Health officials have urged parents to get their kids vaccinated in light of the measles outbreak, especially after a child at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool died from the disease.

The city has experienced a surge in cases among young people. The hospital has also warned parents that there has been a spike in infections due to falling rates of uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

What Is The MMR Vaccine?

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. For children, the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine is prescribed, it also protects against chicken pox.

The National Health Service, UK, (NHS), notes that measles, mumps and rubella, also known as German measles spread easily between people and can lead to serious problems including meningitis, blindness and hearing loss.

NHS notes that if you are pregnant, getting measles can cause premature birth, miscarriage or even still birth. Rubella can also cause serious problems for your baby such as damage to their sight and hearing.

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NHS notes that with just two doses of MMR vaccine, you can get a long-term protection against the disease.

NHS notes that in the UK, there are two types of MMR vaccines available. You can review their ingredients in the official patient information leaflets:

• MMR VaxPro
• Priorix

MMR VaxPro contains a small amount of gelatine derived from pigs (porcine gelatine). If you'd prefer your child to receive the Priorix vaccine instead, speak to the healthcare professional administering the vaccine.

Who Should Have The MMR Vaccine?

The MMR vaccine is recommended for all babies and young children, but older children and adults can have it if they were not vaccinated when they were younger, notes NHS, UK.

Babies and young children are given 2 doses of MMR vaccine, which are also part of the NHS vaccination schedule. Children are given dose at 1 year old and 3 years 4 month old age. Babies between 6 and 12 months may have an extra dose of the MMR vaccine, especially if they are travelling abroad to an area with a lot of measles, they have been in close contact with someone with measles, and if there is a measles outbreak.

For older children and adults, notes NHS, the MMR vaccine can be administered at any age. However, it is important that you speak to the general practitioner (GP) about getting vaccinated in case you did not get the vaccine as a child or if you only had 1 dose.

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Who Cannot Have The MMR Vaccine?

Most people who need the MMR vaccine can safely receive it.

However, because it’s a live vaccine—meaning it contains weakened forms of the measles, mumps, and rubella viruses—it may not be suitable for everyone.

You should not get the MMR vaccine if:

• you are pregnant
• you have a weakened immune system due to a medical condition or medications that suppress immunity
• you’ve had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to any ingredient in the vaccine, such as gelatine or neomycin

If you're feeling unwell: You can still get the MMR vaccine if you're mildly unwell, as long as you don’t have a high temperature.

If you have a fever or feel very unwell, it’s best to wait until you recover before getting vaccinated and ask your doctor.

In what could be a transformative moment in the fight against HIV, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recommended the use of injectable lenacapavir—a long-acting antiretroviral medication—in the prevention of HIV. The news comes barely weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lenacapavir as a twice-yearly injection for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).

Timing is everything, in 2024 alone, an estimated 1.3 million new HIV cases were reported globally, disproportionately falling on populations already suffering from stigma and barriers to healthcare. From Kigali to California, this new strategy has the potential to change the delivery of HIV prevention—and to whom.

The medication lenacapavir acts on the HIV capsid, or virus protein shell, inhibiting its capacity to make copies of itself and infect new cells. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has a long half-life and is effective at low doses. A single injection administered subcutaneously establishes a reservoir of drug that gradually delivers medication into circulation for 26 weeks.

This enables dosing every two years, a huge benefit for individuals who might not be able to manage daily oral PrEP because of lifestyle, access, or stigma. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing."

The historic guidelines, released at the International AIDS Society Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, encourage governments and health systems to implement this new tool, especially in high-incidence settings and among priority groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, and adolescents.

The Evolution of HIV Prevention

Since the discovery of HIV in the 1980s, prevention has been held on three pillars: biomedical progress, barrier methods, and behavioral change. The early decades were dedicated to encouraging condom usage, lowering high-risk behavior, and public awareness. These strategies slowed but did not curb the virus.

In 2010, a new era opened up. Clinical trials revealed that antiretroviral drugs not only treated HIV but could also prevent it. This led to widespread adoption of PrEP, typically in the form of daily oral pills. Meanwhile, the concept of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) proved that treatment with good adherence blocked transmission altogether.

By 2019, PrEP had been given an "A" rating by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, resulting in its coverage without out-of-pocket expense. Despite all these developments, the HIV epidemic has continued, with more than 30,000 new infections reported every year in the U.S. alone.

Why Daily PrEP Isn't Enough?

