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.

The Delhi government is set to notify human rabies as a notifiable disease in the National Capital Territory under the Epidemic Diseases Act, Health Minister Pankaj Kumar announced on Sunday. The step is aimed at improving disease monitoring, ensuring faster reporting of cases, and allowing authorities to act quickly to curb the spread of rabies.

According to the minister, once the notification comes into force, all government and private healthcare facilities, including medical colleges and individual doctors, will be legally required to report suspected, probable, and confirmed human rabies cases to the relevant health departments. Kumar stressed that rabies is “nearly 100 per cent fatal once symptoms begin,” but added that it can be fully prevented if medical care is sought on time. “Timely reporting is critical. It can save lives and help stop further transmission,” he said.

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a life-threatening viral disease that can be prevented through vaccination. It affects the central nervous system and leads to severe inflammation of the brain, known as encephalitis. The infection spreads mainly through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, as the virus is present in saliva. According to the World Health Organization, rabies is almost always fatal after symptoms develop. Early signs may resemble flu, but the disease can progress to agitation, paralysis, and hydrophobia, or fear of water.

What Is A Notifiable Disease?

A notifiable disease is one that must be reported to public health authorities by law when a case is diagnosed or even suspected. This reporting system allows health officials to track diseases in real time, respond quickly, and plan interventions based on reliable data. In India, this approach has already been used for illnesses such as tuberculosis and COVID-19 to identify trends and manage resources more effectively.

Rabies To Be Declared A Notifiable Disease

With human rabies set to be classified as a notifiable disease in Delhi under the Epidemic Diseases Act, all healthcare institutions will be required to inform authorities immediately when a case is identified. This move is expected to strengthen the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), the country’s main disease monitoring system, enabling officials to detect cases early and take prompt action to prevent wider spread.

What Are The Symptoms Of Rabies?

According to the Mayo Clinic, early symptoms of rabies can closely resemble those of the flu and may persist for several days.

Later symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty swallowing
• Excessive salivation
• Fear triggered by attempts to drink fluids due to difficulty swallowing water
• Fear triggered by air blown on the face
• Hallucinations
• Insomnia
• Partial paralysis

Why Does Rabies Surveillance Matter?

Rabies continues to pose a serious public health challenge in India and across the world.

• Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal, making early detection and reporting crucial.
• The WHO estimates that rabies causes around 59,000 human deaths every year worldwide, with dog bites responsible for nearly 99 per cent of infections.
• India alone accounts for an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 rabies deaths annually, with a significant number of cases seen in children under the age of 15.

Although rabies is completely preventable through timely post-exposure prophylaxis, which includes proper wound cleaning, vaccination, and the use of rabies immunoglobulin, poor reporting and limited access to care have remained major obstacles.

Declaring human rabies a notifiable disease in Delhi signals an important change in public health policy, one that has the potential to greatly improve how cases are identified, managed, and ultimately prevented.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking parents across the country to ensure their children have received both doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine as cases continue to surge for the first time in three decades.

As of December 30, three people have died and 2,065 Americans have been found suffering from the life-threatening illness. Officials say this is the largest outbreak since 2,126 cases were last reported in 1992 and warn that the case count will continue to grow through January.

While the initial outbreak was reported in a small religious community in Texas, the disease quickly spread throughout the country and is currently affecting children and teenagers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, according to the CDC.

The federal agency also noted that out of the cases reported, 865 patients were between the ages of five to 19 while 650 were over the age of 20. Apart from this, 537 people were below the age of five while the ages of the remaining 13 were unknown.

Only three percent of the cases have received their first dose of the MMR vaccine while merely four percent completed both doses. It remains unclear whether 93 percent of people have received any doses of the vaccine.

Dr Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, noted at a press briefing last week that one of the primary reasons for the rampant spread of the disease have been family gatherings during this holiday season and cross-country travel.

