The United States has reported 884 confirmed measles cases so far this year, marking a sharp increase compared to the previous year, according to the latest data released by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So far in 2025, 11 measles outbreaks have been recorded nationwide. The CDC defines an outbreak as three or more related cases. Confirmed cases have been reported across 30 US jurisdictions, with 94 hospitalisations and three deaths attributed to the disease.

This year's measles case count represents a significant rise from 2024, when the country reported a total of 285 measles cases.

The CDC emphasises that the best way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are highly effective in preventing the disease, news agency reported.

According to the World Health Organisation, Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. Measles spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.

As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global health concern, with millions of deaths occurring each year due to it, a new study showed how even a short period of antibiotic use can lead to persistent resistance in human gut bacteria.

Researchers from the Stanford University in the US focused their study on ciprofloxacin -- used to treat bacterial infections in many different parts of the body.

They showed that ciprofloxacin can lead to resistance that can emerge independently across diverse species and continue for more than 10 weeks.

AMR is widely driven by excessive and inappropriate antibiotic use.

Previously studies have relied on in vitro experiments and animal models to understand AMR. But, the new study, published in the journal Nature, performed a longitudinal metagenomic study to explain how resistance evolves in 60 humans.

Just three minutes a day of moderate activity may be enough to boost better heart health in older adults, according to a study.

Previous studies have shown that as people age, many do not engage in physical activity, increasing their chances of experiencing a cardiovascular event.

In the new study, researchers from the UK and Australia noted that doing household chores or shopping for groceries -- referred to as incidental activities -- may also be enough to boost health. Incidental physical activity (IPA) encompasses activities of daily living outside the leisure-time domain and includes preparing meals, keeping the house clean, mowing the lawn, or gardening.

“Any daily IPA amount of vigorous or moderate-intensity was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk in a dose-response manner,” said the researchers from the University of Sydney.

US researchers have uncovered the role of Plasmodium falciparum -- a parasitic protozoan that causes malaria -- in the development of Burkitt lymphoma (BL), the most common childhood cancer.

BL is a cancer that affects B cells -- an important cell of the immune system that produces antibodies. It has been associated with P. falciparum malaria since 1958, but the underlying mechanism of how this leads to cancer has remained a mystery.

While BL is a rare cancer globally, (found more in equatorial Africa and New Guinea) its prevalence is 10 times higher in areas with a consistent presence of P. falciparum malaria.

Five different species of Plasmodium can cause malaria in humans, but only P. falciparum is associated with BL.

Young children with chronic conditions are more likely to be hospitalised for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) than healthy children, according to a new study on Friday.

The study led by researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada showed that toddlers with chronic conditions are hospitalised for RSV at twice the rate of healthy toddlers.

The risk was highest for children born very prematurely under 28 weeks of gestation, or with conditions affecting multiple organs, the lungs, heart, or digestive system.

Researchers recommend that children with those specific conditions receive immunisation against RSV in their first season to increase protection, even if their mother was vaccinated.

Current guidelines suggest pregnant women should receive vaccination before birth to pass on antibodies.

Cambodia is making great progress towards achieving its malaria-free target by the end of 2025, Prime Minister Hun Manet said.

In a message to mark the National Malaria Day on Friday, he said the Southeast Asian country reported only 355 malaria cases in 2024, a significant drop of 75 per cent compared to 2023.

The prime minister added that the kingdom had reported zero deaths from the disease since 2018 and no local Plasmodium Falciparum cases since 2024.

"Cambodia is on the verge of achieving a malaria-free goal by the end of 2025," Hun Manet said, urging all stakeholders to continue to support the country to achieve the target.

The US may be on the brink of a major measles resurgence as vaccination rates continue to fall across several states, according to a new study.

A team of US-based researchers from the universities of Stanford, Baylor, Rice, and Texas used a simulation model to assess the importation and dynamic spread of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases across 50 states in the country, news agency reported.

The model evaluated scenarios with different vaccination rates over 25 years.

At current vaccination levels, the model projects that measles could regain endemic status in the US, potentially resulting in approximately 851,300 cases over the next 25 years, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

If vaccination rates were to decline by 10 per cent, the study estimates the country could see 11.1 million measles cases over the same period.

The government is continuously working towards achieving the goal of 'Malaria Free India', said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Singh Patel on World Malaria Day on Friday.

World Malaria Day is observed every year on April 25 to raise awareness against the disease. This year's theme “Malaria ends with us: Reinvest, reimagine, reignite” aims to re-energise efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress toward malaria elimination.

“On the occasion of World Malaria Day, it is the responsibility of all of us to spread awareness about a deadly disease like malaria and make collective efforts to eradicate it,” Patel shared in a post on social media platform X.

“The Government of India is continuously working towards the goal of 'Malaria Free India'. Let us all together make this campaign a success,” she added.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.

AIIMS Raipur has successfully performed its first Swap Kidney Transplant, also known as a Kidney Paired Transplant (KPT), the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

With this achievement, AIIMS Raipur becomes the first among the newer AIIMS institutions and the first government hospital in the state of Chhattisgarh to carry out this complex and life-saving procedure.

This significant milestone underscores the institute’s commitment to advancing healthcare and providing innovative treatment solutions for patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease.

It is estimated that swap kidney transplant leads to a 15 per cent increase in the number of transplants.

Lotte Biologics, the biotech arm of Lotte Group, said on Thursday it has signed a deal with an Asia-based biotech company for the production of a clinical-stage antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate.

The contract marks the first official step toward the full-scale operation of the company's ADC manufacturing facility at the Syracuse Bio Campus in New York, which has been undergoing expansion since 2023, the company said in a press release.

Lotte Biologics has invested US$100 million to build the ADC manufacturing facility within its existing U.S. plant, reports news agency.

An ADC is a targeted cancer therapy that delivers powerful medicine directly to cancer cells.