HMPV in Malaysia: A surge in the number of cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is seen in Malaysia, after it was reported in China, this year. A 45% increase from last year has been seen as per the government reports. The world is now closely looking at the HMPV and accounting for its cases after China reported a sharp surge in respiratory illness over the last few weeks.

As per the Strait Times, the Malaysian health ministry urged its people to remain vigilant. The advisory also asked public to be prepared for an increase in respiratory tract infection as it will continue to increase due to extreme weather conditions. As of now, Malaysia witnessed 327 new HMPV cases in 2024, up from 225 cases reported in 2023.

Read for HMPV Virus Symptoms, Causes , Treatment and Prevention

Safety Measures

If reports were to be believed, the best way to prevent the virus from spreading is through hygienic sanitary practices. This includes washing hands with soap, wearing a face mask and covering your nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing. These are similar safety measures which were also implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. As per experts, this spike in the beginning and end of the year during extreme winters is expected.

What is happening in China?

It has been fiver years since COVID-19 outbreak was reported, and now China is making the headlines due to the outbreak of yet another respiratory illness. As per sources, HMPV infection is growing at an exponential rate and as a result, there has been a burden on health facilities and crematories.

The Chinese health authorities have implemented a pilot system to combat this upsurge. This involves tracking cases of pneumonia with unknown origins. These efforts are launched by China's disease control agency to increase preparedness for respiratory outbreaks during the winter months.

Who are at most risk?

The virus has affected vulnerable populations, including children whose immune systems are still not fully developed, and elderly persons who already have a pre-existing respiratory diseases.

What are the common symptoms?

The symptoms are flu-like, they include:

• Fever
• Coughing
• Nasal congestion
• Runny Nose
• Sore Throat
• Nausea and vomiting

In some severe cases, a person may have bronchitis or pneumonia and also increase the risk of asthma or COPD.

Is it contagious?

Like any other respiratory diseases, this too can be spread through contaminated respiratory droplets from infected person to a healthy person. It could spread through sneezing, coughing or through aerosolized microorganism through touching.

Origin

As per the 2022 study titled Zoonotic Origins of Human Metapneumovirus: A Journey from Birds to Humans, the metapneumovirus are member of the family Pneumoviridae and have been identified earlier in birds, also known as the avian metapneumoviruses (AMPV). This is why HMPV and AMPV are closely related.

HMPV was first discovered in 2001, however, studies show that it has been circulating for at least 50 years.

The novel pneumovirus first identified in South African turkey farm was identified soon in farms throughout Western Europe, Asia, and South America. However, it took 23 years after the discovery of AMPV for HMPV to be discovered. In 2001, a Dutch group performed virus isolations from clinical samples from 28 epidemiologically unrelated children. They all shared common characteristics of suffering from respiratory tract infection and RSV. The study revealed that they were infected by HMPV infection and the same study revealed that this virus has been circulating since last 50 years.

After wrapping up a two-year long world tour, pop icon Justin Timberlake, 44, opened up about a private health battle that’s been affecting him behind the scenes. In a heartfelt Instagram post shared on Thursday, the singer revealed that he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness that can cause lingering and unpredictable symptoms.

The announcement came just one day after the conclusion of his tour in Istanbul, marking the end of a musical chapter that spanned more than 70 performances across North America, Europe, and South America.

Diagnosis Behind the Scenes

Timberlake disclosed that during his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which promoted his sixth solo album Everything I Thought It Was, he had been quietly “battling some health issues.”

“When I first got the diagnosis, I was shocked for sure,” Timberlake wrote. “But at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain, or just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”

He admitted that the symptoms forced him to reconsider continuing the tour, saying, “I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.”

Despite the physical toll, Timberlake pushed through his JT LIVE 25 tour leg, which included festival performances like Lollapalooza Brazil, before finally wrapping things up on July 31.

What Is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. It's most common in certain parts of North America and Europe, especially during the warmer months.

The most common early sign of Lyme is a red rash that often resembles a bull’s-eye, typically appearing within 3 to 30 days after the bite.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US, notes that the early symptoms can also mimic the flu, fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. If caught early and treated with antibiotics, most people recover completely within a few weeks.

