Category: Featured Headlines
We study pandemics, and the resurgence of measles is a grim sign of what’s coming
The Conversation In the three decades between 1993 and 2024, measles in the U.S. was relatively rare – a few hundred cases each year, at most. But suddenly, the disease has become so entrenched in American life that it sometimes fails to make headlines when a new outbreak erupts. As of March 2026, measles has […]
Mar 18, 2026
A little-known respiratory virus, human metapneumovirus, surging in Northern California
Univ of California, Davis Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of serious illness (SACRAMENTO) If you came down with a respiratory infection this spring that wasn’t the flu or COVID-19, it may have been a virus you’ve never heard of: Human metapneumovirus or HMPV. The virus was first […]
Mar 11, 2026
FDA Launches New Combined Adverse Event Database
MedPage Today System will replace safety databases monitoring drugs, devices, food, and more. “The FDA’s previous adverse event reporting systems were outdated and fragmented and made important data difficult to access,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said in the release. “These clunky systems also wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and created blind spots in […]
Mar 11, 2026
Scientists Get a Glimpse of How New Pandemics Are Made
NYT Researchers have devised a new tool for discerning between naturally occurring viral outbreaks and those resulting from lab accidents. The Covid pandemic was an extraordinary moment in history. Starting at the end of 2019, a virus new to science swept across the planet, killed more than 25 million people and caused trillions of dollars in economic damage. But […]
Mar 11, 2026
A virus that isn’t COVID or the flu is pummeling Northern California
SF Gate Human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, typically spreads during winter and spring. If you notice that your office is emptying out, chances are it’s because a respiratory virus that few people have actually heard of is circulating throughout Northern California. According to recent WastewaterSCAN data, concentrations of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, are high in San Francisco, Marin, […]
Mar 4, 2026
Why new doctors aren’t specializing in infectious diseases
Axios New doctors are increasingly moving away from specializing in infectious diseases as the prevalence of vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles and whooping cough ticks up. Why it matters: The Trump administration’s cuts to public health funding and its overhaul of federal vaccine policy may be putting even more of a damper on a field that took the brunt […]
Mar 4, 2026
The Deaths Doctors Never Thought They’d See in the U.S.
The Atlantic For years, the worst outcomes of measles were all but unknown in America. Now they look inevitable. Of every 1,000 people the measles virus infects, it may kill as few as one to three. In a way, this can seem merciful. But the mathematics of measles is also unforgiving. The virus is estimated […]
Feb 25, 2026
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks
Washington Post When it comes to infectious diseases, measles is “the canary in the coal mine,” one expert said. There are more than 900 confirmed measles cases in the United States, as of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly count. It’s less than two months into the year, “and we already have over […]
Feb 25, 2026
US catches case of New World screwworm. What can be done to stop its spread?
The Hill Agricultural inspectors in Florida have stopped a case of the parasitic New World screwworm from entering the U.S., the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced at the start of February. The screwworm was spotted on an imported horse from Argentina as it went through routine examination entering the U.S. Inspectors were able […]
Feb 18, 2026
Nipah Virus in Focus: A Comprehensive Review of the Pathogenesis, Epidemiological Patterns, Diagnostic Advances, and Future Public Health Strategies
Cureus Nipah virus (NiV) remains one of the most concerning emerging pathogens due to its repeated spillover events, high mortality, and the absence of licensed vaccines or treatments. Its recurrence demonstrates that the ecological factors facilitating such outbreaks, including those linked to bat hosts, are still present. These patterns highlight the continued need for a […]
Feb 18, 2026