Recently the US has seen a rise in the numbers of measles cases, with outbreaks being recorded in states like Texas and South Colorina. According to the South Carolina Department of Health, the measles outbreak there as reached 16 confirmed cases, according to an October 14 announcement from state health officials. This figure includes five new cases linked to students exposed in school settings, specifically at two schools with significantly low vaccination rates.

The highly contagious viral disease was first identified in the state's Upstate region in early October by the South Carolina Department of Health. The majority of cases, a dozen, are concentrated in Spartanburg County.

What Is The Reason Behind The Rise In Measles Cases?

The South Carolina Department of Health found the highly contagious virus in the Upstate region earlier in October. Most cases, 12 of them, are in Spartanburg County. Because of this, nearly 140 unvaccinated students from two elementary schools are now staying home to prevent the spread.

The five new cases were students who were already isolating at home after being exposed at school. The exposures happened at two Spartanburg County schools with very few vaccinated students: Global Academy of South Carolina and Fairforest Elementary School according to media reports.

• Global Academy, a charter school with over 600 students, reported that only 17% of students had their required shots. Experts say 95% are needed to protect the community.
• Fairforest Elementary, a public school with over 760 students, had a slightly better rate of 85%.

Officials are worried because some people who got sick were not in contact with known cases or travelers. This suggests the measles virus is spreading easily in the community and could get worse. The state plans to offer free vaccines to help stop the spread.

Is There A Decline In The Vaccination Rates?

Low vaccination rates are causing problems across the entire country. In 2025, the U.S. has seen a record of over 1,500 measles cases in 44 different outbreaks. Most of the people who got sick were not vaccinated.

The U.S. got rid of measles in 2000, meaning new cases only came from people traveling from other countries. However, because more parents are choosing not to give their children the required vaccines, the disease has come back strongly.

Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The air can stay contaminated for up to two hours. Symptoms, which appear one to two weeks later, include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed a few days later by a red rash.

Vaccines are excellent at preventing the disease. Getting the full two-dose shot (called MMR) gives 99% protection against measles and rubella, according to the National Health Services UK. They also mention how two doses also protect 88% of people against mumps. It is usually given around a child’s first birthday and again between ages 4 and 6.

Measles can be very dangerous. About 1 in 5 people who get it will need to go to the hospital. It can cause serious problems like pneumonia, which is a major cause of death in sick children or brain swelling, which can lead to deafness or other long-term disabilities.

A recent scientific study found an exciting new way to check if someone is likely to get Alzheimer's disease due to their genetics. Instead of current medical tests, which are often costly, complex, and invasive, this new method uses simple eye-tracking technology. This means diagnosing the risk could become much easier for patients and more affordable for healthcare systems.

As you may know, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. This is a neurodegenerative disease that can affect a person’s memory, skills, as well as behavior. The best way to deal with this disease is by diagnosing it early, so that doctors can provide medicine and treatment options to delay the onset and manage the symptoms. However, it is not easy to spot the symptoms, so how can one know for certain whether they have Alzheimer's disease or not?

How Can Eye Trackers Detect Alzheimer’s Disease

This research, which involved scientists from the University of Strathclyde, looked closely at how well this new technique works. The technology is a specific system called ViewMind Atlas. It works by monitoring a person's tiny, subtle eye movements. Then, Artificial Intelligence (AI) software analyzes these movements.

Since the eyes are closely linked to the brain, the way they move can tell doctors about the brain's health and function. The most important part is that this system can successfully identify the genetic risk in people years before they start showing any actual memory loss or other Alzheimer’s symptoms.

How Accurate Is This Eye Tracking Test?

To test the system, the researchers studied a group of people from extended families in Colombia who have a known genetic mutation that causes Alzheimer’s. The results were incredibly promising:

For the family members who were already showing symptoms of the disease, the ViewMind Atlas test was 100% accurate in identifying them.

More remarkably, for those who carried the gene but didn't have any symptoms yet (asymptomatic), the test was 96% accurate at correctly identifying their risk. The AI model essentially learned to look at the patterns of eye movement and use them to tell apart the people who had or were likely to get Alzheimer's from those who weren't.

Can This Help Improve Early Diagnosis Rate?

The research team found this eye-tracking test detects the disease earlier than standard cognitive tests, which often fail to flag a problem until it is well underway. The lead scientist, Professor Mario Parra Rodriguez, explained why this is such a big deal. He pointed out that today's common tests are "expensive and invasive," often requiring hospital procedures.

The ViewMind Atlas system, however, helps doctors predict Alzheimer’s risk years in advance. This is key for doctors, who often struggle to figure out if a patient’s mild forgetfulness is just a normal part of getting older or a serious risk of dementia. This new tool could help them act quickly to treat or manage the risk instead of having to wait for the disease to fully develop.

A resident in the suburbs of New York City has tested positive for chikungunya, which is a mosquito-borne virus more commonly seen in South America and not reported on the U.S. mainland in over a decade. Health officials confirmed that the virus, which often causes fever and joint pain, was identified in a Long Island patient who began showing symptoms in August after traveling outside the local area, though not internationally.

