viruses

20 Stories

Bird Flu Continues to Wreak Havoc, Killing Seals Worldwide

Tens of thousands of seals, sea lions have died, and scientists aren't sure how to slow the spread

(Newser) - Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don't see a clear way to slow the devastating virus . The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of...

Nearly 800 of School's Students Were Absent on Wednesday

Not due to COVID, but a 'highly contagious' gastrointestinal bug that's closed Alabama school

(Newser) - As one Florida elementary school deals with measles , another in Alabama is contending with a "gastrointestinal outbreak" that kept nearly 800 students out of school in just one day. WKRG reports that Fairhope West Elementary School is now closed Thursday and Friday after 773 students called in on Wednesday,...

In California's 'Egg Basket,' a Fast-Spreading 'Trauma'

Poultry farmers forced to kill million-plus birds to control outbreak of avian flu in Sonoma County

(Newser) - Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber's company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens—550,000 birds—to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County, north...

Illness That Caused 'Global Panic' Never Really Went Away

There's still no vaccine for mosquito-born Zika that struck in 2015; experts worry of future outbreak

(Newser) - In 2016, the United Nations declared that the Zika virus—a mosquito-borne illness that can cause serious neurological effects in newborns with infected moms— was no longer a worldwide emergency . But the virus didn't actually disappear: In fact, Medriva deems it a "silent threat still lurking." The...

When It Comes to Bird Flu, 'It's a New War'

Virus emerges in record amounts, and in new places, meaning it may be here to stay

(Newser) - Will bird flu lead to the next pandemic? That's the question making the headline rounds of late, and the short answer is—it's possible, though the threat isn't currently high. What is the concern of the moment is that wild birds have spread avian influenza, which is...

Rare Outbreak of Deadly Marburg Disease Is Detected

WHO: It's Equatorial Guinea's first outbreak

(Newser) - On Monday, the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea announced a deadly outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola. The World Health Organization says at least nine people have died there of the illness, with 16 others suspected of having it. Then, on Tuesday, authorities...

Couple Likely Gave Monkeypox to Their Dog

WHO's Rosamund Lewis says it's first apparent case of human-to-animal transmission

(Newser) - What appears to be the first known human-to-pet transmission of monkeypox has surfaced in France. A nonexclusive, cohabiting couple developed symptoms of the virus, which has been appearing mostly in men who have sex with other men, a few days after sleeping with other partners, reports CBS News . Twelve days...

Newly IDed Virus in China Looks to Be a 'Viral Spillover'

Langya appears to have passed from shrews to humans, infecting dozens, though with no fatalities

(Newser) - Scientists have identified a virus in China that appears to have spread from animals to dozens of humans—a "zoonotic" spread—though they're urging that there's "no need to panic." Citing a study by researchers in China, Singapore, and Australia published last week in the...

Reba: Actually, I Didn't Have COVID
Reba Offers
Unusual
COVID
Update
Aug 24, 2021 12:15 PM CDT

Reba Offers Unusual COVID Update

Country star clarifies that she never had the virus after all

(Newser) - Reba McEntire gave her fans a surprise COVID update on Monday—turns out, she didn't have the virus after all. The 66-year-old, who announced earlier this month that she and her boyfriend had contracted COVID despite being vaccinated, apparently received a false positive on a test, reports Page Six...

28 Unknown Viruses Found Frozen in Tibetan Ice

'These are viruses that would have thrived in extreme environments'

(Newser) - If we ever find viruses on Mars or another distant planet, they may resemble the ancient viruses scientists have discovered frozen deep in a glacier in Tibet. Researchers say ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau ice cores contained the genetic codes for 33 viruses, including 28 previously unknown to...

Good News on the HIV Front
Good News
on the HIV Front
NEW STUDY
Jul 10, 2021 9:30 AM CDT

Good News on the HIV Front

Those with virus who receive treatment have same life expectancy as those without: researchers

(Newser) - Patients who tested positive for HIV used to fear a "certain death sentence," as there's no cure for the virus, per HealthDay News . New research puts those fears to rest, with scientists saying that those with HIV in the US can now expect a similar life expectancy...

