Singer Jesy Nelson recently shared an emotional update regarding the complications she is experiencing in her pregnancy with twin babies. Former Little Mix singer Jesy, who is having twins with partner Zion Foster, announced that she has been diagnosed with pre-twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (pre-TTTS). The condition, which is present in pregnancies involving twins with a shared placenta, has serious risks involved and needs intense medical supervision. As Nelson embarks on this difficult journey, her story enlightens us about a rare but dangerous condition many expectant parents may not know much about.

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a rare but dangerous condition that arises in monochorionic twin pregnancies, in which identical twins share a single placenta. The placenta supplies the developing babies with oxygen, nutrients, and blood flow, but in TTTS, there is an imbalance of blood vessels that interconnect the twins, and thus the vital resources are not evenly distributed. One twin, or the donor twin, shares excess blood with the other, referred to as the recipient twin. This leads to one baby becoming malnourished and possibly anemic, and the other in danger of heart problems due to too much blood.

Nelson described her diagnosis in a heartfelt Instagram video, explaining that she is currently in the pre-stage of TTTS and undergoing frequent monitoring. "I am being scanned twice a week, and each time, things have gotten a little worse," she shared, expressing her fears and hopes for the health of her babies.

Potential Risks of TTTS

If left untreated, TTTS can have devastating consequences. Medical research indicates that:

• 90% of the cases of untreated TTTS lead to loss of one or both twins.
• Despite treatment, only a 70% survival rate for both twins is assured.
• Severe forms can result in preterm labor, cardiac failure in the recipient twin, and organ failure in the donor twin.
• Complications in long-term survivors include neurological damage and developmental delay in surviving infants.

TTTS usually advances in stages, beginning with minimal changes in fluid levels and worsening as one twin continues to get an unequal share of blood. In extreme cases, fetal laser surgery, referred to as the Solomon technique, can be employed to divide the blood vessels and balance the twins.

Why Identical Twin Pregnancies Are More Complicated

Identical twins may develop differently, and their own unique form of placental sharing can have a dramatic effect on pregnancy risk. Jesy Nelson's twins are considered monochorionic diamniotic (mono/di), which means they share a placenta but have two amniotic sacs. This is the type of pregnancy in about 70% of identical twin pregnancies and carries an increased risk of complications like TTTS, umbilical cord entanglement, and growth restriction.

Conversely, dichorionic diamniotic (di/di) twins both have a separate placenta and amniotic sac, which greatly diminishes the threat of TTTS. Twin pregnancy type is normally identified by early ultrasound, with physicians being able to track future complications from inception.

Other Twin Pregnancy Health Risks

Twin pregnancies, even without the presence of TTTS, entail a variety of health risks to the mother as well as infants:

1. Premature Birth

Over 60% of twin pregnancies end in premature delivery, with birth usually taking place before 37 weeks. Premature infants can have immature organs and need neonatal intensive care (NICU) assistance to assist with breathing, feeding, and infection fighting.

2. Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia

Pregnant women with multiples are at increased risk of having high blood pressure during pregnancy. This, if left untreated, can result in preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy that can result in damage to organs, preterm labor, and in some cases, maternal or fetal death.

3. Anemia

Pregnant women carrying multiples are twice as likely to experience anemia, a condition where the body does not produce enough healthy red blood cells. This can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and complications during delivery.

4. Birth Defects

According to John Hopkins Medicine, multiple birth babies are twice as likely to have congenital abnormalities compared to single births. These can include heart defects, neural tube defects, and gastrointestinal issues.

5. Amniotic Fluid Imbalances

When twins have to share a placenta, they are more likely to have polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid) or oligohydramnios (not enough amniotic fluid). Both result in distress to the babies during fetal development and can result in premature labor.

6. Postpartum Hemorrhage

Twins are at increased risk of excessive postpartum hemorrhage because their uterus is larger and there are greater blood supply needs.

Jesy Nelson's openness about her challenging experience is raising awareness for TTTS, a condition that few individuals—let alone expectant mothers and fathers—might be aware of. Through her tearful video, Nelson stressed the significance of knowing about twin pregnancies aside from the thrill of having multiples. "We had no idea that this type of thing occurs when you're having twins. We just desperately want to make people aware of this because there are so many people who aren't aware."

Her case reminds us of the intricacies involved in twin pregnancy and the significance of early identification and medical management. For mothers carrying twins, frequent ultrasounds and vigilance can become a life-and-death issue for early detection and better outcomes of both babies.

