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.

Resident doctors in the UK have launched a six-day strike in a dispute with the government over pay.

Tens of thousands of medics have walked out of the National Health Service (NHS) in England on Tuesday, in the 15th strike since March 2023. Their demand: “full pay restoration”.

The six-day walkout comes as the doctors’ group rejected an offer made by the government in March.

According to the British Medical Association (BMA), the government’s proposal failed to reverse years of pay erosion and staffing pressures.

The BMA represents about 55,000 of the resident doctors - formerly known as ‌junior doctors - ⁠who make up nearly half of the medical workforce.

The strike is due to run until the morning of April 13, after a 48-hour ultimatum from Prime Minister Keir Starmer passed without agreement.

Doctors Strike: What Is The Reason?

The BMA argues that doctors are still being paid a fifth less than they were in 2008, once inflation is taken into account. This is despite receiving pay rises worth 33 percent over the past four years.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctor committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today program he was "genuinely very sorry" to patients who had care postponed due to the strike, but noted that such delays also occurred "without strike action" because of a lack of specialists and GPs.

"The way out of this is to get around the negotiating table, as we were for eight or so weeks, talk constructively to get a deal, to get us out of this.

Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the BMA Council, told BBC Breakfast they had been close to reaching a deal but "the government decided to move the goalposts quite last minute to reduce the level of investment they were prepared to make".

The 15th NHS Doctors' Strike: How Patients Will Be Affected

The strike began at 07:00 BST on Tuesday and promises to cause significant disruption to services.

Dr Melissa Ryan, 45, a pediatric registrar, said she was frustrated that the government was cutting training places and some children were waiting years for assessments, the BBC reported.

The pediatrician who joined dozens of resident doctors in the six-day strike over jobs and pay has said the NHS may "end up without doctors" if the long-running dispute continues.

However, senior medics have being called in to provide cover in emergency settings, still some pre-planned treatments and appointments may get cancelled.

Meanwhile, the NHS has urged patients not to put off seeking help if needed, saying those with emergency and urgent needs should use 999 and 111 as normal, the BBC reported.

While GP services are largely unaffected, the NHS advised patients with prior appointments and treatments scheduled to attend unless told otherwise.

Strikes Costing The NHS £50 Million Daily

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Breakfast that 95 percent of appointments were still in place. He also apologized to people affected by cancellations, saying they "deserve better".

He criticized the BMA for not accepting the government’s latest offer and said the government had negotiated with the BMA "in good faith".

According to the British government, the strikes were costing the NHS £50m a day, meaning the health service had lost around £3bn since industrial action started in March 2023. However, a detailed breakdown of costs has not been set out.

Speaking on Times Radio on Tuesday, Streeting said resident doctors had secured the largest pay uplift of any public sector group under the Labour government, but had rejected the offer without putting forward a counter proposal.

The Telangana Government today announced a partnership with pharma giant AstraZeneca India to bring artificial intelligence (AI)-powered lung cancer screening to public hospitals in the state.

The collaboration aims to strengthen early detection and improve outcomes for patients in both urban and rural areas.

Under the MoU, AstraZeneca will facilitate the deployment of Qure.ai's AI-powered chest X-ray solution to be integrated into routine workflows at public health facilities across Telangana.

The technology will help clinicians flag the high-risk pulmonary nodules, a predominant precursor of lung cancer, along with 29 other lung conditions.

The high-risk patients will be triaged for lung cancer confirmation or future follow-up to ensure the stage shift of lung cancer at diagnosis. A similar model has already been adopted in Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

“Telangana is witnessing a steady rise in cancer cases, and late diagnosis due to limited screening uptake remains a major challenge. This collaboration integrates technology into routine public healthcare to bridge gaps in access and capacity and reflects our continued focus on building a more proactive, future-ready health system,” said Dr. S. Sangeetha Satyanarayana, Commissioner of Health & Family Welfare Directorate, Government of Telangana.

