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.

Former British Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin, diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), spends more than 22 hours a day in bed because of the debilitating condition. She is urging UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to meet her and commit to increased government funding for ME research.

Following Dobbin's October 21 appeal, 360 sportspeople have signed a letter backing her campaign. The group includes 114 Olympians and Paralympians, who have won a combined 77 medals.

In a post on X, Dobbin expressed surprise at the response, saying: “I can’t believe 360 people signed in just 1 week, so many amazing names and messages still coming in of people wanting to add theirs (so feel free to message to add yours, we’re keeping on the pressure!!!)”

The 32-year-old retired from athletics in April 2026, describing her illness as “serious” and “life-changing”, BBC Sport reported. She had reached the 200m semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and won bronze in the 4x200m relay with Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

360 Sportspeople Back Beth Dobbin's Call For ME Research Funding

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Among the signatories are Everton manager David Moyes, United States women's national football team manager Emma Hayes, former Chelsea and England centre-back Millie Bright, athletes Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan and Adam Gemili, Olympic sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and diver Tom Daley.

The letter calls on Burnham to “level the playing field” for ME research funding compared with other illnesses and “give hope to the many affected that something is being done about this life-destroying, much-ignored illness and its spiralling impact”.

It highlights the disparity in government research funding between ME and other conditions.

“Between 2019 to 2024, UK government research funders committed just £6.6m in funding for research into ME, compared to £79.1m for Parkinson's and £496.4m for dementia,” the letter states.

It adds that biomedical research funding for ME was “almost non-existent” before this period and that the lack of investment has contributed to the absence of approved treatments.

How Did Beth Dobbin Develop ME?

Dobbin's health began deteriorating after back-to-back COVID-19 and glandular fever infections during the winter of 2021-22, she told BBC Sport.

She experienced worsening fatigue, slower running times and soreness in the glands in her neck and armpits. Initial tests by British Athletics doctors failed to identify the cause.

Despite her symptoms, she continued training in 2022. At the European Championships, she false-started after losing all feeling in her legs while in the starting blocks.

Her condition continued to worsen. She struggled to stand and spent most of her time in bed. After consulting four or five specialists, she was diagnosed with ME.

Dobbin has since been largely confined to her home and bed. Even conversations, bright lights and loud sounds can trigger a “crash” lasting days or, in severe cases, months. According to BBC Sport, she has left her house just five times this year, mainly for medical appointments and blood tests.

Read More: Spanish Striker Jesus De Miguel Dies After On-Field Collision: Can A Blow To The Chest Trigger Cardiac Arrest?

What Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)?

ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex, chronic illness that can cause severe fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances and problems with thinking and memory.

Symptoms do not improve with rest and can fluctuate in severity. While some people can continue working or studying, others experience severe disability and may require round-the-clock care or tube feeding.

There is no known cure or specific approved treatment for ME. More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have the condition, although the actual number could exceed one million.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson previously told BBC Sport: “Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) can have a devastating impact on people's lives, and we are determined to accelerate progress in understanding and treating this debilitating condition.”

The 2026 US midterm elections have delivered significant victories for Democrats, including two healthcare professionals. Physician Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, while paediatrician Annie Andrews won South Carolina’s Senate race against Republican Darline Graham.

Both victories have brought healthcare professionals into the political spotlight as medical costs, insurance affordability and access to treatment remain major concerns for American voters.

Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health, became widely recognised for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrews drew on her experience as a paediatrician to campaign on healthcare access and affordability.

"It’s the honor of my lifetime to be named your Ohio Governor-Elect," Acton said, in an Instagram post.

"South Carolina, you have shown the nation — in an era of partisan divides, of vitriol and namecalling, in a politics dominated by billionaires, special interests, and insiders in Washington — that we will not bow down. We will not back down. And we will chart our own course," added Andrews on X.

Democrats Make Major Gains In US Midterm Elections

Also read: US Midterms 2026: 125 Doctors, Nurses And Health Experts Join Election Battle

Acton's victory marks a setback for Republicans in Ohio, where the governor's office was previously held by the party. She sought to return the governorship to Democrats after two decades, despite Ohio's increasingly Republican lean in recent elections.

The closely watched contest saw Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate, secure the Republican nomination with endorsements from President Donald Trump and the state Republican Party.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Acton received 50.8% of the vote, against Ramaswamy's 45.9%, with 86% of ballots counted.

In South Carolina, Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. She became the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in the state in 28 years.

What Could These Wins Mean For Healthcare Policy?

The Democratic gains could create opportunities to challenge President Donald Trump's healthcare agenda through congressional oversight and legislative action.

Healthcare affordability was a major voter concern. A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found that six in 10 registered voters worried about medical costs. Voters trusted Democrats more than Republicans on healthcare costs (42% versus 22%) and abortion policy (42% versus 27%).

Abortion-related measures also featured on ballots in Virginia, Nevada, Idaho and Missouri, where voters considered repealing existing abortion protections.

Read More: US Midterm Elections 2026: Abortion, Medicaid, Measles And Healthcare Issues At Stake

What Did Annie Andrews And Amy Acton Promise On Healthcare?

