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.

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.

As many as 561 measles cases have been confirmed in the second largest US state of Texas, as the outbreak continues to grow nationwide, according to figures issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

As many as 20 new cases were reported over the last five days, and at least 58 patients associated with measles have been hospitalised so far, said the DSHS.

"Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities," the DSHS said on Tuesday.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed 712 measles cases this year in at least 24 states, about 97 per cent of them are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

A team of US researchers have developed a new antiviral chewing gum that showed the potential to substantially reduce viral loads of two herpes simplex viruses and two influenza A strains in experimental models.

Seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually, causing a substantial global disease burden. The herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), spread primarily through oral contact, infects over two-thirds of the global population.

Low vaccination rates for influenza viruses and the lack of an HSV vaccine underscore the need for a new approach.

Babies treated with antibiotics in the first few weeks of their life are likely to show weaker immune responses to essential vaccines taken in childhood, according to a study.

Researchers from Flinders University in Australia explained that this is due to a decrease in the levels of Bifidobacterium -- a bacterial species that lives in the human gastrointestinal tract.

On the other hand, replenishing Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiome using probiotic supplements such as Infloran showed promising results in restoring the immune response, revealed the study published in the journal Nature.

The Ethiopian government has launched a cholera vaccination campaign in the southwestern part of the country, targeting about one million people at risk.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said the vaccination will be conducted in all zones of the country's Gambella Region and refugee camps during the coming week.

It came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and various other humanitarian agencies called for concerted efforts to contain the "rapidly spreading" cholera outbreak across the Gambella Region, bordering South Sudan.

Ethiopian Minister of Health Mekdes Daba, addressing the launch event, said that in addition to expanding access to cholera vaccines, maintaining environmental and personal hygiene are essential proactive measures to prevent cholera outbreaks.

The United States is grappling with a significant increase in measles cases, US health authorities have said.

The number of infections in early 2025 has already exceeded the entire 2024 total, according to the latest data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of March 28, 2025, the CDC reported 483 confirmed measles cases across 20 states, among them 2 dead and 70 hospitalised, while only 285 cases were reported in 33 states during the entire year of 2024.

Texas is experiencing the most severe outbreak as 400 cases have been identified since late January, and 41 of the patients have been hospitalised, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Surveillance and vigilance are necessary to ensure South-East Asia region remains polio-free, said the World Health Organization on the 11th anniversary of being certified polio-free on Thursday.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The highly transmissible virus invades the nervous system to cause paralysis.

In a historic milestone, 11 years ago on March 27, 2014, the WHO South-East Asia Region was certified as free of all types of wild polioviruses.

Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia stated that eradication of polio in the SE Asia region was a “daunting and uphill task” and “required relentless effort and innovative strategies”.

Pakistan has reported 71 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2024, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said.

The 71st case was confirmed on Tuesday and involved a boy from Jacobabad district in the country's southern Sindh province, with symptoms first appearing on December 27, 2024, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH said on Wednesday.

The institute said that the distribution of cases includes 27 from Balochistan, 21 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has intensified its efforts to combat the resurgence of WPV1.

According to the NIH, the programme conducts multiple vaccination drives annually, delivering vaccines directly to households, news agency reported.

South Sudan's health ministry said that it has rolled out a week-long campaign aimed at vaccinating more than 300,000 people against cholera in Rubkona, a hotspot county in Unity State.

The ministry said the campaign, backed by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, Medecins Sans Frontieres and various other partners, is an important step to curb the ongoing outbreak and brings the total number of counties where the vaccination campaign has been conducted to four nationwide.

South Sudan's Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, who spoke during the launch, expressed the government's commitment to fully combat the outbreak and ensure effective measures are implemented to stop the spread of the disease.

"The rollout of the cholera vaccine nationwide is part of the broader government efforts aimed at combating the cholera outbreak and saving lives," Akol said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health on Monday announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 4.8 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

Running from Monday to Wednesday, the campaign will provide anti-polio drops to children in 11 out of the country's 34 provinces, said Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the ministry.

In his message, Amarkhil urged tribal elders, religious scholars, and parents to actively participate and fully cooperate with polio workers to implement the campaign appropriately, news agency reported.

On October 28, the Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 6.2 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

A policeman was killed in firing by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officers said on Monday.

