Pandemics

The CDC reported 91 norovirus outbreaks the week of Dec. 5, 2024, up from 69 the previous week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient's property.

There have been over 32,000 cases of whooping cough this year, CDC data shows—the highest toll seen in a decade.

Coughing, sore throat and fatigue are overlapping symptoms between different infections and viruses such as flu and COVID. Allergies may also mask as something contagious.

If you come across brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era, you might want to handle them gently, or even steer clear altogether. Some of their attractive hues come from dyes that could pose a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians.

Recent research indicates that mRNA Covid-19 vaccines may not generate long-lasting immune protection.

A new study indicates what researchers describe as an ongoing "stubborn mistrust" in science among the American public as it relates to COVID-19 vaccines.

Global efforts to contain the spread of tuberculosis are floundering

As we approach a new presidential administration and a new Congress, we cannot regard COVID-19 as one of several respiratory diseases that can be dealt with through a vaccination program and other …

The agency endorsed additional doses for people at high risk.

More children are being diagnosed with walking pneumonia this season, doctors told 5 On Your Side.

The California Department of Public Health reported the state’s fourth case of a person contracting bird flu Thursday afternoon.

A new study published this week found severe COVID-19 infections from the first wave of the pandemic could double the risk of heart attack and stroke.

America is experiencing its worst whooping cough outbreak in a decade. Experts say there's a cyclical nature to outbreaks like this but that the timing was altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 patients who experienced loss of smell showed long-term brain changes, including structural thinning, decreased white matter integrity, and altered decision-making behavior, suggesting potential neurological consequences even after recovery.

The patient from Missouri has recovered, but health officials are still investigating how they became infected.

Eight researchers told National Geographic that rising temperatures are creating environments conducive to the growth of Naegleria fowleri, a pathogen that causes an acute, life-threatening brain infection.

Doctors and scientists are keeping an eye on yet another coronavirus subvariant — XEC — that could surpass the latest hyperinfectious strain.

Public health experts warn ‘overinflated view of abilities’ and restrictive laws could make next outbreak more lethal

As the summer of 2024 draws to a close, the United States finds itself once again grappling with a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Years after infection, even answering email remains arduous for many.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts.

The virus spread by mosquitoes is rare, but serious: about 30 percent of people with the virus die, and many survivors have ongoing neurological problems.

With the World Health Organization declaring a global Public Health Emergency for Mpox, countries like India, Pakistan and China have all now sprung into act...

Mpox has been declared a global public health emergency. So how can you protect yourself?

Global health officials on Thursday confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden and linked it to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent a day after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global public health emergency. Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib type of mpox involved in the recent outbreak. "The emergence of a case on the European continent could spur rapid international spread of mpox," said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert and professor at Georgetown Law in Washington.

Democratic Republic of the Congo among countries affected by the virus, with death toll now more than 1,450