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.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea and syphilis have hit record levels in Europe in over a decade, according to new data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

As per the agency’s latest Annual Epidemiological Reports, there has been a sharp surge in bacterial STIs across Europe. It showed that the notifications of gonorrhea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis in 2024, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries.

The ECDC blamed the "widening gaps in testing and prevention” behind the spike in STIs. It also called for urgent targeted action to prevent further spread, including among women of reproductive age.

STI Cases Continue To Climb

The data for 2024 show that:

• gonorrhea cases reached 106,331, representing a 303 per cent increase since 2015.
• syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period to 45,577 cases.
• chlamydia remains the most frequently reported STI with 213,443 cases.
• lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) also continued to see ongoing transmission, with 3,490 reported cases.

Bruno Ciancio, Head of Unit, Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, said that left untreated, “these infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility and, in the case of syphilis, problems with the heart or nervous system”.

“Most distressingly, between 2023 and 2024, we have seen a near doubling of congenital syphilis, where infections pass directly to newborns, leading to potentially lifelong complications,” Ciancio added.

Disproportionately Affected Groups

Transmission trends vary significantly across different population groups, the ECDC said.

Men who have sex with men remain the most disproportionately affected group, with the steepest long-term increases in gonorrhea and syphilis.

Among heterosexual populations, syphilis is rising, particularly among women of reproductive age, the consequences of which are a near doubling of congenital syphilis cases from 78 in 2023 to 140 in 2024 across 14 countries reporting data.

ECDC Calls For Urgent Action

Reversing increasing trends in STI cases requires accessible prevention services, easier access to testing, faster treatment, and stronger partner notification to stop onward transmission.

The ECDC urged public health authorities to urgently update national STI strategies and strengthen surveillance systems to better monitor the impact of prevention efforts.

“Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward. Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms, such as pain, discharge, or an ulcer,” Ciancio said.

UK Rolls Out Gonorrhea Vaccine

In the wake of increasing gonorrhea cases, the UK in 2025 rolled out a new vaccine. The vaccine, available at sexual health clinics across England, is being offered to people who are at the highest risk of getting gonorrhea.

This includes gay and bisexual men who have recently had multiple sexual partners and another bacterial STI within the last year. This new program is expected to protect thousands of people and save the NHS over £7.9 million in the next decade.

Gonorrhea Cases Also Rising In The US

Gonorrhea is also increasing in the US, with the 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that reported cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis have climbed by nearly 90 per cent since 2004. In 2023 alone, the country recorded more than 2.4 million cases of sexually transmitted infections.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December last year approved two new oral antibiotics to treat gonorrhea: Zoliflodacin and Gepotidacin. These approvals represent the first entirely new gonorrhea treatments in more than three decades.

Retatrutide, Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss drug, is in the final stages of its clinical trial, and the results seem very promising, the drugmaker said on Thursday. In a news release, they disclosed that the brand-new drug helped people lose up to 30 per cent of their body weight, which is about 85 pounds. The results are on a par with bariatric surgery, which helps people shed approximately 25 to 35 per cent of their total body weight within one to two years. Doctors say that this is the largest weight loss ever witnessed in a medical trial. While Lilly has not yet filed for approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the pharma giant says that it expects to file this year.

What is Retatrutide?

Retatrutide is similar to drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy that mimic the GLP-1 hormone. Retatrutide, however, along with GLP-1, mimics glucagon as well, thereby working like a triple agonist. This is unlike Zepbound, which is a double agonist. Researchers said that they have witnessed the impact of semaglutide and tirzepatide. However, Retatrutide's results went beyond the current weight-loss drugs on the market.

Dr Shauna Levy, medical director of the Tulane Weight Loss Center, explained that the current GLP-1s are not good enough to induce weight loss in people dealing with severe obesity and those who have a BMI of 35. Bariatric surgery can provide the same, but it seems that Retatrutide will be far more effective for people living with a high BMI who are trying to achieve a healthy weight.

