Infectious Diseases News and Research

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RFK Jr. says healthy pregnant women don’t need covid boosters. What the science says.

You're pregnant, healthy, and hearing mixed messages: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is not a scientist or doctor, says you don't need the covid vaccine, but experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Protection still put you in a high-risk group of people who ought to receive boosters.

2 Jun 2025

New antibody discovery reveals powerful immune defense against tuberculosis

Researchers at the Ragon Institute have made a significant discovery about how antibodies can directly enhance the body's ability to fight Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB).

30 May 2025

Genetic analysis shows leprosy was endemic in pre-colonial America

Long considered a disease brought to the Americas by European colonizers, leprosy may actually have a much older history on the American continent.

29 May 2025

Early measles vaccination gains urgency amid global outbreak

The global measles outbreak must trigger an urgent debate into whether a vaccine should be recommended earlier to better protect against the highly contagious disease during infancy, a new review states.

29 May 2025

UVA researchers discover key to HIV latency and reactivation

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure: Their research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly it can reawaken from hiding.

29 May 2025

New material could improve delivery and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines

A new material developed at Cornell University could significantly improve the delivery and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines by replacing a commonly used ingredient that may trigger unwanted immune responses in some people.

29 May 2025

Genomic analysis reveals how bird flu jumped from wild birds to poultry and people

Researchers identified a novel genotype (D1.1) of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 spreading among wild birds, poultry, and a human in British Columbia, Canada, during fall 2024. Genomic analysis reveals the virus arose from reassortment between Eurasian and North American strains, with implications for surveillance and control.

27 May 2025

Scientists make major progress toward an effective HIV vaccine

In the long battle to create an effective HIV vaccine, scientists have made a major leap forward. A new study shows that a series of vaccines can coax the immune system to produce powerful antibodies capable of blocking a wide range of HIV strains-including those that are typically the hardest to stop.

27 May 2025

Healthcare utilization among the elderly remained stable in Japan despite pandemic challenges

Public healthcare emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can drastically disrupt healthcare systems with long-term repercussions.

27 May 2025

Novel immune cells identified as potential target for tuberculosis vaccines

There is no highly effective vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), which remains an infection of global concern.

26 May 2025

Trump’s team cited safety in limiting covid shots. patients, health advocates see more risk.

Larry Saltzman has blood cancer. He's also a retired doctor, so he knows getting covid-19 could be dangerous for him — his underlying illness puts him at high risk of serious complications and death.

23 May 2025

Insulin resistance in the brain may link Alzheimer’s and epilepsy

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have succeeded in showing, in an animal model, that the process of insulin resistance in the brain affects both Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy and may be a linking factor between the two diseases.

22 May 2025

SwRI designs bed netting systems for mosquito-based malaria control

Southwest Research Institute tapped into its drug formulation and manufacturing expertise to fabricate two bed netting prototypes targeting malaria-causing blood parasites.

21 May 2025

3 things to watch on mental health in Trump’s early budget proposals

Since President Donald Trump released his 2026 budget blueprint in early May, calling for $163 billion in federal spending cuts, much of the attention has focused on his slashing of foreign aid and boosting of border security.

21 May 2025

Most Americans back MMR vaccine as measles surges and misconceptions rise

A national survey shows that most Americans still support MMR vaccination for children, but public understanding of measles complications and vaccine facts is declining. Despite a sharp rise in measles cases, misconceptions about vaccine risks and autism persist.

20 May 2025

US withdrawal from global health bodies threatens millions with hunger and disease

A new Perspective in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition warns of catastrophic global nutrition and health impacts if the US withdraws from the WHO and dismantles USAID. The authors urge urgent policy reversal and call for collaborative global action to prevent widespread humanitarian crises.

19 May 2025

Higher maternal selenium linked to lower streptococcal infection risk in children

Higher maternal selenium levels during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of streptococcal infections in children, suggesting a potential protective effect.

19 May 2025

High cost of immunotherapy linked to financial hardship among cancer survivors

A study published today in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship found that cancer survivors receiving high-cost immunotherapy treatments were more likely to face financial hardship, leading to increased instances of being unable to afford care and taking fewer medications due to cost.

18 May 2025

Measles cases surge in the United States amid falling vaccination rates

The United States is in the midst of the second-highest year of measles cases since 2000, when the disease was declared eliminated in this country, meaning that cases within the United States originated outside the country.

16 May 2025

HIV vaccine study marks breakthrough in targeting broad immune responses

A decades-long scientific challenge in HIV vaccine development has been finding a way to train the immune system to produce antibodies that can target many variants of the virus.

15 May 2025