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.
If left untreated, TTTS can have devastating consequences. Medical research indicates that:
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.
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.
Twin pregnancies, even without the presence of TTTS, entail a variety of health risks to the mother as well as infants:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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India’s national capital is reporting a significant surge in influenza H1N1 cases. In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported 166 fresh H1N1 cases, up from 138 cases recorded the previous day, taking the cumulative tally to 2,612, officials said.
The total number of H1N1 cases in Delhi stood at 2,612, while cumulative Influenza-A cases were around 3,300, according to an official statement.
Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh inspected Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka amid the rising number of H1N1 cases in the national capital and reviewed the hospital's and the Health Department's preparedness.
The Minister said he has been closely monitoring preparedness across hospitals.
Beyond Delhi, areas including Mumbai and Bengaluru have also reported a significant spike in H1N1 cases.
DG ICMR Dr. Rajiv Bahl said H1N1 in India is showing expected seasonal changes, with no unusual genetic shift detected.
“No cause for panic: seasonal influenza remains self-limiting; no new or unusual virus strain detected,” he added.
Dr. Atul Kakkar, Senior Consultant and Head of Department, Internal Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told HealthandMe that H1N1 cases are significantly higher than last year, possibly due in part to seasonal changes.
Most patients are presenting with flu-like symptoms, including cold, cough, body aches and upper respiratory tract infections.
However, doctors are also seeing atypical symptoms.
“We are seeing patients having diarrhea also and myalgias, which are getting very, very frequent.”
Patients at extreme ages are more prone to complications and may require oxygen, high-flow oxygen, NIV or BiPAP, he said. Those at higher risk include people who are unvaccinated against flu, patients undergoing chemotherapy, and those with COPD, bronchial asthma, cancer or those on immunosuppressive treatment.
As per experts, H1N1 infection may also be associated with cardiovascular complications, including:
“Those with pre-existing heart conditions should be more vigilant whilst they’re recuperating. As the infection puts more work on the body, you can find that previous heart problems are more noticeable,” he added.
While H1N1 primarily causes fever and respiratory symptoms, some people also have some eye discomfort and sudden vision changes.
Dr. Maitri Jindal Chowdhary, Consultant, Ophthalmology: Yashoda Medicity told HealthandMe that eye symptoms during H1N1 may manifest as a bit of redness, watery eyes, some irritation or dryness, which should resolve as the H1N1 is overcome. But a change in vision definitely warrant an eye professional’s attention.
The expert said that vision changes such as blurry or double vision, acute vision loss, seeing flashes of light or floaters or a drop in your vision should be brought to the attention of an eye doctor. Don’t automatically attribute such vision changes to your “flu”.
"Some eye concerns are of course not as serious. There might be some watering of eyes, slight discomfort that resolve as you feel better. However if symptoms such as sudden blurry vision persists, if eye irritation persists or worsens – you need to get yourself checked out.
Likewise if you feel pain in the eye, there’s an alarming redness, a lot of light sensitivity, swelling or an discharge - go get those eyes checked out," Dr. Maitri told HealthandMe.
Be very careful if you wear contact lenses. Do not wear them if your eyes become red, painful or vision blurring as this could worsen the issue. Remove your contacts immediately and seek attention.
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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax-Sanofi for the 2026-27 season, the companies said.
Four COVID vaccines have been approved for use in the US after an advisory panel recommended that the shots target the dominant XFG variant.
Moderna: mNEXSPIKE and Spikevax
Pfizer-BioNTech: Comirnaty
It is approved for:
Novavax-Sanofi: Nuvaxovid
The vaccine targets the JN.1 strain.
All manufacturers had previously said they could make the updated shots in time for the 2026-27 immunization season, although Novavax could take longer to manufacture its vaccine.
The Donald Trump administration had shelved the universal COVID vaccine recommendation. It now recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older consult a healthcare provider before getting the shot.
In May, eight of the committee's nine experts voted in favor of targeting the XFG variant for the 2026-27 campaign.
For the 2025-26 season, the FDA had recommended that COVID shots target LP.8.1, a subvariant of the JN.1 strain. The CDC has yet to make an official recommendation for this year's vaccines.
Experts say the vaccines should begin reaching pharmacies and doctors' offices in September, CNN reported.
The CDC's latest respiratory illness data, updated August 21, shows that national and regional COVID-19 activity is increasing, although overall acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains very low.
Doctors have been reporting an increase in patients testing positive through the summer. But some physicians are noticing a change in how the illness is presenting.
Reports have emerged stating that COVID is resurfacing with new symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
COVID-19-related visits to the emergency room are also increasing.
Recent reports from doctors in Georgia describe patients arriving with gastrointestinal symptoms alongside, or sometimes instead of, the more familiar respiratory symptoms.
Although these symptoms may seem unusual compared with the classic COVID presentation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are not new symptoms of COVID-19.
The CDC has included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea among the possible symptoms of COVID-19 for years.
Dr James Black, medical director of emergency services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, said doctors are still seeing fever, cough and upper-respiratory symptoms, but added, “A lot of people are coming in with gastrointestinal symptoms - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes to the point of mild dehydration.”
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Even as the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus continues to spread, a new case study has revealed a striking finding: the lesser-known virus can remain at very high levels in a patient’s throat.
Ebola viruses are primarily known to attack the vascular system, damaging blood vessel integrity and disrupting the body’s ability to clot. This can lead to severe fluid loss, organ failure and, in some cases, internal or external bleeding.
However, a case study of a 39-year-old American healthcare worker infected with Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) found that his throat carried more than 10 times as much viral RNA as his blood.
The patient was later medically evacuated to Germany, where he received experimental treatment at a high-level isolation unit in Berlin.
On day five of illness, testing showed:
The case was published in Nature Medicine by researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, with collaborators including the CDC, US Department of State, Robert Koch Institute, Emory University and Congo’s Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale.
The healthcare worker had performed an ultrasound nine days before symptoms began.
Eight days before symptoms, he performed two surgeries using standard personal protective equipment and reported no specific high-risk exposure.
He voluntarily isolated himself when symptoms began. His early symptoms included:
By day three, he developed abdominal pain, vomiting, confusion and orthostatic symptoms.
Bundibugyo Ebola virus has so far caused three recorded outbreaks, but there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific treatments for the disease.
The patient had received a dose of rVSV-ZEBOV 41 months earlier, but that vaccine targets the Zaire species.
He received the investigational antibody cocktail MBP134 on day four, along with a 200 mg loading dose of remdesivir off-label.
He reached Berlin on day five with thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia and elevated liver enzymes.
By day 13, viral RNA was below detection levels in his:
However, the virus was still detected in semen on day 20 but was gone by day 25. Three laboratories failed to culture live virus from throat, plasma or semen samples, the report said.
The researchers cautioned that this cannot be directly attributed to MBP134 because pre-treatment culture data were unavailable. The patient was discharged 22 days after symptom onset.
Researchers found rising antibodies against the virus between days five and six, along with virus-specific IgM and IgA, suggesting that his own immune system mounted a response despite receiving monoclonal antibodies.
However, the researchers stressed that the case does not prove MBP134, remdesivir or their combination works. Larger studies are needed.
Congo declared the outbreak in Ituri Province on May 15, 2026, followed by a WHO public health emergency of international concern two days later.
As of August 22, the ECDC reported:
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