The infection likely came from a mosquito bite, but it is unclear exactly where. So far, the virus has not been detected in local mosquito populations and cannot spread directly from person to person. As the virus reaches New York, it’s important to understand who is more vulnerable to chikungunya.

Who Is More At Risk For Chikungunya?

According to the World Health Organization, certain groups are more susceptible to severe chikungunya. Older adults, newborns, pregnant women, and individuals with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease are at higher risk of complications or slower recovery. While chikungunya rarely leads to death, it can produce sudden high fever, headaches, fatigue, rash, nausea, and red eyes.

Symptoms typically appear 2 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Most people recover within a couple of weeks, but some may experience lingering joint and muscle pain for months or even years after infection.

Where Is Chikungunya Found?

Originally limited to Africa and Asia, chikungunya has now spread rapidly since 2004. Today, more than one-third of the global population lives in areas where the virus can be transmitted. These regions include parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and islands in the Caribbean as well as the Indian and Pacific Oceans, according to Mayo Clinic.

Should You Be Worried About The Chikungunya Spread In The US?

Most people recover within 1 to 2 weeks without additional symptoms. However, some develop chronic chikungunya arthritis, with joint and muscle pain lasting months or years, affecting at least 40% of those infected.

Death from chikungunya is rare, but the virus can cause serious issues in vulnerable groups, including older adults, people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, young children, and pregnant individuals who could transmit the virus to their babies. Complications may involve the eyes, heart, or nervous system. Fortunately, a previous infection usually provides protection against future infections.

Chikungunya: What’s Happening in the United States?

The New York case marks the first locally acquired instance in the U.S. since 2015, meaning the patient contracted the virus without traveling elsewhere. Ten years ago, a single case was reported in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and two cases occurred in U.S. territories in 2019.

This is also the first locally acquired case ever detected in New York, said the state Health Department. Health officials explained that transmission occurs when a mosquito bites an infected traveler, becomes infected, and then bites another person. The mosquito species known to carry chikungunya, Aedes albopictus, exists in parts of downstate New York. People are advised to prevent bites by wearing long sleeves and removing standing water from items like flowerpots. However, cooler nighttime temperatures in New York currently make the risk of transmission “very low,” said State Health Commissioner James McDonald.

Although locally acquired cases have been almost nonexistent in recent years, the CDC has recorded several travel-related infections in the U.S., including 199 cases in 2024 and 152 in 2023.

A new study suggests that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, used mainly for weight loss and diabetes, might also lessen the effects of alcohol. While this could be disappointing for social drinkers, experts at Virginia Tech see it as a hopeful new way to help people who struggle with serious alcohol problems.

Alcohol addiction is one of the world’s biggest problems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 alone, approximately 2.6 million deaths worldwide were linked to drinking. While 1.6 million deaths were due to non-communicable diseases, the other 700,000 deaths were caused by injuries.

A massive number of people struggle with alcohol problems. An estimated 400 million people globally, about 7% of the world's population aged 15 and older, were living with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). A large portion of this group, 209 million people, or 3.7% of the adult population, had the more severe condition of alcohol dependence (or addiction).

The WHO explains that we have effective ways to control and reduce the harm caused by alcohol, and countries need to use these strategies more often. At the same time, it’s crucial for every person to know the dangers of drinking and take personal steps to protect themselves from their harmful effects. Could these weight loss drugs become one such viable ways to help bring alcohol addiction down?

How Does Weight Loss Medication Help Alcohol Cravings?

GLP-1 medicines work by copying a natural body hormone that manages your appetite and how you digest food. This makes people feel full longer and helps them eat less. For this small study, researchers tested 20 people who were overweight.

Half of them were already taking a regular dose of a GLP-1 drug. On the test day, everyone had an alcoholic drink after a snack. The researchers then watched them for an hour, checking their health and asking how they felt.

The key result was that the group on GLP-1 drugs felt less drunk, even though everyone had the same amount. Crucially, their blood alcohol level rose more slowly. Scientists think that because the drug slows down the body's processes, it slows down how fast the alcohol reaches the brain, which dulls the effects, or the "buzz."

This is important because slow-acting drugs are less likely to be abused. These promising results mean researchers want to run much bigger studies to confirm that GLP-1s can be a real treatment to help people drink less.

Benefits Of GLP-1 Medication

The ability of GLP-1 drugs to help with cravings doesn't stop at alcohol. People taking drugs like Ozempic have also reported having fewer cravings for nicotine, opioid drugs, and even less desire for impulse shopping. Other research has already shown this potential: Opioid users on GLP-1s had a 40% lower rate of overdoses in one study.

In a separate trial done by researchers from Loyola University Chicago, these medications were better than standard drugs for alcoholism at keeping patients out of the hospital for alcohol problems. Scientists believe this happens because GLP-1 drugs affect the brain's reward system (called the mesolimbic system), which controls addiction. They change the levels of a chemical called dopamine, which is central to how we feel pleasure and form habits.