Infectious Diseases

Is polio making a comeback in the United States and, if so, are you at risk? We talk to a doctor, who says that vaccination is key.

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

Viruses can alter a person's body odor to make it more attractive to mosquitoes, leading to more bites, which, in turn, allow a virus to spread.

ByPenghua Wang

What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2, and will it cause another wave of infections in the U.S.? Two immunologists from the University of South Carolina weigh in.

ByPrakash Nagarkatti&Mitzi Nagarkatti

Because it has far more mutations than the delta variant does, the new omicron variant may be much more contagious. An expert on emerging viruses explains.

BySuresh V. Kuchipudi

Who gets long COVID and why still remains a mystery, but several new studies are showing it's much more widespread than we initially thought. So what is long COVID and how can it be treated?

ByJoanna Thompson

We hear many reports of people vaccinated against COVID-19 getting the disease. How does that happen — and why should that not stop us from getting the vaccine?

ByAlia Hoyt

The wildly contagious delta coronavirus variant now accounts for more than 80 percent of cases in the United States. Does it pose a threat to eliminating COVID-19 across the globe?

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

How worried should you be about coronavirus variants? A virologist explains why we should pay attention to these five variants, some of which might be new to you.

ByPaulo Verardi

这是一年世界卫生Organizati新利国际网站品牌官网on officially declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic. The last 12 months have been truly historic and life-changing in ways that we may not even yet recognize.

ByJohn Donovan

Sometimes you just can't avoid using a public bathroom. Is it safe with coronavirus raging? How can you be sure?

ByCarrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Many health experts are gravely concerned about how the massive protest crowds, chanting and especially use of tear gas could accelerate the spread of coronavirus.

ByPatty Rasmussen

Learn the steps of contact tracing, one critical way that public health officials stop viruses like COVID-19 from spreading, in this HowStuffWorks video.

Despite strict closing and mask orders, San Francisco was hit hard by the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. But some residents balked at the rules and that meant more people died.

ByJohn Donovan

As COVID-19 rages around the world, distilleries quickly ramp up the switch from booze to hand sanitizer in an all-out effort to curb the spread.

By杰里米玻璃

The World Health Organization just declared the coronavirus a full-blown pandemic. What does that even mean, and how is that different from an epidemic?

BySarah Gleim

You've probably heard the word "quarantine" a lot in relation to the coronavirus. But how is it different from patient isolation?

ByPatty Rasmussen

There's been a steady uptick in Lyme disease across the United States since 1997, but the news isn't all bad.

ByJohn Donovan

Since 2004, cases of diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes have tripled in the U.S.

ByJesslyn Shields

We often lack the resources to treat and educate everyone when combating disease. Moving the 'hubs' of a social network to the front of the line may be most effective.

ByJesslyn Shields

And that unique ability may propel us closer to an HIV vaccine for humans.

ByKate Kershner

Mosquitoes spread deadly malaria, and trimming one specific shrub could make significant headway in battling the disease.

ByLaurie L. Dove

Updated quarantine regulations which would give federal health officials more leeway to detain sick people have some legal and civil rights experts concerned.

ByPatrick J. Kiger

Sure, the carrier mosquitoes are in the U.S., and so is the disease. But other factors will stave off a widespread incident, experts say.

ByPatrick J. Kiger

Sometimes the nose knows. What advances are being made in detecting diseases by scent?

ByLaurie L. Dove

The FDA is recommending that all blood donations start being tested for Zika virus in the next 12 weeks. But what about the blood already on hand? What happens to that?

ByJohn Donovan