A single mutation in an already rapidly evolving Zika virus could trigger another major outbreak of the disease by evading existing immunity, scientists have warned. The Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, is usually mild in adults, however it can infect a developing fetus resulting in birth defects. In severe cases, it can cause fatal brain damage in babies and miscarriage or stillbirth in pregnant women, and its spread in the Americas in 2015 and 2016 caused global alarm. Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology co-led the study with a team from the University of Texas Medical Branch. BBC, Sky News and Salon reported the findings of the study published in Cell Reports. Also, ScienceDaily and many smaller international outlets reported the news and mentioned that Dr. Pei-Yong Shi at UTMB co-led the Cell Reports study.

Melissa Lucio, the South Texas woman convicted of killing her 2-year-old child Mariah in 2007, is set to die by lethal injection on April 27. Eighty-three state representatives recently wrote to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking that Lucio be granted a reprieve or clemency. “Doctors who recently reviewed the autopsy — including a leading specialist from The University of Texas Medical Branch — concluded that the jury heard false testimony about whether Mariah was abused,” the letter said.

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch have developed a vaccine showing promising protection against Nipah, a zoonotic virus with a mortality rate as high as 70 percent. “Our data suggest that this vaccine can help rapidly generate protective immunity in humans against the virus,” said Dr. Courtney Woolsey, co-lead author of the researchers’ study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The CDC said that you “could” receive a second booster shot but stopped short of saying that one “should.” They previously recommended that everyone 12 and older should receive the first booster for optimal protection. The benefit of a second booster isn’t as extreme, but it’s still there. Drs. Meagan Berman and Richard Rupp explore the issue in their Vaccine Smarts column.

“My Tuesday morning acupuncture clinic is busier than ever,” writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his column. “Medicare started paying for this effective, safe therapy for the specific diagnosis codes of chronic low back pain a couple of years ago. This was done after a review of evidence-based sources that showed positive, non-placebo effect of acupuncture on low back pain.”

According to American Academy of Pediatrics, “climate change poses threat to human health, safety and security. Children are uniquely vulnerable to these threats. Given this knowledge failure to take prompt, substantive action would be an act of injustice to all children.” Dr. Sally Robinson discusses the health risk to children in her column.

A variety of theories have been proposed to explain Washington’s death. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel cover these in their recent Medical Discovery News column. Washington’s physicians at the time thought it was croup, an infection of the upper airway. Later, physicians have guessed that Washington died of diphtheria, strep throat, quinsy, Ludwig’s angina, Vincent’s angina or pneumonia, but none of these explained all the symptoms. What is your diagnosis?