A polio worker was also critically injured when some unknown armed persons attacked a polio vaccination team in Shakarkhel area of Karak district of the province.

The attackers fled the scene after carrying out the attack, and a search operation was underway to arrest the culprits, police said.

Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police reached the area. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the attack, news agency reported.

Earlier, the Pakistani government launched a fresh nationwide anti-polio campaign after cases rose to 63 so far in 2024.

At least 12,847 children aged 11 have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of Mongolia's nationwide campaign, as per the country's Health Ministry, reports said.

The vaccination drive, officially launched late last month, aims to combat cervical cancer -- a significant public health concern in Mongolia.

Hospitals across the country are offering free HPV vaccinations to 11-year-old girls and boys with parental or guardian consent, following the government's decision in December 2023 to include the HPV vaccine in the National Immunisation Schedule for this age group, news agency reported citing local media.

According to the ministry, there are more than 78,600 children aged 11 in Mongolia, a country with a population of 3.5 million, eligible for the vaccination campaign.

Armed men attacked policemen providing security for polio vaccination workers in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing a police officer and injuring another, police officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place when a group of terrorists opened fire on the anti-polio team in the Dabori area of Orakzai district of the province, police sources in the area told.

Police said that two terrorists were also killed in the ensuing exchange of fire between the security forces and the attackers, adding that the law enforcers have launched an operation in the surrounding areas to arrest those who fled from the scene of the combat.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet, news agency reported.

An immediate ceasefire is needed in the Gaza Strip as the enclave faces the additional threat of polio spreading, if the final phase of a vaccination campaign there continues to be delayed, an UN agency warned on Thursday.

The third and final phase of the polio vaccination campaign, which was set to start on Wednesday in Gaza, had to be postponed due to the escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders, and lack of assured humanitarian pauses.

"It is imperative to stop the polio outbreak in Gaza before more children are paralysed and the virus spreads," said Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). "The vaccination campaign must be facilitated in the north through the implementation of humanitarian pauses."

Rwandan Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana said that there have been no new infections of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the country for the past five days, indicating significant progress in the fight against the deadly virus.

Nsanzimana provided this update during a press conference in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, as the country continues its efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

"Among the 62 individuals who contracted the disease, approximately 15 have succumbed to it, while most of the patients have recovered. Currently, only three individuals remain in treatment. Two of the patients who have been on intubation for more than ten days have been extubated, which is the best news you can get in the medical profession," he said.

Nsanzimana added that this marks the first time patients with Marburg have been extubated in Africa, highlighting the potential for recovery even after contracting the virus, news agency reported.

World Health Organization (WHO) teams have been on the ground delivering supplies to health facilities before the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign starts in southern Gaza, UN humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday said the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in southern Gaza is to start on Saturday and aims to provide more than 293,000 children with the second dose of the vaccine and more than 284,000 with vitamin A supplements, reports news agency.

The second round of the polio vaccination campaign concluded in central Gaza on Wednesday, with more than 181,000 children receiving the vaccine and over 148,000 children getting vitamin A supplements, following the first round conducted from September 1 to 12, reaching more than 559,000 children across the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, OCHA said it continues to sound the alarm about the increasingly dire and dangerous situation that civilians in the north of Gaza are facing. Families there are trying to survive in atrocious conditions under heavy bombardment.

Rwanda has launched the world's first clinical trial for a treatment of Marburg virus disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced late Tuesday.

The initiative, in partnership with the WHO, is testing the safety and efficacy of two treatments: Remdesivir, a drug currently used to treat COVID-19, and MBP091, a specialized antibody developed to fight Marburg virus disease, WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said on X.

The health initiative is part of a process that began two years ago, where 17 African countries, including Rwanda, were identified by the WHO as willing to conduct clinical trials.

Currently, no treatment or vaccine is available for Marburg virus disease.

Rwanda declared a Marburg virus outbreak on September 27, news agency reported.

Rwanda began administering Marburg vaccine trials, prioritising frontline workers as part of efforts to prevent the spread of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the country.

Rwandan Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana on Sunday told a press conference in the national capital of Kigali that the first round of trial vaccinations targets healthcare workers, emergency responders, and individuals who have had contact with confirmed Marburg cases.

