Texas sues tylenol: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on October 28 that he has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, accusing them of failing to warn consumers about possible risks of using the drug during pregnancy. According to USA Today, the lawsuit targets Johnson & Johnson and its spin-off company Kenvue, alleging they concealed information about Tylenol’s potential links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), violating state consumer protection laws.

“These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to fill their own pockets,” Paxton said in a statement. “When they saw accountability coming, Johnson & Johnson tried to dodge responsibility by offloading their liability to another company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”

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This marks the first lawsuit by a state government since President Donald Trump recently claimed that using Tylenol during pregnancy may raise the risk of autism — a claim that has limited scientific support.

Tylenol: Why Is Texas Suing Tylenol Makers?

Texas’s lawsuit, the first of its kind from any state, follows remarks made last month by President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who jointly issued new guidance discouraging pregnant women from using acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. They cited it as a possible factor behind autism, sparking widespread concern and confusion among expecting mothers and healthcare experts alike.

The research surrounding Tylenol’s use in pregnancy remains unsettled. While a few studies have suggested a possible link between prenatal exposure and autism, many others have found no such connection. Major medical organizations have since pushed back against Trump and Kennedy’s statements, warning that the claims could spread unnecessary fear and misinformation.

This lawsuit is the first to formally adopt Trump’s theory that acetaminophen use in pregnancy might cause developmental disorders in children. The issue has long circulated among Kennedy’s followers, but Trump’s public comments brought it into mainstream discussion.

Texas Sues Tylenol: Tylenol Maker Fights Autism Warning Label

Kenvue has strongly defended Tylenol’s safety and dismissed Trump’s allegations, calling them misleading. Johnson & Johnson has also maintained that it has always acted responsibly in its product labeling, warning users only about the proven risk of liver damage from overuse.

Also Read: What's New In Trump's Health? A Recent 'Perfect' MRI Scan And The Will To Serve A 'Third Term'

In an official response, Kenvue stated that it was “deeply concerned by the spread of misinformation about the safety of acetaminophen and how it may affect women and children.” The company emphasized that acetaminophen remains “the safest pain relief option for pregnant women when needed throughout pregnancy.” Without it, they argued, women could face dangerous choices, either enduring untreated pain and fever, which may harm both mother and baby, or turning to more hazardous alternatives.

Over the past few years, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed nationwide by parents who believe their children developed autism or ADHD after prenatal Tylenol exposure. The largest group of such cases, consolidated in federal court in New York, was dismissed earlier this year due to insufficient scientific evidence. Plaintiffs have appealed the ruling, with an appellate hearing scheduled for November 17.

Texas Sues Tylenol: Is Acetaminophen Linked to Neurodevelopmental Disorders?

According to The New York Times, scientists have explored possible links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and developmental disorders for years, but the research remains inconclusive.

Medical associations have rejected the Trump administration’s recent warning, reiterating that Tylenol is still considered the safest pain reliever for pregnant women. They warn that avoiding it altogether could be dangerous, as untreated high fevers and severe pain can pose serious health risks to both the mother and the unborn child.

The COVID-19 BA.3.2 strain, nicknamed Cicada Variant, is spreading rapidly in the US, raising the possibility of becoming the dominant strain in the country, according to experts.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its latest report, has raised concerns about BA.3.2 — a highly mutated variant of COVID.

BA.3.2 has already been reported in at least 23 countries, including 25 states in America, as per the report. It has also been detected in 132 wastewater samples from Massachusetts.

The 25 states include California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.

"Cicada can become the dominant strain in the US,” Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY.

While it is not certain, it can also "drive a US summer surge.”

The CDC warned that a new variant "with substantial capacity to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines could be associated with seasonal increases in COVID-19 activity.”

In the US, COVID-19 is still linked to roughly 300 to 500 deaths per week, according to recent data based on provisional estimates from the CDC.

Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor of pharmacy and health systems sciences at Northeastern University, stated that the virus may evolve and increase the possibility of more severe disease.

