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

Jul 31, 2022

Newly-discovered Langya virus infected 35 people in China

An international team of scientists is tracking a newly-identified, potentially dangerous virus that has jumped from animals to humans to infect at least 35 people in northeast China. The Langya henipavirus, also called Langya or LayV, was first detected in 2018 in a 53-year-old farmer who sought treatment for a...

Apr 30, 2022

Monkeypox outbreaks tied to sex at 2 raves in Europe

The current outbreaks of the monkeypox virus in Europe and North America might have originated and spread through sex at two raves in Spain and Belgium, an advisor for the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Associated Press on Monday (May 23). To date, more than 100 cases of the...

Mar 31, 2022

Dozens of unexplained cases of liver disease seen in UK children

U.K. health officials are investigating dozens of cases of unexplained hepatitis, or liver inflammation, that have recently emerged among young children there. Similar cases of pediatric hepatitis have also been reported in the U.S. and Spain. Some of the affected children in the U.K. have required assessment at specialized centers...

Mar 31, 2022

Cluster of mysterious hepatitis cases in US children prompts CDC health alert

U.S. doctors should be on the lookout for unexplained liver inflammation in children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised Thursday (April 21). Affected children should be screened to see if they've been infected with an adenovirus, a type of virus that's been flagged as a potential cause...

Jan 31, 2022

A newborn died of Lassa fever in the UK, two other family members ill

A newborn baby in the U.K. died last week of Lassa fever — an acute viral illness that is endemic in parts of West Africa. Because the disease doesn't spread easily, however, the chances of a wider outbreak are low, health authorities said. The infant was one of three confirmed...

May 31, 2023

Pineapple in frozen fruit potentially exposed to Listeria, prompting wide recall

The fruit processing company Sunrise Growers Inc. has issued a voluntary recall after finding that pineapple in some of its products may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday (June 21). The...

Apr 30, 2023

Why do coughs linger after a cold?

Colds and other respiratory illnesses are never fun. After the sneezing, sniffles and runny nose fade, one symptom often remains: coughing. But why do coughs sometimes take forever to go away? The main reason coughs are long-lasting is due to lingering inflammation, said Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer at...

Apr 30, 2023

'Brain-eating' amoebas are a new concern in northern US states, health officials advise

Deadly brain-eating amoeba infections usually strike people in southern U.S. states, but thanks to climate change, the brain-invading organism has expanded its range northward. In light of this trend, the Ohio Public Health Association recently published a case report to raise awareness of the disease among health care providers in...

Sep 26, 2023

Rat 'lungworm' that can invade the human brain found in Georgia rodents

A parasite that normally lives in the lungs of rats can infect the human brain if accidentally ingested in contaminated food — and now, the worm has claimed new territory in Georgia. But don't freak out. The parasite, called rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), mostly infects people in Southeast Asia and...

Sep 27, 2023

Strange purple lump on infant's head is rare case of protruding brain tissue, case report says

A boy who was born with a purple lump on his head had a rare skin defect and a bit of brain tissue spilling out of his skull, a new case report says. The lump, which was on the right top of the boy's head, measured around 0.5 square inches...

Sep 29, 2023

Woman is 1st to survive infection with deadly 'blackleg' bacteria she caught while gardening bare-handed

A woman in Australia has become the third known person to be infected with a species of bacteria that normally causes deadly blackleg disease in cattle and sheep — and she's the only one to survive, according to a new case report. After gardening without gloves, the 48-year-old woman experienced...

Sep 29, 2023

Prenatal RSV vaccine protects newborns from the virus, CDC says

There's now another way to protect newborns from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in the U.S. The tool is a new vaccine, called Abrysvo and made by Pfizer, which is given in late pregnancy to send protective antibodies across the placenta to the...

Oct 2, 2023

Inexpensive new malaria vaccine is a 'vital tool' to protect tens of millions of people

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just recommended a second vaccine to prevent malaria in children, almost exactly two years after it recommended the world's first. When given seasonally, the vaccine, called R21/Matrix-M or just Matrix-M, is as effective as the previously recommended vaccine, known as RTS,S or Mosquirix, Tedros...

Oct 11, 2023

Skeletons from 1918 flu dispel myth that young, healthy adults were more vulnerable to the virus

The 1918 flu was one of the deadliest pandemics in history, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. It was long believed that young, healthy adults were just as likely to die from the illness as those who were older, sick or frail — but a new study has turned...

Oct 16, 2023

Man gets rare 'shiitake dermatitis' from undercooked mushrooms

A man ended up in the emergency department with a painful rash that crosshatched his entire back after he ate a very common edible mushroom. The 72-year-old man had prepared and eaten a meal containing shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes). In the two days after this meal, the man developed a...