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Rare cruise ship virus outbreak highlights public messaging lessons and disease preparedness

A small outbreak of a rare hantavirus on a cruise ship earlier this year captured worldwide attention and sparked concerns about a possible new pandemic.

10 Aug 2026

Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses and may leave a lasting viral signature

A longitudinal study of 1,154 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found widespread reactivation of chronic Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae, with distinct viral patterns linked to disease severity, inflammation, and clinical outcomes. Anelloviridae also persisted during convalescence and were associated with physical deficits in long COVID, although the study did not establish causation.

7 Aug 2026

Night shifts and chronic insomnia may increase long COVID risk

The first evidence that night work and chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing long COVID comes from a new study led by ISGlobal, a centre supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), through the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort.

6 Aug 2026

Airplane wastewater pilot shows how airports could track pathogens across borders

Researchers showed that airplane wastewater from a shared US-UK transatlantic route could be collected and analyzed to detect respiratory and enteric pathogen genetic material. The pilot also captured SARS-CoV-2 lineage patterns, including earlier detection of XEC on UK-origin flights, while showing the need for harmonized assays and broader sampling.

4 Aug 2026

Study links ancient evolutionary pressures to severe COVID-19 risk

Every time a virus invades a person, it collides with thousands of years of human history. A study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Howard University suggests that some of the genes involved in the body's immune response today bear the marks of ancient battles with infectious diseases.

3 Aug 2026

Immune cell changes provide new insights into long COVID

Extreme fatigue, a racing pulse, shortness of breath, brain fog, aching joints-the symptoms of long COVID can vary widely, change unpredictably, and be difficult to even recognize as signs of the condition.

2 Aug 2026

Arginine boosts immune defenses against cancer and viral infections

The amino acid arginine helps to keep the human body humming, most notably by synthesizing proteins that carry out a range of cellular processes.

31 Jul 2026

Ten-million-person study links semaglutide to lower COVID-19 mortality

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10.1 million commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage enrollees found that semaglutide use was associated with a 49% lower adjusted hazard of COVID-19-related death. The observational findings corroborate earlier SELECT trial results but do not establish causation, making further prospective research essential.

30 Jul 2026

Research reveals how a hidden immune cell army defends human lung tissue

New research led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and University of Liverpool (UOL) provides the first comprehensive look at how a hidden immune cell army defends the vast, vulnerable tissue of the human lungs.

28 Jul 2026

Remdesivir protects kidney and heart health in transplant recipients

Adults with kidney transplants who were treated for COVID-19 with the antiviral remdesivir within a week of COVID-19 diagnosis and who received at least three consecutive days of therapy were less likely than kidney transplant recipients who did not receive the antiviral to experience cardiovascular or kidney problems up to a year later, according to findings from a target trial emulation study that published in JAMA Network Open.

28 Jul 2026

New cancer vaccine harnesses COVID-19 immune memory to fight tumors

In a discovery that could redefine the future of cancer immunotherapy, scientists from Celloram Inc., University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have developed a novel cancer vaccine platform that transforms the impact of the largest immunological event in modern history – a synchronized mass immune memory generated through SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination – into a powerful ally against cancer.

27 Jul 2026

Study reveals high prevalence of post-pandemic fatigue and sleep disturbances

Disrupted sleep and anxiety may be an ongoing issue for many people after the pandemic, whether due to COVID-19 directly or to the stress and anxiety caused by the global pandemic, and may contribute to the fatigue commonly reported by people with Post-COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS, or 'long COVID').

23 Jul 2026

How metabolic phenotyping can detect viral infections in minutes

Metabolic phenotyping enables rapid detection of viral infections within minutes by identifying early biochemical changes in the body.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 20 Jul 2026

GLP-1 drugs may reduce lung scarring from Long COVID in diabetic patients

GLP-1 agonists have become popular treatments for weight loss and type 2 diabetes, and newer studies suggest other health benefits as well.

9 Jul 2026

Microbiome science merges with oncology for better cancer treatments

Cancer remains notoriously difficult to treat, partly because tumors co‑opt their surrounding environment, including the resident microbiota, to evade immune surveillance and resist conventional therapies.

7 Jul 2026

COVID-19 vaccine boosters may protect against future animal coronavirus outbreaks

COVID-19 vaccine boosters not only protect against SARS‑CoV‑2 – the virus behind the most recent pandemic – but may also help protect against some future coronaviruses that risk spreading from animals to humans, Cambridge researchers have shown.

1 Jul 2026

Study links severe COVID to higher TB risk, and vaccination appears to blunt the link

A nationwide Chilean cohort study of more than 3.6 million adults found that severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization was associated with more than an eightfold higher hazard of incident tuberculosis within one year. The association was strongest in the first six months and among unvaccinated individuals, although absolute TB incidence remained low.

1 Jul 2026