The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, official data released Friday showed. The CDC has recorded 2,318 confirmed cases so far in 2026, surpassing 2025's record 2,289 cases and three deaths, two of them young children. Officials blame falling vaccination rates and rising vaccine distrust. The last comparable year was 1991, when 9,643 cases were reported.
A three-year study published in Gut Microbes has built what its authors call the first reference database of the gut microbiome across South Asia, sampling 575 adults from 10 communities in India and Sri Lanka. It suggests gut bacteria, not just genes, may explain rising diabetes, obesity and hypertension as Indians urbanise. Niraj Rai and Maanasa Raghavan led the work.
Doctors' groups and disability rights organisations have demanded a ban on pellet guns, electric-shock batons and other weapons capable of causing permanent disability by all police and paramilitary forces. The Progressive Medicos and Scientific Forum and NPRD-affiliated groups condemned their apparent use against Cockroach Janta Party protesters during the July 20 'Chalo Sansad' march in Delhi and sought an independent judicial inquiry.
On World IVF Day, marked July 25, doctors are stressing patient safety in fertility treatment. The date honours Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby, born in England on July 25, 1978. Assisted reproductive techniques, including IVF, IUI, ICSI and embryo freezing, are regulated in India by the ART Act, 2021. Experts note IVF success hinges on 200 variables and hormone-stimulated cycles.
Members of the All India Mahila Samsrutik Sanghatan submitted a memorandum to Dharwad's Deputy Commissioner on Friday, voicing alarm over a rise in adolescent pregnancy cases in the Karnataka district and seeking remedial measures. They demanded the immediate release of pending social security pensions. The activists, led by district president Madhulata Goudar and secretary Gangubai Kokare, first protested outside the DC's office.
A US FDA advisory panel on Thursday narrowly recommended easing access to peptides popular with wellness influencers and celebrities, despite agency scientists warning they lack proof of safety or effectiveness. The outside experts urged the FDA to lift restrictions barring pharmacies from compounding injectable peptides such as BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV, promoted for uses like wound healing, ulcerative colitis and opioid addiction.
Almost every country is overusing 'watch' antibiotics, stronger drugs that should be reserved for infections resistant to simpler medicines and that most drive antibiotic resistance, a study in The Lancet Public Health found. It also found 60% of countries still prescribe antibiotics the World Health Organization says should be dropped. The authors urged national policies to curb unnecessary prescribing while preserving access.
Tamil Nadu has created 2.54 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts, the 14-digit digital health identifiers generated from a person's Aadhaar number under the Centre's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission launched in 2021. Government facilities, including primary health centres, have been registering patients over the years. The state is now linking ABHA with its Health Management Information System 3.0 across public institutions.
The Drug Controller General of India has granted market authorisation to Takeda's QDENGA, or TAK-003, the country's first approved dengue vaccine. Cleared for people aged 4 to 60, it is a live-attenuated tetravalent shot covering all four dengue serotypes, given in two doses three months apart and without requiring prior screening for past infection.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered yearly testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve personnel aged 30 and above, arguing it supports military readiness. Doctors have questioned what scientific evidence underpins the requirement. It joins a series of health policy changes from Hegseth and other Trump administration officials that specialists say lack a clear clinical basis.
After two Indian consumer courts penalised retailers in July 2026 over expired instant noodles, health experts have set out what buyers should verify before purchasing or cooking a pack. Their checklist covers expiry dates, packaging integrity and storage conditions, following a run of food-poisoning complaints linked to products sold past their shelf life.
A short tobacco break may look harmless but drives a slow internal decline in health, warns oncologist Dr Vineet Kaul. He explains that even brief, routine smoking exposes the body to carcinogens and cardiovascular strain, with the cumulative effect building silently over years before symptoms surface.
Women who routinely skip breakfast may be undermining their health over the long term, says nutritionist Dr Rohini Patil. She outlines effects spanning blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance, energy levels and metabolism, arguing that the habit's consequences accumulate quietly and are often overlooked until they show up as broader health problems.
Deutsche Bank's 'Mapping the World's Prices 2026' report ranks Delhi as the cheapest city in the world for a night out on a date, while Geneva and Zurich top the list as the most expensive. A comparable evening in Geneva costs roughly five times what it does in the Indian capital, the study found.
An expert argues that older philosophical traditions still offer usable guidance for a fractured world, pointing to the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — 'the world is one family'. The idea frames shared belonging rather than difference as the starting point, and is presented as a practical corrective to rising polarisation.
Babies have delicate skin, but that does not mean sunscreen must be avoided entirely, says dermatologist Dr Hysem Eldik. He sets out the age from which application is appropriate and the formulation details parents should check, advising mineral-based products and careful attention to ingredients for the youngest children.
For people put off by the bland taste or lingering aftertaste of unflavoured protein powder, flavoured alternatives offer an easier way to hit daily protein targets. Options span chocolate, coffee and fruit-based profiles, allowing the supplement to fold into routine meals and shakes without becoming a chore to consume.
Many spiritual traditions hold that empaths are unusually sensitive to energies reaching beyond the present moment, including inherited family patterns. An expert unpacks the idea of ancestral karma, describing how unresolved emotional legacies are believed to pass through generations and why highly sensitive people are thought to feel them most acutely.
Understanding edible oils depends on traditional knowledge rather than social media trends, argues Dr Jyoti Arora. She sets out the fat composition of widely used cooking oils, explaining how the balance of saturated and unsaturated fats affects health outcomes and which oils suit different cooking temperatures and methods.
The Emporio Armani Sync watch pairs a restrained design with a brown sunray dial, making it easy to wear across settings. Reviewers found its versatility the main draw, working with both casual and formal outfits, and positioned it as a considered accessory purchase rather than a purely technical timepiece.