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.

Delhi-NCR locals woke up to the hottest day of the year so far on Thursday - 43 degrees - and it seems that temperatures are likely to rise further over the weekend. The India Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert across the country, especially in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, warning that intense summer conditions are approaching.

Heatwave alert in India

India is at present struggling with intense heat due to soaring temperatures in parts of the country. At the same time, mild weather activity like gusty winds and light showers has been observed in some regions, marking the onset of the pre-monsoon phase. Amid this, the IMD has predicted heatwave conditions over north-west India and central India during the next four to five days. East India will also experience the same in the next two to three days.

The IMD predicts that heatwave conditions started over Haryana on April 18 and then gradually reached Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. There is also a chance that people residing in these areas might get some relief from extreme heat in the next two weeks, but the temperature is likely to remain above normal in most parts of the country. In north-eastern states, despite rainfall, the plains are still unlikely to experience a drop in temperature in the coming weeks.

IMD Heatwave Alert

Heatwave warnings have been issued by the IMD for Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Kerala, Bihar, and Vidarbha have also received the alert. Maximum temperatures are likely to be higher than normal across India, and heatwave conditions will likely continue next week in Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Vidarbha. Night temperatures are also likely to increase in Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Minimum temperatures are also likely to be above normal in these areas.

Rain forecast

Heavy rainfall has also been predicted in the north-eastern region - Meghalaya and Assam are likely to experience strong winds of 50 to 60 km per hour, along with heavy rain, between April 25 and April 27. Similar warnings have been issued for Sikkim and West Bengal. Jammu and Kashmir are also likely to witness light rainfall.

Tips to survive an extreme heatwave

In order to survive a heatwave, doctors recommend some simple tips to help you beat the heat. These are:

1. Avoid going out between 12 noon and 4 pm
2. Avoid stepping out unless it is necessary
3. Drink plenty of water
4. Avoid strenuous activities
5. Close the blinds and avoid sun-facing windows
6. Avoid alcohol
7. Wear light-coloured and lightweight clothing
8. Use sunscreen
9. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables like watermelon and cucumbers
10. Drink coconut water, buttermilk, or other refreshing summer beverages

An international team of researchers has identified a new way by which coronaviruses carried by bats can enter human cells.

Their study, published in the journal Nature, targeted the spike proteins of coronaviruses carried by heart-nosed bats in Kenya.

The team, including those from the universities of Cambridge and York, along with those from the National Museums of Kenya, found that a coronavirus, dubbed CcCoV-KY43, has evolved a new way of binding to human cells. It is different from the mechanism used by SARS-COV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virus - Cardioderma cor coronavirus (CcCoV) KY43, or CcCoV-KY43 - can bind to a receptor cell found in the human lung, but testing in Kenya suggests it has not spilled over into the local human population.

“Viral spike proteins are keys that fit into locks (host receptors) to open the door and enter a cell. So far, we have identified one alphaCov receptor. The challenge now is to find the others,” said Professor Stephen Graham in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge, joint senior author of the paper.

CcCoV-KY43 is found in heart-nosed bats, Cardioderma cor, an ecologically important species found mainly in eastern Africa, including in eastern Sudan and northern Tanzania.

The researchers say the zoonotic (animal-to-human) and pandemic potential of alphaCoVs has remained relatively uncharted - to date, only two cellular receptors have been characterized for alphaCoVs.

Read: US CDC Study Showcasing COVID Vaccine Benefits Blocked From Publication

How Did The Researchers Identify The New Mechanism

Rather than work on ‘live’ viruses, the scientists used a public database of known genetic sequences, Genbank, to select and synthesise alphacoronavirus ‘spike’ proteins, including 27 viruses originally isolated in bats, and screened these against a library of coronavirus receptors found in human cells.

Spike proteins protrude from the surface of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and bind to specific receptors on human cells, triggering infection.

They showed that CcCoV-KY43 binds to the human glycoprotein CEACAM6.

“Before our study, it was assumed all alphacoronaviruses used just one of two possible receptors to enter their host, and the only difference was which species they could enter. We now know alphaCovs might use a whole variety of different receptors to open cells,” said Dr Dalan Bailey, Group Leader at the Pirbright Institute and joint senior author of the paper.

“Not only did we find the new coronavirus receptor in human cells ahead of any virus spillover into the human population, but the study was performed using just a piece of the virus (the spike) rather than the whole pathogen, negating the need to import a live virus into the UK," added Dr Giulia Gallo, lead author of the paper.

