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.

Amid the scare of hantavirus led by a rare strain that causes human-to-human transmission, the UK government has received supplies of the antiviral drug Favipiravir from Japan to tackle the risk of the rat-borne disease in the country.

The antiviral favipiravir, from the Japanese company Fujifilm, that gained fame during the COVID-19 pandemic, is being considered as an experimental option to treat the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise liner. To date, the medication has been tested as an emergency treatment for new or re-emerging flu.

The UK Health Security Agency said that “the supplies of favipiravir would bolster treatment stocks, even though the risk of wider transmission in the UK remained very low”.

The hantavirus outbreak that began on MV Hondius has so far caused three deaths and 11 cases.

There is no specific therapy for hantavirus, which is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases and after prolonged, close contact. Treatment usually focuses on supportive care such as rest and fluids, while some patients may need breathing support.

Favipiravir’s Role In Viral Treatment

In Japan, favipiravir is sold under the brand name Avigan by a unit of Fujifilm as an emergency medication for novel or re-emerging flu.

The drug works by blocking a key enzyme that many viruses need to multiply.

Use of favipiravir in hantavirus would generally be considered experimental or compassionate rather than standard care, and most likely to treat severe infection early on, said Piet Maes, a virologist at the University of Brussels, Reuters News Agency reported.

Maes said evidence so far comes only from lab and animal studies, with no strong human trial data showing the drug works against hantavirus. There is no internationally established clinical protocol recommending its routine use for hantavirus.

What Is Favipiravir?

Favipiravir is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication, most notably produced and marketed in India by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals under the brand name FabiFlu.

First approved in Japan for severe influenza, it became widely recognized for emergency use in the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 to help rapidly reduce viral load.

How Effective Has Favipiravir Been?

Favipiravir has remained controversial due to several side effects reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, in a rare complication from treatment with the COVID-19 antiviral, the eyes of a six-month-old baby boy from Thailand turned an unusual shade of blue.

According to researchers from Chulabhorn Royal Academy in Bangkok, the boy, who suffered fever and cough lasting one day, was diagnosed with COVID infection.

In a prior investigation, a higher frequency of uric acid elevation in younger patients treated with favipiravir was observed, which could be linked to decreased urine output.

In addition, favipiravir has also been shown to cause fluorescence in human hair and nails. This adverse effect may be due to the drug, its metabolites, or additional tablet components such as titanium dioxide and yellow ferric oxide.

India has created more than 880 million digital health identities under the country’s flagship mission, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda today while addressing the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.

Speaking at the plenary session, Nadda reaffirmed the country’s commitment to universal health coverage, digital health innovation, and global health solidarity.

“Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is strengthening India’s national digital health ecosystem by creating over 880 million unique digital health identities, which facilitate longitudinal health records and a seamless continuum of care,” he said.

Expanding Universal Health Coverage

He noted that India is accelerating towards universal health coverage by expanding access to quality and affordable healthcare with a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach.

The Union Health Minister informed the Assembly that India has established over 1,85,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services closer to communities.

The Minister also underlined the scale and impact of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the world’s largest public health assurance scheme, covering nearly 600 million beneficiaries, particularly the most vulnerable sections of society.

Also read: 15 Lakh Indian Chemists To Join May 20 Strike; Govt Says Jan Aushadhi, AMRIT Stores To Stay Open

Focus On Pandemic Preparedness And Technology

Further, Nadda emphasized India’s efforts towards pandemic preparedness and resilient public health systems. He stated that the government is continuously strengthening healthcare infrastructure and emergency response capacities to effectively address future public health challenges.

He also highlighted the transformative role of technology in healthcare and stressed the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare in the country.

The Minister informed delegates that India has recently launched the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India. He emphasized that “the future of AI depends on our collective ability to build ethical and human-centric systems.”

Nadda reaffirmed India’s role as the “Pharmacy of the World” by highlighting the country’s leadership in the production of affordable generic medicines and vaccines.

Recalling India’s contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied nearly 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries, reflecting the nation’s enduring commitment to global health cooperation and solidarity.

The 79th World Health Assembly

Read More: No Ebola Case in India, Public Risk Low: Govt Steps Up Surveillance at Airports and Seaports

The 79th WHA will be held from May 18 to May 23 in Geneva under the theme “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility.”

