As harmless as it may seem, flu has been classified as high severity in 2024-25 across all ages, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Amidst the rising number of cases, we may have an easy at-home way to deal with it.

AstraZeneca has launched FluMist Home, a new service that delivers the FLUMIST nasal spray flu vaccine right to your house. This is a game-changer, as it's the first time an influenza vaccine can be sent directly to customers for at-home use.

FLUMIST, a needle-free nasal spray, has been approved by the FDA since 2003. Now, it is also the first flu vaccine approved for people ages 18-49 to give to themselves, or for parents and caregivers to give to children ages 2-17. This new service aims to make it easier for people to get vaccinated and stay protected, especially after the last flu season was one of the worst in years.

Will This At-Home Service Help Lower Flu Cases?

According to NFID, 47 million flu related, 21 million medical visits, 610,000 hospitalizations and 27,000 deaths, which include 266 pediatric deaths happened during the flu season of 2024-25.

AstraZeneca and healthcare experts believe this new service will help more people get vaccinated. It makes flu shots more convenient and removes the need to go to a doctor's office or pharmacy.

Who Should Not Take the Flu Nasal Spray?

According to the FluMist Safety Information available on their site, you should not get the FLUMIST vaccine if any of the following apply to you:

• You have a severe allergy to the vaccine's ingredients, to eggs, or to other flu vaccines.
• You are a child or adolescent between 2 and 17 years old and are currently taking aspirin or aspirin-containing medicines. Children in this age group should not be given aspirin for four weeks after getting FLUMIST unless a doctor says it's okay.
• You are under 2 years old, as there's a higher risk of wheezing (trouble breathing) in this age group after getting the vaccine.

What Precautions Do You Need For the Flu Nasal Spray?

For the 2025-26 flu season, FluMist Home is available in 34 states. AstraZeneca plans to expand the service to all 48 states in the future. FLUMIST will still be available at doctors' offices and pharmacies. Before getting FLUMIST, it's crucial to tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions. This includes if you:

• Are currently wheezing or have a history of wheezing (especially if you're under 5 years old).
• Have asthma.
• Have a weakened immune system or live with someone who has a severely weakened immune system.
• Have had Guillain-Barré syndrome (a condition that causes severe muscle weakness).
• Have problems with your heart, kidneys, or lungs.
• Have diabetes.
• Are pregnant or nursing.
• Are taking antiviral drugs to treat the flu.

What Are The Side-Effects of The Flu Nasal Spray?

While most side effects are mild, FLUMIST can cause rare but serious reactions. The most common side effects are a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and a fever over 100°F.

Rare, serious side effects can include allergic reactions. If you experience hives, swelling of your face, lips, eyes, tongue, or throat, or have trouble breathing, seek medical help immediately.

Health officials around the world are warning travelers about a sharp increase in measles cases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is urging everyone to be fully vaccinated before traveling abroad, as many recent cases in Korea have been from travelers returning from other countries.

Globally, measles cases have surged, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting around 360,000 cases in 2024. This is largely because of a drop in vaccination rates, which were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic

What Should Travellers Be Aware Of?

According to the KDCA, many of these infections came from countries with ongoing measles outbreaks. The number of global measles cases jumped to about 360,000 in 2024, as vaccination efforts were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The countries linked to the most imported cases are:

• Vietnam
• South Africa
• Uzbekistan
• Thailand
• Italy
• Mongolia

For travelers heading to these regions, the KDCA strongly recommends getting both doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This is especially important for adults who may have missed their second dose as children.

Countries That Have The Highest Measles Cases

According to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report released on 15th August, there have been 10,139 confirmed cases and 18 deaths across ten countries, a 34-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024. The countries with the highest number of confirmed cases are:

• Canada (4,548 cases)
• Mexico (3,911 cases)
• United States (1,356 cases)

Cases have also been reported in Bolivia, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Costa Rica. Sadly, there have been deaths in Mexico (14), the U.S. (3), and Canada (1). In Mexico, most of the deaths happened in Indigenous communities, which have been severely affected. Canada also reported the tragic death of a newborn.

