As global health leaders warn of a looming immunisation disaster, the world watches America’s next move with urgency and concern. The world is facing a potential public health catastrophe as the United States mulls over pulling its financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. According to a report by the BBC, such a decision could lead to the deaths of over one million children from preventable diseases, putting decades of immunisation progress at risk.

This stark warning comes from Dr Sania Nishtar, the head of Gavi, who has called the prospective funding cut a “disastrous impact on global health security.” The urgency stems from a New York Times report that the Trump administration is considering terminating its financial support for Gavi, despite the US being its third-largest donor. The consequences could be dire — not just for vulnerable children, but for global health systems at large.

Founded in 2000, Gavi plays a pivotal role in delivering vaccines to low-income countries, saving millions of lives by protecting children against diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and polio. The alliance is known for its operational efficiency — with 97 cents of every dollar raised going directly to immunisation programs.

As of now, the US has pledged $1.6 billion for the 2026-2030 period, which accounts for 15% of Gavi’s total funding. However, immediate funding for 2025 remains uncertain. Dr Nishtar confirmed that Gavi is actively engaging with both the White House and Congress to secure a crucial $300 million allocation to maintain operations.

The current administration’s ‘America First’ policy has created new roadblocks for foreign aid, pushing organisations like Gavi into limbo. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) was among the first to face budget constraints under the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), spearheaded by Elon Musk. A 90-day freeze on all US foreign aid was enforced earlier this year, raising fresh concerns about the future of global health funding.

Is a Immunisation Deficit Looming?

Of the 500 million children worldwide who are in need of vaccines, 75 million could be left without immunisation if Gavi loses American support. Dr Nishtar underscores the potential toll, saying this would mean “unnecessary deaths from diseases we can prevent — diseases we have vaccines for.”

Diseases like measles and polio, once nearly eradicated in several regions, could make a devastating comeback, especially in fragile health systems already overburdened by climate shocks, conflict, and post-pandemic recovery. The domino effect doesn’t end with childhood immunisations — critical emergency vaccine stockpiles for outbreaks of Ebola, cholera, and mpox could also be severely depleted.

Global health leaders have responded swiftly and vocally. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the US’s potential decision would be “catastrophic.” Carrie Teicher, MSF’s chief programs officer, stated that lives would be lost due to “a political decision with deadly real-world consequences.”

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also weighed in. Dr Ngongo Ngashi, emergencies incident manager at Africa CDC, noted that while African nations are prioritising routine vaccinations, “vaccines for emergencies are equally critical.” His team is currently in discussions with US officials, advocating for continued partnership.

Dr Ngashi further stressed the importance of regional self-reliance, urging African nations to establish independent funding streams not reliant on the “whims of external partners.” “We must take charge of our own public health future,” he said — a sentiment echoed by other health organisations now seeking sustainability beyond traditional Western funding.

In the wake of growing uncertainty, Gavi is proactively broadening its donor base. One of the most promising developments is Indonesia — once a recipient of Gavi support — stepping up as a contributor in 2024. This shift represents a paradigm change in how global health partnerships are being reshaped to ensure longevity and equity.

However, Dr Nishtar cautions that even with new partners, losing the US as a major donor would be a “massive blow.” The scale and immediacy of immunisation needs globally require the participation of established powers like the US.

The current political landscape in Washington remains tense, with advocacy groups pushing back against proposed aid cuts. Yet, the decision on Gavi’s funding will not only reflect America’s stance on foreign aid but will also reveal its commitment to global public health.

For now, the lives of one million children hang in the balance — children who may never reach their fifth birthday simply because the world’s most powerful nation decided to look inward. As the conversation continues on Capitol Hill, one thing remains clear: the next pandemic may not begin with a virus, but with a policy decision that lets known killers resurface.

Why the World Can’t Afford Cuts in Vaccine Funding?

The potential withdrawal of US funding from Gavi isn’t just a budgetary decision—it’s a moral crossroads. With millions of lives, particularly children’s, hanging in the balance, turning away now would mean reversing decades of progress in global health. In an era where viruses cross borders faster than ever, global vaccination isn’t just charity—it’s common sense. America’s leadership in public health has long been a pillar of international stability. The world is watching, and the consequences of inaction will be borne by the most vulnerable. It’s time for responsibility, not retreat.

