Pakistan continues to be dealing with a polio outbreak as four fresh cases have emerged, pushing the national tally to 37 this year, according to health officials on October 19, 2024. Health officials said that the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) in two children-one from each Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In recent cases, a girl has been affected from Pishin, and two boys from Chaman and Noshki of Balochistan, and a girl from Lakki Marwat in KP. These are the first detections of the virus within Noshki and Lakki Marwat this year; isolated cases of poliovirus were previously reported within Chaman and Pishin. The province of Balochistan was the worst hit with 20 cases, Sindh had 10, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had five, and Punjab and Islamabad had one case each.

A gigantic fight against polio has been on going in Pakistan- especially in Balochistan and southern KP-over the last two years. Immunisation campaigns have often been suspended or delayed because of local protests, insecurity, and community boycotts. Consequently, quite a number of children did not get the necessary vaccinations, making existing patches of vulnerability for the virus to flow within those pockets.

Noshki, located near Afghanistan's border, and Lakki Marwat have also recently reported some positive environmental samples that confirm the virus is present here, said a local reference laboratory official. Samples of latest cases are currently under genetic sequencing for checking spread of virus and origin.

As the threat of polio continues to grow, Pakistan has vowed to mount a nationwide campaign against it beginning from October 28. With the zeal to tackle the menace in the most effective manner, over 45 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated across the country.

Today, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain one of the few countries where polio has not yet been eradicated. The WHO said the virus remains a potential serious public health threat in areas with low vaccination coverage and weak surveillance.

India On Alert Against Polio

The country declared itself polio-free since 2014 and has kept the disease on bay almost a decade with very robust vaccination programs; however, two cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus cases reported in recent days from Meghalaya create some amount of doubts over a possible resurgence. Experts observe that in India, despite these detections taking place, strong coverage of vaccination at 90-95% and mandatory surveillance measures keep the risk of this widespread outbreak at bay.

The experts point out, however, that such stable situation in India requires continued surveillance. "Countries like Pakistan and parts of Africa remain at a high risk because vaccination rates in those areas are much lower," Dr. Siddharth, public health expert, said. Vaccination is an indispensable act in order to avoid the spread of this incapacitating disease that manifests most importantly as a nervous system affliction leading to the paralysis of a long period.

With concerted efforts from health authorities, there is hope someday that the scourge of polio will be completely eradicated from the face of the earth and future generations will never suffer from its effects.

American R&B singer and songwriter Nivea has revealed that she is battling leukemia, a type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow, where the body produces blood cells.

The 44-year-old singer shared the news during an appearance on the Cadillac Chronicles interview series.

"I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and I am so grateful to God," she said. "I've been going through treatment and everything is going great so far. And I expect it to continue. Amen. Amen. Amen. And I'm very grateful for life. It's so cliché to say, you know, you don't know the time nor the hour, and it's true."

She said living with gratitude has helped her through the diagnosis.

"I'm definitely back into my music. I'm going to school for audio engineering. I've always wanted to learn how to engineer and mix engineer in particular. But in general, just doing all the things, honey. Loving on my children and just being grateful."

Nivea rose to prominence in the early 2000s with a string of hit singles and earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Don't Mess With My Man."

What Is Leukemia?

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According to the Mayo Clinic, leukemia is a cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system.

It usually affects white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting infections. In people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces excessive abnormal white blood cells that do not function properly.

Treatment for leukemia depends on the type of leukemia and other factors, but several therapies are available to help manage the disease.

Types of Leukemia

The four main types of leukemia are:

• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

Nivea has not disclosed which type of leukemia she has.

Symptoms of Leukemia

Symptoms vary depending on the type of leukemia but commonly include:

• Fever or chills
• Persistent fatigue and weakness
• Frequent or severe infections
• Unexplained weight loss
• Swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged liver or spleen
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Recurrent nosebleeds
• Tiny red spots on the skin (petechiae)
• Excessive sweating, especially at night
• Bone pain or tenderness

How Common Is Leukemia?

Leukemia is the 10th most common cancer in the United States, accounting for about 3.2% of all new cancer cases.

Globally, leukemia cases increased by 28% between 1990 and 2021, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021).

An estimated 1.71 million people were living with leukemia worldwide in 2021. The disease is most commonly diagnosed in children aged 0-4 years and adults aged 70 years and older.

Who Is at Higher Risk?

While anyone can develop leukemia, certain factors may increase the risk:

• Previous chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Smoking
• Exposure to industrial chemicals such as benzene
• Certain genetic disorders, including Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, neurofibromatosis and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome
• Family history of leukemia

Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the type of leukemia, the patient's age and overall health, and whether the cancer has spread. Common treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy: Uses drugs to destroy cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy: Uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells.
• Immunotherapy: Helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy: Blocks specific molecules that help leukemia cells grow.
• Stem cell transplant: Replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells.
• CAR T-cell therapy: A form of immunotherapy in which a patient's T cells are modified to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that Midwest Poultry Services is voluntarily recalling nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs due to possible Salmonella Enteritidis contamination.

