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.

In a breakthrough that could transform tuberculosis treatment (TB) in rural India, researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have demonstrated that drones can dramatically speed up the transport of TB samples, helping patients receive a diagnosis faster and significantly reducing the cost of treatment.

ICMR Uses Drones To Transport Patient Samples

Published recently in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Open, the ICMR’s i-DRONE initiative is a pilot project conducted in Telangana’s Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district.

The study is based on whether drones could transport sputum samples from remote health centres to TB diagnostic laboratories more efficiently than conventional road transport.

Researchers found that the turnaround time for TB diagnosis fell drastically from 15 days to just five days after drones were used to transport patients' sputum. The average time taken for diagnosis also dropped from 16.6 days to 6.9 days, helping patients seek TB treatment and care much earlier, which is a crucial factor in preventing disease progression and containing transmission.

The savings came primarily from eliminating repeated trips to distant diagnostic centres, reducing travel costs, wage losses, and other indirect expenses that often discourage people from seeking timely care.

The savings in patients’ costs primarily came from avoiding multiple trips to the diagnostic centres, wage losses, low travel costs, and other indirect expenses that often discourage patients from seeking timely care.

Also read: What Was The Pseudo-Tuberculosis Like 'Syndrome K' Saved Thousand Lives During World War II?

How Was The Study Conducted?

The year-long study is based on 840 patients, including 206 before the drone programme and 634 after its implementation. Instead of relying on road transport, healthcare workers collected sputum samples at the health facilities located in villages.

Drones then flew the samples directly to district TB laboratories, avoiding delays due to poor roads, difficult terrain, and limited public transport availability.

“The intervention demonstrated a significant reduction in the turnaround time and improved access to TB diagnosis in rural and remote Indian settings,” the researchers wrote.

The study also found that the speed of reporting improved substantially. Before drones were used, more than 90% of patients waited longer than two days to receive their test results. After the intervention, most patients received their reports within a day, allowing TB treatment to begin much sooner.

Bridging The Gap In Accessibility

Apart from faster diagnosis and low costs, researchers believe this technology could help overcome one of the biggest barriers to TB care - accessibility.

In several remote regions, patients often delay getting tested as travelling to district and city hospitals means losing a day’s wages, paying for transport, or arranging a family member to accompany them.

Drone transport takes away a significant part of that burden from patients. Healthcare workers who were interviewed during the project were also optimistic about using drone services and technology for other diseases beyond tuberculosis.

According to a companion feasibility study, many believed the same network and technology could eventually help transport blood samples, vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic specimens for other time-sensitive diseases.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is battling its 17th Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the continent's history.

Declared on May 14, 2026, the outbreak has rapidly expanded, with 1,873 confirmed cases and 672 deaths reported across five provinces, according to the country's health authorities.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, the Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment.

Earlier this month, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the launch of a clinical trial evaluating two potential treatments.

"The PARTNERS trial will evaluate the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination," he said.

Now, researchers have reached another major milestone. The first vaccine candidate targeting the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV)—developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)—has entered Phase 1 human clinical trials.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the study, which will evaluate the vaccine in healthy adult volunteers.

What Is The Chadox1 BDBV Vaccine?

Also read: Ebola Bundibugyo Strain: All You Should Know About The Rare Virus

The University of Oxford has developed an experimental vaccine candidate called ChAdOx1 BDBV, designed specifically to protect against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

The vaccine uses the same ChAdOx1 viral vector platform that formed the basis of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It is reportedly the first of four Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidates currently under development to enter human clinical trials.

How Does The Vaccine Work?

The vaccine uses a genetically modified chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1)—a harmless virus that normally causes the common cold in chimpanzees—as a delivery vehicle.

Scientists have inserted genetic material from the Ebola Bundibugyo virus into this harmless virus. Once injected in humans, the modified virus trains the immune system to recognize the Ebola virus and produce protective antibodies and fight the infection.

The vaccine has already shown promising results in mice and macaque monkeys and is being manufactured to clinical standards by the Serum Institute of India, which has already produced and stockpiled around 620,000 doses.

Based on the preclinical data, the UK's MHRA approved the vaccine to move into human trials.

