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.

An estimated 2.71 billion people globally were exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in 2023, accounting for nearly one-third of the world's population, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

About 767 million children aged up to 14 years were exposed to SHS, potentially putting them at risk of long-term health effects, including respiratory problems and asthma.

Overall, exposure to SHS contributed to nearly 1.7 million deaths and the loss of about 45 million years of potentially healthy life worldwide.

Study Spans 204 Countries And Territories

The analysis, based on data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, examined SHS exposure and its health impact across 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023.

Although the proportion of people exposed to SHS fell by 22% worldwide over this period, the estimated number of people exposed remained nearly unchanged.

Exposure rose sharply in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa and the Middle East, driven largely by population growth.

Women and children experienced some of the greatest impacts. In Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, women were 59% more likely to be exposed to SHS than men.

Also read: Alcohol-Linked Cancer Deaths Doubled In US: Colorectal Leads In Men, Breast Leads In Women

Second-Hand Smoke Takes A Heavy Health Toll

SHS remains a major source of illness and death among non-smokers. Across all ages, ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of SHS-attributable deaths in 2023, accounting for approximately 537,000 deaths.

It was followed by:

• COPD: 354,000 deaths
• Stroke: 278,000
• Lower respiratory disease: 185,000
• Tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer: 161,000

In 2023, ischemic heart disease also had the highest age-standardized DALY rate among the nine health outcomes assessed, at 132.5 per 100,000, representing about 12 million DALYs globally. More than 10% of global COPD DALYs and more than 8% of tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer DALYs were attributable to SHS in 2023.

Children Face Respiratory Health Risks

Read More: This Common Heart Attack Risk Starts Silently In Healthy People In Their 20s

Children are particularly vulnerable because their respiratory and immune systems are still developing.

Among children and adolescents, lower respiratory infections had the largest SHS-attributable burden at 254.6 per 100,000, followed by asthma at 17.3 per 100,000 and otitis media at 2.1 per 100,000.

Asthma accounted for 3.4% of total SHS-attributable DALYs globally, rising to 6.3% among children and adolescents.

The health burden also varied by region. In South Asia, COPD was the leading cause of SHS-attributable DALYs at 226.2 per 100,000, while lower respiratory infections accounted for the largest burden in sub-Saharan Africa.

China, India And Indonesia Among Most Exposed

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. Under Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, countries are called on to protect people from tobacco smoke in workplaces, public transport and indoor public places.

Yet approximately 70% of the world's population is not protected by comprehensive smoke-free laws. Domestic settings, where exposure can be prolonged, also remain largely unregulated.

Further, the study showed China, India and Indonesia together account for almost half of the global population exposed to SHS. These countries also have some of the highest smoking prevalences globally.

The researchers say smoke-free policies can directly reduce exposure and may also encourage smoking cessation by changing social norms.

They recommend combining smoke-free measures with tobacco taxation, marketing bans, plain packaging and smoking-cessation programs to reduce smoking prevalence and discourage people from taking up tobacco.

Thailand has become the seventh country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve rubella elimination, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

It joins Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.

“The World Health Organization announced that Thailand has been verified for eliminating rubella as a public health problem, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to protect children, women and families from vaccine-preventable diseases,” WHO said.

Thailand’s Long Road To Rubella Elimination

Thailand launched its Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1977 and introduced a rubella-containing vaccine for girls aged six in 1986. The programme expanded to all one-year-old children in 1993.

Since then, Thailand has strengthened routine immunisation, outbreak response and surveillance, with a focus on underserved and mobile populations.

The programme focused on reaching underserved and mobile populations, rapidly investigating suspected measles and rubella cases through fever-and-rash surveillance, and maintaining laboratory-supported surveillance to detect and respond to virus transmission.

The South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission (SEA-RVC) reviewed Thailand’s surveillance, immunisation, outbreak response and programme data in June 2026, followed by a verification visit in July.

The Commission recommended Thailand for rubella elimination verification. Elimination means no endemic transmission for at least 12 months, supported by a high-performing surveillance system.

The WHO verification also confirmed that Thailand has systems in place to sustain this achievement.

