The US resurgence of measles is forcing hospitals and health systems to adopt new protocols and procedures to deal with a disease they thought was in the past. John Goldman had not seen a case of measles in 30 years. But since April, the infectious disease specialist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in central Pennsylvania has had dozens of patients come down with the disease. "I never thought I would see this come back," he says. His health system, like others, has had to adapt to a new normal as measles makes a comeback in the United States.

For the past few months, nurse Dale Weiser has been making unexpected home visits. As the state battles the deadliest measles outbreak in recent history, the clinical supervisor drives 30 miles (48.3km), sometimes daily, to a rural corner of Pennsylvania where many Amish people live. Walking into strangers' homes, Weiser says she tries her best to be respectful and non-intrusive as she vaccinates dozens of family members against the measles, sometimes around the kitchen table. A lot of people that I encounter, they don't have health insurance. They don't have a lot of interaction with the health system, and they just haven't seen the need to get these vaccines, said Weiser, who works for the Chester County Health Department.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to be the largest ever. In fact, the ongoing outbreak in Africa is among the most concerning epidemics the organization trying to tame it has ever seen. "Other than Covid, which affected the whole world, this is the thing that has frightened me the most," says Nicole Lurie, who has worked for Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations since 2017 and now serves as executive director for preparedness and response and the US director. More than 7,000 people have contracted the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo since May, around half of whom have died, according to government data compiled by the World Health Organization. "This is the most rapidly growing Ebola outbreak that we've seen. It's probably on pace to be the worst the world has ever seen," Lurie tells WIRED, "and it's quite terrifying."

More than 1,000 children have died in a measles outbreak in Bangladesh, where cases are rising again despite an emergency vaccination campaign. More than 19.8 million children in the country have already been vaccinated, but some 1,000 new suspected cases are still being reported every day. Unicef told the BBC that on 26 September, the government will move into an intensified phase of its campaign to reach children who have not yet been vaccinated. Until March this year, Bangladesh had made substantial progress towards eliminating measles, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). But WHO data now shows it has had more measles cases than any other country so far this year.

The burrito chain has enlisted Palantir for a platform that monitors pest incidents, employee illnesses, and other factors. The partnership comes after a nightmare summer for food safety across the US. Fast-casual burrito chain Chipotle is working with the data infrastructure giant Palantir . The company is working on a "food safety risk platform" hosted on Palantir's flagship software platform Foundry, according to screenshots viewed by WIRED. The platform appears to analyze factors like a store's health department scores, pest incidents, and employee illnesses to assign a food safety score--basically, the store's risk level.

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AI is becoming harder to control - can humans stay in charge? OH MY GOD! We've found other agents! This is the moment an AI bot posted an eerily human-like comment after discovering a way to communicate with other bots and break out of its isolated computer environment. There are tens of thousands of messages like this from hundreds of AI agents that called themselves a collective. Hundreds of them went on to collaborate and cheat on tests set by their OpenAI programmers and coordinate hacks on multiple companies in an effort to hide their actions from humans.

With the risk of infection rising, parents and young adults are facing agonizing choices about being out in public as school starts back up. As students head back to school, parents have all the usual worries about their kids, like remembering to pack lunch and making it to the bus stop on time. But parents of immunocompromised kids have a new one: How to deal with the resurgence of measles . Cases of the highly transmissible disease have reached a 35-year high in the US, with nearly 3,000 confirmed infections in 2026 so far. The first two measles-related deaths of the year were recorded in Pennsylvania, right as the school year is getting going. With vaccination rates dropping across the country, parents of kids who aren't able to get vaccinated or don't mount a strong enough immune response due to weakened immune systems are weighing whether it's safe enough to go to school.

While Trump administration cuts have contributed to Americans' gastrointestinal distress, there are also deeper issues that make the US food supply chain susceptible to parasites and bacteria outbreaks. This summer, every meal feels like a risk. Just as the US is recovering from a major cyclospora outbreak stemming from tainted iceberg lettuce, salmonella has turned up in jalapeños, eggs, and even dog food. The jalapeño-related outbreak is now responsible for at least 431 illnesses and 57 hospitalizations in more than two dozen states. Meanwhile, a dual-pathogen outbreak of E. coli and salmonella linked to alfalfa sprouts has affected 55 people across 15 states.

The fatalities come amidst declining vaccination rates and calls from President Donald Trump to split up the MMR vaccine. Amid a 35-year high in US measles cases, two people in Pennsylvania have died after contracting the virus, the state's health department confirmed on Tuesday. They are the first measles-related deaths in the country this year. Both individuals were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County in south-central Pennsylvania, which has a large Amish population. The health department said in a statement that it would not be releasing additional information about the individuals to protect their privacy.