The initiative is expected to roll out across 20 public health facilities, covering urban and rural health systems. It includes training and upskilling of healthcare professionals to support effective and sustainable adoption, as well as infrastructure enhancements where needed to ensure seamless integration into the public health system.

Lung Cancer burden in India

Lung cancer is among the most pressing public health challenges in India today. National incidence is projected to rise from approximately 63,700 cases in 2015 to over 81,200 by 2025, a 27 percent increase over the decade, driven by tobacco use, environmental pollution, and critically, the near absence of routine screening.

Between 80 and 85 percent of patients present with advanced, incurable disease at the time of diagnosis, contributing to nearly 60,000 deaths from lung cancer each year. The disease is also no longer confined to smokers: cases among non-smokers are rising by 30 to 40 percent, making broad, population-level detection efforts increasingly important.

Telangana reflects these national pressures acutely.

The state is projected to record 46,762 new cancer cases among adults in 2026, rising to 47,314 by 2030, an estimated 13 percent increase by 2027.

Women bear a disproportionate share, with 25,510 new cases expected this year against 21,252 in men.

According to the Telangana Cancer Burden Profile 2026, published by ICMR-NCDIR, one in six women in Hyderabad faces the risk of developing cancer in her lifetime; one in eight men is likely to receive a cancer diagnosis before the age of 74.

The Role Of Early Detection

Low awareness, cost barriers, and limited access in rural areas compound the challenge, frequently delaying diagnosis until the disease has progressed beyond curative treatment.

Early detection changes this equation fundamentally. Screening programs that identify lung cancer at earlier stages can make curative therapies available to a significantly larger proportion of patients, improving survival outcomes and reducing the overall burden on the health system.

“Early detection plays a defining role in improving cancer outcomes, particularly in diseases like lung cancer, where diagnosis often happens at advanced stages,” said Praveen Rao Akkinepally, Country President & Managing Director, AstraZeneca Pharma India.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly appointed supreme leader of Iran, has been ‘incapacitated’, according to a media report.

The UK-based The Times reported that Mojtaba Khamenei is critically ill and is unable to govern and has thus been placed under medical care in the religious city of Qom.

The report cited a diplomatic memo, based on US and Israeli intelligence, which indicates that Mojtaba Khamenei is unconscious and in a “severe” condition.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have acknowledged that Khamenei was wounded in the same airstrike that killed his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, along with close family members on the opening day of the war. Since then, he has not appeared publicly.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump also reiterated claims that Mojtaba Khamenei could be dead or seriously injured, saying there has been no public confirmation of his condition, Financial Times reported.

What Does The Term ‘Incapacitated’ Mean Medically?

The Journal of Family Practice explains that being incapacitated “is the clinical state in which a patient is unable to participate in a meaningful way”. The condition can be both physical or mental.

It includes:

• Loss of physical mobility: unable to move, walk, or perform basic tasks
• Cognitive Decline
• Severe illness or injury
• Coma,
• Advanced dementia,
• Severe mental illness,
• Delirium.

Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei

The 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28 -- the first day of the ongoing war.

He was elevated to the position of his father on March 8 after Iran’s Assembly of Experts—the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader—formally selected him as successor amid wartime conditions.

Since his appointment, Mojtaba has not appeared at any funeral for senior commanders killed in the strikes, issued no video messages, and released no photographs.

However, Israeli media i24NEWS quoted sources who said Mojtaba Khamenei does not control Iran and "most likely, the Revolutionary Guards control the state”.

A viral video of the new Supreme Leader shows him walking into a war room and analyzing a map of Israel’s nuclear power plant in Dimona has been debunked as AI-generated.

Is Incapacitation A Serious Health Condition?

An individual who is incapacitated requires urgent care, as the person is at significant risk of

• organ failure,
• brain damage,
• infections,
• long-term disability even after recovery.

Former US President Woodrow Wilson