Through constant medical attention and care, she and her partner Zion Foster remain positive and get ready for their babies to be born. In other parents whose situations are no different, the story of Nelson highlights awareness, medical progress, and emotional encouragement in handling complicated pregnancies.

The expecting parents of twin siblings are advised to discuss TTTS screening and possible interventions with their physicians to give their babies the best chance.

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases in 2026, according to health authorities, who said the number of new infections has fallen by 12,000 over the past three years.

Thirteen of Thailand’s 77 provinces now record more than 10,000 cases each, Bangkok Post reported.

Regions Affected

The Central region bears the highest HIV burden, with several provinces reporting more than 10,000 cumulative cases:

• Bangkok: 88,535 cumulative HIV cases — the highest in Thailand.
• Chonburi: 31,072 cases.
• Chiang Mai: 23,949 cases.
• Chiang Rai: 17,524 cases.
• Other provinces with over 10,000 cases: Nakhon Ratchasima, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Khon Kaen, Pathum Thani, Udon Thani, Rayong, Songkhla and Ubon Ratchathani.
• Songkhla: 10,644 cumulative cases, the highest in Health Region 12, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 12.

Youths at High Risk

Young people aged 15 to 24 are a particular concern, accounting for more than 25,000 cumulative cases, the report said.

Officials said infections in the region were concentrated among young people and the working-age population, with unprotected sex remaining a major factor.

HIV Treatment

More than 83% of people receiving HIV care are on continuous antiretroviral treatment in the country, and have achieved effective viral suppression, reducing the risk of serious illness and onward transmission, the report said.

Why New Infections Remain a Concern

Speaking to local media, Associate Professor Dr. Opas Putcharoen, Deputy Director of the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Research Center at the Thai Red Cross, said new cases will continue to rise in the country due to increased testing, which identifies nearly 60,000 people who are unaware they are infected, combined with an estimated 8,000–9,000 new cases annually.

The most concerning and critical group is youth aged 15–24. The reason new infections have not decreased is insufficient knowledge about HIV and AIDS, Thairath Online reported.

He noted that many people underestimate their risk and therefore do not protect themselves. He stressed the urgency of campaigns encouraging people to know their HIV status so those who test positive can start treatment and reduce transmission.

Health officials said more efforts were needed to expand access to testing, encourage consistent condom use and ensure people living with HIV remain on antiretroviral treatment.

They said early diagnosis and continued treatment reduce infections and improve the long-term health of people living with HIV.

What Is HIV?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the body's immune system, increasing the chances of developing serious infections or cancer.

The virus specifically targets CD4 cells, which are crucial for the body’s defence against infections. As HIV progresses, it destroys these cells, weakening the immune system over time. If left untreated, this continuous damage can lead to AIDS.

There is no cure for HIV, but prevention and treatment options are available.

For HIV, the primary treatment goal is to suppress the virus to undetectable levels, thus maintaining a strong immune system and preventing further transmission of the virus. People living with HIV can often live long, healthy lives if they adhere to ART.

How To Stay Safe?

According to UNAIDS, HIV risk can be effectively prevented by combining barrier methods, antiretroviral medications, and harm reduction strategies. Key prevention methods include:

• Use Condoms
• Using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
• Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP): Emergency antiretroviral medication must be started within 72 hours of a possible HIV exposure to stop the infection.
• Avoid sharing needles, syringes, or other injection and sharp equipment, and use sterile instruments for any medical or body-modification procedures.

A once-weekly oral HIV combination therapy may offer an effective alternative to standard daily treatment, according to results from a global phase 3 clinical trial.

The weekly tablet combines two long-acting antiretroviral medicines — Merck’s islatravir and Gilead Sciences’ lenacapavir — with complementary mechanisms of action that enable once-weekly dosing. The combination could reduce the burden of lifelong daily pill-taking for people living with HIV, revealed the trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week.

What Did The New Trial Show?

The randomized, double-blind trial evaluated a once-weekly combination tablet containing islatravir and lenacapavir in adults whose HIV had remained suppressed for at least six months while taking the daily regimen bictegravir–emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide by Gilead.

The international study involved 607 adults across 106 clinical sites in 12 countries. Participants who had maintained viral suppression on standard daily treatment were randomly assigned either to switch to the once-weekly tablet or remain on their existing daily medication.

After 48 weeks, the once-weekly regimen proved non-inferior to the standard once-daily treatment. Overall, 93.4% of participants taking the weekly regimen and 92.4% of those continuing daily therapy maintained viral suppression.

