The world isn't ready to prevent or deal with another pandemic because many nations aren't taking the necessary steps to prepare for what is likely an inevitable future scenario, a new report shows.

The Global Health Security (GHS) index -- an assessment of preparedness for various health emergencies and problems -- is produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Economist Impact and the Jo...

People who've already had COVID-19 have a higher risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant than with earlier variants, new research shows.

The South African scientists who reported the findings believe that vaccination will have the power to stop severe illness, however.

Speaking at a World Health Organization briefing, study team member Anne von Gottberg, of the Un...

There was no smallpox virus in frozen vials recently discovered at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Instead of the variola virus that causes smallpox, lab tests showed that the vials contained vaccinia, the virus used in smallpox vaccine, according to the agency.

On Nov. 15, federal officials were alerted...

Several frozen vials that were labeled "smallpox" have been discovered in a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

There is no indication that anyone was exposed to what was in the vials, the agency noted.

The vials were found by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research...

A case of monkeypox in a traveler who returned to the United States from Nigeria is being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Maryland Department of Health.

The infected person is currently in isolation in Maryland.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes, and then...

A young boy who was injured at the Astroworld Festival in Houston has become the 10th person to die from a huge crowd surge at the event.

Ezra Blount, 9, was trampled at the festival and had been placed in a medically induced coma in an attempt to deal with severe brain, liver and kidney trauma, attorneys for his family said last week, CBS News reported.

"The Blount family ...

The world faces an increased risk of a measles outbreak because 22 million infants did not get their measles shots last year due to the pandemic, the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Wednesday.

They said that 3 million fewer infants were vaccinated against measles in 2020 than in 2019, and just 70% of infants received both doses of the t...

Large U.S. companies have until Jan. 4, 2022 to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration said Thursday.

Unvaccinated workers must undergo weekly testing under the plan that applies to businesses with 100 or more employees and will cover 84 million private sector workers, the New York Times reported.

President Joe Biden first announced th...

Why do some people refuse to get vaccinated or wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19? The biggest driver of that decision is a belief that the virus poses no threat to them, a new international study suggests.

The researchers said their findings could help guide efforts to fight future pandemics.

The investigators examined responses from more than 200,000 people in 51 countri...

You're driving down the highway when a tornado warning is issued over your car radio. Is it safe to follow widespread advice and seek shelter under an overpass?

While the U.S. National Weather Service warns that the wind from a tornado can accelerate as it flows under the overpass, creating a wind tunnel effect, a new study found differently.

"In our research, there is no one findin...

Walmart has recalled an aromatic room spray sold nationwide after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the presence of a "rare and dangerous" bacteria in the spray that's linked to four illnesses, including two deaths.

The retailer sold about 3,900 bottles of Better Homes and Gardens' Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones in six different s...

Health officials say they are trying to track down the source of 10 reported cases of Legionnaires' disease within a one-mile radius in a Long Island, N.Y., neighborhood.

The patients range in age from 35 to 96. As of Saturday, one had died, two remained hospitalized and seven had been released from the hospital, CBS News reported.

Legionnaires is a rare form of pneumonia c...

In some heartening news on the vaccine front, two-thirds of American parents of children ages 5 to 11 plan to get their youngsters vaccinated when COVID-19 shots are approved for that age group, a new survey shows.

"While we're encouraged to see that a majority of parents intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 once they are eligible, there is clearly more work to be done to h...

More kids swallowed small magnets and batteries in 2020 compared to previous years -- a worrisome surge that dovetailed with pandemic stay-at-home orders.

An analysis of data from more than 100 U.S. hospitals found that the number of kids 17 and younger who were treated for swallowing foreign objects remained about the same from 2017 to 2021, but there was a large jump in incidents involv...

Blinds and window coverings might seem harmless, but their cords can be deadly for young children and infants.

The best way to keep children from becoming entangled in these cords is to replace your blinds with cordless versions, advises the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC).

"Children have strangled to death on the cords of window blinds, shades, draperies and other window...

A record increase was seen in the number of murders in the United States in 2020, in the biggest one-year jump reported since federal officials began tracking homicides in 1960.

