Wastewater research isn't for the squeamish, but it can get to the bottom of questions about such things as the effectiveness of COVID-19 air travel restrictions.

Tests of toilet tank water from flights entering the United Kingdom helped Welsh scientists determine that steps meant to keep the virus from traveling among countries appear to have failed.

"Despite all the intervention m...

As colds, flu and COVID continue to circulate this winter, a new U.S. government study finds that young children infected with COVID plus a second virus tend to become sicker.

While severe COVID is rare among children, kids can and do fall ill enough to end up in the hospital.

During the pandemic's first two years, young U.S. children who were hospitalized with COVID tended to be mo...

COVID-19 infection in pregnancy raises a woman's risk of death sevenfold and significantly elevates her odds for needing intensive care, a new study finds.

Getting the virus during pregnancy also ups the likelihood of pneumonia, according to researchers at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

"This study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date suggesting that CO...

If you ordered COVID-19 tests through the federal government recently, you might want to check the expiration dates.

Although the actual expiration had already been extended by six months for the iHealth COVID tests, some will still expire soon, CBS News reported.

Nora Boydston, of Douglas County, Colo., was among those who ordered the four free tests in December, which ar...

While the origins of smallpox has remained a mystery for centuries, researchers now believe that it dates back 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Until recently, the earliest genetic evidence of smallpox, the variola virus, was from the 1600s. And in 2020, researchers found evidence of it in the dental remains of Viking skeletons, pushing its existence 1,000 years earlier.

Despite routine use of a childhood vaccine, the United States still sees outbreaks of mumps. Now, a new study reinforces the belief that it's due to waning immunity post-vaccination.

Mumps is a viral infection best known for causing puffy cheeks, a swollen jaw, fever and general misery. While it's usually relatively mild, mumps occasionally causes serious complications like brain inflamma...

All travelers flying from China to the United States will soon be required to produce a negative COVID test or show proof of recovery if they've had a recent COVID infection, U.S. health officials announced Wednesday.

The new rule, set to go into effect on Jan. 5, was created in response to a surge in COVID cases in China and the “lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and vir...

One of the hallmarks of a COVID-19 infection has been a lost sense of smell after the infection ends.

In a new study, researchers blame an ongoing immune assault on the olfactory nerve cells — cells found at the top of the nasal cavity — and a decline in the number of those cells. The study was led by a team at Duke Health in Durham, N.C.

“One of the first symptoms that has ty...

Public health experts have been warning of a “tripledemic” of respiratory viruses this fall and winter, so the American Lung Association has some tips for breathing easier this holiday season.

Flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are all spreading throughout the United States, overwhelming health care systems.

One way to make holiday or seasonal gatherings safer ...

Having trouble finding influenza meds at your local pharmacy? You're not alone. Now, flu-infected patients will have better access to prescription medicines as the U.S. government releases doses of Tamiflu from the Strategic National Stockpile.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will release an unspecified number of doses to U.S. states as the country deals with an early an...

The COVID-19 pandemic. Dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The current waves of influenza and RSV ripping through schools and workplaces.

America has had ample examples in recent years of the importance of infectious disease doctors.

Despite this, the United States is facing a shortage of doctors choosing to specialize in infectious disease, according to the Infectious Diseases...

With cases of the flu, RSV and COVID-19 rising and hospitals filling up nationwide, the Biden Administration on Wednesday announced a "winter preparedness plan" for what could be a tough season ahead.

One step towards protecting Americans from spreading infection: Restarting a program where every household in the country is eligible to receive four free COVID-19 nasal swab testing kits, t...

For some people, dozens of U.S.-approved drugs can lead to a rare but often fatal brain infection.

Researchers have now confirmed a strong link between four genetic mutations and this illness, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

A new study found that in people ta...

Experts are asking seniors to get their flu shots ASAP as an exceptionally nasty flu season unfolds across the United States.

Already, 8.7 million flu cases have been reported, with 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the last week alone, the nu...

Mpox cases are down significantly in the United States, prompting the federal government to plan not to renew an emergency designation for the virus when it expires late next month.

“Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said i...

The Laundress, a laundry and cleaning products company, has recalled nearly 8 million of its products over concerns they may be contaminated with various bacteria.

The bacteria include Burkholderia cepacia complex, Klebsiella aerogenes and multiple different species of Pseudomonas. So far, testing has identified these bacteria in certain recalled products, inclu...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first fecal microbiota treatment, aimed at helping adults battling tough-to-treat Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections.

"Today's approval of Rebyota is an advance in caring for patients who have recurrent C. difficile infection [CDI]," said