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.

Drug-resistant superbug Candida auris (C. auris) has now been detected in 27 US states. According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3,437 clinical cases have been reported through July 25.

The figure is about 1,000 fewer than the 4,290 cases reported during the same period last year.

Candida auris Remains A Critical Public Health Threat

C. auris is a deadly fungus that primarily poses a concern for people who are hospitalised or in long-term care facilities. The total number of clinical cases has increased since the pathogen was first detected in the US in 2016, the CDC said.

While the rate of increase has slowed in recent years, C. auris remains a “critical public health threat.”

First discovered in Japan in 2009, the pathogen can live silently on the skin but can become deadly when it reaches the bloodstream. It kills about 3,000 patients in US hospitals and long-term care facilities each year.

Now, a new study published in the journal Science has revealed why the deadly superbug can be so difficult to remove from the skin once it takes hold.

How Candida auris Permanently Colonizes Skin

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that C. auris actively rewires the skin’s immune system to protect itself, taking refuge in hair follicles where current therapies cannot reach it.

“Candida auris colonizes skin way better than most other fungi, setting it up to invade once the immune system is weakened,” said Dean Merrill, a dermatologist, UCSF professor and first author of the study.

“The big clinical problem is that we have no effective way to remove it from the skin,” he added.

To understand why C. auris persists on the skin unlike other fungi, researchers compared it with Candida albicans, a common fungus that the skin and immune system normally clear quickly.

In mice, C. auris was found to persist by taking refuge in hair follicles.

While C. albicans activated an immune signal called IL-17, which helps renew the skin’s surface and strengthen antifungal defenses, allowing the infection to be cleared, C. auris, triggered interferon gamma, a signal more commonly associated with viral infections.

The fungus achieved this by remodeling its outer cell wall to expose more of a molecule called chitin. This prompted immune cells to release interferon gamma around the hair follicle.

The interferon gamma then blocked the skin’s antifungal defenses, including IL-17. It also slowed the natural replacement of cells in the hair follicle, causing older, damaged cells to accumulate and creating a niche where C. auris could flourish.

How The Finding Will Help?

The findings reveal potential targets for preventing C. auris from persisting on the skin.

One possible approach could involve drugs that shift the immune response away from interferon gamma and toward IL-17, which drives the skin’s normal antifungal clearing process.

Another possibility could be drugs that block chitin, potentially preventing the fungus from amplifying interferon gamma signals, Merrill said.

More broadly, the researchers say the findings offer a new way of understanding how microbes can quietly coexist with humans before becoming dangerous.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak may have been spreading for months before health authorities officially declared it, raising new questions about why the early warning signs were missed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), genetic sequencing indicates that the current outbreak began as early as February 2026, while the DRC officially declared the outbreak on May 15. By then, the virus had already had time to spread through communities in eastern DRC.

The outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola species for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific course of treatment.

What Were The Early Warning Signs?

One of the major reasons why the current Ebola outbreak expanded within a short period of time was that it not immediately recognised.

Some early patients were reportedly treated for malaria or typhoid, illnesses that can initially cause symptoms such as fever, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea. Early testing also focused on the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, delaying recognition of Bundibugyo virus.

WHO’s own assessment had already identified an unusual cluster of severe illness and deaths in the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri Province by early May. A subsequent investigation covering April 15 to May 13 identified 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths across three health zones.

Geographical disadvantage was also one of the reasons. Ituri is affected by armed conflict, population displacement and poor road access. Health workers have faced shortages of protective equipment, while some facilities have struggled because of workers' strikes.

Also read: Nova Scotia's Ebola Trial: Why Is Canada Testing A Vaccine When It Has No Outbreak?

What Is The Current Status Of DRC Ebola Outbreak?

The Ebola outbreak in DRC continues to grow at a rapid pace. The latest government figures cited by WHO and international media show about 4,200 confirmed Ebola cases and at least 1,900 deaths in DRC.

WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi described the situation bluntly: “We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also warned that the outbreak is moving faster than the response, with cases doubling in some hotspots. He wrote on on X that “the outbreak is spreading faster than our scale up of the response”, adding that new cases had doubled in some hotspots over the previous week.

Ebola becomes considerably harder to contain once transmission moves beyond identifiable limits. Unlike respiratory viruses, Ebola primarily spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and contaminated materials. But when patients are not recognised early, they can unknowingly expose others, healthcare workers and caregivers.