US Getting Back Into Virus-Hunting Business

Stop Spillover to take over for Predict program, which was allowed to die right before the pandemic

(Newser) - For a decade, a US program spent hundreds of millions of dollars to train scientists in dozens of countries around the world to search for threatening new animal viruses. The initiative sussed out more than 1,000 new viruses over its life span, but the Trump administration let the program...

Waiting for Astronauts Back on Earth: Fame, Accolades ... Herpes?
Astronauts'
Newest Health
Concern: Herpes
NEW STUDY
Mar 19, 2019 2:03 AM CDT

Astronauts' Newest Health Concern: Herpes

Study finds dormant viruses can reactivate in individuals who've endured stresses of space travel

(Newser) - Astronauts who "boldly go where no man has gone before," as William Shatner's Captain Kirk once put it , likely anticipate their body will undergo certain changes while in space. But how many have guessed they might see a herpes flare-up? New research from NASA shows that the...

That's a Lot of Pork: Feds Make Largest Agricultural Seizure Ever

1M pounds of pork seized at New Jersey port

(Newser) - Federal authorities say 1 million pounds of pork products allegedly smuggled from China have been seized at a New Jersey port, the AP reports. Troy Miller, field operations director for the Customs and Border Protection in New York and New Jersey, says it's the largest agricultural seizure ever made...

Airport Security Trays? You Don't Wanna Know
Airport Health Study
Finds Surprise Risk
new study
Sep 8, 2018 4:10 PM CDT

Airport Health Study Finds Surprise Risk

Those airport security trays are germ-laden

(Newser) - Those plastic airport security trays—so convenient, so light ... so filled with germs and bacteria. So says a new study by British and Finnish scientists who found that plastic checkpoint trays harbor more viruses than any other Helsinki Airport surface, including toilet surfaces, reports the New York Times . The top...

5 of the Deadliest Viruses Known to Man
The 5 Viruses You
Never Want to Get
Oct 30, 2016 8:03 AM CDT

The 5 Viruses You Never Want to Get

Ebola's up there, but there are others that could be even worse

(Newser) - The deadliest Ebola outbreak ever ended earlier this year , but despite advances in vaccines and antiviral drugs, Live Science notes "we're a long way from winning" the war against not only Ebola, but other viruses, too—some even deadlier than Ebola. The site lists some of the worst...

A Third of Antibiotic Prescriptions Are 'Inappropriate': CDC

And potentially dangerous, as they create drug-resistant bacteria

(Newser) - Scientists have been concerned for some time about "Phantom Menace"-type superbugs that aren't fazed by meds. The latest CDC data finds that 2 million people a year in the US are infected with bacteria resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 die directly from those infections....

Study Finds Surprising Reason Behind Many Falls

It could all come down to a urinary, blood, or respiratory infection: scientists

(Newser) - Around 2.5 million people aged 65 and older are treated in the ER for falls each year, but researchers who took part in a Massachusetts General Hospital study warn not to automatically assume that "older" means they took a tumble because they're feeble, clumsy, or suffering from...

New Smallpox-Like Virus Discovered

Two herdsmen in country of Georgia infected, says CDC

(Newser) - The virus is so newly discovered that it hasn't yet been named, and what's known about it is scant. But the CDC today revealed that the virus, which has saddled two herdsmen in the country of Georgia with blisters on their arms and hands, is what NPR calls...

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals
 320K Unknown 
 Viruses Lurk 
 in Mammals 
study says
Sep 3, 2013 7:21 PM CDT

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals

Researchers say money spent to ID them would be well spent

(Newser) - An ambitious new study by some of the world's top virus experts estimates that at least 320,000 still-unidentified viruses are lurking out there among mammals—some presumably with the potential to jump from animals to humans, reports Smithsonian . That's the scary-sounding part. The better part is that...

20 Stories