“It’s something we definitely want to monitor,” Dionne said. “It could, over time, become the dominant strain in the US, but it’s not yet there," he said.

Also read: COVID Variant BA.3.2 Spreads To 23 Countries: Is The Variant Under Monitoring A Cause Of Worry?

What Is The Cicada COVID Variant?

Cicada was first identified in a respiratory sample in South Africa in November 2024.

It is a descendant of the Omicron BA.3 lineage, and is genetically distinct from the previously circulating JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG).

BA.3.2 comprises two major branches, BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2. BA.3.2.2 also has substitutions like: K356T, A575S, R681H, and R1162P.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated BA.3.2 as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). It means the variant may not be that dangerous yet, but it may have concerning mutations.

The CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report explains that Cicada has “70 to 75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of its spike protein”.

Also read: Maternal Vaccination During Pregnancy Can Prevent COVID-related Hospitalization In Babies: Study

Will Current COVID Vaccines Work?

The variant is particularly concerning as it provides no immune protection to people with previous infection or even vaccination.

“The number of mutations from JN.1 viruses makes it less likely that the current vaccines will be highly effective against Cicada, but we need more data to better answer this question,” Dr. Hopkins Jr. said.

However, according to the WHO, current COVID vaccines are expected to continue protecting against severe disease. Moreover, the WHO said BA.3.2 doesn’t seem to be making people sicker so far and hasn’t resulted in increased hospitalizations and deaths.

Common symptoms of Cicada variant include:

• Cough
• Fever or chills
• Sore throat
• Congestion
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of smell or taste
• Fatigue
• Headache.

The Italian authorities this week have confirmed the first human case of H9N2 Avian Flu in the Lombardy region – also the first in the European Union.

The influenza A(H9N2) infection was identified in a traveler returning from a non-European country, where the virus has previously been identified in birds. The patient has coexisting medical conditions and is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital.

Italy’s Ministry of Health, in a statement, said that they identified “infection with the low-pathogenicity avian influenza A (H9N2) virus of animal origin, in a frail person with concomitant illnesses, who came from a non-European country where he contracted the infection, and is currently hospitalized”.

Public health authorities in the country have performed contact tracing as a precaution to identify and control possible onward transmission and have initiated several epidemiological and microbiological investigations.

“All the required checks were promptly carried out, and the relevant contacts were identified, as part of the ordinary prevention and surveillance activities. Currently, no critical issues have been identified, and the situation is being constantly monitored,” the Ministry said.

What is H9N2?

H9N2 is a subtype of the avian influenza A virus (bird flu) that causes respiratory illness in poultry worldwide and is endemic in many parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

While low-pathogenic in birds, it sporadically infects humans—usually children—causing mild, influenza-like illness, though severe cases can occur.

According to the WHO, most human cases of infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses are exposed to the virus through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environments.

Also read: Japan Confirms New Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Outbreak: Report

Human infection tends to result in mild clinical illness. However, globally, there have been some hospitalized cases and two fatal cases reported in the past.

“Based on available information, further sporadic human cases could occur as this virus is one of the most prevalent avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry in different regions. With the currently available evidence, the WHO assesses the current public health risk to the general population posed by this virus as low,” the WHO said.

Human bird flu cases have been reported in countries like China, India, the UK, and Vietnam, often resulting in full recovery.

Also read: UK Reports Its First Human Case Of Bird Flu

Rising Global Bird Flu Cases: Are Humans At Threat

Globally, the spread of bird flu cases has been driven by migratory birds, with increasing outbreaks in poultry farms across Japan, India, South Korea, and the US, among others.

To date, most human cases have occurred in people handling infected poultry or animals.

Key Symptoms of bird flu in humans include:

Cough,

sore throat,

runny or stuffy nose,

difficulty breathing

High fever (often >38°C),

fatigue,

muscle/body aches

Conjunctivitis (red/irritated eyes),

nausea,

vomiting,

diarrhea.

In severe cases, pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), have been reported.