The outbreaks are being caused by two different types of the measles virus. One type is spreading quickly among Mennonite communities in eight countries. This shows how fast the virus can move through groups that are not vaccinated. While the outbreaks have mainly been in these communities, more and more cases are now being found in other groups of people as well..

Why Do You Need Measles Vaccine?

Measles is a very contagious illness that can spread easily through the air. While most people think of it as a childhood disease, it can cause serious problems like pneumonia or brain swelling. It's especially dangerous for young children, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems.

The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others. Officials strongly recommend getting both doses, especially if you plan to travel. The KDCA also advises anyone who develops a fever or rash within three weeks of returning to Korea to take immediate precautions: wear a mask, limit contact with others, and tell medical staff about your recent travel before seeking care.

What Steps Have The Countries With Measles Outbreak Taken?

According to PAHO,

• Measles is still spreading in several provinces of Canada, including Alberta and British Columbia.
• In Mexico, the government has launched a mass vaccination campaign in 14 high-priority areas, with a special focus on Indigenous communities in Chihuahua, where most of the country's cases are located.
• In United States, outbreaks have been reported in 41 states, mainly among under-vaccinated populations.
• Most cases of Bolivia are in the Santa Cruz area, affecting both the general population and Mennonite communities.
• Argentina and Belize have not reported any new cases since late June.

PAHO is working with these countries to boost vaccination rates and quickly respond to new outbreaks. While travel restrictions aren't recommended, travelers are advised to ensure they are vaccinated, including young children from 6 to 11 months old, who can get an early dose for protection.

A Missouri resident is fighting for life in the intensive care unit after contracting one of the rarest yet most deadly infections known to medicine: Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the brain-eating amoeba. The case, traced back to waterskiing on the popular Lake of the Ozarks, has sparked renewed questions about how people can be exposed to this microscopic threat—and whether everyday activities like showering or drinking tap water could carry risks.

Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that lives naturally in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It thrives in temperatures between 77°F and 115°F, meaning it is more commonly found in waters during hot summer months when levels are low and temperatures rise.

Despite its frightening nickname, the amoeba doesn’t “eat” brains in a literal sense. Instead, when water contaminated with N. fowleri enters through the nose—often during swimming, diving, or watersports—the organism can travel to the brain. Once there, it causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a devastating infection that destroys brain tissue.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes PAM as “almost always fatal.” In fact, the fatality rate exceeds 97%, with just four survivors out of 167 confirmed cases in the United States between 1962 and 2024.

How Does the Infection ?

The key factor is nasal exposure, not ingestion. Simply drinking contaminated water does not cause illness. The amoeba must enter through the nose and reach the brain’s olfactory nerves. This is why activities like:

• Waterskiing, wakeboarding, or diving in warm freshwater
• Swimming in poorly maintained pools or splash pads
• Using contaminated tap water for nasal rinses or Neti pots

are considered riskier than simply consuming the water.

Cases have even been linked to routine activities such as bathing or showering in places where water systems were contaminated. While rare, this route of exposure is considered possible if water is forced high into the nasal cavity.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms usually develop within 3 to 12 days after exposure. They begin subtly, resembling common viral illnesses, but progress rapidly:

Early: headache, fever, nausea, vomiting

Later: stiff neck, confusion, hallucinations, seizures

Advanced: coma and death, typically within five days of symptom onset

This rapid progression makes timely diagnosis extraordinarily difficult. By the time PAM is suspected, the infection is usually advanced.

How Rare Is Brain-Eating Infection, Really?

The good news is that Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare. In the U.S., an average of just two to three cases per year are reported, despite millions of people swimming in warm lakes and rivers.

Globally, however, cases have been documented in more than 40 countries. A review up to 2018 found 381 cases worldwide, with a shocking 92% mortality rate. The highest number of cases were recorded in the United States, Pakistan, Mexico, and India. Australia, too, has documented outbreaks, particularly in regions with warmer climates.

