Autism is defined as a spectrum disorder which happens due to conditions related to development of the brain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 out 100 children have autism, and its characteristics can be detected from early childhood. When you are on the spectrum, there are various symptoms and signs which can sometimes lead to misdiagnoses or difficulty in outlining the correct issue.

However, with new research happening all over the world, there are better tools to help us with various mental health sectors. A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, points to an interesting way we might be able to spot signs of autism early on. Researchers looked at how young kids pay attention to things that move. They found that children with autism often like watching movements that repeat in the same way more than movements that are all mixed up and random. This difference in what catches their eye could become a helpful clue for doctors and parents to identify autism at a younger age than we often do now.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study itself involved a small group of children. There were 17 kids who had some signs that they might have autism, and 11 kids who were developing as expected. All the children watched videos with simple shapes like circles and squares being drawn. On one side of the screen, the shapes were drawn in a smooth, repeating way. On the other side, the shapes appeared in a jumbled, unpredictable order. The eye trackers showed that the kids without suspected autism looked at both sides about the same amount. However, the other group clearly preferred the predictable movements, and their interest in that side even grew as they watched.

Predictable Movements Can Be An Indicator

To figure this out, the researchers used special technology that tracks where kids look – it's called eye-tracking. They showed videos to two groups of children: some who doctors thought might have autism and others who were developing typically. What they saw was quite telling. The kids who were suspected of having autism spent a lot more time watching the parts of the video where the movements were predictable and followed a pattern. This suggests that this focus on repeated motion could be a key characteristic.

Because of what they found, the researchers think we could create a simple test to help identify autism early. Imagine a short video, maybe just two minutes long, that shows both predictable and unpredictable movements side by side. By watching which side a young child looks at more, especially during their regular check-ups, we might be able to spot kids who could be at risk for autism as young as three years old. This could be a much quicker way to find these children compared to how we usually do it, which can sometimes take longer.

How Does This Imply An Autism Diagnosis

One sign of autism that has been noticed is the preference to do similar things over and over again. Often, people with autism show repetitive behaviors. So, this study suggests that this preference might be an early sign of that. Right now, when doctors look for early signs of autism, they mainly focus on how kids interact with others and how they communicate, like if they make eye contact or talk on time. Adding this new way of looking at how they respond to movement could give us another useful tool to help diagnose autism earlier.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal constitutional right to abortion. This decision, made in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, gave individual states the power to regulate abortion laws. Since then, over a dozen states have enacted near-total abortion bans, leaving large swathes of the country with little to no legal access to the procedure.

Fewer People Are Traveling for Abortions

According to a new report by the Guttmacher Institute, about 155,000 people crossed state lines for abortion care in 2024. That’s a 9% drop from 2023. However, the overall number of abortions performed in states where the procedure is still legal remained stable — totaling 1,038,100 last year.

This decline in travel doesn't mean fewer abortions are happening. Rather, it highlights changing patterns in how people are accessing care.

Telehealth and Medication Abortions on the Rise

One of the biggest shifts has been the rise in telehealth abortion services. In states with shield laws that protect doctors from prosecution, more patients are turning to virtual consultations and receiving abortion pills by mail.

Data from the Society of Family Planning shows that the share of abortions via telemedicine rose from just 4% in April 2022 to 20% by June 2024. That’s more than 19,000 medication abortions happening each month. For many, this option is safer, faster, and more convenient than traveling to a clinic — especially when juggling work, school, or child care.

“They can still get safe, legal care from a licensed practitioner without having to make child-care arrangements or skip work or school,” said Julie Kay, executive director of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine.

ALSO READ: Amid Changing Health Laws In The US, Would Abortion Become Illegal?

Why Travel Is Becoming Harder

Traveling for abortion care remains essential for people in states with total bans, but it’s getting harder. Isaac Maddow-Zimet from the Guttmacher Institute explained that the cost isn’t the only barrier: people must navigate different laws, find a clinic with available appointments, arrange accommodation, and often secure child care.

Adding to the difficulty is a drop in donations. Many nonprofit groups and abortion funds saw a surge in contributions immediately after Roe was overturned, but those funds have since declined — even as more people need support.

States Taking the Lead — On Both Sides

Some states, like New Mexico, Illinois, Kansas, and North Carolina, have become hubs for abortion care. In New Mexico, nearly 70% of abortions in 2024 were for patients from other states — mostly Texas and Oklahoma.

Virginia also saw a rise in out-of-state patients, likely due to Florida’s new six-week ban, which took effect in May 2024 and is now one of the strictest laws in the country.

On the flip side, states like Idaho and Tennessee have criminalized helping minors travel for abortions without parental consent. However, federal courts have pushed back. In Alabama, a judge ruled that the state cannot prosecute those helping people travel across state lines for abortion, citing the fundamental right to interstate travel.

In a landmark development, the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have forged a draft agreement aimed at enhancing global cooperation on future pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The agreement is set to be present formally in the World Health Assembly in May. It is then when the formal approval will be initiated. The goal is to create a framework that could be collaborative for all the member states and so it could further strengthen the global health systems to better handle pandemics in future.

Before getting into what this agreement proposes, let's first understand what are pandemics?

What Are Pandemics?

It is an outbreak of a disease that spreads across multiple countries or continent. It also affects large number of people. However, unlike localized outbreak, pandemics could disrupt economies, societies, and healthcare systems, worldwide.

In history, we have had some of the most devastating pandemics, including the Spanish Flu in 1918, which caused an estimated 50 million deaths. HIV/AIDS pandemic too began in 1980s and continues to affect millions today.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, serves as a stark reminder of the global vulnerabilities exposed by pandemics. With over 600 million cases and nearly 7 million deaths globally by the end of 2021, COVID-19 showcased the urgency of enhancing international collaboration in pandemic preparedness.

