacy in preventing HIV infections. This is why it is describe as "almost a vaccine".

In 2024, Japan also approved Truvada for HIV prevention, but the country has yet to approve lenacapavir for the same. Until now, people in Japan had been importing generic versions of Truvada or purchasing it from clinics that source it from overseas.

HIV In Japan

Up until now, Japan reported around 25,000 HIV infections, whereas 669 new cases were reported in 2023. For seven consecutive years, the number of new infections remained under 1,000. The downward trend thus shows that the virus has been controlled, however, getting to zero new infections remains the ultimate goal.

Brysting too acknowledged that simply having effective drug is not enough. What is important is to have a proper implementation, access and healthcare support to make sure that these treatments are widely available and effective.

What Are The Challenges In Implementation?

The biggest challenges is testing rates. There is a need to increase testing rates. At this very moment, around 86% people infective with Japan have been tested, but the goal is to increase it up to 95%, with an ideal goal of 100%. Without widespread testing, many infected people may not even know that they are infected and it could transmit the virus.

Another measure issue is the cost of preventative medication. While Japan's health insurance covers treatments for diseases, it does not cover preventative drugs. Those who purchase Truvada for prevention, pay around $470 per month. Some clinics in Tokyo offer generic alternatives too, which is cheaper, but they are not ideal.

Better Healthcare Support

Brysting expressed concern that individuals importing medications might not be consulting doctors regularly, which is essential for monitoring HIV status and overall health. Truvada users need to be tested for HIV initially and every three months, along with screenings for other infections and kidney function checks. Without proper medical supervision, there is a risk of misuse and inadequate protection.

Gilead is in discussions with Japanese authorities to improve access and insurance coverage for Truvada, and progress is being made. Japan has shown efficiency in approving critical medicines, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when Gilead’s remdesivir was approved in just three days.

What Is The Way Ahead?

Gilead at this moment is not only focused on HIV and hepatitis C, but also expanding into oncology with innovative treatments like CAR-T cell therapy, which strengthens a patient's immune system to fight cancer.

However, Japan’s strict approval processes can slow down drug availability. Phase 3 clinical trials often need to be conducted within the country, and Japan tends to approve medicines much later than other regions. For instance, Truvada was approved for prevention in Japan 12 years after the U.S. and nearly 20 years after its approval for treatment. inancial factors also play a role. The Japanese government adjusts drug prices annually, often reducing them, which can make long-term investment challenging for pharmaceutical companies.

Pennsylvania has reported the first two measles-related deaths of 2026 in the US, both involving unvaccinated individuals. One was reportedly an infant, while details about the second person have not been released.

While the cause of the infant’s death is disputed, Lancaster County Coroner confirmed that measles antibodies were found in postmortem testing, raising significant concerns

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), the deaths mark the first measles-related deaths in the state in 35 years.

Pennsylvania Reports 424 Measles Cases

Pennsylvania is among the hardest-hit states in the US outbreak, with 424 cases reported across 28 counties, including 94 in the past week. At least 73 people have been hospitalized with measles complications.

Lancaster County has reported 197 confirmed cases. The county also has a low MMR vaccination rate, with coverage falling from 95.5% in 2017 to 87.6% last year. Local physicians and health officials say the actual case count is likely higher.

Infants Face Higher Risk

The first MMR dose is recommended at 12 to 15 months, followed by a second dose at 4 to 6 years.

“The real vulnerability is in infants between 6 and 11 months of age, as maternal antibody is waning and they haven’t gotten their first dose of the MMR vaccine,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Dallas.

In areas with high measles exposure, health authorities may recommend an early MMR dose from 6 months of age. This was done during last year’s Texas outbreak, when two unvaccinated girls died of measles.

Questions Over the Reported Deaths

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health Secretary Debra Bogen announced the two deaths at a Tuesday press conference in Lancaster County and urged people to get vaccinated.

“We hope and we pray that those deaths will be the last,” Shapiro said. “This illness and death from measles is completely preventable.”

The state initially withheld details, citing privacy concerns. The lack of information prompted questions from local officials and lawmakers.

Republican Sen. Scott Martin said the announcement had not been independently verified. Republican Rep. Dave Zimmerman called for more information, while county commissioner Josh Parsons said the local coroner could not confirm any measles deaths.

Coroner Says Infant Did Not Die From Measles

The state confirmed information about the infant’s death on Wednesday after Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni said his office was investigating a newborn who tested positive for measles and died from a ruptured spleen.

Diamantoni said the newborn died shortly after birth from a laceration of the spleen, not measles, although measles antibodies were found in postmortem testing.

“The newborn had measles” but did not “die of measles,” Parsons said, citing the coroner.

No details have been released about the second person whose death was announced by the state.

Shapiro, Kennedy Clash Over Vaccination Rates

Shapiro blamed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policies and rhetoric for contributing to outbreaks.

Kennedy rejected the claim, saying Pennsylvania’s vaccination decline began before his tenure and arguing that distrust created during the Covid-19 pandemic had weakened confidence in vaccines.

US Reports 2,777 Measles Cases

The US has confirmed 2,777 measles cases this year, the highest number in 35 years.

Measles has been considered eliminated in the US since 2000 because it has not continuously spread for a year. The Pan American Health Organization is expected to decide in November whether the US has lost its elimination status.

For elite athletes, stepping away from competition can look like giving up. For American tennis star Amanda Anisimova, it turned out to be an important part of finding her way back.