Is It Safe To Drink Tap-Water?

One of the most unnerving aspects of Naegleria fowleri is when it shows up in municipal water supplies. In 2024, officials in Queensland, Australia, confirmed its detection in drinking water systems in the towns of Augathella and Charleville. So should Americans be worried about catching the infection from their tap? Here’s the science:

Drinking contaminated water does not cause infection. The digestive system neutralizes the amoeba.

Nasal exposure is the risk. Taking a shower, using a Neti pot, or even children playing with hoses or sprinklers could theoretically force water up the nose.

Proper water treatment works. Adequate chlorination and maintenance of municipal systems eliminate the risk.

In the U.S., isolated incidents linked to Neti pots used with unboiled tap water have been reported, underlining why the CDC stresses that nasal rinses must use distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water.

In Missouri, the patient’s exposure was likely tied to high-speed watersports on Lake of the Ozarks during a spell of hot weather. Waterskiing increases the risk because it forces water deeply into the nasal passages.

Officials have not reported other cases connected to the lake, emphasizing just how rare the infection is, even in favorable conditions. Still, the case has heightened awareness and anxiety, particularly as climate change increases the likelihood of warmer water temperatures in many regions.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

There is no guaranteed way to eliminate risk, but health experts offer several practical precautions:

• Avoid swimming in warm freshwater during heatwaves or when water levels are low.
• Keep your head above water in lakes, rivers, or hot springs.
• Don’t dive or jump in. Water forced up the nose is the main risk factor.
• Use nose clips if you plan to submerge in freshwater.
• Stick to saltwater or properly chlorinated pools. The amoeba cannot survive in these environments.
• Use sterile or boiled water for nasal rinses. Never rely on straight tap water.

The idea of a “brain-eating amoeba” is terrifying, but public health experts emphasize that the odds of infection are extraordinarily low. Millions of people swim in lakes every year without incident.

The far greater concern, they say, is that when cases do occur, they are often misdiagnosed as bacterial meningitis until it’s too late. Public awareness, while important, should be balanced with the reality that preventive measures—like avoiding nasal exposure to untreated warm freshwater—are usually enough.

The Missouri case is a tragic reminder of just how deadly Naegleria fowleri can be, but also how vanishingly rare it is. You cannot catch it by drinking tap water, and routine showers in well-maintained municipal systems are safe. The risk only arises when contaminated warm freshwater is forced into the nose.

For now, experts say vigilance, not panic, is the right response. With simple precautions, Americans can keep enjoying summer lakes and rivers while understanding the small but serious risks that come with them.

Almost half of U.S. adults are now recommended to get earlier therapy for high blood pressure, with a more precise emphasis on prevention and customized care, under new guidelines released by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

The 2025 joint guideline revises the 2017 landmark advice and seeks to stem the broad burden of hypertension, the most prevalent—and most preventable—risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and even dementia.

One of the major causes of mortality in the United States and globally is high blood pressure. Almost 47% of American adults, that is, almost 120 million individuals, suffer from hypertension, with blood pressure at or above 130/80 mmHg. Most are not aware until complications arise that are fatal in nature.

"High blood pressure is the most prevalent and most treatable risk factor for heart disease," said Dr. Daniel Jones, chair of the writing committee and dean emeritus of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. "By identifying individual risks earlier and providing more individualized approaches throughout a lifetime, the 2025 guideline can help more individuals control their blood pressure and decrease the burden of heart disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia."

