Disease/Infection News

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WHO urges renewed global effort to end malaria

On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for revitalized efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.

25 Apr 2025

Shingles vaccine eligibility lowers dementia risk in older adults

A large quasi-experimental study in Australia found that adults eligible for free shingles vaccination based on their date of birth were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over a 7.4-year period. The findings reinforce previous results from Wales and suggest a potential preventive role for HZ vaccination.

24 Apr 2025

COVID-19 lowers sperm count and motility, new study confirms

SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to significant declines in sperm quality, including reduced sperm count, motility, and increased DNA fragmentation, as shown in both cross-sectional and longitudinal observations.

24 Apr 2025

H5N1's evolutionary leap could undermine vaccines and heighten human infection risk

From egg prices to pet food recalls – and now, confirmation that another strain of bird flu has infected a large commercial flock of broiler chickens on a Mississippi farm – headlines are capturing escalating concern over H5N1's spread.

24 Apr 2025

New biosensor offers fast detection of H5N1 in farm air

As highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread in the U.S., posing serious threats to dairy and poultry farms, both farmers and public health experts need better ways to monitor for infections, in real time, to mitigate and respond to outbreaks.

24 Apr 2025

Measles could become endemic again in the United States

Childhood vaccination rates have been falling in the United States, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Apr 2025

Global immunization progress threatened by misinformation and funding cuts

Immunization efforts are under growing threat as misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises and funding cuts jeopardize progress and leave millions of children, adolescents and adults at risk, warn WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi during World Immunization Week, 24–30 April.

24 Apr 2025

Baloxavir marboxil shows promise in reducing household flu spread

One dose of the antiviral baloxavir marboxil lowers the chance of transmitting the influenza virus to family members by about 30%, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine.

24 Apr 2025

AI-powered BEACON platform enhances global disease surveillance

The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON) leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs) and a network of globally based experts to rapidly collect, analyze, and disseminate information on emerging infectious diseases affecting humans, animals, and the environment.

24 Apr 2025

New antibiotic offers hope for more effective Lyme disease treatment

Lyme disease, a disease transmitted when deer ticks feed on infected animals like deer and rodents, and then bite humans, impacts nearly half a million individuals in the U.S. annually.

24 Apr 2025

New strategy for TB screening aims to save lives

A new strategy for tuberculosis (TB) screening, proposed by a team of researchers led by Queen Mary University of London, provides a solution to problems with current TB screening, which does not always accurately detect disease.

24 Apr 2025

Researchers create detailed 3D map of parasite behind sleeping sickness

Millions of people worldwide are affected by African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and other life-threatening infections caused by microscopic parasites borne by insects such as the tsetse fly.

23 Apr 2025

Scientists uncover why Lyme disease symptoms may linger after treatment

Symptoms that persist long after Lyme disease is treated are not uncommon - a 2022 study found that 14% of patients who were diagnosed and treated early with antibiotic therapy would still develop Post Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD).

23 Apr 2025

Scientists develop promising new drug candidates against coronaviruses

A team at UC San Francisco and Gladstone Institutes has developed new drug candidates that show great promise against the virus that causes COVID-19 and potentially other coronaviruses that could cause future pandemics.

23 Apr 2025

Research offers new hope in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to public health. When antibiotics don't work, we risk not being able to treat many types of infections and people who would previously have been cured, can die.

23 Apr 2025

One RSV shot cuts severe lung infections in older adults for three seasons, trial shows

A phase 3 trial involving nearly 25,000 older adults across 17 countries found that a single dose of the RSVPreF3 OA vaccine reduced RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease by 63% over three seasons. Protection remained substantial despite waning, with similar efficacy to a two-dose regimen and a favorable safety profile.

23 Apr 2025

Study reveals cloth masks rival some medical masks, but only N95s deliver near-total protection

A PLOS ONE study tested the real-world filtration efficiency of cloth masks, medical masks, and respirators, revealing large differences in performance based on fit and mask type. Only N95s and CaN99s approached occupational safety standards without formal fit-testing.

23 Apr 2025