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.

Being infected with SARS-CoV-2 two or more times may be associated with a higher likelihood of developing new health conditions. According to a study published in Canada Communicable Disease Report, repeated COVID-19 infections were associated with higher odds of new diagnoses, including respiratory, back and mental health problems.

It is well known that pre-existing health conditions can increase the risk of severe COVID-19. But the new research suggests that the relationship between COVID-19 and chronic health conditions may run in both directions.

The findings reinforce “the continued importance of public health efforts to prevent infection,” the researchers said.

What Are The Newer Health Risks?

For the study, researchers from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada analysed data collected between April 2022 and June 2023 from nearly 9,000 respondents to the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey and Follow-up Questionnaire.

Also read: COVID-19 Rising In 35 US States: Sore Throat, Diarrhea Among Key Symptoms

Nearly 50% of participants reported having one COVID-19 infection, while about 20% reported two or more infections.

The researchers found that people who reported two or more infections had 76% higher odds of receiving a new diagnosis than those who reported no infections.

The new health conditions included:

• Respiratory conditions
• Cardiovascular conditions
• High blood pressure
• Musculoskeletal conditions
• Arthritis
• Back problems
• Sleep apnea
• Mental health conditions

Respiratory Diagnoses Had The Strongest Association

People with repeat infections had five times the odds of receiving a respiratory diagnosis and nearly four times the odds of developing back problems.

Participants who experienced acute symptoms that interfered with daily activities during their first infection were also 63% more likely to receive a new diagnosis.

Those who experienced symptoms three or more months after an infection had more than three times the odds of receiving a new diagnosis.

The researchers cautioned that the health information was self-reported, which means participants may not have accurately remembered the severity of their symptoms.

In addition, some people who reported having no infections may have had asymptomatic or undiagnosed COVID-19.

“Continued investigation into the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections, particularly reinfections, and the biological, behavioral and systemic factors that may mediate the effects of these infections is needed,” said the researchers in the paper.

“Such investigations could assist healthcare practitioners in tailoring COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and post-COVID-19 monitoring for new health conditions and guide public health practice and messaging when promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake and personal protective measures (e.g., masking) to prevent and minimize the severity of infections, as well as the potential development of new health conditions,” they added.

COVID Status Worldwide

Global COVID-19 transmission has experienced a distinct late-summer wave through August and September 2026. Several countries, including Canada, the US, South Korea and Japan, have reported increased COVID-19 activity.

The current circulation includes variants such as XFG (Stratus), BA.3.2 (Cicada), LF.7 and NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus). The continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and the possibility of repeat infections make research into the longer-term health effects of reinfection particularly relevant.

Nearly 3 in 4 US adults felt very tired or exhausted on at least some days, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey.

The report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) analyzed data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, which included approximately 27,000 adults aged 18 and older.

Fatigue is generally defined as physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest.

However, it should be distinguished from sleepiness, which is the experience of feeling drowsy or having difficulty staying awake, the report stated.

How Common Is Fatigue Among US Adults?

• 28.5% never felt very tired or exhausted.
• 54.9% felt very tired or exhausted on “some days.”
• 10.7% felt this way on “most days.”
• 5.9% felt very tired or exhausted “every day.”

About 1 in 6 adults experienced frequent fatigue, defined as feeling very tired or exhausted on “most days” or “every day.”

Also read: That 3 PM Energy Crash May Be More Than Work Stress: Are You Missing Key Nutrients?

Who Is Most Affected?

• Women were more likely than men to report frequent fatigue (20% vs. 13%).
• American Indian and Alaska Native adults had the highest rate of frequent fatigue (25.5%), followed by White adults (18%), Black adults (17.3%) and Hispanic adults (12.9%). Asian adults had the lowest rate (9.1%).
• Frequent fatigue was highest among adults aged 18–34 years (19.5%) and lowest among those aged 65 and older (12.9%).

What Other Difficulties Are Linked To Frequent Fatigue?

The report showed that among adults with frequent fatigue, 69.6% reported symptoms of anxiety, 46.1% reported cognition difficulty and 45% reported symptoms of depression.

