Low-dose CT chest scans could help detect pneumonia in at-risk patients while exposing them to only small amounts of radiation, a new study has found. The research, published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, shows that ultra-low-dose scans can effectively detect pneumonia in patients with compromised immune systems, enabling doctors to treat the infection before it becomes life-threatening. According to the researchers, these scans expose patients to just 2% of the radiation dose used in a standard CT scan.

"This study paves the way for safer, AI-driven imaging that reduces radiation exposure while preserving diagnostic accuracy,” lead researcher Dr Maximiliano Klug, a radiologist with the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, said in a news release. He added that CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia but there are concerns regarding the risk posed by repeated exposure to radiation. There is a solution- ultra-low-dose CT scan. However, the problem is that these scans can be grainy and hard to read, researchers said.

Study Gives Solution To This

To overcome that, Klug's team developed an AI program that could help "de-noise" low-dose scans, making them sharper and easier to read. Between September 2020 and December 2022, 54 patients with compromised immune systems who had fevers underwent a pair of chest CT scans -- a normal dose scan and an ultra-low-dose scan. The AI program cleaned up the low-dose scan, and then both sets of images were given to a pair of radiologists for assessment. Radiologists had 100% accuracy in detecting pneumonia and other lung problems with the AI-cleaned low-dose scans, but 91% to 98% accuracy in examining the scans that hadn’t been improved through AI, results show.

"This pilot study identified infection with a fraction of the radiation dose," Klug said. "This approach could drive larger studies and ultimately reshape clinical guidelines, making denoised ultra-low dose CT the new standard for young immunocompromised patients.

How Can You Detect Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes the air sacs in the lungs to fill with fluid or pus and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The symptoms can range from milk to severe, which includes:

Coughing with or without cough

Fever

Chills

Trouble breathing

Chest pain, especially when breathing deeply or coughing

Sweating or chills

Rapid heart rate

Loss of appetite

Bluish skin, lips, and nails

Confusion.

How to detect Pneumonia in coughing newborns and toddlers?

Pneumonia can severely affect newborns and young children as their lungs are comparatively more sensitive. As per Dr Goyal, young children can cough for various reasons including seasonal infections and tonsillitis, which is very common in this age group. But if they look visibly irritable and have poor sleep patterns, then parents must reach out to an expert. "I am not saying that parents must visit a hospital but any local paediatrician would be able to detect pneumonia in your kid.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says its worst-ever Ebola outbreak has passed its peak and is now under control. But the assessment comes as the virus continues to spread geographically, with the outbreak crossing 7,000 cases and 3,398 deaths and reaching a seventh province.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in May in northeastern Ituri province. As of September 10, DRC authorities had recorded 7,022 cases and 3,398 deaths, giving the outbreak a case-fatality rate of about 48%. Around 837 people remained in isolation or treatment.

DRC Says Ebola Has Passed Its Peak

DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the government believes transmission has already peaked. The DRC government says the decline in cases attributes to a number of developments.

They say that 10 health zones affected before the latest expansion of the outbreak reported no new cases for at least 21 days. According to Xinhua news agency, transmission has slowed in several regions in the eastern province of Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Despite the slowdown, authorities called for strict monitoring and contact tracing, saying close surveillance remains necessary in regions where recent flare-ups have been reported.

“The 17th Ebola outbreak is under control, and the peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August 2026,” Muyaya said while presenting the findings of a cabinet meeting and citing Health Minister Roger Kamba.

The government’s assessment comes despite the detection of Ebola in South-Ubangi, a northwestern province that had not previously been affected during this outbreak. The first reported patient there was a 23-year-old man who later died.

He had traveled extensively before coming in Sud-Ubangi. He had travelled across several provinces neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, as well as both road and river routes.

Also read: Ebola Cases Cross 6,000, Death Toll Nears 3,000 In Congo; Mortality Rate Remains Close To 50%

WHO Warns The Outbreak Is Still Uncontrolled

The World Health Organization does not seem to agree with DRC’s claims. In its latest assessment, WHO said the outbreak “remains uncontrolled and increasingly heterogeneous,” with transmission declining in some areas while continuing to intensify or spread in others.

WHO's latest data, covering September 7, recorded 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths in DRC.

The agency said transmission remained variable, with continued geographic expansion and sustained increases in some health zones.

It is important to understand that a fall in cases in some hotspots does not necessarily mean the outbreak is over if new transmission chains are appearing elsewhere.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo Surpasses 3,000 Deaths: WHO & UN Say Outbreak Is Outpacing Response

DRC’s Deadliest Ebola Outbreak

The current epidemic is DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak and it has spread through remote and conflict-affected areas where healthcare infrastructure is limited. The WHO has also warned about shortages of trained healthcare workers, response partners, and funding.

Nearly 1,400 isolation and treatment beds have been established across affected areas, but the response still needs thousands more healthcare workers and additional resources.

Other challenges include unregulated and unsafe burials, population displacement, and delayed diagnosis. WHO has warned that late detection increases the risk of transmission within households, communities, and healthcare facilities.

Unlike the Zaire species responsible for previous major Ebola outbreaks, the Bundibugyo strain currently driving the DRC epidemic has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Experimental vaccines and treatments are being evaluated. Vaccine for Zaire virus is also being tested to examine its efficacy on Bundibugyo Ebolavirus.

Ebola spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease. Symptoms can include fever, severe weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, bleeding.

As part of the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi, world leaders are calling for a stronger focus on obesity and non-communicable diseases. The dialogue mainly focused on healthy lifestyles, combatting sedentary lifestyles, and early intervention to prevent obesity.

The New Delhi Declaration endorsed the BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle, which included a 2026–2029 roadmap for promoting healthier living across member countries. The initiative is set to focus on technical cooperation, ensuring best practices and coordinated awareness efforts around obesity and other NCDs.

