An invisible danger lurks in your bathroom. Bathroom hygiene often focuses on what you touch — wash your hands properly, clean your towels and bathmats often and consider investing in a bidet. Recent research, though, has unveiled a horrifying threat that’s unleashed into the air every time you flush. While bathroom cleanliness focuses on what … Read more
Forget cold and flu season. Experts are warning that a highly contagious virus many Americans still associate with the winter is now flourishing in the summer months. And the latest numbers suggest the bug is gaining ground: Infections are growing or likely growing in all 50 states, according to a data from the Centers for … Read more
It’s a viral blast from the past. A new study suggests that COVID-19 can flip the switch on long-dormant viruses quietly hiding inside the bodies of people who were otherwise healthy before they fell ill. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say the viral reawakening could help explain some of the mysteries behind … Read more
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
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
Anthony Head — best known for his roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso” — has died at the age of 72. “He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family,” the British actor’s daughters, Emily and Daisy Head, said in a statement on Friday. “We know how dearly … Read more
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
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
The Ebola outbreak in Congo’s Ituri province has caused 88 deaths and over 300 suspected cases, with at least six Americans exposed to the highly contagious disease. One of these US patients is experiencing symptoms, according to media reports. Global alarm has been building since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern … Read more
“Patient zero” isn’t exactly the title you want attached to your travel itinerary. But that’s the grim distinction Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord now holds after authorities identified him as the first case in a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship. The 70-year-old birdwatcher and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, had toured an Argentinian … Read more
A hantavirus outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship that has left three people dead is veering into the fringe. Online, a growing number of social media users are floating ivermectin as a possible treatment for the rare infectious disease, which can cause life-threatening heart and lung complications. Yes, you read that right — the antiparasitic … Read more
A dream trip has turned into a floating nightmare for passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak has killed three and sickened at least four others. Nearly 150 people still on board are in quarantine after health officials confirmed that two passengers were infected with the Andes strain, a rare and … Read more
A hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has killed three passengers and sickened at least four others, worrying health experts. People most often contract the rare but deadly disease from the feces, urine or saliva of infected rodents, but the World Health Organization insisted Tuesday that no rodents have been found on the … Read more
A little sunburn and seasickness might be the least of your worries once you set sail on that dream cruise. More than 150 people, including 17 Americans, are currently confined to their cabins aboard a luxury cruise ship amid a suspected hantavirus outbreak that has left them stranded off the coast of West Africa. At … Read more
The suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has killed three people and sickened at least seven others, has two likely causes — and both are bad news for the 150 passengers on board, experts said. The more likely scenario would be passengers contracting the virus from the feces, urine or saliva … Read more
It thawed out — and then it multiplied. Scientists successfully revived a “zombie worm” that had been frozen for 24,000 years, revealing new insight into how life survives in the most unforgiving environments over extended periods of time. According to a study published in the scientific journal Current Biology, researchers found that the microscopic organism … Read more
Measles is back in a big way — and it’s catching some doctors off guard. In North Carolina, hospital staff took a staggering two hours and 20 minutes to isolate 7-year-old twin brothers who arrived at an Asheville ER last month with fever, cough, rash, pink eye and cold-like symptoms, KFF Health News reports. The … Read more
This year’s influenza virus has been dubbed the “super flu” for how quickly it’s spreading — and how hard it’s hitting. In fact, infections have broken records in New York, with 71,123 positive flu cases documented the week ending on Dec. 20 — the highest single-week total since tracking began in 2004. The CDC reports 4.6 million … Read more
You’re not imagining it: Everyone seems to have the flu this year. And they’ve got it bad. The numbers are especially grim in the Big Apple: According to preliminary hospital data collected by New York City’s syndromic surveillance system, more people visited the ER for flu symptoms the week of December 20 than they did … Read more
The flu had a glow-up. This year’s flu season is proving to be worse than normal, with hospitalizations up significantly compared to last year, and the CDC reporting 4.6 million cases of the flu so far. But with peak flu season still going on until at least February, signs of the unusual “super flu” variant … Read more