Category: Featured Headlines
What to Know About Norovirus
NYT The virus, sometimes called the stomach bug, is incredibly contagious. Here’s how to stay safe this season. Every year, there’s a surge in norovirus cases between November and April, and this holiday season is no different. Sometimes known as the stomach bug, norovirus is incredibly contagious, infecting about one in 15 people in the United States annually. Norovirus […]
Dec 30, 2025
Whooping Cough Deaths Rise in U.S. as Surge in Infections Continues
Scientific American The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025 Whooping cough cases are sweeping in the U.S., with tens of thousands infected and at least 13 people dead from the bacterial infection this year. While the infection rate is lower than last year, […]
Dec 30, 2025
Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows
NPR Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the virus arrived as expected, cases are rising faster, compared with previous years. Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new […]
Dec 30, 2025
Stopping the next flu pandemic
Nature Avian influenza is devastating poultry operations, spreading in dairy cattle and infecting farm workers. Why isn’t the United States doing more to stop it? In spring, consumers in the United States found themselves having to hunt for something that had previously been exceedingly easy to find: eggs. Some supermarkets limited customers to a single […]
Dec 17, 2025
Could tracking animals’ health help to avert the next pandemic?
Nature Avian influenza is sweeping the globe and infecting dozens of species. Advocates of an approach called One Health are calling for broad surveillance of wildlife, livestock and pets. In the southwestern United States in the early weeks of 2024, a large-animal veterinarian pulled up to a dairy farm on his usual rounds and was […]
Dec 17, 2025
Stopping the next pandemic
Harvard Gazette Disease surveillance network faced ‘existential cliff’ despite proven success. Then came the $100 million. It began with some intriguing scientific discoveries. A team of researchers from the Broad Institute and Harvard began to suspect nearly two decades ago that so-called “emerging diseases” such as Ebola and Lassa virus were not quite what they […]
Dec 17, 2025
New mpox strain identified in England
BBC A new strain of mpox, previously called monkeypox, has been detected in a person in England, say UK health officials. The virus is a mix of two major types of the mpox virus, and was found in someone who recently returned from travelling in Asia. Officials say they are still assessing the significance of […]
Dec 10, 2025
‘Very contagious’ vomiting virus surging in West. How to stay safe in California
Sacramento Bee A highly contagious stomach virus with no real treatment is spreading rapidly across the United States. From Aug. 1 through Nov. 13, there were 153 norovirus outbreaks reported in 14 states, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While California is not one of the reporting states, CDC […]
Dec 10, 2025
Rare Temporary Flu Complication Can Leave Some Kids Unable to Walk
MedPageToday A 9-year-old girl in Michigan recently made the news after suddenly finding herself unable to walk during a bout with the flu. Before that, she experienced typical flu symptoms like fever, chills, and fatigue, and had plenty of rest and hydration. “When the fever broke after a few days, I thought she was turning […]
Dec 10, 2025
Bats might be the next bird flu wild card
Science News Bats have become the latest mammals susceptible to H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus responsible for bird flu. In Peru, over a dozen vampire bats have been found carrying H5N1 antibodies, indicating exposure to the virus, researchers report November 11 at bioRxiv.org. The finding is “very worrisome,” says Vincent Munster, a virus ecologist […]
Dec 10, 2025