Disease and Illnesses

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, the real Baron Münchhausen, was a retired German officer who fought with a Russian regiment in two campaigns against the Ottoman Empire.

The 18th-Century Baron Who Lent His Name to Munchausen Syndrome

The medical condition is named after a fictional storyteller who in turn was based on a real-life German nobleman known for telling tall tales

The measles virus as seen through a transmission microscope. Rising numbers of measles cases in the U.S. threaten its eliminated status, according to a new CDC report.

U.S. Measles Cases Are Rising in 2024, CDC Warns

Health officials urge vaccination against the highly contagious virus, which has caused 121 infections in the country this year

A vineyard in central California that had been irrigated with PFAS-contaminated well water from firefighting foam used for years at a nearby airport.

EPA Sets First Federal Limits on Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

Public water systems will have to test water and reduce levels of six types of PFAS if they aren't in compliance with the new rule

A person has tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu just days after livestock across four states were reported to be infected.

First Human Case of Bird Flu in Texas Confirmed, Following Infections in Cattle—Here's What to Know

This marks only the second time in U.S. history that a human has contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza

Oral health problems can signify other problems throughout the body.

Why Isn't Dental Health Considered Primary Medical Care?

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills, yet dentistry is often siloed

State and federal officials say the milk from the infected cows had been discarded and destroyed. This cow, photographed in 2016, is not one of those infected.

Bird Flu Confirmed in U.S. Dairy Cows for the First Time, but Milk Supply Is Unaffected, Officials Say

Tests detected the virus at two farms in Texas and two farms in Kansas, but officials and scientists stress commercial dairy products remain safe to consume

Princess Diana opened the first dedicated ward for patients with AIDS and HIV-related diseases at London's Middlesex Hospital in 1987.

Who Will Design London's First Permanent HIV/AIDS Memorial?

Five artists have been shortlisted for the project, which will be located near the site of the U.K.'s first dedicated AIDS ward

Paul Alexander died on March 11 at age 78.

Texas Man Who Lived 70 Years in an Iron Lung Dies at 78: 'I Never Gave Up'

Paralyzed by polio in 1952, Paul Alexander led a full life despite being confined to a large steel ventilator

Hand washing is one of the simplest ways to prevent disease transmission.

The Dirty Secret About How Our Hands Spread Disease

The human hand is an incredible tool—and a deadly threat

The proposed changes to isolation guidelines would bring the CDC's approach to Covid-19 closer to California's and Oregon's. Both states amended their isolation guidance within the last year.

CDC Considers Dropping Five-Day Covid Isolation Guideline

While no official decision has been made, symptomatic patients might be able to stop isolating if they are fever-free for 24 hours and are beginning to feel better under the proposed change

Cats can be infected with plague by flea bites or by eating infected rodents.

Oregon Resident Catches Rare Case of Plague, Likely From Their Cat

The patient was treated during the earlier stages of disease, so the community faces little risk, according to health officials

Greenhouse gas emissions that result from burning fossil fuels drive climate change.

Six Big Ways Climate Change Could Impact the United States by 2100

Climate change is expected to affect all parts of the country in the coming decades, threatening everything from our food supply to our coastlines

An image from an electron microscope of Treponema pallidum, the bacteria that causes syphilis. In 2022, the number of reported cases of syphilis in the United States was the highest it has been since 1950.

Syphilis Cases in the U.S. Are the Highest Since 1950

Diagnoses of the sexually transmitted infection rose by nearly 80 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to a new report from the CDC

Researchers studied climate fluctuations in Roman Italy between 200 B.C.E. and 600 C.E.

Plagues That Ravaged the Roman Empire Were Linked to Periods of Cold Weather

The changing climate may have had ripple effects that made people more susceptible to disease, new research suggests

A 2,000-year-old human skeleton found at the Jabuticabeira II burial site in Brazil.

DNA From 2,000-Year-Old Skeletons Hints at the Origins of Syphilis

In contrast to a common theory, new findings suggest Columbus-led expeditions may not have transported syphilis to Europe from the Americas, though they cannot disprove the claim with certainty

Casts of the ancient chewing gum pieces, which were found in Sweden and date to between 9,540 and 9,890 years ago.

Prehistoric Chewing Gum Reveals Diet, Oral Health of Stone Age Teenagers

From preserved DNA, researchers identified which plants and animals the young people would have eaten or used for making clothing—and they found one case of a severe gum infection

People with long Covid sit in the audience at a U.S. Senate hearing about the condition on January 18.

Scientists Find Indicators in Blood Linked to Long Covid, Hinting at Future Treatments

One part of the immune system appeared to be overly active in long Covid patients in a small study, a finding researchers hope could help diagnose or treat the condition

Genes that significantly increase risk of developing multiple sclerosis were introduced to northwestern Europe by herders who migrated from the east around 5,000 years ago.

Ancient DNA From Eurasian Herders Sheds Light on the Origins of Multiple Sclerosis

Genetic variants linked to the risk of MS were brought to Europe during a migration around 5,000 years ago, a new study finds—and they might have helped herders survive

A Tuskegee study subject gets his blood drawn in the mid-20th century.

What Newly Digitized Records Reveal About the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The archival trove chronicles the extreme measures administrators took to ensure Black sharecroppers did not receive treatment for the venereal disease

Around 80 percent of pregnant people experience morning sickness, or bouts of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Why Most Pregnant People Experience Morning Sickness—and How It Could Be Treated

A hormone produced by the fetus may induce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, a new study finds

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