United States: Health authorities from New Jersey confirmed three active measles cases in New Jersey as a respiratory disease with contagious transmission that caused nationwide outbreak concerns. 

More about the news 

A resident from Bergen County became the first person to contract confirmed measles during January, and subsequently, two more cases manifested through contact with this original diagnosis. 

The individual has traveled throughout other countries lately. The appearance of two additional measles cases occurred during seven consecutive days. 

The two infected persons shared direct exposure to the patient who traveled. 

According to officials, neither of the patients received vaccination. Health authorities have restricted these three individuals inside their quarantine rooms to prevent new transmission of the virus, nbcnewyork.com reported. 

Reported cases by the authority= 

Seven measles cases were recorded in New Jersey during the previous year. The New York healthcare department has reported two measles cases for this year throughout the city region. 

The entire population of New York City (along with one other case) manifested all 15 confirmed measles cases in New York last year. 

Before medical science introduced the measles vaccination into widespread use, this condition affected children frequently. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that all people without vaccinations will acquire the virus when they encounter it. 

The most life-threatening of all childhood skin fever conditions exists in the form of measles, which stays active in the air for two hours. 

Most visible symptoms 

All symptoms related to measles result in high fever combined with cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes followed by rash development. 

When children contract measles, they usually recover, but several health risks, including pneumonia, blindness, and brain swelling, along with death, become possible dangerous complications, nbcnewyork.com reported. 

One to two children will fall victim to death among 1000 children who acquire measles. Measles causes miscarriages to develop in expecting mothers. 

The confirmed cases in New Jersey emerged while the measles outbreak in Texas rural areas caused its first child-related death. 

As per state health department reports on Tuesday, the outbreak now involves 124 cases across nine counties. 

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Measles is a respiratory virus disease that can stay alive in the air for up to two hours. 

The reports suggest that almost nine out of ten people who are susceptible would catch the virus after exposure. 

United States: The medical experts have identified a genetic variant that constitutes protection against COPA Syndrome enabling prospects for transformative gene treatments. 

This discovery offered families whose lives had endured the disease both an understanding of its nature and prospects of future improvement. 

About COPA syndrome 

Throughout 15 years, Dr. Anthony Shum studied a unique genetic disease that produces unexpected consequences for affected families. 

The mutation causes specific persons to experience severe lung hemorrhage in childhood, yet other individuals who possess the mutation show no symptoms. 

Through his research team, Shum discovered another genetic variant that stops COPA syndrome from developing, scitechdaily.com reported. 

Scientific progress enables the possible development of a gene therapy solution for managing a medical condition that needs extensive medical care under immunosuppressant drug treatment. 

Scientists found that some family members of individuals with COPA syndrome managed to avoid developing the condition even though they inherited the pathological COPA mutation. 

What are the reasons behind this? 

There was another gene with a protective variant that they carried named HAQ-STING. 

Scientists were able to increase the health of lung cells with the diseased COPA lung cells by adding this protective genetic element. 

According to Shum, the senior author of the paper, which was published on February 27 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, “We really think HAQ-STING could be a gene therapy tool and a clear step toward a cure,” scitechdaily.com reported. 

How did experts reach the conclusion? 

A physician at UCSF, Helen Diller Medical Center, phoned Shum to support a patient in the emergency room in 2011. 

Letasha, the patient, consisted of a young female who suffered from extensive blood loss in her lungs. 

Medical specialists could not determine the origin of Letasha’s health condition. The discovery that the mother, Betty Towe, shared with Shum the similar symptoms of her daughter Kristina initiated his genetic cause hypothesis. 

The two sisters, Kristina and Letasha, have visited UCSF since birth for medical treatment of their unusual lung bleeding disorder and rheumatoid arthritis. Betty Towe made every UCSF trip with her daughters since they lived four hours away from Oakdale, California. 

During his assistance at UCSF, Shum investigated to see to what extent symptoms affected members of their family tree. Shum established a position as their main pulmonology physician. 

As per Letasha, who is now 43, “My mom’s cousin mentioned that we had distant relatives in Texas, third cousins, who had a young daughter with lung problems and arthritis, and other relatives in Oakland with similar problems.” 

“Dr. Shum took blood samples from all of us and started to connect the dots,” she added. 

United States: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is examining five hospitalization cases among patients who received the chikungunya virus disease-preventing vaccine. 

More about the news 

The centers posted an information notice on their provider vaccine page revealing that the patients admitted to hospital care experienced cardiac or neurologic complications after receiving IXCHIQ vaccination, according to the CDC. 

The transmission of the Chikungunya virus occurs through mosquito bites, which infect humans. 

People above the age of majority typically do not take the vaccine, while particular travelers have a chance of vaccine recommendation when there is a high risk for mosquito-borne disease exposure, CNN Health reported. 

What are the experts stating? 

According to the CDC’s online statement, “This topic will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Healthcare providers should discuss the benefits and risks of vaccination with individual travelers based on their age, destination, trip duration, and planned activities,” CNN Health reported. 

According to a draft meeting agenda, the chikungunya vaccine and surveillance for adverse events were supposed to be examined in an ACIP session on Wednesday. However, the meeting has since been postponed. 

Furthermore, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and ACIP liaison, noted that the CDC investigation is an example of the agency’s vaccine surveillance system “working excellently and sending out a signal” in detecting rare events that might deserve further investigation. 

“And, of course, the CDC and the local people who are taking care of these patients are working on that now, which is entirely appropriate. That’s the way the system is supposed to work,” Schaffner added. 

Therefore, “Remember, we’re still trying to work out whether this is a causal relationship or a coincidental one,” he noticed regarding the investigation, in which he is not directly involved. 

“Let’s not draw any conclusions yet. That’s why they’re doing the investigation,” he continued.