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 UK NHS is set to review around 4,500 more breast cancer cases dating back to 2015 after a review found delayed diagnoses and 20 cases involving unnecessary breast removal surgery.

Hundreds of patients suffered harm under County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust in north-east England., according to the review.

The Trust has apologized and is using specialists from other hospitals to determine whether more women underwent unnecessary operations or received poor care.

"The trust will complete the reviews already under way covering care between January 2023 and February 2025. It will then look back one year at a time, starting with patients treated in 2022 and working backwards towards 2015," it said in a statement.

Review Could Cover 4,500 Cases

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

Board chair Alison Marshall apologized to women and families affected by the failings.

"I would like to offer a sincere apology to all the women and their families who have been affected by the failings in our breast services," she said, according to the BBC.

"I can't imagine the impact that has had."

She said the Trust could "not turn back the clock" but would be "open, honest and transparent" about the failings.

Chief nurse Gill Hunt said concerns were first raised in 2015 following a "service reconfiguration" and the loss of breast surgical trainee posts.

Till September 2, 2026, a total of 539 cases had been reviewed, and is expected to examine around 4,500 cases if it extends back to 2015.

The Trust said each year's findings will be "carefully considered" before it moves to the next earlier year. As per the report, the review could take five years, with women treated in 2015 potentially having their cases reviewed as late as 2031.

The admission came after the BBC reported last year that more than 200 patients were found to have suffered harm at the CDDFT.

"We have heard again today about the profound and lasting impact that failings in our breast services have had on women and their families," said Chief executive Steve Russell.

"We remain deeply sorry for the harm and distress caused, and for the times when, as a Trust, we should have listened more carefully, asked more questions and acted sooner," Russell added.

About 640 patients have contacted a special helpline seeking a review of their cases. The current review cost about £523,000 in its first year and involved nine reviewers examining around 80 cases a month.

20 Women Had Unnecessary Mastectomies

Read More: FDA Approves New Breast Cancer Treatment That Targets Resistance Before Cancer Progresses

About 514 cases reviewed by the trust so far, between January 2023 and February 2025, alongside the cases of 640 former patients who contacted a dedicated helpline.

Of the 514 cases, 315 patients have been found to have suffered harm, including 77 who were significantly harmed. One patient is known to have died.

The Trust was found to have a high number of mastectomies compared with other NHS trusts, with operations carried out "too quickly".

Breast Cancer Burden In UK

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for roughly 15% of all new cancer cases.

Around 60,763 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to Breast Cancer UK. An estimated 14,000-15,000 mastectomies are performed annually in the UK.

What Is A Mastectomy?

A mastectomy is surgery to remove the whole breast. Depending on the cancer, nearby lymph nodes and surrounding tissue may also be removed. It may be performed on one or both breasts depending on the type of cancer and individual risk factors.

Some patients may undergo breast reconstruction after a mastectomy to restore breast shape and symmetry.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed restricting the manufacture and sale of analogue dairy products as “paneer.”

The draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2026, seeks to amend the 2011 regulations to specifically include “paneer made of constituents not derived from milk” among products whose sale would be restricted.

The move aims to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature and composition of such products and comes amid concerns over spurious dairy products.

What Does The Proposed Rule Say?

The proposed amendment seeks to insert a new clause under Regulation 2.1.1 of the existing regulations covering “paneer made of constituents not derived from milk.”

Products made using paneer or cheese analogues would therefore have to be clearly identified to consumers.

“Products already licensed or registered under the ‘Analogue in Dairy Context’ category would be required to discontinue the use of the term ‘Paneer’ in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing,” FSSAI said.

“The proposed amendment is aimed at ensuring that the nomenclature and presentation of food products accurately reflect their nature and composition, thereby enabling consumers to make informed choices,” the food regulator added.

Also read: Indian President Urges Celebrities to Stop Endorsing Health-Harming Products: Why It Matters

Since this is a draft regulation, FSSAI has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders and members of the public.

The draft will be considered after 60 days, and the submissions received during this period will be considered before the proposed amendment is finalised.

Who Will Be Affected?

The proposed amendment would affect food business operators, including hotels, restaurants and catering services, that use substitutes for traditional dairy-based paneer or cheese products.