No participants receiving the weekly treatment experienced virological failure. At week 48, no participants taking the once-weekly regimen had a viral load of 50 copies per milliliter or higher, compared with one participant (0.3%) in the daily-treatment group.

None of the participants developed resistance to either islatravir or lenacapavir.

CD4+ T-Cell Levels Remained Stable

Levels of CD4+ T-cells and total lymphocytes, which are immune cells that help fight infections, remained stable in both groups.

Earlier studies of higher daily doses of islatravir raised concerns about declines in immune cell counts.

Comparable Safety Profile

About 80% of participants in each group experienced at least one mild or moderate adverse event, such as headache or diarrhea.

Serious adverse events were less common, occurring in 16 participants (5.3%) receiving the weekly regimen and 14 participants (4.6%) receiving daily therapy.

Six participants in the weekly regimen group and five in the daily-treatment group discontinued treatment due to adverse events. No deaths were reported.

“As such, these findings support the safety of the current weekly 2-mg [milligram] dose of islatravir,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

Both Drugs Are FDA-approved

Both islatravir and lenacapavir are US FDA-approved, but their combination is not.

Islatravir is approved by the FDA in combination with doravirine and is marketed as Idvynso. It is prescribed as a daily oral treatment for virologically suppressed adults.

Lenacapavir is also approved by the FDA as a multi-drug component for treatment-resistant HIV, marketed as Sunlenca. It is also approved as a twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention or PrEP, marketed as Yeztugo.

The study remains ongoing and participants will continue to be followed for a total of 96 weeks to assess longer-term safety and effectiveness.

Could Reduce ‘Pill Fatigue’

The researchers said that the once-weekly oral regimen could also help address “pill fatigue,” or the mental and emotional burden of taking medication every day.

For some patients, a weekly oral regimen may be more convenient than long-acting injectable HIV therapies, which require regular clinic visits.

“The first ever weekly oral therapy for the treatment of HIV could offer welcome relief from the burden of life-long daily pill-taking for people living with HIV. This is especially important for people that are experiencing stigma and people with other HIV-associated health conditions who are taking multiple other tablets,” said Professor Chloe Orkin MBE, Professor of Infection and Inequities and Dean for Healthcare Transformation at Queen Mary University of London.

New York City just rolled out new measures in a response to prevent Legionnaires’ disease after a major outbreak on the Upper East Side left 11 people dead and 94 infected.

The new measures, announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYC Health Department on September 1, aim to improve monitoring of cooling towers, speed up testing and enforcement, and make information about possible risky systems easier for the public to access.

The Upper East Side cluster, which affected the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods, has now ended in terms of exposure.

However, investigation is still in progress to find out exactly how the outbreak began. Whole-genome sequencing results expected this fall could help determine whether the Legionella strain found in patients matches bacteria detected in nearby cooling towers.

What Safety Measures Has NYC Announced?

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One major change will connect the Health Department's cooling tower registration system with the Department of Buildings' construction permitting system.

The goal is to identify unregistered cooling towers before they begin operating, after the city found unregistered systems during both the Upper East Side investigation and a previous outbreak in Central Harlem.

New York will also create a citywide map of registered cooling towers, allowing residents to see their locations and review inspection histories, including whether buildings have complied with Legionella sampling requirements. The map and an annual public education campaign are expected by spring 2027.

Cooling tower owners cited for violations will receive the earliest hearing date permitted, which is 15 days after a summons is served.

Since May 8, the Health Department has conducted 800 field inspections, with more than 460 resulting in at least one violation. The city says $80,500 in fines have been paid.

Why Are Cooling Towers Important?

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Legionella bacteria can grow in warm water systems and become a health risk when contaminated water produces tiny droplets or mist that people breathe in.

Cooling towers are among the systems that can allow the bacteria to spread through the air. Most people exposed to Legionella do not become ill, but the risk is higher among older adults, smokers and people with chronic diseases or weaken immunities.

Speedy Testing And New Cooling Technology

As of August 31, 94 people had been diagnosed and 11 had died in the Upper East Side cluster. No patients remained hospitalized.

The Health Department plans to explore and implement faster culture-testing methods and other approaches that could reduce the time needed to confirm whether Legionella is present. This could be key in preventing future outbreaks.

The Upper East Side had nearly four times as many cooling towers in the affected area as were identified during the 2025 Central Harlem cluster, making rapid testing considerably more challenging.

The city will also establish a scientific team to examine new cooling tower technologies and alternative cooling systems.

NYC Health Commissioner Dr Alister F. Martin added, "Rigorous standards only matter if we are constantly working to make them stronger."