"We have received 700 doses of the vaccine, and we are hopeful that more will arrive soon to continue our efforts in safeguarding the health of our people," Nsanzimana said, emphasising the importance of protecting frontline workers, particularly those at high risk of exposure, reports news agency.

"The Marburg vaccine, produced by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, has already proven effective in countries like Uganda and Kenya," Nsanzimana said, emphasising that it is both safe and trusted.

Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim announced the launch of a one-month campaign to address the cholera epidemic.

The decision to launch the campaign was made during an urgent meeting of the higher committee for health and humanitarian emergencies in Kassala, the capital city of Kassala State in Sudan, the minister said in a statement on Sunday.

He said the campaign aims to combat cholera, enhance response to the disease in the states, unify the efforts, utilise available capabilities, and maximise the role of the community, with a focus on environmental sanitation, according to news agency.

Amid the rising global outbreak of Mpox, two separate studies have shown that the efficacy of Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine against the deadly infectious disease wanes “to undetectable levels” in 6-12 months.

Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic or MVA-BN is indicated for active immunisation against smallpox, Mpox, and related orthopoxvirus infections and disease in all adults 18 years of age and older.

The vaccine, administered as a 2-dose injection given 4 weeks apart, is the first jab against Mpox to be prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

 Zambia launched a nationwide measles vaccination campaign to immunise around 4 million children aged between nine months and five years.

The measles-rubella drive will take place in all 116 districts across the country from September 23 to 28, in collaboration with various partners.

"Measles has no cure and vaccination of infants remains the most effective method for its prevention and control," Health Minister Elijah Muchima said during the campaign's launch in Lusaka, the country's capital, on Friday.

He said recent surveillance reports have revealed sporadic measles outbreaks in both previously affected and unaffected areas, highlighting immunity gaps among children under five years of age, according to news agency.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the "epicenter" of the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Africa, will launch its first phase of the vaccination campaign on October 2, the government has announced.

The vaccination effort, which runs until October 11, follows the receipt of over 265,000 doses from international partners, according to the minutes of the weekly Council of ministers meeting late Friday, news agency reported.

"The process of procuring 3,000 doses of vaccines for children is sufficiently advancing," the minutes said.

Administering the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults with underlying health conditions may be a cost-effective way to reduce disease, a modelling study showed on Monday.

While RSV infections are known to cause major illness, especially in infants, the rate of infection increases with age. It can be dangerous for older adults, especially those with certain medical conditions, and can cause serious complications like pneumonia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

There are now vaccines available to prevent disease caused by RSV in adults, and vaccination campaigns may reduce the incidence in older adults and associated health care costs, said the team of researchers led by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A first batch of 99,100 doses of mpox vaccines was delivered to Congo, the epicentre of the global health crisis.

"In total, that will make 200,000 doses on Saturday. Today, we received 99,100 doses, and the rest (will be received) on Saturday," said Roger Kamba, Congolese Health Minister, on Thursday, at Kinshasa's N'djili Airport, promising to contain the virus as quickly as possible, especially in the most affected provinces, such as the South Kivu and Equateur.

"It is first the vaccines for adults that have arrived," the Health Minister said, adding that the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) will be in charge of the vaccination campaign in the most affected provinces, without specifying the date for the launch of the vaccination, news agency reported.

However, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Congolese Health Ministry plans to start rolling out the vaccines this weekend.

Following the World Health Organization's declaration of mpox outbreaks in Africa as a global health emergency, South Korean authorities have decided to ramp up quarantine and surveillance measures.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the decision after a meeting with medical and academic experts on Friday to discuss the potential of mpox entering the country and response strategies.

KDCA officials and experts determined that the current domestic mpox situation remains manageable under existing disease control protocols. However, they decided to enhance quarantine and surveillance efforts without reissuing the crisis alert that was lifted last May, news agency reported.

On Wednesday, WHO declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time, in response to a surge of cases in Congo and other parts of Africa, alongside the emergence of a new variant of the virus. This declaration comes 15 months after the previous emergency was declared over in May 2023.

Amid rising Covid-19 cases in South Korea, infections in children have witnessed a jump this month, hospital data showed on Wednesday.

Data compiled by the Korea Children's Hospital Association from 42 paediatric hospitals showed that there were 1,080 children with Covid from August 5-9, compared with 387 between July 22 and 26, news agency reported.