In his opening remarks at the Assembly, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus referred to recent outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola, as well as challenges including economic crises and climate change, stressing the need to “build a new global health architecture fit for the future.”

Tedros said this year’s Assembly will consider a proposal for a member state-led, WHO-hosted joint process to reform the global health architecture, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 79th WHA will review over 60 agenda items, including technical issues such as noncommunicable diseases, mental health, universal health coverage, primary health care, and prevention and response to public health emergencies, as well as administrative issues such as financing, implementation, auditing, and oversight of the WHO’s 2026–2027 programme budget.

As the WHO’s highest decision-making body, the annual WHA is usually held in May in Geneva. Its main functions include deciding WHO policies and reviewing and approving the budget program. This year’s Assembly is scheduled to conclude on .

The third recorded outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The 17th outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed over 130 lives, with more than 513 suspected cases, BBC quoted local officials as saying.

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.

With the disease spreading to newer regions and both the death toll and case count rising, experts have raised fresh global health concerns, noting that delayed detection may have allowed the virus to spread across multiple regions.

According to health authorities, early tests failed to identify the correct Ebola strain, leading to crucial weeks being lost before containment efforts began.

Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: A Look At How It All Began

The first known case was reportedly a healthcare worker in Bunia, DRC, who began experiencing fever, hemorrhaging, vomiting, and intense malaise on April 24. That person later died, according to the WHO.

However, it took another three weeks before health officials officially confirmed that Ebola was spreading.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak: University of Glasgow Researcher Explains Why Bundibugyo Virus Is Concerning

The WHO noted that a critical four-week detection gap between the onset of symptoms in the presumed index case, and the laboratory confirmation of the outbreak on May 14, suggests a low clinical index of suspicion among healthcare providers.

“This is compounded by the presence of co-circulating arboviruses and influenza-like illnesses, masking the initial index of suspicion for Ebola disease and exacerbating community transmission,” the WHO said.

Further, the infection and death of four healthcare workers within four days at Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital underscores critical breaches in infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols. A large number of community deaths have also been reported, potentially associated with unsafe burial practices, the WHO added.

The US CDC stated that the initial samples tested in DRC were negative for the Ebola virus, but by May 15, eight out of 13 samples tested positive, while five were inconclusive.

Using genetic fingerprinting, the illnesses were identified as the Bundibugyo virus, one of the four types of orthoebolaviruses that cause Ebola disease in people.

On May 17, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a “public health emergency of international concern.”

This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC since 1976. The previous outbreak ended in December 2025.

The current outbreak is the third involving the Bundibugyo virus. The strain was first identified during an outbreak in Uganda in 2007, which resulted in 131 cases and 42 deaths.

Another Bundibugyo outbreak was reported in 2012, killing 50 per cent of infected people in Uganda and 34 per cent in DR Congo.

Bundibugyo Ebola OutbreakWhy Delayed Detection Is Concerning

Speaking exclusively to HealthandMe, Professor Emma Thomson, Director of the Centre for Virus Research (Virology) in the School of Infection and Immunity at University of Glasgow, said the initial negative GeneXpert Ebola tests suggest the outbreak may have gone undetected for some time.

“The reports that initial GeneXpert Ebola testing was negative suggest that the outbreak may have gone undetected for some time, with early diagnostic blind spots delaying recognition,” she said.

Notably, Ebola cases have also been identified in Kinshasa and Kampala. According to Professor Emma, the spread to locations “hundreds of kilometers from Ituri province” indicates that the virus had already moved through human mobility networks before full containment measures were in place.

As a result, “the number of cases is going to go up pretty dramatically,” public health expert and Ebola survivor Craig Spencer told Associated Press.

Health experts stated that the outbreak went undetected for weeks because early tests looked for the wrong strain of the virus.

“Because early tests looked for the wrong strain of Ebola, we got false negatives and lost weeks of response time,” Matthew M Kavanagh of Georgetown University told AP. “We are playing catch-up against a very dangerous pathogen.”

Bundibugyo Ebola: No Approved Vaccine Or Treatment

More concerning is the fact that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

“We do not currently have a proven, licensed, Bundibugyo-virus-specific vaccine available for outbreak control,” Professor Emma told HealthandMe, stressing the need for urgent vaccine research.

She also highlighted the importance of strengthening therapeutics against the Ebola virus.