A common virus could nearly quadruple your odds of suffering new back problems

A common virus could nearly quadruple your odds of suffering new back problems

A common virus could cause more than just a cough. With cold and flu season quickly approaching as summer turns to fall, the chances of getting sick from influenza or COVID are also increasing. And a new study from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada indicates unexpected risks from one virus in … Read more

Aspiring DJ left paralyzed, non-verbal after hospital dismissed fatal symptoms, family alleges

Aspiring DJ left paralyzed, non-verbal after hospital dismissed fatal symptoms, family alleges

The family of a fitness fanatic left paralyzed and unable to speak has sued the NHS after his deadly brain condition was dismissed as a virus. Aspiring DJ Oli Coppock, 34, has been non-verbal for more than two years, and his body is now twisted and virtually paralyzed after the blunder by an A and … Read more

Dangerous mosquito-borne virus spreads in Florida as officials warn of rising cases

Dangerous mosquito-borne virus spreads in Florida as officials warn of rising cases

Florida mosquito-control agencies are stepping up surveillance, inspections and spraying, as officials expect the number of locally acquired dengue fever cases in Tampa Bay and across the state to rise in the coming weeks. As of Sept. 1, the number of dengue fever cases originating in Florida this year had climbed to 33 in Tampa Bay and … Read more

New tick-borne virus that can cause flu-like illness discovered in China

Scientists in China have identified a previously unknown tick-borne virus that can cause flu-like illness, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a new study. The newly discovered virus, the Asian longhorned tick nairovirus (ALTNV), which is part of the orthonairovirus group, has also been found to cause thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelet counts) and laboratory evidence … Read more

AI used to design brand new viruses — but experts fear a lot could go wrong: ‘Urgent biosafety questions’

AI used to design brand new viruses — but experts fear a lot could go wrong: ‘Urgent biosafety questions’

Researchers used artificial intelligence to create 16 new viruses capable of being reproduced in a lab to fight antibiotic resistant infections — but experts warn that the computer-made pathogens pose “urgent” safety risks, including fears it could be used to create bioweapons. The Stanford University experiment used an AI model known as Evo1 and Evo2, … Read more

FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine

FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturer Moderna said. The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults age 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving … Read more

West Nile Virus turns deadly in California as officials issue update

West Nile Virus turns deadly in California as officials issue update

California has recorded its first West Nile virus death of 2026 after a Kings County resident died from the mosquito-borne illness, health officials announced Monday. The death comes weeks after Kings County confirmed its first human case of the 2026 season, according to KGPW. California has recorded its first West Nile virus death of 2026 … Read more

First case of untreatable, potentially fatal Bourbon virus confirmed in New York

First case of untreatable, potentially fatal Bourbon virus confirmed in New York

For the first time, a rare tick-borne infection has been confirmed in New York. Michael Larkin, 67, was working outdoors in Suffolk county when he was bitten by two lone star ticks, infecting him with Bourbon virus. There is no vaccine to prevent this disease, no commercial test to identify it — and no treatments … Read more

The foods least likely to get you sick — as ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite, Listeria and E. coli infiltrate food supply

The foods least likely to get you sick — as ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite, Listeria and E. coli infiltrate food supply

New day, new food scare. E. coli and Listeria were already putting shoppers on edge. Now, Cyclospora — a parasite that cause explosive, watery diarrhea — has people wondering if anything in the produce aisle is safe. If it feels like America’s food supply is under siege, you’re not imaging it. Foodborne illness outbreaks have dominated headlines … Read more

Ebola outbreak spreading to new patients who have no known links to existing carriers of disease

Ebola outbreak spreading to new patients who have no known links to existing carriers of disease

BUNIA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — Four out of every five new Ebola ​cases in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo have no known link to existing patients, a ‌senior World Health Organization official said, warning that the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official data … Read more

Rare tick-borne virus turns deadly fast as US cases reach record high, experts warn

Rare tick-borne virus turns deadly fast as US cases reach record high, experts warn

A rare and potentially fatal tick-borne illness currently spreading across the United States can be traced back to a 1958 case involving a young boy on a farm. The disease, known as Powassan virus, was named for the Ontario town near where it was first discovered. At the time of his death, Lincoln Byers, a 4-year-old living … Read more

Nearly 300 sick in viral outbreak on Texas military base — as Pentagon reinstates vaccine mandate

Nearly 300 sick in viral outbreak on Texas military base — as Pentagon reinstates vaccine mandate

One flu over the military. The Pentagon is once again requiring recruits across all branches of the military to receive flu vaccines, an exception to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier decision to lift the military’s long-standing annual flu vaccine mandate. This reinstated mandate comes amid news of a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base … Read more

World’s most contagious disease found at busy California airport

World’s most contagious disease found at busy California airport

A traveler infected with the world’s most contagious disease passed through a busy Southern California airport during the summer travel rush, potentially exposing scores of unsuspecting passengers. Los Angeles County health officials are investigating a confirmed measles case involving a person who was infectious while traveling through Hollywood Burbank Airport and visiting a nearby rental … Read more

Deadly virus now spreads to crows in San Diego — as officials issue warning

Deadly virus now spreads to crows in San Diego — as officials issue warning

West Nile virus has been found in two dead crows in Southern California, officials have revealed — a week after it was detected in a mosquito. San Diego County officials detected the new cases in Rolando in East County and near Encanto and North Bay Terraces. While there are no current human cases reported, the … Read more

Scientists charged with bringing deactivated mpox virus into the US, lying to authorities

Scientists charged with bringing deactivated mpox virus into the US, lying to authorities

DETROIT — Two scientists at a U.S. government lab were charged with smuggling vials of deactivated mpox virus into the country from Africa and lying about it during interviews with investigators at a Michigan airport, authorities said Tuesday. A criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in Detroit against Vincent Munster, who is chief of the virus … Read more

Urgent warning as deadly West Nile virus is discovered in California

Urgent warning as deadly West Nile virus is discovered in California

A dangerous mosquito-borne virus has surfaced in California, prompting officials to intensify surveillance and urging residents to protect themselves from potentially infected mosquitoes. The Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District announced that a mosquito sample collected in the North Shore community tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the area’s first detection of the … Read more

What is the deadly Ebola Bundibugyo variant — and do Americans need to worry about it coming to the US?

What is the deadly Ebola Bundibugyo variant — and do Americans need to worry about it coming to the US?

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo’s Ituri province has nearly 600 suspected cases and over 100 deaths, with several Americans exposed to the highly contagious disease. One US citizen is confirmed to have contracted the virus and is being treated at a Berlin hospital, although he is not critically ill and his family has tested … Read more

Hantavirus is gaining ground in the US, startling researchers: ‘Widespread and complex virus’

Hantavirus is gaining ground in the US, startling researchers: ‘Widespread and complex virus’

As passengers from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship are being monitored, unusually high levels of the virus have been detected in rodents in the US. Researchers found that a significant portion of rodent populations in the Pacific Northwest — specifically the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho — were carrying the Sin Nombre virus (SNV). The findings … Read more

High hantavirus levels found in rodents in parts of US — suggesting greater exposure risk: study

High hantavirus levels found in rodents in parts of US — suggesting greater exposure risk: study

Researchers found unusually high hantavirus levels in rodents in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting greater exposure risk in the surrounding agricultural communities. The area with the biggest prevalence is the Palouse region, which includes parts of eastern Washington and north-central Idaho in the Pacific Northwest. Researchers from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine found unexpectedly high levels … Read more