Figures showed 4,901 more murders committed in 2020 than in 2019. A total of roughly 21,500 people were killed last year, according to data from 16,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. While the number...

A specimen cup full of bloody urine.

Decaying feet that sport blackened, rotting toes -- some already amputated.

A pale boy with dark circles under his eyes, drawing breath through an oxygen mask.

Around 179,000 deaths in the United States might have been prevented over the past decade if smokers had been forced to confront such images every time they reached for a pack of cig...

A new DNA sensor can detect viruses and tell if they are infectious or not in minutes, a new study finds.

The sensor was developed by using DNA technology, and does not require the need to pretreat test samples. Researchers demonstrated this technique with the human adenovirus (which causes colds and flu) and the virus that causes COVID-19.

"The infectivity status is very important ...

Getting another shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine substantially increased its protection, the company announced Tuesday.

According to the results of a new clinical trial, two doses of the vaccine boosts immunity to 94% from the 74% offered by a single dose, the company said in a statement.

"Our single-shot vaccine generates strong immune responses and long-lasting immun...

If you're making your own face mask to protect against COVID-19, three layers of cotton towel fabric are best, researchers from India report.

That recommendation comes after testing how best to block cough droplets moving at different rates, from mild to severe.

"Our results show cotton, towel-based fabrics were most effective among the considered fabrics and must be stitched togeth...

The highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has highlighted a fear shared by infectious disease experts worldwide: That increasingly dangerous mutations will continue to crop up until most people around the globe are vaccinated.

"There are going to be more variants and they may eventually be variants of concern or variants that pose problems for the vaccine," said Dr. Amesh Adalja...

Sit. Fetch. Stay.

Detect seizure.

Yes, you read that correctly.

While many dogs are adept at following basic instructions such as "sit" and "roll over" with some practice and the promise of a treat, new research shows dogs can detect seizures by scent up to an hour before they occur, potentially saving their human's life.

An estimated 3.4 million Americans have epilepsy,...

The prescribing, dispensing and use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of clinical trials must end immediately, the American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists say.

The drug has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat people with infections caused by internal and external parasites, but is not...

Major pandemics aren't all that rare and they're likely to occur more often in the future, a new study claims.

"The most important takeaway is that large pandemics like COVID-19 and the Spanish flu are relatively likely," study co-author William Pan said in a news release from Duke University, where he is an associate professor of global environmental health.

That points to the need...

Two salmonella outbreaks that appear related to salami and other Italian-style meats have sickened at least 36 people in 17 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Twelve people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Because some people recover from salmonella without medical care and aren't tested, the CDC suspects the true number of...

Taking a drug meant for horses and cattle to prevent or treat COVID-19 is dangerous and could be fatal, the U.S Food and Drug Administration warns.

The agency has received multiple reports of people who have been hospitalized after "self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses," the agency said in a consumer update.

Ivermectin, which is not an anti-viral drug, is generally us...

The Biden Administration said Wednesday that a widely used pesticide will be banned because it's been linked to neurological damage in children.

The new rule to block the use of chlorpyrifos on food will take effect in six months, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

"Today [the] EPA is taking an overdue step to protect public health," EPA head Michael Regan said in an agency ...

U.S. gun sales increased early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of those firearms ended up in homes with teens, researchers say.

"This finding is concerning because we know that the single biggest risk factor for adolescent firearm injuries is access to an unsecured firearm," said study co-author Dr. Patrick Carter. He is co-director of the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention at the...

Reports of amputated and crushed fingers have prompted the recall of thousands of portable generators made by Generac.

The recall involves more than 321,000 gas-powered Generac and DR 6500 watt and 8000 watt portable generators in the United States, and more than 4,500 of the generators in Canada.

An unlocked handle can trap users' fingers against the generator frame when the genera...

The Biden administration has reversed a Trump policy that limited the size of fines that U.S. nursing homes could be slapped with for violating safety standards.

The Trump policy was adopted in 2017 and prevented the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from hitting a nursing home with a fine for each day it didn't comply with federal standards.

That reduced many pe...