Read More: Ebola Outbreak: The Unique Symptoms Seen In Patients Infected With Bundibugyo

ChAdOx1 BDBV Vaccine: Phase 1 human trial

The Oxford researchers will recruit 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years in the UK for the Phase 1 trial, with the first doses expected to be administered within weeks.

Scientists are also working with partners in Uganda to prepare future clinical trials in Africa. Participants will be monitored for one year, although researchers expect to know much sooner whether the vaccine generates the desired immune response and whether any unexpected side effects occur.

"We're doing phase one (early stage) trials of new vaccines all of the time, precisely to be ready for exactly this kind of outbreak," Dr Katrina Pollock, the chief investigator of the trial at the University of Oxford, told the BBC.

Can A Single-dose Vaccine Work?

Researchers are also exploring preventive vaccination strategies for healthcare workers and people who have been in close contact with infected patients.

One such approach is ring vaccination, in which individuals surrounding a confirmed Ebola case are vaccinated or given preventive treatment to stop further spread.

The goal is to develop a single-dose vaccine, similar to the licensed vaccine against the Ebola Zaire strain.

Scientists believe that both antibodies and T cells—immune cells that recognize and destroy infected cells—will play an important role in protection, although long-term immunity against the Bundibugyo strain is not yet fully understood.

"Pre-clinical models for these pathogens have already shown that a single-dose vaccine can protect animals. So, we are optimistic that a one-shot vaccine is achievable," Prof Teresa Lambe, Head of Vaccine Immunology, Oxford Vaccine Group, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, told The Indian Express.

The vast underwater meadows of seagrass beneath the surface of the ocean may help fight one of the world's biggest public health challenges - malnutrition.

A new study published in Cell Reports Sustainability has found that fish living in seagrass ecosystems are significantly richer in essential nutrients than those found on nearby coral reefs.

It highlighted the critical role these habitats could play in improving nutrition for millions of people living in coastal regions.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Researchers from Stockholm University and Project Seagrass examined fish communities across 20 seagrass meadows and 20 coral reefs along a 3,000-kilometre stretch of the East African coastline, spanning Kenya to Mozambique.

These regions are home to communities that depend heavily on fishing for food and income, while also facing persistent challenges related to poverty and undernutrition.

Rather than focusing on individual nutrients, scientists evaluated fish as complete food sources. They measured six nutrients that are vital for human health - calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Also read: Eating Toxin-Tainted Seafood May Pose Serious Health Risks: Study

What Did The Study Find?

The findings showed that fish communities living in the seagrass meadows were 1.6 times more nutritionally dense than those living around nearby coral reefs.

Dr. Benjamin Jones, Chief Conservation Officer at Project Seagrass and lead author of the study said, “Fish don't nourish people one nutrient at a time. They come as a package. A single fish contains iron, zinc, calcium, selenium, vitamin A, and omega-3s. We wanted to understand which habitats produce fish with the best mix of these nutrients.”

The nutritional advantage became even more striking when researchers focused on the fish species most consumed by local communities. For the three key food fish species studied, seagrass meadows provided more than eight times greater nutritional support than coral reefs.

Species like rabbitfish and parrotfish, which are widely eaten in East Africa, were found to thrive in these underwater grasslands.

The findings challenge the traditional emphasis on coral reefs as the primary marine habitats supporting food security.

While coral reefs remain biodiversity hotspots, the researchers argue that seagrass ecosystems deserve equal recognition for their contribution to human nutrition and sustainable fisheries.

Environmental Benefits

Beyond nutrition, seagrass meadows provide many environmental benefits. They act as nurseries for commercially important fish, stabilize coastlines, filter pollutants, improve water quality and store vast amounts of “blue carbon”, fighting climate change.

Despite covering just 0.1% of the ocean floor, they store up to 18% of the ocean's carbon and support more than one-fifth of the world's largest fisheries.

However, these ecosystems are disappearing at an alarming rate due to coastal development, pollution, fishing industries and climate change.

Scientists warn that protecting the seagrass meadows is essential not only for marine biodiversity but also for safeguarding food security and public health.

The researchers stated, “If we want healthy oceans that feed healthy people, we need to protect the habitats that make this possible.”