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

Sep 6, 2016

Crying Zika: Virus Material Found in Tears

When an animal is infected with Zika, the virus can spread to the eyes, and genetic material from the virus can find its way into the tears, according to a new study in mice. The finding raises the possibility that people might contract Zika through contact with the tears of...

Sep 9, 2016

Zika Pesticide Controversy: Is 'Naled' Dangerous to Human Health?

To fight mosquitoes that may be carrying the Zika virus, officials in Miami-Dade County are now using aerial spraying, and this is stirring local controversy about the safety of the chemicals that are used in those sprays. The debate is over a pesticide called naled, which has been registered for...

Sep 12, 2016

Zika Can Cause Birth Defects in Monkeys Too

Some monkeys can contract Zika virus in the womb and show signs of brain damage similar to those seen in human babies, according to a new study. The findings mark the first time that a monkey has shown signs of congenital Zika syndrome — the range of health problems linked...

Dec 29, 2016

Zika to Weed: 8 Huge Health Stories from 2016

8 Huge Health Stories from 2016 A female Aedes aegypti mosquito, a carrier of the Zika virus, feeds on human blood. (Image credit: CDC/James Gathany)From the elimination of measles in the U.S. to the advance of potential new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, 2016 was a jam-packed year for health news....

Apr 4, 2017

About 10% of Pregnant Women with Zika Had Babies with Birth Defects

About 5 to 10 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. who contracted the Zika virus in 2016 — typically after traveling abroad — had babies with birth defects related to the virus, according to a new report. The report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the...

Sep 13, 2017

Ebola, Zika & More: How Many Viruses Can Get into Men's Semen?

During recent outbreaks of the Zika virus, researchers discovered that the virus could find its way into men's semen and stay there for months. But how many other viruses can get into semen? To find out, researchers at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom searched the scientific literature...

Aug 21, 2020

Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika

Hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes will soon be released in the Florida Keys island chain to wipe out local populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes, according to news reports. The big questions are, will it work and will it have unintended effects on the environment? The Florida Keys Mosquito Control...

Aug 24, 2022

How has Magic Johnson survived with HIV?

How has Magic Johnson survived with HIV? When the former professional basketball player was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus in 1991, a lack of understanding and stigmatization surrounding the virus led to questions being raised over his future life prospects. However, thanks to advancements in antiretroviral drugs and management of...

Mar 16, 2023

1st woman given stem cell transplant to cure HIV is still virus-free 5 years later

A woman known as the New York patient received a stem cell transplant to cure her HIV, and now, she's been virus-free and off her HIV medication for about 30 months, researchers report. We're calling this a possible cure rather than a definitive cure — basically waiting on a longer...

Mar 17, 2023

How are people cured of HIV? Here's everything you need to know

Editor's note: This article was last updated on July 27, 2023. In the past 20 years, a handful of people have been cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, through intensive medical procedures. Several more people have received the treatment and also appear to be HIV-free,...

Mar 23, 2023

You can now get a free at-home HIV test. Here's how.

People in the U.S. can now get a free at-home HIV test, thanks to a nationwide program that will distribute a million tests over the next five years. The program, called Together TakeMeHome, has partnered with the popular dating app Grindr to help spread the word to populations most affected...

Jul 22, 2023

People on HIV meds have 'almost zero' chance of spreading virus via sex once levels are low

People with HIV who take medication to suppress the virus can't transmit it through sex once its levels become undetectable in their blood, a new review of studies has confirmed. The researchers also revealed something that had never been definitively shown: Even those with low, but still detectable levels of...

Jul 27, 2023

Mysterious case of the 'Geneva patient,' the latest person in long-term remission from HIV, raises questions

A sixth person is in long-term remission from HIV following a stem cell transplant, scientists reported this week at a major HIV research conference — but the patient's case differs dramatically from earlier ones, and it cannot yet be explained. What has happened to me is wonderful and magical, the...

Nov 30, 2023

Could CRISPR cure HIV someday?

In an ongoing clinical trial, researchers are testing whether just one dose of a new gene therapy that might effectively cure human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections is safe in humans. The therapy, named EBT-101, involves using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to treat HIV. This potential treatment strategy has been studied in...

Dec 1, 2023

We could end the AIDS epidemic in less than a decade. Here's how.

An HIV diagnosis hasn't been a death sentence for years, thanks to powerful medications. Despite incredible progress, however, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) remains a global public health threat, with 1.3 million new infections and around half that many deaths in 2022 alone. While new HIV infections have dropped steadily since...