Also read: Bangladesh Measles Outbreak: Meghalaya, Tripura To Ramp Up Vaccination, Boost Surveillance

The study stressed the need for further study in East Africa to better understand the risk from the family of viruses that can use this receptor to enter human cells.

This will help scientists to be better prepared for any spillover of the virus into humans in the future, and potentially begin to develop human vaccines and antivirals.

“We hope our findings will help better understand the risk from the family of viruses we identified that can use the human receptor: for example, by mapping the prevalence of the virus in bats and looking to see if it has already spilled over in at-risk populations,” Graham said.

With the rising measles cases, the US is most likely to lose its measles elimination status, acquired in the year 2000. The reason is in plain sight: the lack of vaccination.

The US recorded 2,288 measles cases last year – the highest number since the disease was declared eliminated in the country 25 years ago. Another 1,748 cases have already been reported this year, so far, raising concerns among experts that the US could lose its elimination status.

However, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, long known as a vaccine skeptic, who faced intense questioning from several US senators, denied his role. He instead attributed the surge in measles cases in the country to global outbreaks.

Measles Outbreak in US: "I Have Nothing To Do With It", Says Kennedy

According to public health specialists, Kennedy failed to strongly promote vaccination and instead highlighted unproven treatments such as steroids while the virus spread across state lines.

In his opening remarks to the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ron Wyden criticized Kennedy’s messaging on vaccines, saying: “When it comes to vaccines, Robert Kennedy has used this once-in-a-lifetime platform to make parents doubt themselves and doubt their doctors.”

“The secretary has ducked, bobbed, and weaved without taking the responsibility of saying what needs to be said: vaccines save lives in America,” he added.

However, he replied: “I have not visited Mexico or Europe. I have nothing to do with the measles outbreak. A lot of nations have lost their elimination status; (the) outbreak has nothing to do with me". "The whole world had their worst measles year,” he added.

Noting that he “promoted the measles vaccine”, Kennedy explained that most unvaccinated Americans who contracted measles last year were over the age of 5 years, meaning their parents decided not to vaccinate well before he assumed his role at HHS.

But David L. Hill, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the issue is nuanced.

“When 95 per cent of the population is vaccinated, sporadic cases from outside the country don’t spread as they are doing now, where rates in many communities have fallen below that level,” Hill told CIDRAP News. “So, anyone who is spreading misinformation about the safety or effectiveness of the measles vaccine shares in the responsibility for these outbreaks, especially if they have the ear of the public.

“All of our public health professionals have an obligation now to speak out clearly and forcefully in favor of universal measles vaccination, which we know saves lives.”

Also read: Surging Measles Cases In US Prompting Antivaxxers To Quietly Embrace MMR Vaccine: Report

Senators Probe Kennedy's Role In Childhood Flu Deaths

Further, the senators also questioned Kennedy about his role in childhood flu deaths. As of April 2026, the 2025-26 US flu season has seen 143 pediatric deaths, as per CDC data.

Senator Michael Bennet questioned Kennedy about changes to vaccine recommendations, pointing out that 2025 saw the highest number of childhood flu deaths — 280 pediatric deaths — in modern American history.

“I assume you no longer believe that the flu vaccine is destroying children’s brains, that there’s zero evidence that the flu vaccine prevents any hospitalizations or any deaths, because today, you’re here agreeing that the vast majority of kids that died from the flu were people without vaccines,” Bennet said.

Kennedy replied: “We’re making sure that we follow the science.”

Senator Ben Ray Luján also accused Kennedy of “pushing vaccine misinformation” that predated his tenure and pressed him to explain how he would reduce the number of measles cases and improve the MMR vaccination rate.

“We promote the MMR. We advise every child to get the MMR,” Kennedy said.

Read: US CDC Study Showcasing COVID Vaccine Benefits Blocked From Publication

What Is Measles?

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through direct contact or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is a vaccine-preventable disease that can cause devastating complications, including blindness, pneumonia, encephalitis, and long-term immune dysfunction.

Symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure and may include:

• high fever,
• cough,
• runny nose,
• red eyes,
• rashes across the body.

How To Stay Safe

To safeguard against measles, individuals should

• ensure timely vaccination, especially for children.
• Maintaining good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing and covering the mouth while coughing or sneezing, helps reduce transmission.
• Avoiding close contact with infected individuals and ensuring proper nutrition to boost immunity are also important.