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

Aug 29, 2022

Loss of smell could be a symptom of COVID-19

Sudden loss of a sense of smell could be a sign of a COVID-19 infection, doctors recently reported. The complete loss of smell, or anosmia, is already associated with viruses; about 40% of anosmia cases occur after a viral infection, according to a statement published online on March 21 by...

Aug 31, 2022

Why vitamin C won't 'boost' your immune system against the coronavirus

Coronavirus basics —What are the symptoms? —How deadly is the new coronavirus? —Is there a cure for COVID-19? —How does it compare with seasonal flu? —How does the coronavirus spread? —Can people spread the coronavirus after they recover? Vitamin C is extremely unlikely to help people fight off the new...

Aug 31, 2022

Does vitamin D protect against COVID-19?

In the absence of a COVID-19 cure or vaccine, scientists are investigating whether vitamin D can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection or the severity of the disease. Indeed, the idea of taking a vitamin to ward off COVID-19 infection certainly is appealing. But although some recent studies have suggested...

Aug 31, 2022

FDA authorizes updated COVID-19 boosters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized two newly updated COVID-19 booster shots: one made by Moderna and one made by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech, according to a statement released Wednesday (Aug. 31). Both boosters guard against the original SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variant targeted by the original...

Sep 6, 2022

China approves world-first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine

China has approved the world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccine maker CanSino Biologics (CanSinBIO) in Tianjin, China has announced. The newly approved vaccine, named Convidecia Air, uses the same platform as the injectable COVID-19 vaccine by the same manufacturer — pieces of genetic material transported by a harmless adenovirus...

Sep 12, 2022

Should you get the new COVID-19 booster shot? Here's everything you need to know.

Two newly updated COVID-19 booster shots are now available in the U.S.: one made by Moderna and one made by Pfizer and BioNTech. The Moderna booster is available for people ages 18 and up, and the Pfizer-BioNTech booster can be given to those ages 12 and up. Individuals qualify for...

Sep 13, 2022

1st confirmed monkeypox fatality reported in the US

A Los Angeles County resident with a severely weakened immune system has died of monkeypox, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health reported Monday (Sept. 12). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also assessed the case and confirmed that the death was due to a monkeypox infection,...

Sep 19, 2022

Polio is spreading in the US for the 1st time in decades. Do you need a booster?

A specific type of poliovirus has been spreading in Rockland County, New York, as well as in neighboring areas, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to add the United States to a list of countries where similar polioviruses have been detected. The list includes about 30 countries in Europe, Asia...

Sep 23, 2022

The coronavirus infects fat cells, study shows

Editor's note: This article first ran on Dec. 9, 2021, after an earlier version of the study was posted to the preprint database bioRxiv. The article was updated on Sept. 23, 2022 to reflect the new information contained in the peer-reviewed journal. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 directly infects fat cells and...

Sep 28, 2022

Is monkeypox going to spread in children?

As the school year kicks into gear across the United States, a smattering of monkeypox cases in children have made headlines. On the heels of COVID-19's explosive spread, how worried should parents be that monkeypox will start spreading widely in children? The good news is that although parents should know...

Oct 14, 2022

Flu on the rise in the US as season kicks off early

Flu season is off to an unusually early start in the U.S., with Southeastern and South Central states currently reporting the highest rates of infection in the country, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We've noted that flu activity is starting to increase...

Oct 18, 2022

Lab-made COVID-19 hybrid sparks controversy

Boston University scientists have created a hybrid version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Their experiments sparked controversy, with heated headlines claiming that the researchers made the virus more lethal and university officials denouncing these claims as false and inaccurate. The new omicron spike-carrying virus — built by attaching the...

Oct 19, 2022

Dozens of ancient viruses are 'switched on' in healthy cells throughout our bodies

Traces of ancient viruses are littered throughout the human genome, embedded within the DNA's structure. Scientists already knew that some of these viral artifacts can activate in cancer cells and potentially contribute to the disease's progression — but now, a new study reveals that the viruses are active in dozens...

Nov 2, 2022

New RSV vaccine given in pregnancy protects newborns from illness, Pfizer says

A new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine shielded newborns from severe cases of the illness in the critical months just after birth, the drugmaker Pfizer announced Tuesday (Nov. 1). The one-dose vaccine was given to pregnant people in their second or third trimesters, which triggered production of protective antibodies that...

Nov 15, 2022

Stunning video captures a virus on the verge of breaking into a cell

The eerily random path of a virus poised to attack has been caught on video. Using a new microscopy technique, researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina have visualized a virus bouncing around the intestinal lining, looking for entry into a cell. To use a home-invasion metaphor, the moment...