Read more: Meet Retatrutide: The Unapproved Cousin Of Ozempic That Supports Weight Loss Differently

Retatrutide's results

Retatrutide was in the third phase of its trials involving 2,300 obese or overweight participants. While the full results have not yet been released in a medical journal, participants who took the highest dose of the drug lost 28 per cent of their body weight, approximately 70 pounds. Furthermore, nearly half of the participants lost over 30 per cent of their body weight. The trial continued for 80 weeks, and a small group of severely obese patients took the drug for 104 weeks and lost about 85 pounds on average. Alternatively, patients who took high doses of Zepbound lost around 21 per cent of their body weight in 72 weeks. Wegovy users lost about 15 per cent of their weight in 68 weeks.

What were the side effects of Retatrutide?

On the downside, there were some side effects too. Retatrutide users experienced the following side effects:

1. Diarrhoea
2. Nausea
3. Constipation
4. Urinary tract infections
5. Uncomfortable skin sensations

These have, however, been seen with GLP-1 drugs.

New weight-loss drug coming soon?

Retatrutide might be the next big weight-loss drug set to hit the market soon. It aims to maximise weight-loss results with fewer side effects for users. If approved, it could be helpful for patients who are struggling to lose weight on the current versions of GLP-1 drugs.

Amid rising cases of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, India and the US have stepped up airport screening.

The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, has so far affected nearly 600 people and has caused 139 suspected deaths, as per the latest update by the World Health Organization (WHO). The global health agency has also determined that the deadly outbreak is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”.

India Issues Health Advisory

India today issued a health advisory for passengers arriving from or transiting through Ebola-affected nations. Passengers with symptoms or exposure history should immediately report to the airport health authorities before immigration clearance.

The advisory, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), specifically mentions travelers coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, all of which have been categorized as "high-risk countries" by the WHO.

The advisory is displayed at the Delhi airport by the Airport Health Organization (APHO). It advises passengers to watch out for symptoms such as:

• fever,
• weakness,
• headache,
• muscle pain,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• sore throat,
• unexplained bleeding.

It also asks travelers who had direct contact with blood or body fluids of a suspected or confirmed Ebola patient to immediately report to the airport health officer or the health desk.

According to the APHO, any traveler developing symptoms within 21 days of arrival should seek immediate medical care and inform authorities about their travel history.

India Reviews Preparedness Measures

On Wednesday, India’s Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava chaired a high-level review meeting with health secretaries of all states and Union territories to assess preparedness and response measures for Ebola.

Officials clarified that “no case of Ebola has been detected in India so far”.

However, after the WHO declared Ebola a Public Health Emergency, the Indian government has proactively strengthened surveillance and preparedness measures across the country as an abundant precaution, official sources had said. During the meeting, states and Union territories were advised to ensure readiness at all levels.

The 2026 India-Africa Forum Summit, scheduled for May 28 to 31, was also postponed due to the "evolving health situation in parts of Africa", India's Ministry of External Affairs announced today.

The decision was made in recognition of “the importance of ensuring the full participation and engagement of African leaders and stakeholders, and mindful of the emerging public health situation on the continent", said a joint statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the African Union.

US Tightens Monitoring

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also been enhancing public health screening and traveler monitoring amid a growing Ebola outbreak, and non-US passport holders face entry restrictions if they have been to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.

“To the American public, the risk to the United States remains low,” said Satish Pillai. “Travelers to the region should avoid contact with sick people, report symptoms immediately, and follow our travel guidance.”

A US missionary doctor infected with the Ebola virus while treating patients in DR Congo has been admitted to Charité hospital in Berlin. The patient was flown to Berlin on a special medical aircraft and then transported to the hospital in a specially designed vehicle escorted by police. The aircraft also carried six other people who had contact with the infected man.

WHO Says Vaccine Could Take Months

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus 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.