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 US eliminated measles in 2000, but since 2025, the highly infectious disease has spread to 45 states. As of early May 2026, the US has recorded 1,814 confirmed measles cases this year across 36 states. This follows a record-high 2,288 cases in 2025.

Now, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned about additional measles cases ahead of the travel season.

The CDC urged public health agencies across the US to be prepared for more measles cases in the coming months.

"With continued measles transmission in areas across North America and expected increases in international and domestic travel and large events during spring and summer, additional measles cases are anticipated in the coming months," the agency said.

Travel Guidance By CDC

The guidance advised public health agencies to document and report details of each case of measles, including close contacts and locations visited while a person was infectious.

Active surveillance should be conducted to identify any additional suspected cases and quickly transport specimens for laboratory confirmation, the guidance said.

The agency also encouraged outreach to under-vaccinated communities and suggested using state-based syndromic surveillance systems to detect changes in health care–seeking behavior for fever and rash illnesses or signs of vitamin A toxicity.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through direct contact or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is a vaccine-preventable disease that can cause devastating complications, including blindness, pneumonia, encephalitis, and long-term immune dysfunction.

Is The US At Risk Of Losing Measles Elimination Status?

Also read: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Denies Link To Measles Outbreak At Senate Hearing

So far, there have been 24 new outbreaks reported in 2026, and 93 per cent of confirmed cases (1,688 of 1,814) are outbreak-associated (415 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,273 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

In 2025, 48 outbreaks were reported, and 90 per cent of confirmed cases (2,065 of 2,288) were outbreak-associated.

According to researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, the US has missed four of the seven criteria for measles elimination status, which could put the country off track. More are at risk, they said.

In a Correspondence published in The Lancet, the researchers explained the missed indicators of measles elimination status in the US.

• Low number of cases with a cutoff of less than one case per 10 million people. As of early 2026, the US had about 93 cases per 10 million people, exceeding this limit.

• Most of the measles cases should come from abroad rather than from internal spread. Since the start of 2025, only 6–7 per cent of the measles cases have come from abroad, meaning most cases derive from within the US.

• A limited number of outbreaks (a cutoff of approximately four) with no more than about six cases each. Last year in the US, 48 outbreaks resulted in more than 2,000 cases. And in early 2026, at least 19 outbreaks have already resulted in more than 1,600 cases.

• A level of transmission less than one, meaning one infected person only spreads measles to fewer than one other person on average. The US exceeded this rate more than 75 per cent of the time since early 2025.

Indicators At Risk

Read More: India Concerned Over Measles Outbreak, Action Underway: Dr N K Arora| Exclusive

• The country achieves four weeks with all infections deriving from outside the US. Since the first infection in January 2025, the US hasn't gone four weeks without infections, with 90 per cent of cases acquired here.

• Herd immunity through vaccination. An estimated 95 per cent of people need to receive two doses of the measles vaccine to achieve herd immunity, typically given as part of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. However, the US average vaccination rate of kindergartners in the 2024–2025 school year was 92 per cent, meaning this indicator is at high risk.

• Measles cases don't share a common viral strain. From ongoing genetic analyses, preliminary data show that the majority of cases share the same viral strain and are likely part of the same transmission chain.

The researchers believe these findings make a strong case for vaccinating children to protect them from a young age.

"Viral infections aren't all benign, and a measles infection, even when cleared, can result in lifelong problems," said Maimuna Majumder, from Boston Children's.

"Babies less than a year old are among those at greatest risk for severe complications, and the full impact on children exposed during the current outbreak may only show up years later," Majumder added.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most painful forms of tumour and is also likely to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US by 2030. This could be because 85 per cent of cancer cases in the US are not diagnosed until the disease has spread. Pancreatic cancer is a disease that is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage because there are no prominent early signs. However, a newly developed AI model from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center could change that—a new CT scan-based system can help with the timely diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Can AI help with pancreatic cancer diagnosis?

REDMOD (radiomics-based early detection model) was tested on CT scans of patients who were later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Researchers found that in nearly three out of four cases, REDMOD successfully identified the most common form of pancreatic cancer 16 months before diagnosis. It nearly doubled the detection rate of specialists reviewing scans without AI assistance. In some cases, REDMOD recognised suspicious tissue patterns more than two years before diagnosis. Researchers said that the AI system can detect cancer up to three years in advance.

How does AI work for pancreatic cancer diagnosis?

