Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of July 7, 2025–July 11, 2025.
Measles outbreak at highest level in U.S. since disease was declared eradicated in 2000
USA Today (7/5, Loehrke) reported, “This year’s measles outbreak is the worst since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.” Data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation show there have been 1,277 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. as of July 5. Confirmed measles cases have been reported by 39 states and jurisdictions, with most cases reported in Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas, according to the CDC and the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation. The outbreak “has led to at least 155 hospitalizations, including 431 adults and 824 children. There have been three confirmed deaths.”
You may also be interested in: What patients need to know about preventing measles
U.S. children have become increasingly unhealthy over past two decades, study shows
The AP (7/7, Ungar, Aleccia) reports a new study published in JAMA shows that the health of children “has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression.” The research team “analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics.” They found that “obesity rates for U.S. children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023.” In addition, a U.S. “child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea.” Furthermore, U.S. children “were around 1.8 times more likely to die than kids in other high-income countries from 2007-2022,” with firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes “much more common” in contrast to children of the same age in other countries.
Uterine cancer incidence, mortality rates are projected to increase significantly through 2050
HealthDay (7/8, Solomon) reports, “Uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates are projected to increase significantly through 2050, according to a study.” The data indicated that “Black women will experience a disproportionate rise in incidence compared with White women between 2020 and 2050 (86.9 and 74.2 per 100,000, respectively), as well as a rise in mortality (27.9 and 11.2 per 100,000, respectively).” The findings were published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
You may also be interested in: What patients need to know about cancer prevention and early detection
More evidence highlights health hazards of vaping
The New York Times (7/9, Blum) reports a recent study published in ACS Central Science found that the mist from popular vapes contains “such high levels of heavy metals that one researcher thought their machine had malfunctioned.” This follows other studies suggesting “vaping can affect the heart, lungs and brain.” Experts told The Times that “the liquids in e-cigarettes can release known carcinogens, like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, when heated. These and other chemicals can damage blood vessels, drive inflammation and contribute to cardiovascular disease risk.” Vaping can also lead to chronic inflammation in the airways and lungs, as well as exacerbating asthma and COPD symptoms. Research has also shown that “e-cigarettes are addictive. Dependence can be especially problematic for adolescents, whose brains are developing.”
You may also be interested in: What doctors wish patients knew about e-cigarettes
Study reveals fungal infections are becoming harder to treat
NBC News (7/9, Sullivan) reports a study published in The Lancet Microbe on Wednesday revealed that infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus are “getting harder to treat as they grow more resistant to available drugs.” The fungus is “is one of the World Health Organization’s top concerns on its list of priority fungi, which notes that death rates for people with drug-resistant Aspergillus infections range from 47%-88%.” For the study, researchers “analyzed more than 12,600 samples of Aspergillus,” finding about 2,000 “harbored mutations associated with resistance to azoles, the class of antifungals used to treat the infections.” Nearly 60 people had invasive infections, “13 of which were azole-resistant. In those people, nearly 86% were infected with multiple strains of the fungi, making treatment even more complicated.” Overall, the findings “illustrate a larger trend of growing pressure on the few drugs available to treat fungal infections.”
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Table of Contents
- Measles outbreak at highest level in U.S. since disease was declared eradicated in 2000
- U.S. children have become increasingly unhealthy over past two decades, study shows
- Uterine cancer incidence, mortality rates are projected to increase significantly through 2050
- More evidence highlights health hazards of vaping
- Study reveals fungal infections are becoming harder to treat
