https://medicalxpress.com/infectious-diseases-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Infectious diseases If you're 70 or older, or 50 or older with underlying health conditions, and have tested positive for COVID, you might have been offered free or subsidized antivirals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-covid-antivirals-thought.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news706785842 The Chagas disease parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) undergoes a major transformation throughout its life cycle to infect humans and other mammals. It alters the types and amounts of proteins in its body to adapt. The factors that drive this transformation are still poorly understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-chagas-disease-parasite-infectious.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:20:03 EDT news706788901 Climate variability in the Atlantic Ocean can help predict cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreaks in North Africa several months in advance. This is the finding of a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), together with researchers from the Pasteur Institutes of Tunisia, Morocco and France. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-atlantic-climate-variability-enables-leishmaniasis.html Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news706462963 Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a dangerous virus spread by ticks. It transmits Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a serious disease that has been spreading into new regions worldwide. Capable of killing up to 40% of people infected, it currently has no widely approved, highly effective treatments or vaccines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-antibody-therapy-borne-disease.html Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:01 EDT news706614264 Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of infectious disease deaths, claiming more than 1 million lives every year. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or exhales, and drug-resistant strains and asymptomatic spreading are growing concerns. Curbing TB transmission is an urgent public health challenge, yet scientists still don't understand how airflow and other environmental factors influence that spread. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-local-airflow-patterns-ventilation-airborne.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news706536241 Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the virus best known for causing cold sores, infects a large portion of the world's population and can remain dormant in nerve cells for decades. In recent years, researchers have found evidence linking HSV-1 to neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, but scientists still do not fully understand how the virus affects the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-herpes-rewires-energy-metabolism-human.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news706458661 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) have identified key social and environmental factors that influence how climate change affects childhood diarrheal diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-climate-reshape-childhood-diarrheal-disease.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news706456501 A Viewpoint article published in the journal BioScience argues that the contentious debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2 could benefit from a well-established scientific approach for weighing competing explanations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-multiple-covid-debate.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news706444863 A single application to water containers can significantly reduce yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) populations—and thus the spread of dengue fever—for many months. Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg demonstrated this in a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-application-anti-mosquito-coating-term.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:40:05 EDT news706439486 Vaccines protect most people from serious illness, but the strength of that protection can vary considerably from one person to another. A new study led by Arizona State University helps us understand why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-responses-vaccines-vary-person.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:10 EDT news706347841 Innovative research led by a University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine professor whose lab focuses on mechanisms that maintain a healthy immune system has discovered that a gene best known for increasing the risk of Parkinson's disease may also give the body an edge in fighting dangerous infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-parkinson-linked-gene-clues-deadly.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news706437927 Influenza spreads in a crowded barracks or prison. Ebola proliferates when per capita hospital beds plummet below typical levels in developed countries. Bedside discrimination leads some patients to die and others to survive. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-metric-reveals-inequality-epidemics.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news706277942 To what extent does the allocation of aid for combating disease correspond to disease burden? LMU researchers have developed a machine-learning pipeline that helps uncover relative discrepancies in aid distribution. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-transparency-global-health-aid-disease.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:00:09 EDT news706376521 Every RNA virus—from stomach bugs and influenza to measles and the common cold—has its own story to tell, with a unique combination of symptoms, transmission rates, duration and chemical blueprint. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-norovirus-vaccine-approach-strategies-rna.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:06 EDT news706358581 Age, genetics and lifestyle are known to influence how people respond to viral infections. Scientists also know that differences in immune responses play an important role, but exactly how these factors shape the course of an infection has remained unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-early-immune-checkpoint-virus-affects.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:20:08 EDT news706353181 Pockets of low vaccination rates in some schools help explain why measles outbreaks have been climbing in the U.S., even when county-level vaccination numbers—the data policymakers consult—appear high enough to provide community protection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-county-vaccination-mask-school-measles.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news706288801 Cancer patients often face more than the disease itself. Their treatment is frequently complicated by infections and other health conditions, meaning they may need to take several different medications at once. As the number of prescribed drugs increases, so does the risk of interactions between them, which is why scientists are searching for solutions that could one day address multiple problems with a single compound. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-chemists-dual-action-compounds-cancer.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news706284121 Australia's RSV Maternal and Infant Protection Program is delivering strong protection for babies, with new research from The Kids Research Institute Australia showing RSV vaccination given during pregnancy reduces the risk of RSV-related hospitalization by more than 80% during an infant's first six months of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-maternal-rsv-vaccine-infant-hospitalizations.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news706284001