Eric Dane, who is known for his iconic roles as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs in HBO’s hit drama Euphoria, has been a familiar face in Hollywood for over two decades. Known for his charisma on screen and commanding performances, the 52-year-old actor recently made headlines not for a new project, but for a deeply personal health revelation.

Dane, in an interview with People magazine exclusively, had said that he had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressively developing and presently incurable neurodegenerative illness. But even amidst the diagnosis, he is cheerful, continuing to work and counting on the assistance of his family for this new chapter in life.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare but tragic neurological disorder that slowly takes away people's motor skills, speech, swallowing, and finally, breathing. Although the name sounds technical-sounding, it tells what the disease does—no muscle nourishment and muscle weakness and paralysis. The term also addresses the spine, in which nerve injury begins, and the scarring that develops over a period of time. As more individuals become informed, especially following publicized diagnoses like that of actor Eric Dane, discovering the etiology and facts about ALS becomes more valuable.

During an interview with a leading media outlet, the 52-year-old actor disclosed, "I feel so lucky that I'm still employed and can't wait to be returning to the Euphoria set next week." The actor was appreciative of the love and support of his family members, requesting that they be given some privacy while they "move forward in this next chapter."

As shocking as this announcement will be to followers everywhere, it's also a wake-up call for awareness: what is ALS, what are the symptoms in its onset, who is at risk, and what are the hurdles ahead for those afflicted? Eric Dane's public revelation places ALS in the global spotlight, evoking not just sympathy, but education and activism. His own experience will undoubtedly increase awareness and advocacy for a disease all too often endured in silence.

What is ALS?

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is the most common form of motor neuron disease (MND). The illness causes the progressive breakdown and death of motor neurons—nerve cells that manage voluntary muscle movement, including walking, talking, swallowing, and breathing.

The title "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" comes from Greek, each word describing the nature of the disease. "A" means "no," "myo" means "muscle," and "trophic" connotes "nourishment," all of which combined mean "no muscle nourishment"—a name that succinctly describes the muscle wasting, or atrophy, of the disease. "Lateral" indicates the specific regions of the spinal cord that are affected, and "sclerosis" denotes the scarring or hardening that takes place in these regions as the disease progresses.

Symptoms of ALS

Symptoms of ALS can start subtly but rapidly progress, so early detection is important. The disease tends to begin with localized weakness or muscle twitching, typically in the hands, legs, or speech muscles.

Early symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, are:

• Limbs weakness
• Slow or slurred speech
• Difficulty with fine motor skills
• Muscle cramping or twitching, often in the arms or tongue
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Clumsiness or frequent falls
• Involuntary laughing or crying (pseudobulbar affect)

These symptoms become more severe over time and spread to other areas of the body. Ultimately, people lose the capacity to move, talk, eat, and breathe on their own.

How ALS Develops and Impacts the Body?

ALS progresses in an relentless degenerative way. When motor neurons die, they weaken and shrink the muscles that they serve. Initially, a person may experience everyday tasks as a hassle, but eventually, in months or years, these issues may progress to full paralysis.

Despite the preservation of a normal mentality, certain people do experience cognitive or behavioral changes, and some proportion may have frontotemporal dementia.

The life expectancy is three to five years after the diagnosis, yet some patients are able to survive a decade or more with it.

What Are the Risk Factors for ALS?

Although there is much left to be discovered about ALS, there are numerous factors that predispose individuals toward developing the disorder:

Genetics

Around 10% of all ALS diagnoses are inherited. Individuals with a family history of ALS have significantly higher risk, and their children have a 50% chance of inheriting the gene mutation.

Age and Gender

ALS typically strikes those between the ages of 60 and 75. Men are slightly more likely to develop the disease than women before age 65, but this gender disparity evened out with advancing age.

Environmental Factors

Studies have linked some exposures to increased ALS risk:

Smoking: Particularly in women after menopause.

Toxic exposures: e.g., lead or industrial toxins.

Military service: Statistically, veterans are more likely to develop ALS, perhaps due to severe physical stress, toxin exposure, or infections.

Complications Related to ALS

As ALS advances, it doesn't just affect movement—it affects nearly every function that depends on muscle control. Some serious complications include:

Respiratory Failure: Weakening of the diaphragm and chest muscles creates breathlessness. Most patients require ventilatory support, and respiratory failure is the main cause of death in ALS.

Speech and Communication Deficit: The disease will lead to slurred speech or mumbling so that there is dependence on aids to communication.

Difficulty Swallowing and Feeding: Weakening of the muscles disrupts chewing and swallowing capacity so that patients become vulnerable to aspiration pneumonia or choking. Feeding tubes are most often required.

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: A small percentage of ALS patients develop frontotemporal dementia, which is marked by changes in behavior and decision-making.