PrEP taken daily is effective, but it has conditions. It needs to be used every day consistently, tested regularly for HIV and STIs, and have a reliable healthcare system in place. For most, these are difficult requirements to fulfill.

Individuals most vulnerable to these challenges, such as people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, low-income individuals, and those in the southern United States, frequently experience substantial barriers to daily PrEP maintenance. These barriers often involve lack of insurance, transportation, stigma, and health system distrust.

Injectable lenacapavir bypasses several of these obstacles. Just two shots annually, it provides an inconspicuous, low-fuss choice that might significantly boost takeup among under-served communities.

The breakthrough arrived with the PURPOSE 1 trial, which took place in South Africa and Uganda. More than 5,300 young women and adolescent girls, among the most at-risk populations in the world, were recruited.

The results were astonishing: zero new infections in participants who received lenacapavir, compared with 39 and 16 infections in two oral PrEP control groups. The background incidence rate was 2.41 per 100 person-years. In the world of HIV prevention, this is as close to a vaccine-level efficacy as we’ve ever seen.

How Funding Crisis Threatens Momentum?

As the excitement takes hold, a new challenge is on the horizon. UNAIDS warns that a huge funding gap threatens to undermine global HIV gains. The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which had committed $4.3 billion to 50 nations in 2025, suddenly suspended funding earlier this year.

Already, the effect can be seen. In Nigeria, access to PrEP fell from 40,000 recipients to fewer than 7,000 within months. Kenya documented dramatic drops in women receiving preventive treatment after giving birth. "This is not a funding gap—it's a ticking time bomb," UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said. "Health workers are being sent home. Services are disappearing overnight."

The WHO is banking on lenacapavir's ease and extended dosing interval to reverse some of this backlash by lowering costs per patient and alleviating pressures on overwhelmed systems. But to be realized, its promise will have to be matched by global cooperation and domestic investment.

With WHO backing, FDA approval, and compelling trial data, lenacapavir is poised to become a pillar of modern HIV prevention. Countries must now prioritize fast-tracking its regulatory approval, training providers, and ensuring equitable access.

It's not about a new drug. It's about giving individuals more control of their sexual health, providing options that work in real lives, and ending the gap between what we know we can do and what people end up getting.

The global HIV epidemic is far from over. But with tools like lenacapavir, we are getting closer to turning the tide—and protecting the next generation from a virus that has shaped public health for over four decades.

NFL player Damar Hamlin collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest during a 2023 game, shocking fans and raising awareness about athlete heart health. Though rare, cardiac arrest is the leading cause of exercise-related deaths in young athletes. Screening and early detection are key, as many affected individuals show no prior heart problems.

"One of the scariest moments in NFL history," says Frank Schwab, a Yahoo Sports journalist, is the incident of what looked like a normal hit, but was in fact Damar Hamlin collapsing due to a cardiac arrest.

While Hamlin is prepared for his return, there is still a fair chance for him to face new battles, including the training camp.

What Happened To Damar Hamlin?

It was a Monday Night Football showdown and fans were exciting. More than two years ago, on January 2, 2023, the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, two AFC powerhouses were facing off for playoff positioning. The focus was on Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, and then the game suddenly took a different turn, leaving Damar Hamlin fighting for his life.

It looked like Hamlin went for a routine tackle on Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins and fell to the turf. However, he did not get up and that is when the medical staff arrived. He received a CPR and defibrillation after suffering cardiac arrest.

Also Read: 'Jaws' Star Richard Dreyfuss Skips Fan Event After Being Diagnosed With Severe Bronchitis, Know What It Is

Schwab, who calls it "one of the scariest moments" also says that this incident helped promote "cardiac arrest research and prevention" across the league. The good thing is that Hamlin had a full recovery and had returned to be a key member of Buffalo's defense.

Is Cardiac Arrest Common Among Athletes?

University of Colorado Health (UC Health), notes that sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes is rare and hard to predict. While the probability may be low, it leaves with high impact.

Roughly 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 80,000 young athletes die each year of sudden cardiac arrest, noted UC Health. However, it is still the leading cause of exercise-related death in young competitive athletes, which accounts for 75% of fatalities during sports or exercise.

"That risk is far lower than the one-in-1,000 odds of sudden cardiac arrest across the broader U.S. population. But given their youth and high levels of fitness generally correlated with healthy hearts, it comes as a shock sudden cardiac arrest strikes a young, seemingly health athlete," notes UC Health.

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Is It Preventable?