Eric Dane, who is known for his iconic roles as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs in HBO’s hit drama Euphoria, has been a familiar face in Hollywood for over two decades. Known for his charisma on screen and commanding performances, the 52-year-old actor recently made headlines not for a new project, but for a deeply personal health revelation.

Dane, in an interview with People magazine exclusively, had said that he had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressively developing and presently incurable neurodegenerative illness. But even amidst the diagnosis, he is cheerful, continuing to work and counting on the assistance of his family for this new chapter in life.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare but tragic neurological disorder that slowly takes away people's motor skills, speech, swallowing, and finally, breathing. Although the name sounds technical-sounding, it tells what the disease does—no muscle nourishment and muscle weakness and paralysis. The term also addresses the spine, in which nerve injury begins, and the scarring that develops over a period of time. As more individuals become informed, especially following publicized diagnoses like that of actor Eric Dane, discovering the etiology and facts about ALS becomes more valuable.

During an interview with a leading media outlet, the 52-year-old actor disclosed, "I feel so lucky that I'm still employed and can't wait to be returning to the Euphoria set next week." The actor was appreciative of the love and support of his family members, requesting that they be given some privacy while they "move forward in this next chapter."

As shocking as this announcement will be to followers everywhere, it's also a wake-up call for awareness: what is ALS, what are the symptoms in its onset, who is at risk, and what are the hurdles ahead for those afflicted? Eric Dane's public revelation places ALS in the global spotlight, evoking not just sympathy, but education and activism. His own experience will undoubtedly increase awareness and advocacy for a disease all too often endured in silence.

What is ALS?

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is the most common form of motor neuron disease (MND). The illness causes the progressive breakdown and death of motor neurons—nerve cells that manage voluntary muscle movement, including walking, talking, swallowing, and breathing.

The title "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" comes from Greek, each word describing the nature of the disease. "A" means "no," "myo" means "muscle," and "trophic" connotes "nourishment," all of which combined mean "no muscle nourishment"—a name that succinctly describes the muscle wasting, or atrophy, of the disease. "Lateral" indicates the specific regions of the spinal cord that are affected, and "sclerosis" denotes the scarring or hardening that takes place in these regions as the disease progresses.

Symptoms of ALS

Symptoms of ALS can start subtly but rapidly progress, so early detection is important. The disease tends to begin with localized weakness or muscle twitching, typically in the hands, legs, or speech muscles.

Early symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, are:

• Limbs weakness
• Slow or slurred speech
• Difficulty with fine motor skills
• Muscle cramping or twitching, often in the arms or tongue
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Clumsiness or frequent falls
• Involuntary laughing or crying (pseudobulbar affect)

These symptoms become more severe over time and spread to other areas of the body. Ultimately, people lose the capacity to move, talk, eat, and breathe on their own.

How ALS Develops and Impacts the Body?

ALS progresses in an relentless degenerative way. When motor neurons die, they weaken and shrink the muscles that they serve. Initially, a person may experience everyday tasks as a hassle, but eventually, in months or years, these issues may progress to full paralysis.

Despite the preservation of a normal mentality, certain people do experience cognitive or behavioral changes, and some proportion may have frontotemporal dementia.

The life expectancy is three to five years after the diagnosis, yet some patients are able to survive a decade or more with it.

What Are the Risk Factors for ALS?

Although there is much left to be discovered about ALS, there are numerous factors that predispose individuals toward developing the disorder:

Genetics

Around 10% of all ALS diagnoses are inherited. Individuals with a family history of ALS have significantly higher risk, and their children have a 50% chance of inheriting the gene mutation.

Age and Gender

ALS typically strikes those between the ages of 60 and 75. Men are slightly more likely to develop the disease than women before age 65, but this gender disparity evened out with advancing age.

Environmental Factors

Studies have linked some exposures to increased ALS risk:

Smoking: Particularly in women after menopause.

Toxic exposures: e.g., lead or industrial toxins.

Military service: Statistically, veterans are more likely to develop ALS, perhaps due to severe physical stress, toxin exposure, or infections.

Complications Related to ALS

As ALS advances, it doesn't just affect movement—it affects nearly every function that depends on muscle control. Some serious complications include:

Respiratory Failure: Weakening of the diaphragm and chest muscles creates breathlessness. Most patients require ventilatory support, and respiratory failure is the main cause of death in ALS.