Anisimova stepped away from professional tennis in 2023, citing burnout and struggles with her mental health. Three years later, she says the experience has changed how she recognises stress and protects her wellbeing.

Her story depicts what burnout can do to athletes and why taking a break can sometimes be part of recovery rather than a setback.

Amanda Anisimova Stepped Away From Tennis At 21

In May 2023, Anisimova announced an indefinite break from tennis, saying she had been struggling with mental health and burnout since the previous summer.

At the time, she was just 21 and already an established professional. She later described the decision as one of the hardest she had made because she feared losing the ranking she had worked so hard to build.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Anisimova said she now recognises warning signs much earlier. She said there are days when feeling tired or unmotivated is normal, but it becomes concerning when those feelings keep happening and begin affecting how a person functions.

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Burnout Can Affect More Than Performance

Athlete burnout is not simply being exhausted after a demanding tournament. It can involve emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced motivation, irritability, loss of enjoyment and a sense of detachment from the sport.

Constant training, competition, travel, injuries, pressure to perform and the expectation to remain competitive can contribute to burnout.

For professional athletes, the distinction between work and personal life can also become blurred. Tennis players in particular spend much of the year travelling from tournament to tournament. They get little opportunity to establish a normal routine.

Anisimova said that spending time at home, nurturing social connections and doing things that are not related to her sport have become important parts of maintaining that balance.

She said, "That’s something that I used to not prioritise so much: how to recharge myself and take time for myself, prioritise my wellbeing off the court. In the past, it was really just a lot of tennis and I didn’t really know how to incorporate those small breaks for myself. I think that’s a big reason why I reached such a breaking point and needed to take that time away from the sport.”

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Break Can Help Change The Relationship With Sport

During her time away, Anisimova returned to some ordinary activities that had little to do with tennis. She painted, spent time with friends and family, studied and took a step back from the tournament calendar.

She later described the experience as “very refreshing”, saying she regained energy and happiness after getting away from professional tennis.

The important point is that recovery does not mean not pursuing your passion indefinitely. A break can help identify what is causing exhaustion and rebuild routines that support physical and mental recovery.

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Know When To Step Back

Anisimova's experience also highlights why recognising early warning signs of burnout is important. Persistent exhaustion, losing interest in something once enjoyed, constantly feeling overwhelmed, irritability, sleep problems and declining performance can all signal that an athlete needs to reassess their workload and seek support.

In her recent interview, Anisimova said she now tries to “catch the signs a lot earlier” and give herself time to reset before reaching the point she did in 2023.

She has also said that prioritising her mental health made her a stronger athlete. “I don't think I would be where I'm at in my career if it wasn't for my break,” she said in a recent interview.

Anisimova returned to competition in 2024 and subsequently produced the strongest stretch of her career, including reaching the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2025 and climbing as high as world No. 3 in 2026.

Doctors in London have performed the world’s first brain tumour surgery assisted by artificial intelligence. AI analysed the operation live, helping surgeons assess critical structures and protect the patient’s vision.

The procedure was carried out in May at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, part of University College London Hospitals (UCLH). The first patient, 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert, had an 11-mm tumour on his pituitary gland that had begun affecting his vision.

Hibbert’s vision had deteriorated to the point that he was using walking sticks. After surgery, he said he could see clearly when he woke up and was walking independently without glasses or sticks within a week.

How AI Helped During The Operation?

To answer the biggest question, the AI did not perform the surgery. The neurosurgeon was in complete control the whole time. The technology, instead, analysed live video from the surgical camera in real time. It identified and highlighted important structures in the brain, including blood vessels and nerves related to vision.

The pituitary gland is roughly the size of a marble, but it is located in a crowded and packed region at the base of the brain. It is surrounded by the optic nerves and major blood vessels. A tumour in this area can therefore cause vision problems by pressing against the nerves.

It's extremely delicate work as the pituitary gland, optic nerves and blood vessels are packed into an extremely small area. According to UCLH, being just a millimetre off target can potentially result in blindness, stroke or death.

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In Hibbert's case, the tumour had been discovered after he collapsed and suffered a seizure in December 2024. His symptoms later progressed to hormone imbalance and worsening vision.

Consultant neurosurgeon Professor Hani Marcus, who performed the operation alongside surgical resident Danyal Khan, said, “Huge thanks to the trial participants and to the team committed to improving patient outcomes by taking this important first step globally.”

The AI therefore acted more like an additional set of highly trained eyes, helping surgeons steer clear of the areas that needed to be avoided while removing as much of the tumour as safely possible.

The AI Was Trained On Hundreds Of Surgical Videos

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The system was developed by researchers at the UCL Hawkes Institute and trained AI with hundreds of videos from previous endoscopic pituitary surgeries.

Dr Sophia Bano, Associate Professor in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at UCL and technical lead for the system, said the AI had been exposed to a breadth of surgical examples that would take a human surgeon many years to learn.

She said, “It is designed to help recognise critical anatomy, surgical instruments and tissue interactions in real time, supporting the surgeon during highly delicate procedures.”

The technology can also potentially track surgical instruments and how they interact with tissue, allowing the possibility of giving surgeons additional feedback during complex procedures.

AI Is Supporting Surgeons, Not Replacing Them

The significance of the procedure lies in real-time assistance. The surgeon interprets what is happening, makes decisions and controls the instruments, while the AI provides valuable additional information about the anatomy.

Health Innovation Minister James Frith described the procedure as an example of AI's potential in healthcare, while stressing that safeguards remain essential. He said, “AI needs proper safeguards and we will always ensure that safety is taken seriously.”