Prevention First With Lifestyle Modifications

Although medications will still be necessary for many patients, the new guidelines put heavy emphasis on lifestyle as the foundation for prevention. AHA specialists reaffirmed the "Life's Essential 8" measures as the backbone of heart and vascular well-being. Recommendations include:

• Reducing daily sodium consumption to below 2,300 mg, ideally 1,500 mg, through cutting packaged and restaurant foods.
• Reducing alcohol or abstaining from it; those who consume alcohol should drink no more than one daily drink for women and two for men.
• Stress reduction by exercise, meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.
• Healthy weight, with at least 5% weight loss for individuals with overweight or obesity.
• Following a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH eating plan, containing vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, and low-fat dairy.
• Physical exercise of 75–150 minutes weekly, with both aerobic activity and strength training.

Notably, the guideline also suggests home blood pressure monitoring as a way for patients and doctors to more closely monitor and customize treatment.

Earlier and More Individualized Treatment

The 2017 guideline reduced the threshold for hypertension from 140/90 mmHg to 130/80. The 2025 update goes a step further in that it recommends treatment earlier—lifestyle change and, if needed, drugs—for those at risk of cardiovascular complications, even in stage 1 hypertension.

This strategy acknowledges that blood pressure control is not "one-size-fits-all." Treatment, instead, is now anticipated to be customized according to unique risk profiles, such as comorbid conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, and sleep apnea.

What Is The PREVENT Risk Calculator?

A core addition to the guideline is the inclusion of the PREVENT™ risk calculator, introduced by the AHA in 2023. Unlike previous tools, PREVENT projects not only 10-year cardiovascular risk, but 30-year risk, providing clinicians with a lifetime perspective on a patient's trajectory.

The calculator combines cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health markers—along with more classic considerations such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking status—to predict the risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. Social determinants, including zip code, are also included as a surrogate for healthcare access and environmental factors.

The more sophisticated tool allows clinicians to make earlier, more individualized treatment choices, transcending a one-size-fits-all approach to hypertension treatment.

What Is The Brain-Heart Connection?

Perhaps the most dramatic revision in the 2025 guideline is the clear identification of high blood pressure as a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline. Evidence indicates that chronic hypertension injures small cerebral vessels, affecting memory and increasing risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

The guideline calls for more stringent control of blood pressure—preferably under 130 systolic—in adults with hypertension, not just to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke but also to safeguard long-term brain health.

Blood Pressure and Pregnancy

New recommendations also deal with hypertension preceding, during, and following pregnancy. Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure can cause serious complications like preeclampsia, stroke, premature birth, and later cardiovascular risk for the mother.

The guideline now suggests treating at 140/90 mmHg during pregnancy, a more stringent threshold than previously, and emphasizes postpartum follow-up since preeclampsia risk often continues after delivery. Low-dose aspirin may also be recommended to lower the risk of preeclampsia in women with chronic hypertension.

For most patients, particularly those with comorbid conditions like diabetes, obesity, or kidney disease, a single drug may not suffice. The guideline suggests initiating with a combination pill for stage 2 hypertension (140/90 mmHg or above).

Preferred first-line therapies are ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium channel blockers, and thiazide-diuretics. The recommendation also recognizes the possibility of the use of GLP-1 drugs, mainly for diabetes and weight management, in the control of blood pressure in some patients with obesity.

Hypertension is not an American issue. Globally, it has been estimated that 1.28 billion adults have high blood pressure, and fewer than one in five have it under control. The American guidelines, although specific to American populations, will probably affect international practice.

By emphasizing prevention, early detection, and personalized care, the 2025 guideline aims to decrease not only cardiovascular mortality, but also the ripple impact of hypertension on kidney failure, diabetes, pregnancy complications, and dementia.

How New BP Guidelines Assist Patients?

Patients benefit from the new guidelines by being more proactive:

• Learning your blood pressure values early and monitoring them at home.
• Developing sustainable changes in lifestyle, especially with diet and exercise.
• Discussing individualized risks with your physician using resources such as PREVENT.

Comprehending that medication, when necessary, is not a failure of one's lifestyle but a necessary instrument for long-term health. Dr. Jones put it concisely, "Prevention, early detection and management of high blood pressure are critical to long-term heart and brain health, which means longer, healthier lives."