A 2018 study published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, titled Sudden cardiac death in football players: Towards a new pre-participation algorithm, notes that athletic pre-participation screening is essential for minimizing the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes. These risks can come from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, congenital anomalies of the coronary artery and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Other abnormalities, such as malignant arrhythmia due to blunt trauma to the chest (commotio cordis), myocarditis, valvular disease, aortic rupture (in Marfan syndrome) and ion channelopathies (catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, Brugada syndrome, long or short QT syndrome), also contribute to a lesser degree to SCD.

Currently, clinical assessment, electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiography are the cornerstones of the pre-participation athletic evaluation.

What Is A Cardiac Arrest?

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, USA, notes that cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. These are caused by certain types of arrhythmias that prevent the heart from pumping blood.

A person may be having a cardiac arrest if they:

• Collapse suddenly and lose consciousness (pass out)
• Are not breathing or their breathing is ineffective or they are gasping for air
• Do not respond to shouting or shaking
• Do not have a pulse

Cardiac arrest is most often triggered by ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia—types of abnormal heart rhythms known as arrhythmias. Key risk factors include a previous cardiac arrest, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, congenital heart defects, and inherited arrhythmias linked to faulty genes. Surprisingly, about half of all cardiac arrests occur in people with no known history of heart disease.

'Jaws' star Richard Dreyfuss, 77, had to skip a fan event due to a severe case of bronchitis. On Friday, Dreyfuss took to his social media account and shared a message with his fan ahead of SharCon to be held in Tampa, Florida to express his disappointment over the diagnosis.

He posted a video on Instagram account saying, "Hello fellow cons, I am very, very sorry to tell you that I have been diagnosed with viral, er...What is it?" Then his wife Sveltana Erokhin comes in and answers off the camera, "Bronchitis".

He further adds, "I’ve been told by my doctors I cannot fly and I would have to fly five hours to get there. I’m terribly sorry because I had planned to be there, and I had been looking forward to it, but I am unable to do so. I don’t want to get anyone else sick, and I don’t want to get sicker myself."

Also Read: Damar Hamlin Is Back For 2025 NFL Season, But His Cardiac Arrest Has Changed The Course Of The Game

"I feel terrible about not showing up, and I feel worse about exposing you to this apparently very viral illness," Dreyfuss continued. "But there will be other times and I will make it my business to show up."

He also joked and said that he hopes his fan too "feel very sorry" for him and for themselves. "I’m in a lot of pain and that has to come first, my health," he stated. "I feel very good about having the time and enough health." "And such great fans," said his wife.

Erokhin said, "We love you, we miss you all, and we will see you soon."

What Is Severe Bronchitis, The Condition 'Jaws' Star Is Suffering From?

As per the American Lung Association, bronchitis is a lung condition where bronchi, or large airways in your lungs, becomes inflamed. This can lead to severe coughing spells that can bring up sputum, which is mucus or phlegm. wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

There are two kinds of bronchitis:

Acute: It usually develops from a lung infection such as cold and goes away in a week or two.

Chronic: This is a more serious condition that develops over time. The symptoms usually gets better or worse, but they will never completely go away. Over time, inflammation can cause sticky mucus to build up in the airways, leading to long-term breathing difficulties.

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What Are The Common Symptoms?

The common symptoms of bronchitis include:

• Runny, stuffy nose
• Low-grade fever
• Chest congestion
• Wheezing or a whistling sound while breathing
• A cough that may produce yellow or green mucus (sputum)
• Feeling run-down or tired

How Is It Diagnosed?

The American Lung Association notes that during the first few days of illness, bronchitis symptoms are similar to that of a common cold.

The healthcare providers usually diagnose bronchitis by asking patients questions about their symptoms and then doing a physical examination.

Your physician may order for a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia.

How Is It Treated?

While many cases of bronchitis go away on their own, the infection sometimes run several course of week. The American Lung Association notes that your doctor could suggest the following steps as your treatment:

• Resting and getting plenty of fluids
• Drinking lots of water, which helps loosen chest congestion
• A cough suppressant and/or pain reliever
• A humidifier or steam

Can You Prevent Bronchitis?

There are several steps you can take that may help prevent bronchitis, including avoiding lung irritants, including smoking. Wear mask to avoid irritants like paints, paint remover or varnish. Practice simple hygiene steps, like washing your hands before you touch your face. You can also ask your doctor if you need to get a pneumonia shot, especially if you are 65 or older.