South Korean actress Kang Seo-ha, known for her performances in K-dramas like First Love Again and The Flower in Prison passed away at the age of 31 after a long battle with stomach cancer. Her family also confirmed the news on Monday.

Kang's family took to Instagram, and posted a video along with a long note in remembrance of her.

“I still can’t believe it, unnie. Even while enduring such immense pain, you worried about those around you and about me. Even though you couldn’t eat for months, you insisted on paying for my meals with your own card and never let me skip a meal. My angel, who left us far too soon. Even as you endured everything with painkillers, you said you were grateful that it wasn’t worse, and I felt truly ashamed. My dear sister, you went through so much. I hope you are only happy and free from pain where you are now,” the note read.

A memorial service is also being organized at Seoul St Mary's Hospital and the funeral procession is scheduled at 7.40am on July 16 (KST).

Kang Seo Ha's Cancer

It was in 2024 that Kang was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. As per reports, she had stage IV stomach cancer and underwent treatment, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy, while she continued to fulfill her professional commitments. However, in mid-2025, her health rapidly declined, leading to her death.

As per the National Cancer Institute, US, cancer stage describes the extent of cancer in the body, which includes the size of the tumor, whether it has spread, and how far has it spread from where it was first formed.

In stage IV stomach cancer, which Kang too was suffering from, the cancer spreads to other body parts, mostly lungs, liver, distant lymph nodes, and the tissue that lines the abdomen wall.

Stage IV stomach cancer, also known as metastatic stomach cancer, occurs when cancer cells spread from the stomach to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or bloodstream. The new tumors are still made up of stomach cancer cells, not cells from the organs they’ve reached. So, if the cancer spreads to the lungs, it's still considered stomach cancer — not lung cancer — and is referred to as metastatic stomach cancer.

Stomach Cancer And Its Types

The National Cancer Institute, US, notes that stomach cancer starts in the cells lining the stomach. There are various types of stomach cancers including:

Adenocarcinoma of the stomach, which begins in the mucus-producing cells in the innermost lining of the stomach. Nearly all stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas.

Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEJ) is a cancer that forms in the area where the esophagus meets the gastric cardia. GEJ may be treated similarly to stomach cancer or esophageal cancer.

Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors are cancers that begin in neuroendocrine cells (a type of cell that is like a nerve cell and a hormone-making cell) that line the gastrointestinal tract.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) begin in nerve cells that are found in the wall of the stomach and other digestive organs. GIST is a type of soft tissue sarcoma.

Primary gastric lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that forms in the stomach. Most primary gastric lymphomas are either mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) gastric lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the stomach.

Also Read: Australia Sees Rise In Meningococcal Disease: What You Need To Know About Symptoms And Vaccination

With the world coping with various bacterial infections, in Australia, it is the season of meningococcal disease. Last month, two Tasmanian women were hospitalized with invasive meningococcal disease, which has brought the numbers to 48.

The cases are showing an uptick, and health authorities are now urging people to watch for symptoms and to check whether they are eligible for vaccination.

What Is Meningococcal Disease?

According to the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, meningococcal disease is a contagious disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, which is also known as the meningococcal bacteria. It can develop quickly and could be fatal if not treated. Anyone with a suspected meningococcal infection needs to see their doctor immediately.

The official government website of Australia notes: "Meningococcal disease is a medical emergency. It can kill within hours, so early diagnosis and treatment are vital. Do not wait for the purple rash to appear, as that is a late stage of the disease"

However, the ray of hope is that this disease is vaccine-preventable.

What Are The Common Symptoms?

The Australian Government's Healthdirect notes that the common symptoms of this disease include:

• Fever
• Purple rash
• Meningitis
• Sepsis
• Headache
• Neck stiffness
• Light sensitivity
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Drowsiness and confusion
• Leg pain or other muscle or joint aches and pains

In babies or young children, the following can be the symptoms:

• difficulty feeding or reduced feeds
• irritability
• tiredness and floppiness
• seizures
• having a high-pitched cry
• having a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot on the top of their head)
• pale or mottled skin

The disease can live in the nose and throat of many healthy people and could spread through coughing, sneezing, sharing eating or drinking utensils, and by kissing.