The recalled eggs were produced and distributed from Texas farms between June 6 and July 3, 2026, with "sell by" or "best by" dates between July 20 and August 17, 2026.

"Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. is voluntarily recalling 1,589,577 dozen white shell eggs and brown cage free shell eggs produced in Texas because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis" the FDA said in a statement.

While no ⁠illnesses reported were linked to the Midwest Poultry Services eggs as of the announcement, Midwest Poultry Services has halted distributing eggs produced on ⁠its Texas farms, the health regulator said.

Which Eggs Have Been Recalled?

The recall includes white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs produced in Texas with "sell by" or "best by" dates between July 20 and August 17, 2026, according to Midwest Poultry Services.

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Where Were the Recalled Eggs Sold?

According to the FDA, the recalled eggs were shipped to foodservice and retail customers in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

They were sold at:

• Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana
• Brookshire Grocery stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi
• Other smaller retail outlets

The company said it identified the issue at its two Texas farms through proactive environmental monitoring and root cause analysis. It has also halted distribution of fresh eggs produced at its Texas farms.

Consumers who purchased the recalled eggs are advised not to consume them and to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Salmonella: Symptoms and Risks

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Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

According to the FDA, the contamination involves Salmonella Enteritidis, a strain of Salmonella bacteria commonly associated with contaminated poultry and eggs and one of the leading causes of human salmonellosis worldwide.

Salmonella infection can manifest with a range of unpleasant symptoms, typically including diarrhea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps, and dehydration. While most healthy individuals tend to recover within about a week without specific medical intervention, the infection can lead to more serious and potentially life-threatening illness in certain vulnerable populations.

These high-risk groups include young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

For these individuals, Salmonella can cause severe dehydration, invasive infections (where the bacteria spread beyond the intestines), and other serious complications that may require hospitalization.

In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis, the FDA said.

Scientists have identified a rare contagious skin cancer in brown bullhead catfish living in lakes across the US and Canada's Quebec, marking only the fourth known case of a naturally transmissible cancer in the animal kingdom.

A team led by the University of Vermont found that mysterious black skin lesions affecting brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog and other lakes in New England and Quebec were caused by a transmissible melanoma—the first such cancer ever identified in a freshwater fish species.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, add freshwater fish to a short list of species known to develop cancers that spread through the transfer of living cancer cells. Previously, transmissible cancers had been identified only in Tasmanian devils (facial tumor disease), dogs (canine transmissible venereal tumor), and shellfish, including clams, mussels, and other bivalve mollusks (leukemia-like transmissible cancers).

“The cancer cells behave more like parasites than conventional tumors, moving from fish to fish,” said the researchers led by the University of Vermont.

"The discovery sheds light on how cancer can spread in the wild and raises important questions about where this cancer originated, how it will affect fish health and populations—and how cancer works in all animals including humans," they added.

How Was Cancer Identified In Fish?

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Since 2012, anglers and biologists have reported increasing numbers of brown bullhead catfish with raised black skin patches in Lake Memphremagog, which straddles Vermont and Quebec. By 2014, nearly one in three fish examined had developed the dark lesions.

Initially, researchers believed the disease might be caused by a virus. They later suspected pollution or another environmental pathogen. However, further investigation revealed that the lesions were actually melanoma.

“This was surprising, and we wanted to know how a bottom-dwelling fish was getting a cancer we associate with exposure to too much sunlight,” said Julie Dragon, a scientist at the University of Vermont.

Using whole-genome sequencing, the team identified hundreds of thousands of shared genetic variants among tumor samples that were absent from the host fish, confirming that the cancer spreads between animals through living cancer cells.

How Does The Cancer Spread?

Researchers are now trying to determine exactly how the cancer moves from one fish to another. They believe that the tumors appear only "in larger fish that are of spawning age".

Mark Henderson, a fish biologist and study co-leader in UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources said that it “maybe some part of spawning behavior leads to the spreading of the cancer between animals."

During spawning, brown bullhead gather closely in shallow water, allowing physical contact that could transfer tumor cells. Because the fish lack scales and spend much of their time on lake bottoms, scientists also believe sediments could harbor free-floating cancer cells.

The study also suggests that naturally occurring arsenic or hormonal changes may weaken the fish's immune system, making them more susceptible to infection.

Should Humans Worry?

Despite the unusual discovery, researchers stress that there is no known risk to humans.

Lake Memphremagog supplies drinking water to more than 175,000 people, but scientists say the cancer cells cannot infect or survive in another species. They also state that the fish are safe to handle for research and monitoring.

Fish remains a highly nutritious food, rich in high-quality protein, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids that support heart and brain health.

Quebec's Ministry of the Environment recommends not eating fish with tumors, even though there is no evidence that doing so poses a risk to human health.

The findings raise broader questions about how pollution, habitat stress, and climate change may influence the evolution and spread of diseases in wildlife.