The current measles outbreak has gripped US states like Texas and New Mexico leaving people worried whether it would become a new pandemic. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services as of February 21, 90 cases were diagnosed in the last month in the South Plains area, with at least 77 of them were reported in children and teens under 17.

Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. The outbreak, which started spreading in late January, has resulted in multiple hospitalizations, with at least nine confirmed cases and three probable cases as of early February. Health officials caution that at least one in five infected individuals will have to be hospitalized, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Misinformation surrounding vaccines and with the new Trump administration anti-vaccine campaigs, has causing parents to hesitate or refuse vaccination.

Furthermore, the country down under Australia is also witnessing a surge in measles cases as health officials in Sydney have issued an urgent alert, urging residents to watch for measles symptoms after an infected individual visited several places in Sydney over the last seven days.

Authorities report that the traveller had returned from South East Asia where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles.

What Are The Symptoms Measles?

Key symptoms of measles include fever, a runny nose, sore eyes, and a cough. Typically, a red, blotchy rash appears three to four days later, spreading from the head down to the body. Symptoms can manifest between 7 and 18 days after exposure.

Anyone who experiences these symptoms after potential exposure should immediately contact their doctor or emergency department. It is crucial to call ahead before visiting to avoid potentially exposing others in the waiting room. Dr. Selvey also highlighted that ongoing measles outbreaks are occurring in various parts of the world, making awareness and prompt action essential.

Why It Is Important To Get Vaccinated?

According to CDC everyone should get the MMR vaccine. It protects you from measles, mumps, and rubella. Getting vaccinated helps stop these diseases from spreading. There are two safe MMR vaccines available. They work the same way, so it doesn't matter which one you get. Kids can also get a shot that protects against chickenpox too, but this is only for children.

Who Should Get Vaccinated?

Kids Need Two Shots

All children should get two MMR shots. The first shot should be given when they are between 12 and 15 months old. The second shot should be given when they are between 4 and 6 years old. If needed, the second shot can be given earlier, but it must be at least 28 days after the first shot.

College Students Need to Be Protected

Students going to college or other schools after high school, need two shots if they are not already immune. The shots must be at least 28 days apart.

Adults Need at Least One Shot

Most adults need at least one MMR shot. Some adults need two shots, especially those who work in healthcare, travel a lot, or go to college. These people should get two shots, with 28 days between them.

Travelers Need to Be Extra Careful

Anyone traveling to other countries should make sure they are protected. Babies 6 to 11 months old should get one shot before traveling. Kids 12 months and older, teens, and adults need two shots, with 28 days between them.

Healthcare Workers Must Be Immune

People who work in healthcare should have proof that they are immune to measles, mumps, and rubella. If they are not immune, they need two MMR shots, spaced 28 days apart.

Women Thinking About Having Babies

Women who might get pregnant should talk to their doctor about the MMR vaccine. It's safe to get the shot while breastfeeding.

More than five months after the UK’s worst meningitis B outbreak in Kent, scientists say they have identified genetic changes that may explain why the infection caused unusually severe disease.

According to UKHSA data, more than 20 young people, mostly students, were infected in the March outbreak linked to a Canterbury nightclub. All required hospital treatment; nine were admitted to intensive care and two died.

“This investigation shows just how quickly and dramatically these bacteria can change, sometimes acquiring new traits from harmless bacteria circulating nearby, that make them more likely to cause disease,” said Dr Charlene Rodrigues, Consultant in Pathogen Genomics at UKHSA.

What Happened in Kent?

Two people died in the outbreak — a 21-year-old University of Kent student and Juliette Kenny, a sixth-form pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham.

The outbreak is thought to have started at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury city centre popular with university students. Scientists believe one person may have brought the infection into the venue, where it then spread through close social contact.

At the time, scientists described the outbreak as “unprecedented” and “explosive” because of its unusual speed and severity.

“The fact this outbreak variant was able to spread to so many young people was due to the social environment, a place where lots of close social mixing takes place,” Dr Rodrigues said.

What Did Scientists Find?