Compared with adults without frequent fatigue, those with frequent fatigue were more than three times as likely to have symptoms of depression, more than twice as likely to have cognition difficulty and twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety.

How Does Fatigue Affect Daily Life?

Read More: AI Analysed 400,000 Reddit Posts About Ozempic And Mounjaro And Found 2 Unusual Side-Effects Worth Noting

Fatigue also affected work and social activities, with 36% of adults with frequent fatigue reporting work limitations, compared with 15.3% of those without frequent fatigue.

Meanwhile, 16.2% of adults with frequent fatigue reported some difficulty with social activities, compared with 5.3% of those without frequent fatigue.

Another 12.8% reported a lot of difficulty with social activities or said they could not engage in them at all, compared with 2.6% of adults without frequent fatigue.

What Experts Say About Fatigue

“Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported health concerns in primary care,” Natalie A.E. Young, the report’s author, said.

She added that people who report regular fatigue “are at higher risk of activity limitations and disability, including permanent work disability,” while pointing out that there had not been much attention to the frequency of general fatigue symptoms in the US adult population.

While fatigue symptoms can be associated with various conditions, Young noted that some may not be linked to a specific medical condition.

“Stress can cause surges in hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can wear a body down. That increasing stress contributes to an uptick in fatigue,” Jennifer Caspari, a clinical psychologist licensed in Denver and Vancouver, British Columbia, was quoted as saying to NBC News.

Pennsylvania has reported a third measles-related death amid an expanding outbreak that has infected hundreds of people across the state. The latest casualty involved a 40-year-old woman.

The woman, a resident of Jefferson County, died on Saturday from complications associated with measles, according to the county coroner. The case is now being reviewed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The death comes as Pennsylvania's measles outbreak continues to expand. As of September 11, the state had recorded 676 confirmed cases across 37 counties, including 124 hospitalisations.

Measles Is Not Just A Childhood Illness

Measles is often perceived as primarily a childhood infection. The latest fatality of the 40-year-old reminds us that measles is not just a childhood disease.

“Many people associate measles with a childhood illness, but it can lead to severe complications in individuals of any age,” Jason Stiver, Jefferson County's chief deputy coroner and public relations officer, told WTAE.

He added, “Measles is highly contagious and can result in serious respiratory illness, hospitalization, and in rare cases like this, death. We encourage residents to stay informed, follow guidance from public health officials, and take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families.”

The two earlier Pennsylvania deaths occurred in August and involved infants in Lancaster County. One infant died from measles infection, while the other died from a ruptured spleen, with measles listed as a significant contributing condition.

Neither infant was old enough to receive the routine measles vaccine, which is generally first given around 12 months of age.

Also read: AI Analysed 400,000 Reddit Posts About Ozempic And Mounjaro And Found 2 Unusual Side-Effects Worth Noting

The Outbreak Is Still Spreading

Measles is among the world's most contagious infectious diseases. It spreads through respiratory droplets and airborne particles when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health says two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. The state has identified four breakthrough infections among appropriately vaccinated people during the current outbreak.

The outbreak has been particularly concentrated in Lancaster and Mifflin counties, although infections have now been reported across more than half of Pennsylvania's counties.

The health department previously warned that nearly 20% of people who contract measles may require hospitalisation, while measles-related death occurs in roughly one to three people per 1,000 cases. Complications include pneumonia and inflammation of the brain.

Also read: World Leaders Call For Obesity & NCD Prevention At BRICS 2026 Summit: Why Focus Is Growing?

Pennsylvania And CDC Counts Differ

There is also an ongoing dispute over how measles-related deaths are being counted nationally. Pennsylvania health officials have counted three deaths as measles-associated in 2026.

However, the CDC's national data currently does not include these deaths, and as of September 10 it reported 3,294 confirmed measles cases in the US without listing a measles death in 2026.

Pennsylvania officials are reviewing the latest death using the state's epidemiological definition for a measles-associated death, which has also been shared with the CDC and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

Measles was eliminated from the US in 2000. But the growing outbreak is a reminder that elimination does not mean the virus can never return. Sustained high vaccination coverage remains critical to preventing further infections.