“This verification is a proud moment for Thailand and a tribute to decades of commitment by our health workers, volunteers, partners and communities. By eliminating rubella, Thailand has protected newborns from preventable lifelong disabilities and reaffirmed its commitment to equitable health services for every child and family. We will sustain this gain and intensify efforts towards measles elimination,” said H.E. Mr Pattana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, Thailand.

What Is Rubella And Why Is It Dangerous During Pregnancy?

Rubella, also known as German measles, is a contagious viral infection spread through droplets from coughs and sneezes. Symptoms are usually mild and may include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

However, infection during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which can lead to lifelong birth defects. The risk is greatest when infection occurs early in pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester.

“Rubella is a terrible disease. It looks like measles, but in pregnant moms it causes spontaneous abortion and stillbirth. Babies born with congenital rubella syndrome have profound disabilities. Rubella elimination everywhere is a huge public health win,” said Dr Angela.

CRS can cause lifelong hearing and vision impairment, heart defects and developmental delays.

Before widespread vaccination, rubella was a leading cause of preventable congenital disabilities worldwide, according to WHO.

How Does The Rubella Vaccine Prevent It?

Rubella can be prevented with safe, effective and affordable vaccines.

WHO estimates that rubella causes around 100,000 infants to be born with CRS each year worldwide.

Despite vaccine availability, an estimated 17,865 rubella cases were reported in 78 countries in 2022.

The rubella vaccine contains a live attenuated strain, and a single dose provides more than 95% long-lasting immunity, similar to the immunity induced by natural infection. It is available alone or, more commonly, in combination vaccines such as MR, MMR and MMRV.

Actress Pamela Anderson has opened up about her hepatitis C diagnosis that once made her fear she had only a few years to live, highlighting how dramatically treatment for the viral infection has changed.

Speaking at the 2026 amfAR Gala Venezia during the Venice Film Festival, Anderson recalled being diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2002. She said doctors had told her she had around 10 years to live, describing the diagnosis as a “death sentence”.

Anderson has previously said she contracted hepatitis C after sharing a tattoo needle with her then-husband Tommy Lee. At the time, the diagnosis carried significant uncertainty because effective curative treatments were not yet available. But more than a decade later, Anderson announced that she had been cured of hepatitis C following antiviral treatment.

What Is Hepatitis C?

While some people clear the virus on their own, most people with hepatitis C who do not clear it develop chronic infection. Over time, chronic hepatitis C can cause liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 47 million people were living with chronic hepatitis C globally, with about 0.9 million new infections occurring each year.

In 2024, approximately 239,000 people died from hepatitis C, mainly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Also read: The Silent Killer: Why More Indians Need To Pay Attention To Liver Cancer

How Did Hepatitis C Become Curable?

The major breakthrough came with the development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Before these medicines became available, hepatitis C treatment relied heavily on interferon-based therapies, which could involve prolonged treatment and significant side effects and did not cure everyone.

The first interferon-free DAA treatments were approved in 2013 and 2014, marking a major turning point in hepatitis C treatment. WHO says these medicines can cure the infection in more than 95% of people, generally within a short course of treatment.

Unlike older treatments, DAAs directly target the hepatitis C virus and prevent it from multiplying. Treatment is now usually oral, much better tolerated and considerably shorter than earlier regimens.

WHO recommends pan-genotypic DAAs for people with chronic hepatitis C, with treatment generally lasting around 12 to 24 weeks depending on the person's condition.

Also read: RFK Jr. Accepts Pennsylvania Child’s Measles Death After Questioning It: Here's Why

Access Remains A Challenge

The transformation in treatment does not mean hepatitis C has disappeared. There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C, and millions of people remain undiagnosed.

WHO estimates that by the end of 2024, only around 36% of people who had ever been infected knew their diagnosis, while only about 20% of those diagnosed with chronic infection had received DAA treatment. This makes early testing and access to treatment critical.

Anderson's experience also reflects how quickly medicine can change the outlook of a disease. “I’m not a victim, I’m a victor,” Anderson said while accepting the amfAR Award of Courage in Venice.