In particular, the number of children with Covid stood at 301 from August 5-9 in Chungcheong provinces, compared with 54 on July 22-26.

"Most Covid-19 paediatric patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, which allows the virus to spread more easily," said Choi Yong-jae, the president of the association.

An ongoing wave of Covid-19 is forecast to reach a peak around the end of August after the summer vacation season in South Korea, the health authorities said on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen responses to curb its spread.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), South Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, with virus hospitalisations at 220 major medical institutions nationwide rising sixfold in a month to come to 861 as of the first week of August, news agency reported.

"The uptrend could peak around the end of August, as contacts among people will grow after the summer vacation and such changes could affect the infection trend," KDCA official Hong Jeong-il said.

"Not enough ventilation with air conditioning in the summertime is also a major cause of the summer surge," he added.

To curb the spread, the KDCA has decided to expand the virus response team to enhance monitoring of the situation at home and abroad, analysis of infections, and the management of treatment and other medical supplies.

Contaminated food and water are increasing cases of hepatitis in the country, said experts on World Hepatitis Day, on Sunday.

World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28, with this year’s theme being, “It is time for action”.

Viral hepatitis, as the name implies, refers to liver damage or inflammation caused by a viral infection. It is a systemic or generalised infection that primarily affects the liver, with the most common viruses being hepatitis A, B, C and E.

"We see about 4-5 cases of viral hepatitis per week," Dr Lorance Peter, Director of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru, told.

The most prevalent form of hepatitis is hepatitis E, closely followed by hepatitis A. While the B and C variants of Hepatitis are not uncommon either, they can be prevented by lifestyle and medication. Hospitalisation is only needed in severe cases which are visible by a high fever and other symptoms.

Two UN agencies have called for a catch-up in child immunisation, warning global vaccinations of children stalled last year, leaving 2.7 million unvaccinated or with insufficient inoculations.

The latest World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates of national immunisation coverage provide the world's largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunisation trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases. The estimates "underscore the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery and system-strengthening efforts",news agency reported.

They said on Monday that childhood immunisation levels stalled in 2023, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, leaving many without life-saving protection, notably from measles. New data reveals that nearly three in four infants live in countries where low vaccine coverage is driving measles outbreaks.

A first-of-its-kind mice model with a fully functional human immune system and a human-like gut microbiome has shown promise of mounting specific antibody responses.

To date, researchers have not developed a fully functional human immune system, but only those with a brief lifespan that do not mount efficient immune responses, making them unsuitable for the development of in vivo human immunotherapies, human disease modelling, or human vaccine development.

Developed by scientists at The University of Texas in the US, the new model will overcome limitations of currently available in vivo human models and is a breakthrough for biomedical research and promises new insight into immunotherapy development and disease modelling.

Calling for accelerated action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), global experts, including from India, at the 77th World Health Assembly (decision-making body of the WHO), have once again reiterated that AMR continues to be among the top-10 global health threats.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, said that AMR is a growing and urgent crisis which is already a leading cause of untimely deaths globally.

He stressed that more than two people die of AMR every single minute.

“AMR threatens to unwind centuries of progress in human health, animal health, and other sectors,” he added.

The immune cells of people who received Covid 19 vaccines and also experienced "breakthrough" or repeated infections can build an "immunity wall" against future SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to scientists.

Analysing blood samples, the team at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in California, US, found that people who experienced symptomatic breakthrough infections, from the Delta and Omicron variants, developed T-cells that are better at recognising and targeting SARS-CoV-2.

"The virus evolves, but, importantly, so does the immune system. T-cells do not sit idle. Instead, they learn to recognise the parts of the virus that mutate," said Alessandro Sette, Professor at LJI.

The researchers noted that due to multiple infections, “the cells could recognise multiple features, or antigens, on SARS-CoV-2.” As a result, the volunteers’ T-cells could recognise and target SARS-CoV-2, “even if part of it was mutated.”

Amid the global rise in H5N1 cases, US scientists have developed an experimental mRNA vaccine -- based on Covid-19 jab technology -- to fight avian or bird flu infections.

Preclinical models, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, showed that the jab against the avian influenza virus H5N1 is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania noted that the vaccine could potentially help manage the outbreak of the H5N1 virus currently circulating in birds and cattle in the US, and also prevent human infections with the virus.