Complication with the disease can also lead to:

• limb differences, or losing a limb
• skin scarring
• hearing loss
• blindness
• learning difficulties
• brain damage

Vaccination

There are different vaccines that treat the different types of this disease, including A, B, C, W, and Y. The vaccination meningococcal B and meningococcal ACWY can be taken at 6 weeks of age.

The MenACWY vaccine is a conjugate vaccine, which means it combines sugars from the outer coating of the bacteria with a protein. This helps trigger a stronger immune response, particularly in young infants.

In contrast, the MenB vaccine doesn’t use the sugar capsule. Instead, it contains four different proteins taken from the surface of the meningococcal B bacteria.

One should speak to a doctor if they have not been vaccinated at a younger age. The vaccination is recommended for:

• babies, children, teenagers and young adults
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• young adults who live in close quarters or who are current smokers
• travellers
• people who have certain medical conditions that increase their risk of meningococcal disease
• laboratory workers who work with the bacterium that causes meningococcal disease

However, as Healthdirect, an Australian Government's website notes that even with the administration of vaccine, meningococcal disease laboratory workers who work with the bacterium that causes meningococcal disease symptoms may still may linger. In such a case, go visit the hospital for further checks.

More than 14 million children worldwide did not receive a single routine vaccine last year, according to a joint report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The number remains unchanged from 2023, highlighting a worrying stagnation in global immunization efforts.

The annual estimate of global vaccine coverage found that 89% of children under one year received the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine in 2024 — the same as in the previous year. However, only 85% completed the full three-dose series, a slight rise from 84% in 2023.

Despite modest gains, officials warn that progress is faltering due to geopolitical shifts, humanitarian crises, and rising vaccine misinformation.

Foreign Aid Cuts Threaten Vaccine Programs

The report comes amid a sharp pullback in international health funding, particularly from the United States. Earlier this year, President Trump officially withdrew U.S. membership from the WHO, suspended most humanitarian aid, and moved to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Further compounding the issue, U.S. Health

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, recently announced the withdrawal of billions of dollars pledged to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance. He accused the group of “ignoring the science,” despite overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe and effective.

These decisions are expected to significantly impact global vaccine rollouts, especially in low-income countries.

Who's Being Left Behind?

Nine countries accounted for 52% of all unvaccinated children in 2024. These include:

• Nigeria
• India
• Sudan
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ethiopia
• Indonesia
• Yemen
• Afghanistan
• Angola

Among them, Sudan reported the lowest coverage for DTP vaccines — a reflection of the country’s ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. WHO officials said war, displacement, and weak health systems are major barriers to vaccination.

“Access to vaccines remains deeply unequal,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about vaccine safety, threaten to unwind decades of progress.”

Measles on the Rise Amid Lagging Coverage

The report showed a slight improvement in global measles vaccination rates, with 76% of children receiving both doses — up from previous years. But experts warn this is far below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks of this highly contagious disease.

In 2024 alone, 60 countries reported large measles outbreaks. The United States is currently experiencing its worst measles outbreak in over 30 years, while Europe recorded 125,000 cases, more than double the 2023 count.

Last week, a child in Liverpool, UK, died of measles. Despite ongoing public awareness campaigns, only 84% of children in the U.K. are vaccinated against the disease.

“It’s Never Too Late to Be Vaccinated”

Experts are urging families and governments to act. “It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles,” said Helen Bradford, a children’s health professor at University College London. “The only way to stop measles spreading is with vaccination. It is never too late to be vaccinated — even as an adult.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first set of clinical management guidelines on arboviral diseases—a broad initiative to enhance care and readiness for conditions like dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever. With climate change, urbanization, and enhanced mobility around the globe adding to the growing number of cases and geographic expansion of these diseases, the guidelines are timely.

These arboviral diseases are mostly spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is infamous for carrying more than one virus at once. With more than 5.6 billion individuals globally at risk, the WHO's holistic framework is in place to enhance front-line response and standardize treatment for both minor and major cases.

Why Arboviral Diseases Are a Growing Global Health Concern?

