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.

Talking about things makes you feel better, and the Thor star Chris Hemsworth is right at it. Now 42, he is opening up about his father, Craig's diagnosis of Alzheimer's and have seen the corrosive effects on his memory and perception already. He is now making the best of it, by having it all documented on film. While he was in the middle of making National Geographic longevity series Limitless, he learned that he too carried two copies of the Alzheimer's signifying gene APOE4, one from each parent. Back then he confronted this on camera, while on shoot, and this feels like a great idea for him to do it again on A Road Trip To Remember, an hour-long documentary that will air on NatGeo.

“There was apprehension about how this would be portrayed,” Hemsworth admits. “I asked Dad what he felt, and he was actually enthusiastic. He wanted to do it.”

The Australian actor is now taking steps to stay mentally and physically fit, especially after knowing that he is predisposed for Alzheimer's disease.

Living With More Awareness Now

Chris, who shares three children with wife Elsa Pataky, says his father's struggles have made him reflect deeply on how he lives. Some hardships in life, he notes, simply can’t be avoided.

“For me, the biggest takeaway was the comfort crisis we face,” he says, as reported in Esquire. “We settle for what’s familiar, even when it’s wrong, because the unknown feels scarier. But pushing against that is where growth happens.”

His father’s reaction to the diagnosis has also taught him that even a grim prognosis can be approached with courage. “It causes fear, but it’s also a reminder not to take anything for granted,” Hemsworth says. “While he can, Dad wants to capture as many memories as possible.”

A Trip Down The Memory Lane

At the time of filming, Craig’s symptoms were sporadic—some memory lapses, moments of confusion, but overall lucidity remained. Alzheimer’s, however, does not improve with time. Knowing this, the father-son duo set out on a cross-country motorbike trip across Australia.

They retraced old memories:

• A house in Melbourne where the family lived in the early ’90s
• A Northern Territory ranch where Craig once wrangled bulls
• A specific bend in an Outback creek where the family played when the boys—Chris, Luke, and Liam—were small

Guided only by a fading photograph and half-recalled memories, they attempted to reconnect with moments that shaped their family’s early years.

The documentary also explores reminiscence therapy, guided by Dr. Suraj Samtani from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of Sydney. The technique uses personal memories, photos, and familiar environments to stimulate the hippocampus, the part of the brain most affected by Alzheimer’s.

“One-on-one time with Dad was special,” Chris says. “Growing up, it was always all of us together.”

For Hemsworth, the experience has made one truth clear: the importance of connection.

“It became less about the science and more about the moments together,” he says. “Whether it’s 20 years or 20 days, hold on to every moment. Connect deeply, as often as you can.”

President Trump's noticeably raspy voice drew attention during a meeting with the White House task force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, when a reporter asked if he was feeling well. Trump replied, "I feel great. I was shouting at people because they were being foolish about something related to trade and a country, and I straightened it out, but I lost my temper with them." This has reignited discussions about Donald Trump's health.

President Trump’s Unusually Hoarse Voice at Press Conference Sparks Health Concerns

Trump’s hoarse voice caught attention as he explained it came from raising his voice at foreign leaders over his favorite topic: trade and tariffs. He sounded a bit rough during a November 17 Oval Office event, where he spoke to reporters about the U.S. hosting plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as per USA Today.

"I feel great," Trump said when asked about his raspy tone. "I was shouting at people because they were stupid about something to do with trade in a country, and I fixed it. But I lost my temper with them." He added, "A country tried to renegotiate the terms of their trade deal, and I wasn’t happy." When pressed on which country, Trump refused to answer, saying, "Why would I say that to you?"

Donald Trump Health Concerns

Trump’s health has been under the microscope during his second term, particularly dark spots noticed on his hand, which he attributes to taking aspirin regularly and frequent handshakes. The White House reported he recently had an MRI as part of his annual physical, which Trump described as “standard,” though he admitted he did not know what exactly the doctors were reviewing, as per USA Today.

