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Sudden unexpected infant deaths drive widening Black-white mortality gap

After years of declines in sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID), rates have been ticking up again, particularly among babies born to Black mothers, new research shows.

23 Sep 2026

Could a parent’s hospital job shape a child’s nasal microbiome?

A pilot study of 37 families found that children with healthcare-worker parents had lower nasal microbial diversity, with the largest differences among children whose two parents worked in healthcare. Porphyromonas was significantly less abundant, while Neisseria showed a similar non-significant pattern, but the cross-sectional study cannot establish causality or determine whether these microbiota differences affect health.

23 Sep 2026

World Cup travel and low vaccination fuel Latin American measles outbreaks

Countries in Latin America are being urged to strengthen vaccination and surveillance to fight measles as the region records the highest number of cases in more than two decades, disease experts say.

21 Sep 2026

Maldives meets UN target for reducing premature chronic disease deaths

The Maldives has become the only country in the World Health Organization's South East Asia region to meet the UN target for reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes.

21 Sep 2026

Flatworm genes reveal secrets to regrowing damaged brain cells

The human brain is terrible at healing itself from injury or disease. But some animals can harness their own cellular abilities to not only repair injuries but also to regrow their brains entirely.

21 Sep 2026

Engineered stone countertops linked to severe silicosis

The article describes a 47-year-old man who visited an emergency department for a minor injury to his lung and was found to have lung nodules after a computed tomography (CT) scan.

21 Sep 2026

New mRNA vaccine expands flu protection options for older adults

Every fall, millions of Americans heed the call to get their annual flu shot. Getting vaccinated reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from influenza.

20 Sep 2026

HIV awareness emphasizes prevention, treatment and healthy aging

About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. Because of major advances in medical treatment and technology, people with HIV are living long, healthy lives.

18 Sep 2026

Wildfire smoke may be more harmful than other air pollution, two Mount Sinai studies find

As climate change drives more frequent and intense wildfires, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have published two large-scale studies showing that wildfire smoke may pose greater health risks than other sources of air pollution, with higher risks of hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease and poorer survival among patients with lung cancer.

18 Sep 2026

New funding boosts data archive that tracks healthy aging environments

With an $11 million award from the National Institute on Aging, University of Michigan researchers will build and share national data that track how neighborhood conditions change over time, helping scientists study how local environments affect older adults' health.

17 Sep 2026

Wildfire smoke poses greater health risks than other pollution

17 Sep 2026

New project aims to diagnose asthma in young children

Although asthma is the most common chronic condition in childhood, current tests can only diagnose it from the age of five.

17 Sep 2026

New MRI measure maps blood flow and cellular organization

Researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a new, noninvasive way to examine how blood flow and cellular organization align across the layers of the living human brain.

17 Sep 2026

Military blast exposure associated with long-term health conditions

Exposure to high-level blasts from incoming explosive devices or land mines among military veterans is associated with an increased risk of several conditions such as seizures, neuropathy and stroke years later, according to a study published September 16, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Sep 2026

Hedgehog coronaviruses reveal potential pathways for cross-species transmission

Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.

16 Sep 2026

Cold plunges may boost your mood, but the evidence is still on thin ice

A Molecular Psychiatry review examined evidence linking cold exposure with mood and mental health outcomes, alongside proposed roles for catecholamines, the HPA axis, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Early studies report short-term mood improvements and physiological changes, but clinical evidence remains limited, and the proposed mechanisms have not been established as drivers of lasting psychiatric benefits.

16 Sep 2026

Study confirms continued effectiveness of antibodies and vaccines used to prevent RSV infections

An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published Sept. 16 in Nature.

16 Sep 2026

New AACR report outlines future of cutting-edge cancer research

Today, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released the 16th edition of its annual Cancer Progress Report.

16 Sep 2026

Lung Facts updated with latest evidence on respiratory disease across 21 countries

The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) has updated its Lung Facts platform with the latest evidence on the burden of respiratory disease across 21 countries, providing policymakers, clinicians and patient advocates with updated data to drive national-level policy action on lung health.

16 Sep 2026

Study explores pregnancy risks from heat and wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat – increasingly the new norm – each have their own harmful effects on pregnant people and babies, including preterm birth and low birthweight.

15 Sep 2026