For India, as the challenge extends beyond telling people to “eat better and exercise more”, the declaration stressed that there is dire need of government and society-level active approach to tackle the burden of chronic lifestyle disorders.

With long working hours, prolonged sitting, irregular meals and increasingly sedentary routines, preventing NCDs may need major changes in how people work and live.

BRICS Focuses On Obesity And NCDs

NCDs include disorders like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. They are driven by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.

The World Health Organization identifies four major modifiable behavioural risk factors: unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful alcohol consumption.

These can contribute to metabolic problems including obesity, high blood pressure, raised blood glucose and abnormal cholesterol.

WHO estimates that 31% of adults globally were insufficiently physically active in 2022. Physical inactivity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and several cancers.

Also read: As India Faces Flu Vaccine Shortage Amid H1N1 Surge, ICMR Recommends Alternative: Expert Explains If You Should Take It

How Could The BRICS Mission Translate Into Action?

The new push for lifestyle changes signals a shift from treating NCDs after they develop towards preventive and promotive healthcare involving governments, workplaces, healthcare systems and communities.

Dr Paras Agarwal, Director - Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolic Clinic, CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon, spoke to HealthandMe about the global push for obesity prevention and promotion of healthy lifestyle.

Dr Agarwal says, "BRICS recognising obesity as a major global public health challenge is a significant step, because obesity is not a cosmetic issue but a metabolic one, closely tied to insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Globally, this signals that prevention deserves the same urgency as treatment."

The diabetes specialist said that it is the need of the hour for Indians as it is currently carrying the burden of invisible metabolic risk.

He added, "For India, it carries an added layer: many people with a normal BMI still carry hidden abdominal fat and real metabolic risk."

The expert did not fail to point out the difference between policy building and implementing meaningful systems in place to achieve desired outcomes.

He said, "The real measure of this recognition's success will be whether it translates into accessible screening, sustainable lifestyle support and earlier intervention, rather than remaining a policy statement alone."

Also read: Can India Prevent Rabies Deaths By Vaccinating Dogs? Lancet Study Says Kerala May Reach Near-Zero Deaths In 3 Years

Sedentary Lifestyle Is The Silent Killer

India's growing desk workforce is facing a major health risk. Prolonged sitting could directly contribute to obesity and a number of metabolic and cardiovascular health challenges.

Sedentary behaviour teamed with uncontrolled calorie intake can contribute to weight gain and reduced insulin sensitivity, making it harder for the body to regulate blood glucose. Over time, people at higher risk can progress from normal glucose levels to prediabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes.

These chronic lifestyle disorders can be curbed only when timely preventive action is taken.

It is important to break up long periods of sitting with brief movements like walking during breaks, taking stairs or stretching between meetings, can make physical activity more achievable.

Regular aerobic exercise and strength training remain extremely important, depending on an individual's health and physical ability.

Prevention also includes right food choices, sleep, stress management and timely screening. WHO also recommends adults aged 18–64 get 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, along with strength training.

Besides obesity and NCDs, the BRICS declaration also focused on mental well-being, including a BRICS Training Hub Network and Centres of Excellence, with NIMHANS as the coordinating centre.

The United States has declared that its largest cyclosporiasis outbreak is finally over. According to reports, contaminated iceberg lettuce was associated with nearly 13,000 infections across 21 states.

The outbreak caused 12,883 reported illnesses, 570 hospitalisations and two deaths in Michigan, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While health officials say there is no longer a risk from the recalled lettuce, the investigation into how the parasite contaminated the food in the first place is still ongoing.

Why Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Source Is Still Not Known?

The outbreak was traced through investigations linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico by Taylor Farms de Mexico.

The FDA said the investigation included people who reported eating processed iceberg lettuce served or purchased at different locations, including Taco Bell. The agency eventually converged on Taylor Farms as the common supplier and the company recalled the affected lettuce in July.

The FDA has now completed onsite inspections and sample collection at lettuce farms and the processing facility in Mexico. But, lab analysis of those samples is yet to be carried out.

This means investigators know which food was linked to the outbreak, but have not yet determined exactly where or how Cyclospora entered the lettuce supply chain.

Also read: Cyclospora to Alzheimer’s: Trump Administration Scales Back Key Health Research

What Is Cyclospora And How Does It Make You Sick?

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis that infects the intestines. People usually develop symptoms about a week after consuming contaminated food or water, although the incubation period can range from two days to two weeks or longer.

The most common symptom is prolonged watery diarrhoea, which may be accompanied by abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss and increased gas.

Unlike many short-lived stomach infections, cyclosporiasis can persist or return if it is not treated. Prolonged diarrhoea can also lead to dehydration, which can become particularly dangerous in vulnerable people.

Also read: Broccoli Sprouts Linked To Salmonella Outbreak In US: 22 Cases Reported, FDA Says

Massive Scale Of The Outbreak

At its peak, more than 1,000 infections were reported in a single day before the recall. By August, infections had fallen to fewer than two per day on average, after which the CDC determined that the outbreak was over.

The FDA now says it is confident that all recalled iceberg lettuce linked with this specific outbreak has been removed from the market. The agency is continuing its investigation with US and Mexican authorities to determine the root cause and improve prevention measures.

Cyclospora Risk Still Persists

The specific lettuce outbreak is considered over, but Cyclospora infections have not disappeared from the US. CDC recorded 19,595 laboratory-confirmed, domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases between May 1 and August 31, 2026.

The Taylor Farms outbreak accounted for more than half of those cases, while other Cyclospora clusters are still under investigation.

Consumers must understand that fresh produce can occasionally become contaminated with parasites before reaching the plate. FDA recommends following food-safety practices and carefully cleaning surfaces or containers that came into contact with recalled produce.