Measles: The World's Most Infectious Disease

Measles is a highly contagious illness that can cause widespread rashes and flu-like symptoms such as high fever, cough, red spots, bloodshot eyes, muscle pain and headaches. If left untreated, the disease can lead to life-threatening complications like brain inflammation and pneumonia.

The virus is spread through direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air that can linger in the air for up to two hours. Patients with a measles infection are contagious from four days before the rash through four days after the rash appears.

Without immunity from a vaccine or prior infection, about 9 in 10 people exposed to measles will be infected. About one in five unvaccinated people are hospitalized and three in 1,000 people who contract the disease are expected to die.

READ MORE: US Measles Cases Surge Past 2,000, Putting Elimination Status At Risk

Falling Vaccination Rates of Measles

Despite being deadly, the illness can be prevented through vaccination. The CDC says a single dose of the MMR vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles, while two doses increase protection to 97 percent.

However, immunization coverage has seen a stark decline in the last few years. While the nationwide MMR vaccination rate is 92.5 percent, merely 79.6 percent of of kindergartners were vaccinated for the 2023-2024 school year.

Additionally, only 84.3 percent of school children were vaccinated in Alaska while Hawaii, Ohio , Georgia, Oklahoma and Arizona saw a vaccination rate of about 89 percent, CDC data shows.

According to a John Hopkins University study, 2025 was noted to be the worst year for MMR immunization coverage as the nationwide average saw a decline of 2.67 percent of vaccination rates among US children since the 2020.

James Colgrove, a professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health told The Washington Post, "The most dangerous deadly diseases will come back and it won’t only be kids who suffer. It’ll be adults in the community who are immune-compromised, who are elderly. It’ll be infants."

A Yemeni molecular biologist Hashem Al-Ghaili, shared a post on his Instagram page that states that the new K-variant flu, also known as the super flu is spreading fast "with dangerous fevers and lung damage". On his post, he wrote: "Health experts say there‘s a new flu strain causing sudden high fevers and deep respiratory distress."

He further noted: "Public health officials are sounding the alarm over a potent new influenza strain that behaves differently than previous seasonal variants. Rather than just causing typical fatigue, this aggressive strain is designed to trick the human immune system into a state of hyper-reactivity. This overreaction often manifests as sudden, intense fever spikes and significant inflammation deep within the lung tissue. Unlike standard flu symptoms that may develop gradually, these severe respiratory complications are appearing with alarming speed, making early detection and prevention more critical than ever before."

To this, he also provided a solution, stating that medical professionals are now emphasizing on the importance of fortifying "body's natural defenses through foundational wellness habits". These habits include prioritizing deep sleep, consistent hydration, and adequate vitamin D intake that can help regulate immune responses and mitigate the risk of severe inflammation.

Read: UK ‘Super Flu’ May Be Behind Sudden Bile Vomiting; Doctors Flag New Symptom

What Is The K-Variant Flu And How Does It Impact Your Lungs?

H3N2's mutation or the influenza A's subclade K is now the new aggressive virus that has swept the United States and the United Kingdom with flu cases. This is the culprit in rising flu cases, globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) on its website said that K variant marks "a notable evolution in influenza A (H3N2) viruses". Some are also questioning the effectiveness of this season's influenza vaccine against the strain.

The flu virus is highly contagious and spreads easily in crowded places, especially during the colder months.

In some cases, the infection can progress to the lungs, which could lead to complications like bronchitis or pneumonia. Yale Medicine too notes that this virus could attack the respiratory system, including throat, nose, and lungs.

What Are The Common Symptoms This Season For The Flu?

K variant causes more intense flu symptoms, they include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose

Are The Old Vaccines Effective Against This New Variant?

"The vaccine remains the most effective means to prevent disease. We still want to encourage people to get the vaccine," said Professor Antonia Ho, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the University of Glasgow. Experts have stressed enough on the immunity that one can receive from the vaccine that that these flu jab remain the best defense against the flu, even though the current strain circulated may have drifted away from the strain included in this year's jab.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also show that vaccines is performing as expect, despite the emergence of subclade K.