Disease and Illnesses

Illustration of Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria

Could a Morning-After Pill Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections?

San Francisco has formally recommended doxyPEP, which works like Plan B but targets STIs

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, as seen under an optical microscope. It's listed as a critical priority on the WHO's new report of most harmful fungal pathogens. 

These Fungal Pathogens Are the Most Harmful to Human Health

Fungal infections kill more than 1.5 million people each year, and the WHO warns they are becoming more prevalent and resistant to treatment

By preserving bodies at below-freezing temperatures, Alcor's goal is “restoring good health with medical technology in the future.”

200 Frozen Heads and Bodies Await Revival at This Arizona Cryonics Facility

The human cryopreservation project faces skepticism from medical and legal authorities

Computer illustration of Naegleria fowleri 

Boy Dies From a Brain-Eating Amoeba After Exposure at Lake Mead

This is the third fatal case in the U.S. this year

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Can This New A.I. Tool Help Detect Blood Poisoning?

The algorithm scans electronic records and may reduce sepsis deaths, but widespread adoption could be a challenge

The fungus Candida albicans in a patient with pulmonary candidiasis. Humans are home to trillions of harmless cells of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that play an important role in our health.

Scientists Are Finding Fungi in Cancerous Tumors

Experts aren't sure if the fungi affect the disease's progression

Dementia affects an estimated 55 million people around the world. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

Alzheimer's Drug Shows 'Most Encouraging Results' Yet in Clinical Trial

The medication aims to clear destructive plaque from the brain and slow cognitive decline

The blood test screens for over 50 types of cancer, some of which can not be screened for currently.

Could a Blood Test Effectively Screen for Cancers?

The innovation shows promise, but so far, it returns many false positives

A rise in cases of severe respiratory illness could be due in part to children returning to school and other public places this year. 

Virus Linked With Rare Polio-Like Condition in Children on the Rise, CDC Warns

This year, there have been 13 confirmed cases of the condition, which weakens muscles and reflexes

A pharmacist prepares to administer a Covid-19 booster shot to help protect a patient against the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Four Big Questions About the New Covid-19 Boosters, Answered

The FDA and CDC recently recommended new boosters to target the Omicron subvariants. Here’s what you need to know about them.

Scientists developed a skin swab test to detect Parkinson's disease within about three minutes.

Woman Who Can Smell Parkinson’s Helps Develop a Skin Swab Diagnostic Test

The test, which would be the first of its kind for this disease, can make a diagnosis in about three minutes

An inhaled Covid-19 vaccine is displayed at the CanSino Biologics booth at the Hainan International Health Industry Expo in November 2021.

Needle-Free Covid-19 Vaccines Approved in China and India

Doses inhaled through the mouth or nose might provide better protection against mild infections and transmission, preliminary studies show

A registered nurse measures out a monkeypox vaccine in Miami, Florida.

Six Big Questions About the Monkeypox Virus, Answered

The United States recently declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. Here’s what you need to know about the disease

Archaeologists excavate the remains of friars buried at the former Augustinian friary in central Cambridge.

Why Were Medieval Monks So Susceptible to Intestinal Worms?

Friars in Cambridge, England, suffered from these parasites at nearly double the rate found among average unwashed citizens

Long Covid is a morass to figure out, but the answers are important for the multitudes still suffering from an infection that happened to them months or even years ago.

How Long Will It Take to Understand Long Covid?

Covid long-haulers experience a litany of symptoms, and researchers have proposed a variety of theories to explain them

A tick runs over a human hand.

Large Lyme Disease Vaccine Clinical Trial Begins in U.S. and Europe

If approved, it would be the first new shot to combat the misunderstood disease in the U.S. in 20 years

Jynneos monkeypox vaccine

U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency

The announcement comes as nationwide case counts reach 7,000

Monkeypox blood samples

WHO Declares Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency

Five deaths have been attributed to the disease in the Central African Republic and Nigeria in 2022

Poliovirus particles, computer illustration.

First Polio Case in U.S. Since 2013 Detected in New York State

Experts warn that the virus poses a health risk to unvaccinated communities

Seals in Bar Harbor, Maine

Seal Strandings in Maine Linked to Bird Flu

Four stranded pinnipeds tested positive for the avian influenza H5N1

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