Earlier this year, it was also disclosed that Trump was diagnosed with a common vein condition, usually not serious with treatment, after he was seen with swollen ankles. At 79, Trump continues to insist his health is excellent.

Donald Trump MRI Scan Controversy

Trump revealed he had an MRI scan, saying the doctor called it the “best result” they had ever seen in their career. When asked which part of his body was examined, he clarified that it was all part of a “routine annual” physical. “I had no idea what they analyzed, but whatever they analyzed, they analyzed it well,” he said.

In October, Trump told reporters he underwent an MRI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during a “very standard” checkup, describing it as routine. When asked if it involved his brain, he said, “Getting an MRI is very standard. What, you think I shouldn’t have it? Other people get it … I had an MRI. The doctor said it was the best result he has ever seen as a doctor.”

While traveling on Air Force One to Florida, the president added, “The other thing I did … as you know … was a very advanced test on mental acuity because I believe a president should do that, and as you probably heard, I aced it.”

Journalist Mehdi Hasan reacted on X, saying: “Donald Trump says he does not know why he had an MRI. How is this not 25th Amendment territory?”

MSNBC co-host Symone D. Sanders Townsend also wrote on X Friday: “This is not routine. Why did the President need an MRI?”

As this marked Trump’s second MRI, questions have emerged about his health. Initially, the White House described his visit to Walter Reed as a “routine yearly checkup,” even though he had already had his yearly physical in April. The president later referred to it as a “semiannual physical.”

The FDA on Friday revised the safety information for Sarepta Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, Elevidys, adding a boxed warning to alert patients and doctors about the risk of severe liver damage and possible death. This highest-level warning outlines the chance of serious liver injury and acute liver failure in people who receive Elevidys, with both complications carrying the possibility of being fatal.

The agency has also limited the therapy’s use to ambulatory Duchenne patients who are at least 4 years old and have a confirmed mutation in the DMD gene. With these changes, Elevidys is no longer permitted for patients who cannot walk.

What Is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a serious inherited condition that leads to steady muscle weakening and loss, affecting boys far more often. It stems from a defect in the dystrophin gene, which prevents the body from making a key protein that protects muscle fibers.

Signs usually show up in early childhood and include trouble walking or climbing, frequent falls and a noticeable waddling walk, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

What Is The Duchenne Gene Therapy?

Gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy delivers a corrected or shortened form of the dystrophin gene into muscle cells using a modified virus. This allows the cells to produce a working version of the protein. The single intravenous infusion is designed to slow the disease by restoring some dystrophin, with the aim of improving movement and daily functioning. While the FDA has cleared a therapy that creates a reduced “micro-dystrophin,” researchers are still working on ways to provide the full-length gene for potentially stronger results, as noted by the Food and Drug Administration.

What Is Elevidys?

Elevidys is a gene-based treatment designed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It is given only once and relies on an adeno-associated virus to carry a modified form of the dystrophin gene into the body. This shorter micro-dystrophin version is meant to take the place of the faulty or absent dystrophin that leads to the condition.

FDA Tightens Duchenne Gene Therapy After Deaths Of Two Teens

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is tightening control over a Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy after two teenagers died from liver failure linked to the treatment. The agency has restricted Elevidys, made by Sarepta Therapeutics, to boys aged 4 and older who are still able to walk.

It can no longer be given to boys who have already lost the ability to move independently, something that usually occurs around age 12 in Duchenne. A safety review confirmed that both teenagers developed severe liver damage after receiving the infusion and later died.

The FDA is also adding its strongest boxed warning to call attention to the risks of serious liver injury, acute liver failure and death. Sarepta, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices in several countries, told regulators earlier this year that it had already stopped supplying the therapy to non-ambulatory patients. The company stated that Elevidys has been used in 1,100 patients worldwide.

These updates “will ensure that families and health-care professionals have clear information” to support treatment choices, Louise Rodino-Klapac, Sarepta’s head of research and development, told The New York Times.

The FDA’s new label comes at the end of a difficult year for Sarepta, marked by weak clinical trial results, safety questions surrounding Elevidys and declining sales.