Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of June 8, 2026–June 12, 2026.
Measles cases in U.S. reach 2,030
NBC News (6/5, Edwards) reports U.S. measles cases “reached 2,030 on Friday,” according to new CDC data, a total not far below “the 2,288 logged in all of 2025, a record-breaking year that saw more measles diagnoses than any year since 1991.” The U.S. has seen “30 new outbreaks this year, compared to 48 last year, the CDC said. The majority of cases are children and teenagers. More than 92% are unvaccinated and 6% (127 of the 2,030 patients) have been hospitalized.”
The Hill (6/5, Choi) says no fatalities “due to measles have been reported this year so far, unlike last year, when three unvaccinated people— two children and one adult—died. Measles cases have been reported by 40 jurisdictions with only 10 so far reported by international visitors to the U.S.”
You may also be interested in: Measles: Health alerts, clinical information and more.
Maternal RSV vaccination effective at preventing infant hospitalizations from RSV
MedPage Today (6/8, Rudd) reports, “Maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination during pregnancy was effective at preventing infants from being hospitalized with RSV-associated acute respiratory illness (ARI) in a real-world setting,” researchers concluded in “a retrospective case-control study” published in JAMA Network Open. The study found that “among infants ages 90 days or younger, the estimated vaccine effectiveness with maternal RSV prefusion F (RSVpreF; Abrysvo) was 67.6% (95% CI 33.2-85.4) against RSV-associated ARI hospitalization and 69% (95% CI 25.5-88.0) against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease hospitalization.”
HealthDay (6/5, Thompson) says the results “are part of an ongoing four-year study that will track the effectiveness of the maternal RSV vaccine across multiple seasons.”
Health risks of alcohol start at a single drink a day
The New York Times (6/9, Rabin) reports, “A government alcohol study published on Tuesday concluded that the health risks of alcohol start at a single drink a day.” The findings were published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
The AP (6/9, Ungar, Swenson) reports, “The findings...were in line with years of research, saying that health risks go up with just one drink a day and no level of alcohol has a protective effect on mortality.” The data indicated that “even levels considered ‘moderate’ raise the risk of premature death and more than 200 diseases, including heart disease and cancer.”
Reuters (6/9, Rumney) reports, The study “found that the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause, including injuries and road accidents, stood at at least 1 in 1,000 for Americans having one drink per day, but that this rose to 1 in 100 for those consuming two drinks per day.”
Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages associated with increased risk of two liver cancer subtypes
MedPage Today (6/10, Bassett) reports, “Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with an increased risk of two liver cancer subtypes, according to a pooled analysis of 11 prospective cohort studies including more than 1.5 million adults.” Investigators found that “sugar-sweetened beverage intake per 1-beverage/day increase was not associated with overall liver cancer risk but was associated with increased risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) across 10 cohorts (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.18) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) across six cohorts (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.00-1.32).” The data indicated that “these associations persisted even with adjustment for potential mediators, including diabetes and obesity.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
You may also be interested in: Why nutrition education must become core training for physicians.
Small changes in heart over time may signal an increased risk of certain cancers
Cardiovascular Business (6/11, Walter) reports, “Small changes in the heart over time may signal an increased risk of certain cancers, according to a new analysis.” Investigators “reviewed data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), focusing on more than 4,500 patients between the ages of 45 and 84 with available cardiac MRI results.” Participants “were followed for an average of 18 years.” The investigators found that “certain cardiac MRI measurements already tracked to monitor cardiovascular health are also associated with cancer risk.” For instance, “patients with increased heart muscle mass were more likely to go on to develop breast cancer.” Additionally, “reduced left atrial function was linked to a greater risk of going on to develop colorectal cancer.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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