Viral Disease News and Research

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Mitochondrial rewiring may explain why orthoflaviviruses harm humans but persist in mosquitoes

Orthoflaviviruses reshape mitochondrial structure, metabolism, redox signaling, and quality control differently across human and mosquito models, helping explain their contrasting infection outcomes. The review highlights mitochondrial pathways that may support acute cellular damage in vertebrates but persistent, non-lethal infection in mosquitoes, pointing to potential antiviral targets.

12 Aug 2026

Study identifies immune response causing severe COVID-19 susceptibility

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has largely subsided, scientists continue to investigate why the virus proved so deadly, causing at least three million deaths worldwide, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO).

19 Jul 2026

New project launches to advance chikungunya vaccine in Africa

Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, a new €15.3 million project coordinated by Institut Pasteur brings together seven partners across four continents to advance clinical trials and prepare for the manufacturing of a chikungunya vaccine in Africa.

8 Jun 2026

New data confirms dengue vaccine safety for older and chronic-risk travelers

Data from 1,028 people vaccinated with TAK-003 in Catalonia suggests that the dengue vaccine has a good tolerability profile in routine clinical practice among travelers from regions where dengue is not endemic.

4 Jun 2026

Scientists redesign CAR-T cells to fight more than cancer

This review examines how CAR-T cell therapy is expanding beyond blood cancers into solid tumors, autoimmune diseases, chronic viral infections, and next-generation immune-cell platforms. It highlights promising engineering advances, including universal CAR-T cells, in vivo delivery, CAR-NK cells, and safety switches, while emphasizing unresolved challenges in durability, safety, scalability, and global access.

29 Apr 2026

Climate change drives dengue outbreaks through extreme weather events

Diseases historically absent from the United States have been showing up in Florida, Texas, California and other U.S. states in recent years.

17 Mar 2026

Why measles remains one of the most contagious viral diseases worldwide

This review synthesizes current evidence on measles virus biology, immune responses, complications, treatments, and prevention strategies. It highlights how measles can suppress immune memory, increasing susceptibility to other infections, and underscores vaccination as the most effective control measure.

4 Mar 2026

Mpox clade Ib transmitted in a healthcare setting outside Africa

Mpox is a viral disease usually transmitted from animals to humans and symptoms include fever and skin rashes. In 2023, a new variant of monkeypox virus (MPXV), called clade Ib, emerged in Kamituga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

19 Dec 2025

UQ researchers capture first high-resolution images of the yellow fever virus

University of Queensland researchers have captured the first high-resolution images of the yellow fever virus (YFV), a potentially deadly viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects the liver.

4 Nov 2025

PAHO celebrates over three decades without polio in the Americas

World Polio Day (October 24), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) celebrates over three decades without wild poliovirus cases in the Americas.

23 Oct 2025

Understanding the impact of chikungunya on children

Chikungunya is a vector-borne disease that affects both adults and children. While global efforts are ongoing to tackle chikungunya in adults, progress in addressing pediatric chikungunya remains inadequate.

10 Oct 2025

First global standard published to measure outcomes in dengue treatment trials

The first global standard which harmonizes what outcomes to measure in dengue treatment trials has been published this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Co-led by researchers at King's and the University of Oxford, this solves a longstanding discrepancy in terms of what is measured in these trials.

9 Oct 2025

Philippines unveils new technologies to detect and manage African Swine Fever

Three new technologies to detect and manage African Swine Fever have been unveiled in the Philippines amid ongoing concerns about a vaccine imported from Vietnam.

15 Sep 2025

Waning Japanese encephalitis immunity linked to more severe dengue illness

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, in collaboration with researchers in Nepal, have found that waning immunity to Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) may increase the risk of more severe dengue disease in humans.

13 Sep 2025

Scientists identify key protein driving severe flu in older people

Scientists have discovered why older people are more likely to suffer severely from the flu, and can now use their findings to address this risk.

8 Sep 2025

Novel monoclonal antibodies show promise in preventing severe mpox disease

A team from the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has discovered three powerful monoclonal antibodies from a person who had previously been infected with mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

26 Aug 2025

How a Réunion Island outbreak sparked France’s record chikungunya season

Mainland France recorded its earliest-ever local chikungunya outbreaks in May 2025, with 10 clusters (27 cases) across five regions, driven by travelers importing the virus from Réunion Island. The surge highlights growing vulnerability to mosquito-borne diseases in Europe as Aedes albopictus expands northward.

18 Aug 2025

New drug combo outperforms Tamiflu in fighting deadliest flu strains

A surprising new drug combo—including a compound found in chocolate—has outperformed Tamiflu in fighting the flu, according to a study published in PNAS.

4 Aug 2025

Chikungunya vaccine could stop millions of infections worldwide, study finds

A landmark global modeling study reveals that more than 2.8 billion people in 104 countries are at risk of chikungunya, with up to 35 million infections annually. Strategic deployment of the IXCHIQ vaccine could prevent thousands of infections and deaths each year.

11 Jun 2025

Single measles strain triggers outbreak in Milan despite high vaccination rates

A unique measles B3 lineage drove a sustained local outbreak in Milan and surrounding areas in early 2025, marking a shift from previous D8 importations. This primarily affected unvaccinated adults, raising alarms about potential endemic measles resurgence in northern Italy despite high overall vaccination coverage.

27 May 2025