Human infections remain rare, and the risk is also low, yet scientists say that the virus may someday evolve into a variant that can cause significant harm to humans. Recent infections in mammals (like cattle) increase concern.

Bird flu (H5N1) was detected in the US milk supply, particularly in raw milk from infected dairy cows, with high levels found in milk and udder tissues.

“There is a consensus among those who study how infectious diseases originate and spread that the next pandemic in humans is most likely to originate in a bird flu. Of the different types of bird flu that are especially important, H5N1 avian influenza is considered the most likely candidate for a spillover event, with a high fatality rate,” Dr. Gautam Menon, Professor of Physics & Biology, Ashoka University, told HealthandMe.

“From the small number of infections in humans that have been diagnosed, we know that about 30-40 percent of such cases can be fatal. But we don’t know the possible background of infections in which these deaths or serious cases might occur. In particular, the possibility of asymptomatic infections is open,” he added.

A 25-year-old Spanish woman has died by euthanasia after a long battle with her father over her right to die.

Noelia Castillo, a rape survivor who was left paralyzed in her lower half of the body after a suicide attempt in 2022, died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Barcelona.

While the Catalan regional government had granted her the right to assisted dying in 2024, her father, Geronimo Castillo, had raised legal objections. Her wish to ‘die in peace’ has also sparked debate around the country’s right-to-die law -- legalized in 2021.

Who Is Noelia Castillo?

Much of Castillo’s life during her childhood was spent in care homes. Her father's problems with alcohol had a significant impact on her mental health, and she underwent psychiatric treatment since her early teens.

Later, she was diagnosed with conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder.

She was raped twice: first by an ex-boyfriend and later by three men in 2022 while at a state-supervised facility for vulnerable youth.

The assaults, which took a severe toll on her mental health, led her to make multiple suicide attempts.

In October 2022, she jumped from a fifth-floor window, which left her with a severe spinal cord injury and permanent paralysis in her lower body.

Also read: Harish Rana, India’s First Passive Euthanasia Case, Dies at AIIMS

Noelia Castillo’s Fight For Euthanasia

Castillo chose assisted dying to escape years of physical pain and emotional trauma.

In her final days, Castillo spoke openly about her suffering and her decision. In an interview with Spanish broadcaster Antena 3, she said: “I just cannot go on anymore… I want to go in peace now and stop suffering.”

Speaking earlier to Spanish TV programme Y Ahora Sonsoles, she added: “I am very clear… none of my family is in favour of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I’ve suffered during all these years?”

In 2024, the Catalan regional government granted her the right to assisted dying in 2024. But the process was suspended after legal objections raised by her father. According to her father, her mental health did not allow her to make better decisions about herself.

Noelia Castillo: 18-month-long Legal Battle

Christian Lawyers (Abogados Cristianos) had been attempting to block her death until the last moment. For 18 months, the case moved through multiple courts, eventually reaching Spain’s Constitutional Court, which ruled there was “no violation of fundamental rights” in allowing her euthanasia.

Finally, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled this week in Noelia Castillo's favour, and her death was eventually confirmed late on Thursday.

In a TV interview this week, she said nobody in her family had supported her decision to die by euthanasia, and her father "hasn't respected my decision and never will".

"I want to go in peace now and stop suffering," she told Antena 3 TV the day before she died.

Critics Call Her Death A Failure Of The State

"For a girl who obviously has had a very tough life, which we all regret, the only thing that could be offered to her by the healthcare system is death," said José María Fernández, of Christian Lawyers.

The opposition conservative People's Party (PP), which voted against a 2021 euthanasia law, had a similar response.

Several senior Catholic leaders in Spain have sharply criticised the euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia Castillo, calling it a reflection of societal failure and raising concerns over the country’s right-to-die law.“We have all failed as a society,” Jose Mazuelos Perez, Bishop of the Canary Islands, was quoted as saying by EuroNews.

In a joint statement, church leaders said the case reflected “an accumulation of personal suffering and institutional shortcomings”.