Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Feb. 9, 2026–Feb. 13, 2026.
South Carolina measles cases rise to 920
According to Reuters (2/6, Mahatole), South Carolina “reported a surge to 920 measles cases on Friday, state health data showed, including 44 additional infections since Tuesday, as officials warned the widening outbreak could last weeks or months amid lagging vaccine uptake.” Of those infected, “840 were unvaccinated, 20 were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines, 24 were fully vaccinated and 36 had unknown vaccination status.” Last month, there was “a strong increase in measles vaccinations across the state and in Spartanburg. Over 16,800 doses of measles vaccine were administered statewide, an increase of more than 7,000 doses compared to January 2025, a 72% increase, the state health department said.”
Drinking caffeinated coffee or tea in moderation daily may reduce dementia risk, study suggests
The New York Times (2/9, Belluck) reports a study “provides evidence of cognitive benefits from coffee and tea—if it’s caffeinated and consumed in moderation: two to three cups of coffee or one to two cups of tea daily.” Researchers observed that “people who drank that amount for decades had lower chances of developing dementia than people who drank little or no caffeine.” The findings “don’t prove caffeine causes these beneficial effects, and it’s possible other attributes protected caffeine drinkers’ brain health. But independent experts said the study adjusted for many other factors, including health conditions, medication, diet, education, socioeconomic status, family history of dementia, body mass index, smoking and mental illness.” Some scientists “say caffeine might protect brain health because it contains components that reduce neuroinflammation or aid vascular function.” The study was published in JAMA.
FDA declines to review Moderna’s application for first mRNA-based flu vaccine
The Washington Post (2/10, Roubein, Johnson) reports that the FDA “has declined to review Moderna’s application for the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, a decision that...comes as the agency plans to tighten federal vaccine approvals.”
The AP (2/10, Neergaard, Perrone) reports, “Moderna received what’s called a ‘refusal-to-file’ letter from the FDA that objected to how it conducted a 40,000-person clinical trial comparing its new vaccine to one of the standard flu shots used today.” The “trial concluded the new vaccine was somewhat more effective in adults 50 and older than that standard” vaccine. However, “the letter from FDA vaccine director Dr. Vinay Prasad said the agency doesn’t consider the application to contain an ‘adequate and well-controlled trial’ because it didn’t compare the new shot to ‘the best-available standard of care in the United States at the time of the study.’”
NBC News (2/10, Lovelace Jr.) reports, “Moderna said that the agency’s stated reason is ‘inconsistent’ with what regulators had told the company in 2024 and 2025.”
U.S. to participate in WHO influenza vaccine meeting despite exiting group
Reuters (2/11, Mahatole, Rajan) reports the U.S. will participate in a “World Health Organization meeting at the end of the month to determine the composition of upcoming influenza vaccines, the agency’s official said at a press conference on Wednesday.” The news comes after the U.S. officially exited the WHO in January “after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally … It has been unclear how much the country would work with the WHO following the departure, and the collaboration on flu vaccines is a sign of an ongoing link.”
The Hill (2/11, Choi) adds that the WHO “will meet on Feb. 26 in Turkey to discuss the composition of the 2026-2027 flu vaccine for the northern hemisphere.” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus “has expressed an openness to bringing the U.S. back into the fold and has said he hopes the country reconsiders its withdrawal.”
Night shift workers, individuals who get poor sleep have increased risk for osteoarthritis
Healio (2/12, Volansky) reports research found that “night shift workers and individuals who regularly achieve fewer than 6 hours of sleep demonstrate an increased risk for osteoarthritis.” Investigators found that study “participants who reported achieving fewer than 6 hours of sleep nightly demonstrated a 41% increased risk for knee OA...and a 31% increased risk for total knee arthroplasty...compared with people who slept 7 hours daily.” Meanwhile, “knee OA risk was 34% higher among individuals who reported usually having trouble falling asleep or waking up in the night...compared with those who did not have sleep issues.” The findings were published in Arthritis Care & Research.
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