Scientists from UKHSA, the University of Oxford and academic institutions used bacterial genome sequencing to investigate the outbreak.

UKHSA’s Meningococcal Reference Unit sequenced the bacteria within days of the first case and compared the outbreak strains with tens of thousands of meningococcal genomes in international databases.

They found that the outbreak strain had acquired DNA from less harmful bacteria naturally found in the human throat.

“This process is called ‘horizontal gene transfer’ and allows bacteria to pick up and incorporate small pieces of DNA from other bacteria in their environment, effectively borrowing genetic traits without direct reproduction taking place,” the scientists explained.

The changes appear to have altered how the strain interacts with human cells, making it more effective at causing severe disease and potentially harder for the immune system to recognize.

The same changes may also help explain why the strain has not continued to spread widely since the outbreak was controlled.

The findings were published as a pre-print and presented this week at the UKHSA Conference 2026 in Manchester.

Could Such an Outbreak Happen Again?

The researchers compared the Kent outbreak with historical outbreaks, including one at the University of Southampton in 1997, and found similarities in how the bacteria evolved.

The team said highly invasive strains can emerge suddenly and unpredictably, meaning similar outbreaks could occur again, although exactly when and where is impossible to predict.

The findings highlight the importance of genomic surveillance, rapid public health responses, vaccination and awareness of meningococcal disease symptoms.

What Is Meningitis?

Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic infections, as well as non-infectious conditions.

Bacterial meningitis can be severe and may lead to complications including hearing loss, vision problems and death if not treated promptly.

Common symptoms include:

• Severe headache
• Stiff neck
• Photophobia or sensitivity to light
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion or difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue or difficulty waking
• Seizures
• Skin rash, particularly in meningococcal disease

In infants, symptoms may include excessive crying, irritability, feeding difficulties, a bulging soft spot on the head and unusual lethargy.

Two doses of the MenB vaccine offer protection against meningococcal group B disease.

GLP-1 medications have shown significant promise in treating obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults. Their use has also expanded among children with obesity. However, a new study found that nearly 1 in 6 children, or 17%, treated with GLP-1 medications developed a diagnosed nutritional deficiency within one year.

The research, conducted by scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, found that vitamin D deficiency was the most common nutritional deficiency, identified in 12.4% of children within one year of starting GLP-1 treatment.

“As appropriate pediatric use of GLP-1s becomes more widespread, we need to understand the risks during periods of rapid growth and pubertal development,” said senior author Justin Ryder, associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“Nutrients such as vitamin D, iron and calcium are of particular concern during adolescence, when deficiencies may have lasting implications for skeletal health and overall development,” the expert added. The study was published in the journal Childhood Obesity.

Only a Small Share Received Nutritional Counselling

According to Ryder, nutritional support is key once treatment with a GLP-1 medication is initiated.

However, the study found that only 5% of patients received nutritional counseling within 30 days of starting GLP-1 treatment, while less than 25% received nutritional counseling within six months.

Key Findings

The scientists used national administrative claims data from 2017 to 2022 covering more than 100 million patients. They identified 2,031 GLP-1 users aged 10–17 who met continuous enrollment criteria and had no prior diagnosis of nutritional deficiency.

Among these children, the most commonly prescribed GLP-1 medications were liraglutide (78.6%), dulaglutide (10.4%) and semaglutide (9.1%).

The researchers said proactive nutritional management is important when GLP-1 medications are prescribed to children, rather than waiting until a nutritional deficiency is diagnosed.

GLP-1 Prescriptions Rising For Children Under 12

The new study comes as the use of GLP-1 medications among younger children has been rising in the US, although their use for obesity in this age group remains limited and varies by medication. The FDA has approved GLP-1 treatment for obesity in adolescents, among those age 12.

A recent study from NYU Langone Health, based on health records from more than 3.5 million children aged 8 to 11 with obesity in the US, found that prescriptions for GLP-1 medications increased more than 300-fold between 2019 and June 2026.

In 2019, about 0.03% of children in the study group had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug. By June 2026, that figure had risen to 9.3%.

The medications included drugs such as Wegovy and Saxenda, made by Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.