What Are The Key Features Of The Draft Agreement?

Knowledge-Sharing Systems: The agreement proposes the establishment of robust knowledge-sharing systems to ensure that information related to disease outbreaks, research findings, and best practices are disseminated quickly and efficiently across countries.

Pandemic Prevention Measures: One of the core objectives is to implement measures that prevent pandemics from emerging. This includes addressing environmental factors, improving surveillance systems, and strengthening international regulations for disease control.

Geographically Diverse Research: The agreement stresses the importance of building geographically diverse research capacities. This means creating research centers around the world that can focus on pandemic-related research and respond swiftly to health threats.

Global Health Workforce: A skilled, trained, and multidisciplinary workforce is essential for dealing with pandemics. The draft calls for the development of a global health emergency workforce that can be deployed at short notice during health crises.

Coordinating Financial Mechanisms: Another aspect of the agreement is the creation of a financial mechanism to fund pandemic preparedness and response efforts. This includes developing a global supply chain and logistics network to ensure that essential medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies reach areas in need.

Strengthening Health Systems: The proposal emphasizes the need for countries to strengthen their health systems to increase resilience and ensure readiness for future health emergencies. This includes upgrading hospitals, improving healthcare infrastructure, and ensuring sufficient stockpiles of medical supplies.

ALSO READ: WHO Nations Agree To Sign Off On Treaty To Prevent Repeating COVID-19 Failures- 5 Key Facts

WHO's Role in Pandemic Response

While the goals are ambitious, the WHO's role here remains advisory that ensures coordination among nations rather than imposing mandatory measures. The agreement also confirms that countries retain their sovereignty over public health decision. This means that no country will be forced to accept or implement WHO directives which could be related to travel bans, vaccinations, treatments, or lockdown. WHO's goals would be limited to providing guidance, support, and facilitate international cooperation without overriding national laws or policies.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's Director-General, hailed the draft agreement as a historic moment, underscoring that multilateralism remains a vital force in addressing shared global health threats. The consensus reached by nations signifies a collective commitment to making the world safer from future pandemics.

Five years since COVID-19 brought the world into a health and economic crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has done what many considered unlikely—a global agreement on a draft pandemic treaty. On Wednesday, after years of intricate talks and political upheaval, WHO member states reached a consensus on a historic document that will determine how the world responds to future pandemics. If endorsed at the next World Health Assembly in Geneva, the treaty would have the potential to be a turning point for global public health partnership and readiness.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus greeted the treaty as a badge of unity. "In our polarized world, countries can once again agree and unite for a common response," he said. The pact should bring revolutionary change to how nations prepare and react to health emergencies globally—without repeating the inequities, delays, and fragmented responses that characterized the response to COVID-19.

The global response to COVID-19 revealed systemic weaknesses in international health governance—ranging from vaccine hoarding and disinformation to less-than-generous support for poor countries. These shortcomings prompted WHO member states to create the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) in December 2021. Their task: to negotiate a strong international instrument centered on prevention, preparedness, and fair response to future pandemics.

Following these were 13 formal sessions, longer-than-usual sessions, and numerous informal discussions. Geopolitical splits and continuous withdrawals from the WHO by such leaders as past U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentina President Javier Milei could not stop the INB finalizing a draft agreement ahead of the official adoption in May 2025.

Key Provisions of the Pandemic Treaty

The suggested agreement has the purpose of establishing a global pandemic response playbook, based on solidarity, equity, and science. Among its most important elements:

Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing: The treaty requires that nations providing virus samples will enjoy assured access to derived diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines. For its enforcement, WHO will hold up to 20% of such products to guarantee equitable distribution, particularly to low-income countries.

One Health Approach: Acknowledging the interconnectivity of human, animal, and environmental well-being, the treaty promotes cooperation to avoid zoonotic outbreaks and emerging dangers.

Technology Transfer and Capacity Building: The pact ensures transfer of scientific information, manufacturing technology, and capability across countries to develop a geographically dispersed R&D base. This should eliminate geographical concentration of global health innovation and end reliance upon a handful of dominant nations.

Emergency Health Workforce and Supply Chains: States are urged to establish competent health emergency workforce teams and be part of a global supply chain and logistics network for swift response to future health emergencies.

Respect for Sovereignty: Notably, the draft treaty confirms that the WHO will not impose national health legislation or mandates like lockdowns, vaccination orders, or travel restrictions. National sovereignty is preserved, although cooperation is strongly urged.

What are the Controversies and Challenges Surrounding the Treaty?

Though the treaty is a milestone, it is not without controversy. The United States, having been sidelined in Trump's administration pullout from the WHO, is still far from the finalization of the treaty. Though U.S.-based R&D was key to creating effective COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, American officials are not likely to sign the agreement under present provisions.

Likewise, Argentina's recent withdrawal from the WHO is a sign of ongoing distrust among some leaders regarding the role and authority of international health organizations. Opponents claim that international treaties threaten national interests or overreach their limits in governing public health.

The pandemic treaty in draft form is an increasing recognition that no state, no matter how rich or resourceful, can tackle a global pandemic in isolation. It emphasizes the call for transparency, equity, and multilateralism during times of crisis. Adopted at the World Health Assembly in May, the treaty might transform the way the world prepares for and prepares against pandemics—making sure that scientific advancements and essential resources are available to everyone.

As the globe looks back at the tragic losses and bitter lessons of COVID-19, this treaty presents an opportunity to redefine global health in partnership, not rivalry. To future generations, it may signal the start of a more cohesive and resilient global response to common dangers.