In spite of the gravity of the diagnosis, Eric Dane has been said to have been upbeat and to have promised to keep working. This is typical of the resilience that many with ALS exhibit. With supportive care, assistive technology, and improvement in symptomatic treatment, individuals can maintain quality of life for as long a time as possible.

However, the fact that there is no cure also highlights the utter need for more research, funding, and activism. Organizations like the ALS Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Association are strongly advocating improved treatments as well as maybe even breakthroughs.

In a controversial move that has rattled the U.S. medical community, federal health officials have severed ties with more than half a dozen major medical organizations from participating in government vaccine advisory workgroups.

The decision, communicated via email on Thursday, disinvites top experts from these groups from contributing to the workgroups that support the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a key body that guides the nation’s vaccination policies.

Organizations affected include the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and several others, many of whom have historically played a critical role in shaping vaccine guidelines.

“This is deeply concerning and distressing,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a renowned vaccine expert from Vanderbilt University who has been involved with ACIP workgroups for decades. “Removing these organizations will likely create conflicting messages about vaccine guidance. Patients might hear one thing from the government and another from their personal doctors.”

Longstanding Collaboration Ends Abruptly

For years, the ACIP has relied on a structured system where experts from various medical and scientific fields evaluate vaccine data and help draft recommendations. These recommendations, once approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), often inform clinical practice and determine insurance coverage.

But according to an email obtained by Bloomberg and confirmed by federal officials on Friday, the medical organizations are now being sidelined on the grounds that they are “special interest groups” and are assumed to carry a “bias” due to the populations they serve.

Dr. Schaffner defended the former system, highlighting how professional organizations offered practical insights on how recommendations could be realistically implemented in clinical settings. Importantly, all members were subject to conflict-of-interest vetting, ensuring objective guidance, he added.

Health Secretary Kennedy’s Sweeping Changes

This latest shake-up follows an earlier, unprecedented move in June when U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly dismissed the entire ACIP panel, accusing it of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers. Kennedy, a former leader in the anti-vaccine movement, has since appointed several known vaccine skeptics to the new committee.

Among the organizations removed from the workgroup process are the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, American Osteopathic Association, National Medical Association, and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

In a joint statement released Friday, the AMA and several of the disinvited organizations denounced the decision, calling it “irresponsible” and “dangerous to our nation’s health.” The statement warned that excluding their medical expertise “will further undermine public and clinician trust in vaccines.”

The groups urged the administration to reverse the decision, emphasizing the importance of transparency and collaboration in public health decision-making.

Lawsuit and Fallout

Several of the ousted organizations had previously criticized Kennedy’s overhaul of the ACIP. Last month, three of them joined a lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to halt COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for most children and pregnant women, a policy shift that has been widely criticized by public health experts.

Meanwhile, newly appointed ACIP member Retsef Levi, a professor of business management with no formal medical background, defended the administration's direction on social media. Levi wrote that future workgroups would “engage experts from an even broader set of disciplines,” and claimed that membership would be based on “merit & expertise, not organizational affiliations with conflicts of interest.”

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not yet disclosed which experts will replace the disinvited members or when the new workgroups will begin operating.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is assessing a potential travel notice for China following a sharp rise in cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral infection that has sparked public health alarms in southern China, as reported by the Independent and the South China Morning Post.

Nearly 5,200 infections have been reported in the Guangdong province since early July, with most of them concentrated in the city of Foshan. Health officials there have since escalated their emergency response to a level III alert, which signals a “relatively major” public health threat in China’s four-tier system.

While the CDC has not yet published a formal advisory, a spokesperson told The Independent that the agency is “aware of the reported chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong Province in China and is currently assessing the size and extent of the outbreak.”

What is chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, the same mosquito species responsible for dengue and Zika. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of fever and joint pain, but may also include headache, muscle pain, swelling, and rash.

Although most cases are mild and self-limiting, some infections can lead to prolonged joint pain or, in rare cases, long-term complications. Serious outcomes are more likely among those with pre-existing health conditions. There are no antiviral treatments available, so prevention, particularly mosquito control and bite avoidance, remains the primary approach.

Vaccines against chikungunya have recently become available and are recommended for travelers to high-risk areas, although they are not yet widely accessible.

According to local health authorities in Foshan, around 95% of reported cases have been mild, with patients recovering within a week. However, the outbreak’s rapid spread has raised concern among international health bodies.

Global spread and WHO alert

The outbreak in China follows a global pattern of chikungunya resurgence. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an alert last week warning of the risk of the virus repeating its global spread from two decades ago. Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer with WHO, said that nearly 5.6 billion people across 119 countries live in areas where the virus could potentially spread.

Chikungunya was first identified in 1952 in Tanzania and has since been detected in more than 110 countries, including major outbreaks in India, Italy, and the Americas. The virus is not spread from person to person; instead, it is carried by mosquitoes that have fed on infected individuals and then pass it to others.

