Health Alerts: Measles Surge, CVS Cuts Bonuses, FDA Rehires Scientists

Current health news highlights include CVS Health cutting bonuses due to low profits, a significant increase in measles cases driven by a Texas outbreak, the FDA rehiring fired scientists, including those reviewing Neuralink, and a Chinese study revealing a bat virus entering human cells similarly to COVID-19.

CVS Health announced on Friday a reduction in employee bonuses following disappointing profit figures for 2024. This decision comes as the healthcare giant faces escalating costs across its Medicare offerings. 'Our financial targets for the year were not met,' a company representative stated.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a startling surge in measles cases, hiking from 14 to 93 within a week. The spike is attributed mainly to an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, raising alarms about potential wider spread.

In an exclusive report, the U.S. FDA solicits return of scientists recently dismissed, including those assigned to review Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant firm. The agency's hiring spree aims to rectify actions from the previous administration impacting personnel overseeing key health and safety regulations.

(With inputs from agencies.)