Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

COVID 19 vaccination protects pregnant people and their babies

Pregnant people who received a COVID-19 vaccine were far less likely to experience severe illness or deliver their babies prematurely, according to a major new UBC-led study published in JAMA.

15 Dec 2025

Metagenomics reveals overlooked viral risks in treated water

Viruses are everywhere in wastewater treatment plants, quietly interacting with bacteria as sewage is cleaned and reused.

15 Dec 2025

Australian scientists uncover key genetic drivers behind long COVID

Australian scientists have identified the key genetic drivers behind long COVID, revealing why some people continue to experience debilitating symptoms long after their initial infection.

15 Dec 2025

COVID-19 could leave a measurable imprint on the brain

COVID-19 does not just affect the respiratory system, but also significantly alters the brain in people who have fully recovered from the infectious disease, highlighting the long-term neurological impact of the virus.

15 Dec 2025

Researchers develop nasal antiviral platform using AI technology to block flu and COVID-19

Respiratory viruses that have diverse strains and mutate rapidly, such as influenza and COVID-19, are difficult to block perfectly with vaccines alone.

15 Dec 2025

Climate shocks creating new pathways for disease across Africa

Climate shocks are reshaping ecosystems, creating new pathways for disease across Africa, writes Albert Ansah.

15 Dec 2025

Virus shells use asymmetry to control RNA release and infection

Viruses are typically described as tiny, perfectly geometric shells that pack genetic material with mathematical precision, but new research led by scientists at Penn State reveals a deliberate imbalance in their shape that helps them infect their hosts.

12 Dec 2025

Study reveals how Ebola and Marburg viruses damage the human gut

Ebola (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) are highly lethal viruses that cause severe disease in infected patients by extensively damaging the body.

11 Dec 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Crunch time for ACA tax credits

Congress is running out of time to avert a huge increase in health care premium payments for millions of Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

11 Dec 2025

Frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption influence cancer risk

As Americans gear up for the holiday season, new research offers a timely reminder to reflect on the long-term health effects of raising a celebratory glass – or two.

11 Dec 2025

RSV can have profound, long-lasting effects in hospitalized adults

Respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, is often associated with cold-like symptoms in young children.

11 Dec 2025

Mathematical modeling identifies strategies to eliminate cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer for women in the world, with more than 660,000 new cases and nearly 350,000 deaths per year.

10 Dec 2025

Hidden infections may play a key role in driving long COVID symptoms

For millions suffering from long COVID, their persistent breathlessness, brain fog and fatigue remain a maddening mystery, but a group of leading microbiologists think they may have cracked the case.

10 Dec 2025

AI helps researchers to find a new way to fight the monkeypox virus

With the help of artificial intelligence, an international team of researchers has made the first major inroad to date towards a new and more effective way to fight the monkeypox virus (MPXV), which causes a painful and sometimes deadly disease that can be especially dangerous for children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.

10 Dec 2025

Mammary glands of domesticated livestock and humans could harbor avian influenza

An ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has affected more than 184 million domestic poultry since 2022 and, since making the leap to dairy cattle in spring 2024, more than 1,000 milking cow herds.

9 Dec 2025

Study explains why mpox cases can appear weeks after exposure

Mpox virus clade Ib shows a longer and more variable incubation period than previously characterized clades, with symptom onset extending well beyond 21 days in a substantial minority of cases. Incubation varies by transmission route, with shorter intervals after sexual exposure and longer periods following nonsexual community transmission, raising implications for surveillance and postexposure guidance.

9 Dec 2025

Online reference library provides a more accurate picture of drug exposure

Doctors and researchers try to understand what medications a person has taken by asking patients directly or by looking at medical records. But this information is often incomplete.

9 Dec 2025

Early RSV infection turns maternal allergy into a powerful driver of childhood asthma

Early-life RSV infection and parental allergy interact to substantially increase childhood asthma risk, supported by population data from more than 1.5 million children and mechanistic mouse experiments. The study shows that viral infection reprograms neonatal immune responses by altering how maternally transferred allergen-specific antibodies are handled, driving long-term allergic airway disease.

8 Dec 2025

Genome-edited immune cell therapy shows promise for treating aggressive blood cancer

A groundbreaking new treatment using genome-edited immune cells, developed by scientists at UCL (University College London) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), has shown promising results in helping children and adults fight a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).

8 Dec 2025

Older chemical libraries yield new leads for next-generation COVID-19 antivirals

SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to mutate, with some newer strains becoming less responsive to current antiviral treatments like Paxlovid.

8 Dec 2025