Both candidates used their medical backgrounds to build campaigns around reducing healthcare costs, protecting patients and expanding access to treatment.

Annie Andrews' healthcare promises

The paediatrician campaigned on a 'Patients and Prices Platform'. Her key promises included:

• Lower drug prices: Expand Medicare drug price negotiations and restructure insurance rules to limit corporate profits.
• Public option: Introduce voluntary public health insurance instead of Medicare for All.
• Protect Medicaid: Reverse federal Medicaid cuts and safeguard rural hospitals.
• Public health: Expand vaccine access and strengthen maternal health services.
• Reproductive rights: Restore federal abortion protections and safeguard access to contraception and fertility treatments, including IVF.

Amy Acton's healthcare promises

The former Ohio health director focused on reducing medical debt, protecting Medicaid coverage and strengthening hospitals. Her key promises included:

• Medical debt relief: Eliminate medical debt for eligible residents earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level or whose medical debt exceeded 5% of household income.
• Lower medication costs: Launch 'Ohio Rx', a state-run online pharmaceutical platform to reduce drug prices through collective purchasing.
• Protect Medicaid: Oppose coverage cuts and establish navigator programmes to help residents retain insurance.
• Support hospitals: Provide funding to vulnerable rural and urban safety-net hospitals.
• Patient protections: Address surprise medical bills, improve insurance price transparency and prevent mid-plan medication switches.
• Reproductive rights: Defend Ohio's reproductive freedom amendment and protect access to abortion, contraception, IVF and miscarriage care.

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is launching a major trial of blood tests designed to detect 13 different cancers, including bowel, pancreatic, liver and ovarian cancer.

More than 20,000 patients with symptoms like constant bloating or abdominal discomfort are invited to participate in the trial. It spans across more than 200 GP practices in England.

Called STRIDE-RCT, the study is being led by the University of Birmingham and will assess whether three different blood tests can help GPs identify patients who may need further cancer screening sooner.

The tests detect either tiny fragments of DNA released by tumours into the bloodstream or proteins linked with the body's response to cancer.

A single blood sample could provide signals linked with several cancer types and help indicate where the cancer may have originated.

The trial is aimed to determine if certain cancers can be detected early, especially those whose symptoms may overlap with other less serious conditions.

Which 13 Cancers Can The Blood Tests Detect?

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The trial will examine the tests for their ability to identify these 13 cancers:

1. Bowel cancer
2. Small bowel cancer
3. Stomach cancer
4. Oesophageal cancer
5. Pancreatic cancer
6. Liver cancer
7. Bile duct cancer
8. Gallbladder cancer
9. Ovarian cancer
10. Endometrial cancer
11. Kidney cancer
12. Bladder cancer
13. Prostate cancer

These cancers collectively equal approximately 35,000 deaths each year in England.

The study will evaluate three blood tests. One of them, called Enlighten, was developed by UK biotechnology company Proteotype Diagnostics. It looks for proteins in the blood that indicate the immune system may be responding to early signs of cancer.

Another test, Signatera, is already used by the NHS to monitor whether certain cancers have returned. It detects circulating tumour DNAor fragments of genetic material released by cancer cells into the bloodstream.

Early Detection Of Abdominal Cancers Is Important

Also read: Multicancer Blood Test Detects 17 Cancer In A Large Study: Can It Replace Mammograms & Colonoscopies?

Many abdominal cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages because their early symptoms can be easily mistaken for digestive problems or other common conditions.

Bloating, abdominal discomfort, changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite can have several possible causes. This can make it difficult for patients and doctors to identify cancer early.

According to the trial announcement, around nine in 10 people diagnosed with stage 1 bowel cancer survive for at least five years, compared with approximately one in 10 people diagnosed at stage 4.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer and chair of the Office for Life Sciences Cancer Goal, said, “Detecting abdomen cancer early is notoriously difficult because the symptoms can easily be mistaken for other less serious conditions, but the NHS is determined to find a solution.”

He added, "We are at the start of revolution in cancer diagnosis, and this trial will help us to find out whether blood tests can help GPs get the right patients to the right tests sooner, supporting earlier diagnosis when treatment is most likely to be successful."

He said it was important to gather evidence about the new technologies and thanked those participating in the research.

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper also highlighted the potential benefits of earlier diagnosis.

"The earlier cancers are diagnosed, the more chance they can be successfully treated and lives can be saved," she said. "This world-first trial will establish whether simple blood tests can help GPs identify much sooner the patients who need urgent support."

The new STRIDE-RCT trial comes after the NHS-Galleri trial, which investigated whether a single blood test could detect multiple cancers before symptoms appeared.

That trial involved more than 142,000 people aged 50 to 77 across England. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the Galleri blood test alongside usual NHS care or usual care alone.

The Galleri test looks for patterns in tumour DNA circulating in the blood that may signal the presence of cancer.

However, results published in September 2026 showed that the trial did not meet its primary objective of reducing the combined incidence of stage III and stage IV cancers across 12 cancer types. Researchers did observe fewer stage IV cancers, but said further follow-up was needed.