Also read: FDA Approves Moderna's First mRNA Flu Vaccine, Marking A Milestone In Influenza Prevention

Effects Of Delayed Recognition

One of the major challenges in this outbreak is that around 60–70% of new cases are reportedly occurring outside known contact chains, making traditional contact tracing much harder. The current outbreak has also unfolded in crowded urban and displacement settings, rather than remaining confined to an isolated rural location.

The 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic was officially declared in March 2014, although the first human case was later traced back to December 2013. That outbreak eventually led to more than 11,000 deaths.

Also read: Amid Rapidly Expanding Ebola Outbreak, DR Congo Is Seeing An Alarming Increase In Maternal Deaths; Here's Why

Progress In Bundibugyo Vaccine Development

The WHO is now pushing to accelerate the response, including clinical trials of the Ervebo vaccine, which is licensed against the Zaire strain but may offer some protection against Bundibugyo. Researchers are also developing vaccines specifically targeting Bundibugyo virus.

mRNA-1469 is an investigational vaccine developed using Moderna's messenger RNA (mRNA) platform, the same technology used in its COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine builds on the company's broader research into filoviruses, the family of viruses that includes Ebola.

A new experimental menopause drug has shown promising results in reducing hot flashes, with the company reporting an 83% reduction in moderate-to-severe episodes in a mid-stage clinical trial.

Shares of Canadian biotechnology company AbCellera surged nearly 40% on Monday after it announced positive results for ABCL635, an experimental non-hormonal treatment for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.

The Phase 2 study involved 92 women. After four weeks, women who received a single 600-mg dose of ABCL635 experienced an 83% reduction in the frequency of moderate-to-severe hot flashes, equivalent to 8.8 fewer episodes per day from baseline. The placebo group reported a 33% reduction, or 3.5 fewer episodes per day.

The treatment also improved the severity of symptoms, sleep and women's overall assessment of their improvement, according to the company.

The most commonly reported side effects, however, included headache, fatigue and reactions at the injection site.

What Makes This Drug Significant?

ABCL635 takes a different approach from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It is a non-hormonal antibody treatment that targets the neurokinin 3 receptor, or NK3R, a protein involved in the brain's regulation of body temperature.

During menopause, falling estrogen levels can disrupt the activity of a group of brain cells known as KNDy neurons. This can make the body's temperature-control system overly sensitive, triggering hot flashes. By blocking NK3R signaling, ABCL635 is designed to help restore that balance.

Also read: Lifestyle Genetics And Hormones: Understanding The Interplay Of Risk Factors For Ovarian Cancer

More About The Drug

One of the drug's potential advantages is its dosing. ABCL635 is being developed as a long-acting, once-monthly injection, rather than a daily pill.

AbCellera's chief medical officer Sarah Noonberg said the approach could appeal to women already accustomed to self-injecting medicines and could potentially improve adherence compared to daily dosing.

When the Phase 2 programme began, Noonberg said: “Menopausal symptoms can have a profound impact on quality of life,” adding that the company wanted to assess whether ABCL635 could offer women a safe and effective non-hormonal alternative.

However, the drug is still experimental and has not been approved for clinical use. AbCellera said additional 12-week trial data are expected later this year, which will provide a better picture of how long the benefits last and how the treatment performs over a longer period.

The drug development comes as non-hormonal menopause treatments are gaining popularity. FDA-approved options already include drugs targeting neurokinin pathways, including Astellas' Veozah and Bayer's Lynkuet, giving women alternatives when hormone therapy is unsuitable or not preferred.

Also read: Are Women More Likely To Experience More Severe Neurological Symptoms Of Long COVID Than Men? New Study Finds

Why Menopausal Hot Flashes Can Be Unnerving?

Hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms, are among the most common symptoms of menopause. The Menopause Society says up to 80% of women experience hot flashes or night sweats at some point during the menopause.

A hot flash can begin suddenly, often as an intense wave of heat across the face, neck and chest. It may be followed by sweating, chills, dizziness, anxiety or racing heartbeat. When these episodes happen during sleep, they are known as night sweats.

Frequent hot flashes can repeatedly interrupt sleep, leaving women irritable and fatigued the next day. Poor sleep can then affect concentration, mood and daily functioning, creating a cycle in which one menopause symptom amplifies another.