Experts found that the greatest barrier to saving lives from pancreatic cancer was the inability to detect the tumour when it was still curable. AI can identify cancer signs from a normal-looking pancreas, and it can do so reliably across clinical settings. Researchers used 969 CT scans of the pancreas as training data for REDMOD to help it detect early-stage cancer signs.

Instead of looking for a prominent tumour, the model analysed radiomic patterns that disrupt tissue structure and texture—changes that are too subtle for the human eye to detect. Many cancers begin when normal cells acquire DNA mutations, which affect how cells divide and grow. However, it can take years before these changes develop into a tumour that produces symptoms or becomes clearly visible on a scan.

How accurate was REDMOD at diagnosing pancreatic cancer?

REDMOD was tested on a varied set of CT scans after training — 63 from patients who later developed cancer but were scanned before diagnosis, and 430 from healthy individuals. Out of the 63 cases, REDMOD flagged 46 as suspicious, resulting in a 73 per cent success rate. All these scans had previously been given the all-clear by radiologists who evaluated them at the same time as REDMOD.

Out of the 430 healthy individuals, 81 were identified as suspicious cases by REDMOD. This means that if AI were deployed in a real-world scenario, some individuals might be recommended for additional tests before receiving a final all-clear. A similar performance was observed in two other datasets from different hospitals using different equipment. For patients who had multiple scans available, AI produced consistent results, even when the scans were taken months apart.

Are there any drawbacks of REDMOD?

The sooner REDMOD is implemented in clinical practice, the earlier it can detect pancreatic cancer. It could identify tumours at a stage when treatment is still possible. This could significantly improve survival rates and reduce cancer-related mortality. However, researchers now aim to test the effectiveness of AI in larger and more diverse populations.

The research has been published in the Gut.

Eleven forms of cancer are becoming increasingly common among young people in England. Experts at the Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London stressed that cancer among younger people is still rare, and that everyone can reduce their risk by simply switching to a healthier lifestyle. However, why tumours have started to develop in people in their late teens, or in their 20s, 30s and 40s, remains unclear. The study further shows that the reasons behind rising cancer cases are elusive. However, this research does indicate a decade-long pattern of people becoming overweight.

Why does one develop cancer?

A team of scientists worked towards understanding why a person develops cancer. They examined national trends in lifestyle and cancer to identify patterns. Researchers found that cases of the following types of cancer were rising:

1. Liver
2. Kidney
3. Thyroid
4. Bowel
5. Multiple myeloma
6. Womb lining
7. Mouth
8. Ovarian
9. Breast
10. Gallbladder
11. Pancreatic

Researchers found that breast and bowel cancers are common among younger adults, with 11,500 cases in a year, while gallbladder and pancreatic cancers were much rarer. It was also noted that ovarian and bowel cancers were exclusively being reported in young people, whereas the other nine were increasing in adults as well. The study by the Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London also analysed behavioural patterns known to raise cancer risk.

Researchers also found patterns related to alcohol intake, smoking levels, red and processed meat consumption, and diets low in fibre. These factors play a role in cancer development, but do not conclusively explain why cancer rates are increasing. Century-old tumour patterns, however, may explain why younger people are getting bowel cancer.

How to check for bowel cancer risk?

The report suggested that the only factors that align with an increased risk of cancer are obesity and being overweight, both of which have been on the rise since the 1990s. Extra fat tissue can alter hormones such as insulin, which can increase cancer risk. For instance, in the case of bowel cancer, for every 100 extra cases, 20 could be attributed to excess weight, while 80 remain unexplained. Researchers also note that it is important to prevent all cancers, not just the additional cases. It is estimated that nearly 40 per cent of cancers worldwide can be prevented through appropriate lifestyle choices, such as quitting smoking.

How to reduce cancer risk?

Quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol are among the simplest and most well-known ways of reducing cancer risk. However, experts say that other measures can also help. Maintaining a healthy body weight and staying physically active are simple ways to reduce cancer risk. Researchers also emphasise that while cancer rates are rising among younger people, the risk of tumours remains significantly higher in older age groups.

Researchers found that one in 1,000 people aged 20, 30 and 40 are diagnosed with cancer every year, compared to one in 100 among older age groups aged 50, 60 and 70. The search for other risk factors continues. Inflammation, sweetened drinks, gut bacteria, and air pollution must be addressed in time to reduce cancer risk. It is also being investigated whether improvements in cancer detection are contributing to earlier diagnoses in younger individuals.

The study’s findings are published in the BMJ Oncology.