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.

After US President Donald Trump’s executive order to split MMR into three shots came out in August, he put forth a proposal recently for some childhood vaccines to be divided into five doses.

Trump recently said his administration plans to push vaccine makers to split some childhood vaccines into five separate shots, believing and claiming that giving smaller amounts at longer intervals could lead to a significant reduction in autism.

Trump made the claims on September 18 but did not specify which vaccines he wants divided into five doses, nor did he provide scientific evidence linking vaccination schedules to autism. He said the doses would be given at six-month intervals.

The proposal follows an executive order Trump signed in August, directing changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations, including separating the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots and administering them at separate visits.

What Is Trump’s Proposal?

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On Friday, the President Trump said that his administration is planning to recommend that certain childhood immunizations should be separated into five shots, each with a “small amount of the vaccine.” He added that these doses would each be given six months apart.

“Instead of a child going in and having a tremendous amount of different vaccines pumped into a big proportion of the body … we’re going to recommend that they do five doses marked one, two, three, four, five and that they be given in six-month intervals, so that a small amount of the vaccine gets pumped into the body,” Trump said.

He also said he expects that this could lead to a “massive reduction in autism.” However, it remains unclear which childhood vaccines would be affected or how such a five-dose schedule would be implemented.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was standing by Trump as he announced the vaccine changes, received a standing ovation Thursday at the conference of the anti-vaccine advocacy group Children’s Health Defense.

He praised Trump’s embrace of vaccine skeptics, stating, “You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House” and said that he would “stay in this fight.”

Vaccine formulations and dosing schedules are established through clinical research and regulatory review. So, Trump’s proposal to divide an existing dose has sparked reactions.

No Evidence That Vaccines Cause Autism

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Decades of research have not established that childhood vaccines cause autism. The CDC's current vaccine-safety information says multiple studies have found no link between MMR vaccination and autism.

In August, Trump signed an executive order to change the federal government’s approach toward childhood vaccines, insisting that infants should receive fewer immunizations over a longer period.

He advised that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine be separated into three individual shots, despite little to no scientific evidence. Research also proves that there is no published scientific evidence showing a benefit from separating the combined MMR vaccine into three individual shots.

However, the CDC's current website reflects the Trump administration's position, stating it has not definitively ruled out every possible relationship between infant vaccines and autism. It also says that HHS is funding further research into biological mechanisms.

The strongest available evidence for MMR specifically continues to show no association with autism, according to the CDC's cited evidence reviews.

Would Splitting Vaccines Make Them Safer?

There is currently no evidence that splitting combination vaccines into smaller doses prevents autism. The CDC also says there is no published scientific evidence that separating MMR vaccine into individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines provides a safety benefit.

Experts have also questioned the idea that simply dividing a vaccine dose would change its safety profile.

José Romero, a former senior CDC official, told The Washington Post that vaccines are formulated in a way, so the total dose produces the intended immune response.

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told CNN that Trump’s plan would render vaccines ineffective and wouldn’t make them safer necessarily.

Offit said, “When you create a vaccine, you do a dose response curve, and you’re trying to give the least amount of vaccine that induces an immune response that’s protective. So, you don’t want to give too much, where you know you don’t need all that, and you don’t want to give too little, where it’s you know sub-immunogenic.”

He added, “What he’s suggesting would not work. He’s basically saying he wants to give vaccines in a manner in which they wouldn’t be protective.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo has started vaccinating frontline healthcare workers against Ebola amid the worst-ever outbreak. The vaccination will target 20,000 workers as the death toll has surpassed 3,500.

Vaccinations began on September 19, 2026, in Bunia and Mongbwalu zones in Ituri province, where the outbreak is the most concentrated.

The ongoing vaccination campaign will also cover North Kivu, where transmission has refused to slow down. The vaccine coverage is expected to help thousands of frontline workers over the next six to nine months.

According to the Congolese authorities, as of September 20, the current outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus has infected around 7,541 people and claimed 3,639 lives. Till now, around 1,823 people have recovered from the infection.

The Bundibugyo virus is a different Ebola species from the Zaire strain, which is targeted by the licensed Ervebo vaccine.

Why Congo Is Using Ervebo Vaccine To Target Bundibugyo Ebola Strain?

The vaccine being administered currently is Ervebo, which is licensed for Ebola caused by the Zaire strain. There is currently no licensed vaccine or proven treatment for Bundibugyo virus.

The World Health Organization has said evidence is still insufficient to know whether Ervebo protects people against Bundibugyo Ebola.

Laboratory and animal data suggested it might offer some protection, but this has not been established in humans.