Speech and Communication Deficit: The disease will lead to slurred speech or mumbling so that there is dependence on aids to communication.

Difficulty Swallowing and Feeding: Weakening of the muscles disrupts chewing and swallowing capacity so that patients become vulnerable to aspiration pneumonia or choking. Feeding tubes are most often required.

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: A small percentage of ALS patients develop frontotemporal dementia, which is marked by changes in behavior and decision-making.

In spite of the gravity of the diagnosis, Eric Dane has been said to have been upbeat and to have promised to keep working. This is typical of the resilience that many with ALS exhibit. With supportive care, assistive technology, and improvement in symptomatic treatment, individuals can maintain quality of life for as long a time as possible.

However, the fact that there is no cure also highlights the utter need for more research, funding, and activism. Organizations like the ALS Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Association are strongly advocating improved treatments as well as maybe even breakthroughs.

In a "gamechanging" advancement, thousands of English and Welsh women with advanced breast cancer are now eligible for a new targeted tablet on the NHS. This follows a strategic U-turn by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), bringing new hope to patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that affects specific genetic mutations.

This twice-daily pill is more than a new medicine—it's a breakthrough cancer treatment for individuals. By inhibiting a central cancer-promoting protein, it will help around 3,000 women each year in England and Wales.

Capivasertib blocks the activity of AKT, a defective protein molecule central to cancer cell survival and proliferation. If the protein is overly active, it accelerates the growth of cancer. By blocking AKT, capivasertib halts or slows down this progression, especially when paired with hormone therapy like fulvestrant.

Developed over two decades by AstraZeneca and scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, this drug offers a new mode of action compared to traditional treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which often come with severe side effects.

Professor Nicholas Turner, one of the leading oncologists at ICR and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, emphasized the significance of the approval as an "innovative targeted treatment" that will extend disease progression in patients with tumors that have PIK3CA, AKT1, or PTEN mutations—genetic alterations present in about 50% of this breast cancer subtype.

Clinical trials were important to show the effectiveness of capivasertib. In a study of 708 women, patients who received capivasertib in combination with fulvestrant saw their cancer double the time to grow—from 3.6 months to 7.3 months—compared to those treated with standard hormone therapy alone.

Furthermore, tumors receded in approximately 23% of patients, a remarkable response rate in advanced-disease patients. Such findings pushed the needle for NICE to reverse its earlier stance and approve the treatment for rollout via the NHS.

Even though trial outcomes were favorable, the way to approval did not run without difficulty. The first to reject the drug was NICE, after which health charities and patient groups responded in a state of dismay and activism. The Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Now, Claire Rowney, disheartenedly condemned the preliminary setbacks on grounds of these usually unjustified hardships incurred by hopeful patients.

This is too often," Rowney said. "There must be immediate action to ensure speedy approval of breast cancer drugs so they can be made available as soon as possible to those who will gain from them."

The drug will be funded by the Cancer Drugs Fund in England, but Welsh funding remains under negotiation. The Scottish Medicines Consortium has yet to make a decision, leading to demands for equitable access across the UK.

Worldwide, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women. In the UK alone, a woman will be diagnosed with the condition in her lifetime at a rate of one in seven. Despite the advances in treatment that have boosted the 10-year survival rate to over 75%, metastatic or advanced breast cancer has a far more ominous prognosis.

Capivasertib is a valuable option for cancer patients whose tumor continues to grow even after previous treatments. It's especially useful for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative second breast cancer, the most common kind that grows because of estrogen.

NHS England's cancer clinical director, Professor Peter Johnson, described the approval as offering "an additional option" to individuals whose disease is not responding to other treatments. He also noted that the treatment is not suitable for everyone and highlighted the necessity of instant genetic tests to identify suitable candidates.

The green light for capivasertib is part of a broader shift in the field of cancer care—toward precision medicine and gene-targeted therapies. These treatments are predicated on exact genetic testing and understanding of tumor biology to determine which treatment will be most effective in which patient.

As the requirement for personalized therapy grows, so does the requirement for healthcare systems around the world to change. With growing worldwide awareness and worldwide scientific collaboration, innovations like capivasertib are providing true hope—not only for longer survival, but for better quality of life in metastatic breast cancer women.