The concern is not just local: international travel plays a key role in how the virus crosses borders. Infected travelers returning to or visiting countries with mosquito populations capable of transmitting the virus can trigger new outbreaks.

China’s response: Mosquito control and surveillance

The first case in this outbreak was reported in Foshan’s Shunde district on July 8 and was believed to be imported. Since then, local and national health authorities have moved quickly to contain the spread.

Measures taken include the use of drones to detect rooftop water accumulation, the release of larva-eating fish into lakes, and widespread public awareness campaigns. Residents have been urged to eliminate standing water, install window screens, and wear protective clothing.

Hospitals in affected areas have increased bed capacity for confirmed cases and designated specialized treatment centres. Border controls have been stepped up in Hong Kong to prevent imported cases from mainland China, with expanded testing capabilities introduced at key entry points.

CDC travel warnings: What it means for travelers

The CDC’s travel health notices are used to inform travelers about global disease risks and provide precautionary guidelines. The warning system has four levels, ranging from “practice usual precautions” (Level 1) to “avoid all travel” (Level 4).

As of now, China has only a Level 1 travel health notice for measles. However, the CDC has issued Level 2 notices for chikungunya in several countries including Bolivia, Kenya, and Madagascar in recent months.

If the CDC decides to escalate China’s status, it would be a significant development, both in terms of travel planning and diplomatic perception.

US–China tension and public health

The potential issuance of a travel notice also comes against the backdrop of complex US–China relations. While the CDC’s move would be grounded in public health data, the optics of a travel warning could have broader implications.

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded to the reports, saying that China is in communication with the WHO and “making every effort to ensure a safe environment for travelers.”

The WHO has not issued any travel restrictions related to the outbreak but continues to monitor the situation closely.

A word of caution for travelers

With mosquito-borne diseases on the rise globally, driven by climate change, urbanization, and increased mobility, health experts advise travelers to stay informed and take preventive measures.

“Mosquito control is key,” said an official from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection. “Simple actions like using insect repellent, sleeping under mosquito nets, and avoiding stagnant water can go a long way in preventing infection.”

As global health agencies monitor the chikungunya outbreak in China, travelers to affected areas should remain vigilant and stay updated with official advisories. Prevention remains the best protection in the face of a disease with no cure.

August is known as the Hair Loss Awareness Month and the first Saturday of this month is known as the International Alopecia Day.

Hair loss is a common concern, affecting over 85% of men, 55% of women, and between 15–38% of adolescents at some point in their lives. For those with advanced or long-lasting alopecia, the emotional and social impact can be profound.

Baldness has been linked to significant declines in mental health and quality of life, with higher rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and reduced self-esteem.

What Is Alopecia?

It is a term used for hair loss that affects the scalp or even the entire body, temporarily or permanently. Alopecia can happen due to variety of reasons, including heredity, hormonal changes, and medical conditions, or as simple as normal aging.

Aim of Alopecia Day

The day aims to form a community of those who experience this autoimmune disease.

Origin of International Alopecia Day

International Alopecia Day was initiated by American activist Lynn W. Walker in 2011. She herself lives with a diagnosis of alopecia totalis and created this day to unite people with similar experiences, reduce stigma, and highlight beauty and strength regardless of the presence of hair.

Theme of Alopecia Day 2025

This year's theme as per Alopecia UK is, 'Strength in Numbers', which urges more and more people to join the International Alopecia community and to do away with the shame of hair loss and form a support group, across the world.

Alopecia And Its Kinds

As per the National Library of Medicines, US, alopecia refers to the loss or absence of hair in areas where it normally grows. It can be localized or widespread, temporary or permanent, and affects people of all ages and genders. As a symptom with diverse underlying causes, alopecia is generally categorized into two main types: nonscarring (the most common) and scarring (cicatricial).

For many patients, hair loss leads to significant emotional distress and a reduced quality of life. Accurate diagnosis requires a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted investigations to identify the root cause and guide effective treatment. Managing alopecia can be challenging, but this overview outlines key assessment and treatment approaches for the most common forms to support better outcomes.

Forms of alopecia

There are several main types of alopecia, including:

alopecia areata: an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, often in small, round patches on the scalp, but it can occur anywhere on the body

alopecia totalis: complete loss of scalp hair

alopecia universalis: hair loss over the entire body

androgenetic alopecia: hereditary baldness

Ways You Can Participate In International Alopecia Day

• Learn and share knowledge about alopecia
• Participate in activities for Alopecia Day
• Embrace the symbol by wearing blue
• Share you story to build a support group
• If you are a doctor, you can also advocate for the right alopecia treatment
• Contribute financially to alopecia research and awareness groups
• Volunteer to help spread alopecia awareness
• Raise voice against bullying, as many people are bullied due to their hair loss