However, for some, like Timberlake, symptoms can persist or worsen even after treatment. This condition, sometimes called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), includes ongoing fatigue, nerve pain, cognitive issues, and more.

“Lyme can be incredibly tricky because its symptoms overlap with many other conditions,” explained Dr. Christopher Bazzoli, an emergency medicine expert at the Cleveland Clinic, as reported by the New York Times. “When it’s not caught early, it can lead to a wide range of complications, from joint pain to neurological issues.”

In some untreated or severe cases, complications can include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Arthritis
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness or shortness of breath
• Nerve pain
• Memory or concentration problems
• And in rare instances, meningitis

Doctors are still researching why some people recover quickly while others experience long-term effects. For now, treatment usually includes rest, medications for symptom relief, and in some cases, extended antibiotic therapy.

Timberlake has now joined a growing list of celebrities, including Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain, who’ve opened up about their experiences with Lyme disease in hopes of raising awareness.

Takeaway For You: If you’ve spent time in wooded or grassy areas and experience unusual fatigue, joint pain, or rashes, it’s worth getting checked for Lyme. Early diagnosis can make all the difference.

In what is being hailed as a groundbreaking moment in global transfusion medicine, a 38-year-old woman from Karnataka, India, has been identified as the first known carrier of a previously undocumented human blood group, now officially named CRIB. This unprecedented finding came to light when she was admitted to R.L. Jalappa Hospital in Kolar for heart surgery in 2023.

Though she was originally typed as O-positive, her blood didn’t behave like it. It reacted with every test sample available in the lab—something known as being panreactive. That raised immediate red flags among her physicians. No compatible donor could be found, even among 20 of her closest family members. Despite the risk, the surgical team completed her cardiac procedure without a transfusion—a decision that would later prove critical in her survival and in medical history.

What followed was a medical investigation that spanned continents. Her blood sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, UK—one of the world’s leading institutions in blood group identification. There, a team of transfusion scientists spent 10 months conducting molecular and serological analyses to crack the case.

Also Read: James Van Der Beek Shares Health Update After Stage 3 Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Finally, they concluded that her blood carried an unknown antigen—a marker on red blood cells that typically determines compatibility for transfusions. The antigen didn’t match anything in the 43 existing blood group systems recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).

A new antigen was identified within the Cromer blood group system, which involves proteins called decay-accelerating factor (DAF) on red cells. To honor the origin of the discovery, scientists named the antigen CRIB, an acronym combining Cromer, India, and Bengaluru.

What Is the CRIB Blood Group?

The CRIB blood group represents a rare antigen profile within the Cromer system. In most people, antigens in this group are present on DAF proteins. But in the CRIB case, the woman lacked a high-prevalence antigen commonly found in the general population, causing her immune system to react to every available donor blood type—even O-positive.

This made the woman’s blood functionally unique. Anyone with this blood type would need extremely rare, CRIB-negative blood in the case of transfusion—currently, there’s no known matching donor worldwide.

This isn’t just a medical oddity—it has far-reaching consequences for how we approach blood donation, transfusion safety, and immunogenetics.

The CRIB blood group challenges conventional systems used for blood typing and compatibility. It underscores how standard blood typing is still incomplete, and how gaps in our understanding can be dangerous—especially in emergency surgeries or during pregnancy.

How Is This Blood Type Discovery Affect Pregnancy and Fetal Health?

The discovery of CRIB has serious implications for fetal medicine. Similar to how Rh incompatibility can lead to Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN), CRIB-positive mothers might develop antibodies that attack the fetus’s red blood cells—if the baby inherits incompatible antigens.

Detecting CRIB in expectant mothers could therefore become critical in preventing miscarriage or fetal complications.

India’s diverse gene pool has previously produced rare blood group discoveries, including INRA (Indian Rare Antigen), first identified in 2017. With CRIB now officially recognised by ISBT, it marks India’s second major contribution to global transfusion science in under a decade.

This elevates the importance of developing a national rare blood registry, and investing in genetic blood screening—not just for patients, but for potential donors.

