In a Vaccine-Skeptical California County, a Potential Playbook To Contain Measles

Annie Sciacca / kffhealthnews - Conservative Shasta County stopped a measles outbreak from spreading, enlisting teachers, church leaders, and other trusted community members to get the public on board with health guidelines. Infectious disease specialists say the successful effort could…

AI Summary: Public health teams in a vaccine-hesitant California county deployed a targeted containment strategy—rapid case isolation, focused vaccination drives, community outreach and tailored messaging—to curb a measles flare-up. The approach balanced enforcement and engagement, showing that pragmatic, locally adapted tactics can control outbreaks even where vaccine acceptance is low.

One in five patients achieve functional hepatitis B cure after 24 weeks of bepirovirsen

medicalxpress - In an editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Michigan Health hepatologist Anna S. Lok, M.D., hails newly announced results of the B-Well clinical trials as "a major step toward a functional cure for hepatitis B virus inf…

AI Summary: An antisense therapy, bepirovirsen, produced functional cures in roughly one in five patients after 24 weeks, driving cautious optimism for a finite treatment for chronic hepatitis B. The study demonstrated significant viral declines and serologic changes in a subset, prompting larger trials to confirm durability, safety, and which patients actually benefit.

Antiviral ensitrelvir cuts risk of COVID-19 in household contacts by two-thirds, study finds

medicalxpress - The antiviral drug ensitrelvir prevents infection in household contacts of COVID-19 patients when given within 72 hours after symptom onset in the index patient, according to a Phase III randomized controlled trial published in the New England Journal of …

AI Summary: A randomized trial shows the oral antiviral ensitrelvir, used as post‑exposure prophylaxis, reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID‑19 in household contacts by roughly two‑thirds. The finding suggests a practical option for preventing spread after close exposure, offering public‑health teams a less dramatic but highly useful tool than lockdowns.

FDA clears 1st AI sepsis monitoring tool

Giles Bruce / beckershospitalreview - A tool from tech company Bayesian Health has become the first continuous AI sepsis monitor to gain FDA approval. The solution monitors hospital patients to detect deterioration and flag sepsis early on. The application was developed at Baltimore-based Joh…

AI Summary: Regulators have cleared the first AI‑driven sepsis early‑warning system for clinical deployment, enabling hospitals to use algorithmic alerts to identify patients at risk of deterioration earlier. The clearance opens the door for broader adoption of AI in acute care while renewing debates about clinical oversight, false alarms and integration into existing workflows.

Favipiravir for Lassa fever: an open-label, randomized controlled phase 2 trial

Cyril Erameh / nature - Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04402-wAn open-label, randomized controlled phase 2 trial comparing favipiravir with ribavirin for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Lassa fever in Nigeria found that favipiravir was s…

AI Summary: An open-label, randomized Phase 2 trial of favipiravir for Lassa fever reported encouraging results, suggesting antiviral benefit where few options exist. The study offers early clinical proof-of-concept, especially important for endemic West African settings, and calls for larger trials to confirm efficacy, optimize dosing, and assess deployment logistics.

U.S. Government Will Stop Paying for Test Strips to Detect Deadly Drugs

Jan Hoffman / nytimes - In a letter to states and other grant recipients, the Trump administration says the strips encourage drug use.

AI Summary: Public health officials have declared the South Carolina measles outbreak over after nearly 1,000 people fell ill, attributing containment to intensified vaccination campaigns and contact tracing. Authorities warn that immunity gaps still exist and stressed that preventable outbreaks will recur without sustained immunization efforts — a blunt reminder that vaccines remain the easiest way to avoid headline-making contagions.

Tick season off to a fast start, and some experts worry about future illnesses

abcnews - Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, with an unusually high number of bites already reported across the country

AI Summary: Tick season is starting early and with gusto: health officials are seeing an uptick in tick encounters and emergency-department visits, and experts warn that expanding tick range could drive more tick-borne illnesses in coming months. Public-health authorities urge vigilance, prompt removal, and better surveillance to avoid this season’s bite turning into a bigger problem.

WHO approves first malaria treatment for infants

medicalxpress - The World Health Organization announced Friday that it had given prequalification approval to a malaria treatment for newborns and infants for the first time.

