Reading Room
The reading room includes articles and videos of potential interest to consumers and medical professionals. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NC Medical Board, its members, and staff. Note: Some links may require registration or subscription.
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks
Washington Post Article via Yahoo
February 24, 2026
There are more than 900 confirmed measles cases in the United States, as of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly count. It’s less than two months into the year, “and we already have over a quarter of [the measles cases] we had all of 2025, so things are not great,” said Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.
“Measles is the most contagious disease that we have, period,” Wallace said. “So as soon as we start to see measles, we know that the [vaccination] rates in that county or state are starting to drop, and so other diseases will follow on to that, but they just take longer to rip through the communities.”
Read More…Could this common bacteria in the eye be driving Alzheimer’s disease?
Medical News Today
February 22, 2026
We have known for some time that changes in the eye may help detect Alzheimer’s disease — a type of dementia affecting about 32 million people globally. Previous research has linked Alzheimer’s disease detection to certain eye conditions, including dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, glaucoma, and posterior cortical atrophy. Past studies also show that structural changes to the eye, such as blood vessel damage or modifications in retinal thickening, may be signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Now, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications reports that a common type of bacteria that causes sinus infections and pneumonia may stay in the eye for many years, potentially boosting a person’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