What Is The Science Behind the Cromer Group?

The Cromer blood group system is one of the more obscure and less commonly tested classifications in blood science. It involves antigens located on the DAF (decay-accelerating factor), which protects blood cells from immune destruction. Variants in these antigens can cause unexpected immune reactions during transfusions.

CRIB appears to represent a novel Cromer antigen—meaning it doesn’t behave like any of the previously documented ones. This puts it in a category of what transfusion scientists call high-prevalence antigen absences, where even a single unit of compatible blood can be hard—or impossible—to find.

In an effort to find a compatible blood donor, doctors collected samples from 20 of her family members. None matched. This confirmed that the antigen pattern was not only rare—it was potentially unique.

The case was handled with meticulous care. According to Dr. Ankit Mathur from the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, “Her blood was panreactive, incompatible with all test samples. Recognising this as a possible case of a rare or unknown blood type, we worked closely with international experts and managed the case without transfusion.” Now that CRIB has been added to the official ISBT database, transfusion scientists across the world are advocating for:

• Development of CRIB-specific antibody screening kits
• International rare blood registries to flag potential future donors
• Greater investment in genetic blood typing, especially in populations with diverse ancestry
• Training healthcare professionals to recognise and manage panreactive or atypical cases earlier

The discovery of CRIB is more than a scientific milestone—it’s a reminder of how individual cases can rewrite medical textbooks. One woman’s unusual blood has now become a catalyst for change in how we view transfusion safety, genetics, and global healthcare cooperation.

For now, she remains the only known person in the world with the CRIB blood group but her case has opened the door to more discoveries and potentially, more lives saved.

James Van Der Beek says his life will never be the same again. Diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023, the Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues actor is now facing the kind of life transformation that goes far beyond Hollywood scripts.

“I’m just on the journey,” the 48-year-old told Today.com in a candid interview. “It's a process. It'll probably be a process for the rest of my life."

For Van Der Beek, living with cancer isn’t just about treatment. It’s become a full-time job, one that’s required a complete overhaul of his lifestyle. From modifying his diet to rethinking how he exercises and rests, the actor has embraced a slower, more intentional way of living.

Finding Peace in Slowing Down

“The most important thing,” Van Der Beek shared, “is to find the beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest, and really allowing that to be the job.”

His perspective is reflective of someone who has been forced to confront mortality. In an emotional Instagram post in March, the actor said, “I had to come nose to nose with death.”

During treatment, he had to step back from his role as a father and husband. “I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed... I could not be a provider because I wasn't working."

Yet in the quiet moments of stillness, he found something unexpected: spiritual clarity. “I meditated and the answer came through. I am worthy of God's love, simply because I exist. And if I'm worthy of God's love, shouldn't I also be worthy of my own?”

Encouraging Others to Get Screened

Van Der Beek, who was screened at age 46, is now encouraging others to get checked earlier. He admitted he was unaware that the recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings had been lowered to 45.

“I thought I was way ahead of the game,” he said. “I ate as well as I could. I was healthy. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. There was no reason in my mind that I should have gotten a positive diagnosis.”

His message is clear: even those who feel and look healthy aren’t immune, and early detection can be life-saving.

Back on Set and Grateful for It

Despite everything, Van Der Beek has been finding joy and even normalcy through work. He recently filmed for the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, calling the experience a much-needed escape.

"The greatest thing about work is cancer doesn't exist between action and cut," he said. “It was fun to drop in and just have a blast… It’s such a great cast, a great production, and everybody out there is really talented.”

A Healing Phase and a Family Anchor

In March, he gave Extra an update from his Texas ranch, where he lives with his wife Kimberly and their six children, Olivia (14), Joshua (13), Annabel (11), Emilia (9), Gwendolyn (7), and Jeremiah (3). Van Der Beek said he’s now in a “healing portal,” adding, “I feel like I can see the finish line.”

Earlier that month, he made his debut as the Griffin on The Masked Singer, a role that offered unexpected emotional catharsis. “To be able to put on the mask and connect with an audience without [my diagnosis] being a part of the equation was actually a really beautiful thing,” he said.