Even though capivasertib is not a cure, the NHS endorsement signals a new age in the relentless fight against breast cancer. To most women, it is the present of extra time—time to spend with loved ones, time to continue living, and time to have hope for greater advancements down the road.

Over 10 million people in the world have Parkinson's disease and as we commemorate World Parkinson's Day on April 11, it is a significant occasion to not only raise awareness but also increase our knowledge of Parkinson's care. If you are a caregiver, family member, or simply interested, caring for someone with Parkinson's is more than meds—it's about knowing, lifestyle modifications, and early detection.

For decades, the fight against Parkinson's disease (PD) has been handicapped by one major obstacle—delayed diagnosis. Today, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are turning it around. In an innovative study in Nature Aging, scientists have developed a low-cost, non-invasive blood test to detect Parkinson's years ahead of symptoms—basing new hope on early treatment and significantly enhanced outcomes.

How the RNA Blood Test Works?

The new test, which measures levels of certain RNA fragments in the blood, depends on a striking but powerful biological phenomenon. It targets transfer RNA fragments (tRFs)—tiny molecules that are typically overlooked in Parkinson's research—that experience deep oscillations as neurodegeneration advances.

Two biomarkers arose in the study: higher levels of Parkinson's-specific tRFs with a conserved sequence (RGTTCRA-tRFs), and lower levels of mitochondrial tRFs (MT-tRFs), which decline when cellular energy mechanisms fail. The diagnostic test measures the ratio between these two markers, producing an accurate and early warning of risk for disease.

Of interest, this test utilizes a two qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) assay to measure RNA levels, making it scalable and compatible with standard laboratory equipment worldwide. It does not require invasive brain scans or spinal taps, lowering barriers to entry and having the potential to be a standard screening test for high-risk patients.

To prove it, the researchers tried their method on data from international cohorts, including the high-profile Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. The findings were dramatic: the blood test was 0.86 diagnostically accurate—improving on existing clinical scoring methods.

What this means is that the test not only predicts Parkinson's before motor symptoms, but with high accuracy as well, which will make it simpler for doctors and patients to move at the most important moment.

Adding to its clinical relevance, the study revealed that RGTTCRA-tRF levels reduced following deep brain stimulation (DBS)—a standard treatment for advanced Parkinson's. This further substantiates the link between such RNA markers and the biological processes of the disease.

The study was undertaken by Ph.D. candidate Nimrod Madrer under the supervision of Prof. Hermona Soreq, a distinguished neuroscientist at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences. The project entailed experience from a number of institutions, including the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, the University of Surrey, and Imperial College London.

“This discovery represents a major advancement in our understanding of Parkinson’s disease,” said Prof. Soreq. “By focusing on tRFs, we’ve opened a new window into the molecular changes that occur in the earliest stages of the disease. Our goal is to enable interventions before the brain suffers irreversible damage.”

How Early Detection Can Help In Parkinson's Treatment?

Parkinson's disease affects over 10 million individuals globally, and numbers are growing due to aging populations. No cure, though, is presently available, and treatment is largely aimed at managing symptoms. Early diagnosis could be the breakthrough researchers, patients, and clinicians have been waiting for.

Distinguishing Parkinson's before extensive neurological damage is inflicted provides the potential for preventative treatments—whether by means of neuroprotective drugs, lifestyle modifications, or closer monitoring. Additionally, it provides researchers with the ability to design and test interventions earlier along the trajectory of the disease, accelerating drug development and potentially slowing disease onset.

The RNA blood test's success goes beyond Parkinson's. Because tRFs are involved in neurodegeneration in general, the test model might be used to identify other conditions like Alzheimer's and ALS.

The findings are now pending US Provisional Patent Applications, and researchers are seeking further validation with larger clinical trials. But early signs are promising.

“This test has the potential to alleviate the uncertainty faced by patients and clinicians,” said lead researcher Nimrod Madrer. “By offering a rapid, affordable, and highly accurate diagnostic method, we’re giving people the tools to fight Parkinson’s at a stage when it’s still possible to make a difference.”

With Early Diagnosis, What Comes Next?

With the health industry increasingly shifting towards precision medicine, cost-effective, scalable, and predictive tools must be developed. The RNA blood test firmly fits within this agenda. Due to its affordability, non-invasiveness, and compatibility with standard equipment, it can be integrated into regular health checkups, especially in those with genetic risk or family history of Parkinson's.