Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 29, 2020

More than 100,000 Americans may die from COVID-19, US officials say.

U.S. officials estimate between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from COVID-19, even with the social distancing measures already in place to slow the outbreak's spread. The next couple of weeks will be very, very painful and rough, Trump said today during a White House briefing today (March 31). These...

Jan 31, 2020

12th US case of coronavirus reported in Wisconsin

A person in Wisconsin has tested positive for the new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, marking the first case in the state and the 12th case in the U.S., officials announced today (Feb. 5). The patient is an adult who recently traveled to Beijing and had contact with people known to be infected...

Jan 31, 2020

Can pregnant mom pass coronavirus to her unborn child? Early research says no.

There are many unknowns about the new coronavirus, including whether pregnant women who catch the virus can pass it to their unborn child. Now, a preliminary study suggests the virus, known as 2019-nCoV, may not be transmitted during pregnancy. However, the study was small and involved only pregnant women in...

Jan 31, 2020

Images of new coronavirus just released

On Thursday (Feb. 13), the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed some of the first images of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that has sickened over 60,000 people and killed another 1,370 in the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China. Viruses are teeny-tiny...

Jan 31, 2020

'Superspreader' in South Korea infects nearly 40 people with coronavirus

All about COVID-19 (Image credit: Shutterstock)—See live updates on the new coronavirus —How deadly is COVID-19? —How does the new coronavirus compare with flu? —Why are children 'missing' from coronavirus outbreak? Update (Sunday, Feb. 23): The number of coronavirus cases in South Korea has soared to about 602, according to...

Jan 31, 2020

How will the coronavirus outbreak end?

All about COVID-19 (Image credit: Shutterstock)—Live updates on the new coronavirus —How you can prepare for a coronavirus epidemic —Why are children 'missing' from coronavirus outbreak? —How coronavirus compares with flu —Will a face mask protect you? Despite worldwide efforts to contain the new coronavirus, hotspots continue to emerge, and...

Jan 31, 2020

Northern California finds a second case of coronavirus spread through the community

A second person in California appears to have contracted the new coronavirus through community transmission, according to news reports. The individual, a 65-year-old resident of Santa Clara County, developed COVID-19 — the disease caused by the new coronavirus — without traveling to a region affected by the outbreak, or having...

Jan 31, 2020

1st US death from COVID-19 reported in Washington state

The U.S. reported its first death from COVID-19, a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions in Washington state, officials said in a news conference today (Feb. 29). The man was a patient at EvergreenHealth, a hospital in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. In addition, a long-term care...

Dec 31, 2019

New SARS-Like Virus in China May Spread Between People in Limited Cases

The new virus in China that's causing an outbreak of pneumonia may be able to spread between people under certain circumstances, although the risk of such transmission appears to be low, according to news reports. So far, the virus — a new type of coronavirus — has sickened at least...

Dec 31, 2019

US Officials Will Screen Travelers from China for New Virus

As an outbreak of a new virus in China spreads to other countries, U.S. officials announced that they will start screening passengers arriving from China at select U.S. airports for symptoms of the viral infection. Starting today (Jan. 17), people traveling from the city of Wuhan — where the outbreak...

Dec 31, 2019

What is toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis stands as one of the most common parasitic infections in the world — in fact, you may even harbor the pervasive pathogen and not ever know it. A super common parasiteCaused by a single-celled microorganism called Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis may affect up to 2 billion people worldwide, according to...

Dec 31, 2019

New coronavirus may have started in bats. But how did it hop to humans?

As a new coronavirus spreads in China and around the world, scientists are scrambling to find out exactly where it came from. Now, a new study provides more clues to the virus' origins, and points to bats as the most likely hosts. In the study, published today (Jan. 29) in...

Dec 31, 2019

Coronavirus outbreak is 'public health emergency of international concern,' WHO declares

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, officials announced today (Jan. 30). The news comes as the case count and death toll from the virus have soared in recent days. As of Thursday (Jan. 30), there were...

Dec 31, 2019

San Francisco Bay Area reports 1st coronavirus case

A man in the San Francisco Bay Area has tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to news reports. On Friday (Jan. 31), officials with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced that a resident of the area had tested positive for 2019-nCov, the virus that is causing an...

Oct 31, 2021

Autoimmune disease: Definition and examples

Our immune systems are versatile, armed with an array of weapons that can defend against all sorts of pathogens. But in some people, this powerful arsenal of immune cells and proteins occasionally engage in friendly fire by attacking healthy cells, tissues and organs. This self-inflicted assault is referred to as...