That is why part of the vaccine allocation is being used as a clinical study. Of the 70,000 Ervebo doses approved for Congo, 50,000 are intended for frontline and health workers, while 20,000 are allocated to research evaluating protection against Bundibugyo virus.

The study launched by Médecins Sans Frontières and Epicentre will follow 20,000 frontline workers in Ituri and North Kivu for nine to 12 months.

Steve Ahuka, a Congolese Ebola responder, said, “We don’t know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain.”

Also read: DRC Says Ebola Outbreak Has Peaked, UN Warns It’s Still Growing

Health Workers Are Being Prioritised

Healthcare workers are at high risk as they face high exposure due to close contact with infected patients.

Ituri's military governor, Maj. Gen. Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, said, “Our collective duty is to protect life. Launching this vaccination drive for front-line staff in Ituri is not an arbitrary choice, as these workers are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response.”

Dr Jeannot Elua, a health worker in Bunia who received the vaccine, called it “beneficial” but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding repeat vaccination.

Also read: Ebola Transmission Falls In Some Areas Of Congo, But Outbreak Still Kills: WHO

Ebola Outbreak Showing Signs Of Finally Slowing Down

There are signs of improvement in parts of Ituri, but health authorities and international agencies continue to warn and has not declared that the outbreak is under control.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on September 16 that there were “encouraging signs that we are gaining ground”, particularly in Ituri, but warned that the outbreak remained a serious threat because of high population movement.

WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove said, “This is far from over.”

The Ebola outbreak has spread across seven provinces and remains particularly difficult to control because of uncertainty, displacement, population movement and challenges in reaching affected communities.

Amid an expanding outbreak, Florida has confirmed its first dengue-related death in the Tampa Bay region. It is the first death due to dengue in Tampa Bay in almost a century, while Florida health officials have confirmed this as the state’s first dengue-related death of 2026.

The latest reports show the newest figures that indicate 152 locally acquired dengue cases as of September 12, with 134 in Hillsborough County.

First Dengue-Related Death In Florida

Florida’s dengue outbreak has turned deadly as with health officials have confirmed the state’s first dengue-related death of 2026.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death on September 18. The victim was an 80-year-old Hillsborough County woman who died on September 4. Her death marks the first known dengue-related fatality in the Tampa Bay region in nearly a century.

The latest state data, covering cases through September 12, show 152 locally acquired dengue infections across Florida this year, including 134 in Hillsborough County.

That means nearly 90% of the state's locally acquired cases have been concentrated in the county, which has emerged as the epicentre of the outbreak.

“This is wildly unusual for us,” Chris Wilkerson, a spokesperson for Hillsborough County, said.

Also read: QDENGA: India’s First Approved Dengue Vaccine May Hit Shelves In 2027; How Effective Is It?

Dengue Outbreak In Florida

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted mainly by infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are established in Florida and can spread the virus after biting an infected person.

Majority of the dengue infections reported in the continental US were linked with international travel. But Florida has increasingly recorded locally acquired infections, meaning people contracted the virus without travelling to a dengue-endemic country.

The state reported its largest number of locally acquired dengue infections in 2023, at nearly 200. With 152 cases already recorded this year, 2026 has become the state's second-highest year for locally acquired infections.

Also read: Delhi Dengue Cases Rise In September: Is Weather Fueling The Surge?

How Can Dengue Become Life-Threatening?

Most people infected with dengue either have no symptoms or develop a relatively short-lived illness with fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and rash. But a small number of people can develop severe dengue, particularly around the time the fever begins to subside.

Warning signs include severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding or unusual bruising, difficulty breathing, extreme weakness and restlessness.

Severe dengue may also cause plasma leakage, shock, severe bleeding and organ damage, which can become fatal without prompt medical care.

In the Florida woman's case, her death certificate listed dengue infection, septic shock and multi-organ failure as causes, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Outbreak Is Raising Concern

Hillsborough County normally sees only a handful of dengue cases, making the current cluster seems to be highly unusual. Mosquito-control teams have increased aerial and ground surveillance and spraying, inspecting properties for stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.

Recent mosquito sampling has not detected dengue virus in some of the latest collections, which officials say could indicate that transmission is beginning to decline. But experts caution that the mosquitoes capable of spreading dengue may still remain in Florida.

Michael von Fricken, an associate professor of environmental and global health at the University of Florida, said the state's recurring mosquito population means dengue may become “somewhat the new normal.”

Florida health officials are urging residents to use mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves and trousers, and removing stagnant water from around homes.