FSSAI said businesses using such products would need to prominently disclose this information at consumer touchpoints, including menu cards and packaging labels, in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.

In August, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh banned the manufacture and sale of non-dairy paneer, commonly referred to as analogue paneer or analogue cottage cheese.

Dairy Paneer Vs Analogue Paneer

Traditional paneer is a fresh, soft, non-melting cheese commonly used in Indian cuisine. It is made by curdling milk with acidic ingredients such as lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid, followed by separation of the curds from the whey. The curds are then drained and pressed to remove excess water.

Analogue paneer, on the other hand, is made using non-dairy ingredients such as vegetable fats or oils and starches instead of milk fat.

Under FSSAI regulations:

• Paneer must be made from milk.
• Products containing non-dairy ingredients cannot be presented as conventional paneer.
• Analogue products must be appropriately identified so consumers are aware of their nature and composition.

Read More: FSSAI Tightens Food Warning Labels: Even One High Fat, Salt Or Sugar Ingredient Could Trigger A Red Warning

How Can Consumers Check The Product?

Consumers can start by checking the product label and menu description.

• Read the label: Look for terms such as “analogue” or “imitation” where applicable.
• Check the ingredients: Look for non-dairy fats, vegetable oils, starches or other substitutes.
• Check the product description: At restaurants and other food-service establishments, consumers can ask whether the paneer being served is dairy-based or an analogue product.

Home tests sometimes promoted online, including iodine or toor dal tests, should not be treated as definitive methods for identifying adulterated paneer. Laboratory testing is required to establish the composition of a food product reliably.

A blood test that could detect for signs of multiple cancers at the same time could soon becoming a reality in the cancer-screening space.

But while the outcome of the trial is promising, we can’t help but wonder if the blood test could actually replace existing cancer screening tests.

New research published in Nature Medicine show that a multicancer early detection (MCED) test identified cancer signals across 17 cancer types, including ovarian, lung, breast and colorectal cancers.

The prospective PATHFINDER 2 study followed 35,878 adults aged 50 and above.

So, could a single blood test eventually mean fewer mammograms, colonoscopies, or other routine screening tests? The answer to that question is multi-faceted.

How Does A Multicancer Blood Test Work?

Unlike a conventional blood test that measures things such as blood sugar or cholesterol, an MCED test looks for biological signals released by cancer cells into the bloodstream.

It means that one blood sample could potentially look for several cancers at once, including cancers for which there is currently no recommended population screening test.

About The New Study

Also read: US Cancer Death Rates Fall For Men, Women: Lung Cancer Progress Drives Decline

In PATHFINDER 2, researchers studied more than 35,000 adults aged 50 and older. The test detected signals across 17 broad cancer types, including cancers of the lung, breast, ovary and colon.

But detecting a cancer signal is not the same as diagnosing cancer.

A positive result has to be followed by diagnostic tests such as imaging, endoscopy or biopsy to determine whether cancer is actually present.

The study also poses a different challenge. If a person receives a negative result, it does not mean they don’t have cancer.

Can It Replace Mammograms Or Colonoscopies?

Also read: Urine & Vaginal Samples May Help Detect Womb Cancer: Lancet Study Suggests Less Invasive Way To Triage Patients

This is something healthcare providers and patients may wonder if MCED test receives a green light.

The manufacturer says the test is intended to complement, not replace, established screening such as mammograms and colonoscopies.

In the large NHS-Galleri randomized trial, adding the blood test to usual care did not reduce the incidence of stage III or IV cancers, the study's primary endpoint.

In performance analyses, sensitivity for all cancers ranged from about 27% to 37% across screening rounds.

That means the test can miss cancers, particularly when they are at an early stage.

Promising But There’s A Catch

The biggest promise of multicancer testing is that it could identify cancers that currently have no routine screening programme, using a relatively simple and non-invasive blood draw.

But the biggest challenge is proving that finding those cancers earlier actually helps people live longer.

A positive result can lead to scans, biopsies and anxiety when cancer is ultimately not found. A negative result could also create false reassurance and risks of delayed treatment.

So does finding cancer this way, early enough and accurately enough, actually change outcomes? That is what will ultimately determine whether multicancer blood tests become a truly valuable screening tool.