Arboviral infections no longer belong to the tropical and subtropical world. With increasing global temperatures, water mismanagement, and urban densification, the breeding sites of Aedes mosquitoes have been extended to newly affected areas, introducing the risk of viral epidemics in these areas.

The four predominant diseases covered—dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever—often have overlapping symptoms, particularly in the initial stages. Fever, rash, joint pain, and headache may look very similar across these infections so that clinical distinction becomes difficult without appropriate tests.

These infections are not only increasing in frequency and severity, but they're also becoming more simultaneous. Co-circulation of two or more viruses in the same populations increases the risk of misdiagnosis and delayed intervention, emphasizing the necessity of integrated and harmonized care guidelines.

What the New WHO Guidelines Say

The guidelines are the result of much research and evidence-based advice aimed at supporting health professionals, policymakers, and public health authorities. They provide a systematic, patient-focused method of managing arboviral diseases, from the recognition of symptoms to sophisticated supportive care.

One of the greatest advantages of the new WHO guidelines is that they are highly adaptable. They are so adapted to operate in high-resource and low-resource environments equally, and they offer context-specific tools that frontline health workers can apply right away.

Treatment Protocols for Non-Severe Cases

For the treatment of those presenting with mild and moderate symptoms, the guidelines suggest oral rehydration with protocolized fluid regimens to avoid dehydration, a frequent hazard in arboviral infections. Paracetamol or metamizole is recommended for the relief of fever and pain, whereas NSAIDs and corticosteroids are contraindicated because of their potential for complications.

The recommendations emphasize the need to track vital parameters such as capillary refill time and lactate concentration, utilizing these parameters to modulate fluid therapy dynamically. Significantly, crystalloid fluids are recommended over colloid fluids in intravenous rehydration.

Treat Severe Cases with Accuracy

In cases of shock or organ failure, the guidelines suggest a passive leg raise test to check fluid responsiveness prior to IV fluid administration. Corticosteroids and immunoglobulins are not recommended even in critical illness because there is not enough evidence to recommend their use and they may pose risks.

Platelet transfusion can be avoided except in cases of active bleeding, even in the presence of low counts—a common occurrence among dengue patients. Intravenous N-acetylcysteine is recommended for liver failure caused by yellow fever. Experimental treatments such as monoclonal antibody TY014 and sofosbuvir are recognized but should be employed only within clinical trial environments.

These recommendations offer not only practical steps for clinical care but also a strategic guide for health administrators and government. Their publication is especially timely, considering the increasing danger of arboviral outbreaks that could spiral into regional epidemics or worldwide pandemics.

As per the WHO, harmonized care standards within countries will make health systems more capable of managing concurrent outbreaks of more than one arboviral disease. This will enhance patient outcomes, reduce the strain on healthcare infrastructure, and rationalize resource distribution during emergencies.

Implications for Global Health Policy

Although the guidelines are oriented around clinical management, their larger significance is that they have the power to inform public health policy and funding directions. Nations may now base their national preparedness plans on a standard global model that guarantees surveillance, diagnosis, and response systems are aligned and efficient.

Implementation of these protocols into health plans at the national level can also support training programs for health staff, reinforce laboratory capabilities, and enhance the quality and range of available essential medicines and supplies. In the long run, this could heavily alleviate the burden of arboviral disease on public health systems and economies.

The WHO accepts that the guidelines are a living document. As fresh clinical evidence accumulates and new treatments are discovered, the guidelines will be regularly revised to incorporate the most recent scientific knowledge.

For areas already struggling with arboviral disease, application of these guidelines may significantly enhance patient outcomes and minimize mortality. For areas poised on the verge of arboviral emergence, the protocols provide a pre-emptive guide to preparedness.

The WHO's global clinical guidelines for arboviral diseases represent a major step forward in international coordination of health. By providing evidence-based, standardized protocols, they equip clinicians and policymakers with the means to address more effectively the increasing menace of mosquito-borne illness. As climate change and globalization further remake the epidemiological topography of infectious disease, this globalized approach is needed and long overdue.

From Southeast Asia's frontline physicians to Latin America's health ministers, the globe now shares a single playbook to combat one of the 21st century's most enduring public health problems. And it could be the difference between containment and crisis.