Among children receiving GLP-1 medications, 94% had severe obesity, while about 65% had obesity-related health conditions, including high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

GLP-1 Drugs and FDA Approval for Younger Children

The FDA has approved certain GLP-1 medications for obesity in some pediatric age groups, but the approvals and age limits vary by drug. The GLP-1 medications included in the under-12 study are not generally FDA-approved for weight management in children younger than 12.

However, doctors can prescribe medicines off-label when they believe there is a medical reason to do so. Clinical guidelines may also support the use of obesity medications in certain circumstances involving younger children.

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued an advisory cautioning against the indiscriminate use of painkillers and antibiotics.

It warned that inappropriate or prolonged use of these medicines can lead to kidney complications and contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

This comes as a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare recently noted that the pooled prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in India is approximately 13.24%.

The committee suggested that people above 20 undergo kidney function testing every six months.

How Can Painkillers Affect Kidneys?

“NSAIDs/painkillers and antibiotics should not be taken indiscriminately, repeatedly or for prolonged periods without medical advice,” the CDSCO said.

• NSAIDs can increase the risk of renal impairment, particularly in people with existing kidney disease or other risk factors.
• The risk is greater with repeated or prolonged use.
• People with renal impairment, dehydration or cardiovascular disease require particular caution when using NSAIDs.

It also suggested them to seek medical advice if pain, fever or other symptoms persist or recur, instead of repeatedly using painkillers or antibiotics on your own.

Further, the CDSCO noted that antibiotics should not be used for self-medication or for conditions where they are not clinically indicated, such as most uncomplicated viral infections.

Prescribed antibiotics should be taken strictly as advised and should not be shared or used from leftover medicines.

“Antibiotics prescribed by a healthcare professional should be taken strictly as advised and should not be shared with other persons or used from leftover medicines.”

What CDSCO Told Doctors

Also read: Young Americans Are Developing Kidney Failure Without Usual Risk Factors: What Is CKDu?

Healthcare practitioners have been advised to prescribe NSAIDs and antibiotics only when clinically indicated, after considering the patient’s:

• Clinical condition
• Age
• Co-morbidities
• Concomitant medicines
• Relevant risk factors

“The lowest effective dose for the shortest appropriate duration should be considered when prescribing NSAIDs, particularly in patients at increased risk of renal impairment.”

Doctors have also been advised to take appropriate precautions when prescribing NSAIDs to people with:

• Renal impairment
• Dehydration
• Cardiovascular disease
• Other conditions that may increase the risk associated with NSAID use

Antibiotics should be prescribed judiciously in line with antimicrobial stewardship principles. Unnecessary combination therapy, inappropriate antibiotic selection, incorrect dosing and unnecessarily prolonged treatment should be avoided.

Hospitals Asked To Strengthen Monitoring

The CDSCO has asked hospitals and healthcare institutions to:

• Strengthen systems for rational prescribing and monitoring of NSAIDs and antibiotics
• Promote antimicrobial stewardship
• Conduct prescription reviews
• Provide appropriate patient counselling.

What CDSCO Told Pharmacies

The regulator has directed pharmacies and retailers to strictly comply with rules governing the sale and distribution of prescription medicines.

• Schedule H, H1 and other prescription drugs must be sold in accordance with applicable provisions of the Drugs Rules, 1945.
• Pharmacists and retailers should not encourage or facilitate self-medication with antibiotics or prescription-only NSAIDs.
• Prescribed warnings and conditions of sale on medicine labels must be followed.
• Schedule H1 drugs should not be sold at retail except in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Drugs Rules, 1945.

NSAIDs, Antibiotics Require Medical Supervision

The CDSCO said that various drugs, including NSAIDs and antibiotics, are placed under Schedules G, H, H1 and X of the Drugs Rules, 1945.

Most NSAIDs are included in Schedule H and are not to be sold at retail without a prescription from a Registered Medical Practitioner. Similarly, most antibiotics are included in Schedule H1.

They are required to carry the following warnings:

• It is dangerous to take this preparation except in accordance with the medical advice.
• Not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.