AI Summary: The World Health Organization has cleared the first malaria treatment specifically for infants, granting prequalification that paves the way for broader procurement and use in endemic countries. Regulators' sign-off targets a vulnerable age group long underserved by effective pediatric therapies, potentially speeding distribution through global health channels and donor programs.

FDA approves 1st 2-drug HIV treatment

Ella Jeffries / beckershospitalreview - The FDA has approved Merck’s once-daily, two-drug regimen for adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1. The treatment combines 100 mg doravirine and 0.25 mg islatravir and is indicated for patients with no history of virologic treatment failure and no k…

AI Summary: The FDA has approved Merck’s once‑daily two‑drug antiretroviral regimen, marking a notable market entrant poised to compete with established single‑pill therapies. Regulators cleared the novel combination on efficacy and safety data, setting up potential shifts in prescribing, pricing and competition — and giving Gilead something new to grumble about.

Moderna, after losing US funding, rebounds to start mRNA bird flu vaccine trial

Kristin Jensen / healthcaredive - A program that got caught up in HHS’ decision to abandon mRNA research was revived by a public-private coalition and is now beginning a large, late-stage test that could support a future approval.

AI Summary: Moderna has initiated a clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine targeting a potentially pandemic bird‑flu strain, joining global efforts to have a rapid‑response countermeasure ready. Regulators and public‑health experts hail the move as sensible pre‑emptive science—because nothing says “we planned for this” like testing the vaccine before the outbreak arrives.

Improving oral care more than halves hospital-acquired pneumonia risk, major trial finds

medicalxpress - A landmark trial presented at ESCMID Global 2026 shows that improving oral hygiene for hospital patients can reduce the risk of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) by 60%.

AI Summary: A major randomized trial found that simple improvements in oral care—regular toothbrushing and mouth hygiene—cut hospital‑acquired pneumonia risk by over half in hospitalized patients. The low‑cost intervention reduced respiratory complications and antibiotic use, suggesting wards could prevent serious infections with a toothbrush rather than another headline‑seeking drug.

CDC: Proportion of extensively drug-resistant Shigella isolates increasing

medicalxpress - The proportion of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella isolates in the United States increased from 2011–2015 to 2023, according to research published in the April 9 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality…

AI Summary: Federal health officials report a worrying uptick in extensively drug‑resistant Shigella strains, complicating treatment and raising the risk of harder‑to‑control outbreaks. The data underscore the need for enhanced surveillance, hygiene measures, antibiotic stewardship and rapid public‑health responses as standard antibiotics lose reliability. Try not to spread it—literally.

700-year-old mummy from Bolivia contains earliest confirmed evidence of strep throat bacteria in the Americas

livescience - A DNA analysis of pathogens from a pre-Hispanic mummy revealed that the bacterium that causes scarlet fever and strep throat was present in the Americas prior to European colonization.

AI Summary: Ancient DNA recovered from a 700‑year‑old Bolivian mummy has identified Streptococcus pyogenes—pathogen that can cause strep throat and scarlet fever—providing the earliest confirmed evidence of the bacteria in the Americas. Genomic analysis shows the bacterium was present well before European contact, reshaping timelines of infectious disease history and prompting fresh questions about pre‑Columbian pathogen ecology.

Norway's 'Oslo patient' reaches HIV remission after rare stem cell transplant donated by brother

medicalxpress - A Norwegian man has been effectively cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, doctors announced on Monday.

AI Summary: A remarkable clinical case: a patient in Norway known as the "Oslo patient" has entered sustained HIV remission following a rare stem‑cell transplant from a donor with genetic resistance to the virus. The outcome offers cautious optimism for curative strategies, though experts stress this remains an exceptional, high‑risk intervention rather than a broadly applicable cure.

Too young for the MMR shot, babies become 'sitting ducks' in measles outbreaks

medicalxpress - With baby Arthur too young for the measles vaccine and a sibling due in June, the Otwells grew nervous when the threat of the highly contagious virus started factoring into their grocery run.

AI Summary: Health reporting highlights that infants below the eligible age for the MMR vaccine remain highly vulnerable during measles outbreaks, effectively "sitting ducks" until immunization is possible. Public-health experts warn that gaps in community immunity and outbreak control measures disproportionately endanger these youngest children, underscoring the need for stronger herd-protection and targeted outbreak responses.