infectious disease, disease & medicine

A coronavirus has been commanding the headlines for months, but strains of influenza and paramyxovirus are extremely dangerous pathogens that could spark outbreaks.

In Chapter 13, “Trusting Experts—and the Trump Administration,” Marc Zimmer laments the communication breakdown between modern US policy makers and scientists

A new book explores the ways that research findings are used and misused.

A leading scientist on the mechanisms of action of antimalarial medications, the University of North Carolina professor made contributions to research and mentoring all around the world.

Some researchers express skepticism given the lack of data about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, and the country plans to vaccinate healthcare workers, teachers, and others even before testing is complete.

Although modern society seems to be unwilling or unable to learn from the past, doing so just might hold the key to envisioning a brighter future.

Animals that can host pathogens dangerous to humans, such as rodents, birds, and bats, are proportionately more common in human-occupied spaces than in remote areas.

Slow motion sneeze footage reveals the true reach of respiratory droplets ejected from the human body.

Upon seeing pregnant women sick with COVID-19 at a University of Pennsylvania hospital, researchers there wrote trial protocols for blood transfusions to treat the disease that include expecting mothers.

Our experience with COVID-19 has already shone a light on how (and how not) to address future outbreaks.

As communities and businesses reopen amidst the pandemic, masks—in addition to other social distancing measures—are crucial for preventing new outbreaks.

Not all masks are created equal, and how they are worn makes a difference too.

Social distancing measures prevented millions of COVID-19–related deaths around the world, according to a handful of studies, but it’s hard to quantify the effects with certainty.

An influenza virus identified in pigs in China has a concerning mix of genes, but experts say there is no way to know if it will evolve to be transmissible between humans.

Arizona, Florida, California, and others have seen record numbers of daily new coronavirus positives in the last couple of weeks, and that’s not just a reflection of more testing. Hospitalizations are up too.

Despite high-profile political tensions between the two countries, researchers in the US and China are working together now more than ever, according to our bibliometric study.

After stating that asymptomatic individuals are unlikely to transmit the novel coronavirus, World Health Organization officials clarify that this is very much an open question.

The Salk Institute researcher was one of the first to show that killing a pathogen isn’t the only way to survive an infection.

A clinical trial of the shot in eight volunteers suggests that it is safe and that it generates antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, but further testing is needed, scientists say.