For more than a year, Saudi Arabia has struggled to control the infectious disease MERS. Now, with millions of Muslims making …
infectious disease
SARS 10 Years Later: Are We Better Prepared for Outbreaks?
SARS raised the worldwide alarm for how vulnerable we are to disease epidemics. Did we learn our lesson?
What Researchers Can Learn from a Failed TB Vaccine Trial
A highly anticipated trial of a tuberculosis vaccine yields disappointing results.
WHO Offers Countries Guidance for Identifying SARS-Like Virus
Global health officials urge countries to report all infections that could potentially be traced back to the novel coronavirus
New SARS-Like Virus Detected: Should We Be Worried?
Outbreak of NIH ‘Superbug’ Provides Valuable Lessons in Protecting Against Disease
We can’t see them, but invisible microbes are a constant threat to our health. And we’re woefully unprepared to meet their challenge
Drug-Resistant Malaria Is Spreading, and It Could Be a Public Health Disaster
Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites first emerged in Cambodia in 2006. Now researchers say the deadly bugs are quickly spreading.
The Black Death Bacterium Decoded
Wresting DNA from the 663-year-old teeth of victims of the Black Death, researchers have reconstructed the genome of the bacterium that originated in Asia and wiped out up to half of western Europe’s population. It’s the first …
The Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella
Even as U.S. officials are tracing the source of a multistate outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has sickened more than 70 people and killed at least one person, there’s more bad news on the food-borne illness front.
Why the German E. Coli Outbreak Was So Deadly
The German E. coli outbreak has slipped from the news recently, as the rate of new cases and deaths has slowed. But it’s not over yet. On Thursday federal health officials announced that the death of a man in Arizona from a …
How Flu Spreads on a Plane
As if the generally horrific experience of flying wasn’t bad enough (maybe I’m just a little sour about the 90 minutes I spent on the tarmac at Newark last night), a new study [PDF] in Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that …
Why the London Vaccine Summit Is a Triumph for Global Health
When the media writes about vaccines in the U.S. and Europe, usually we’re reporting on the endless controversy over whether some vaccines cause autism. (Short answer: they don’t.) That’s the luxury of wealth and health — …