Disease

“He is setting a fine example for the youth of the country,” said a public health official after the King of Rock 'n' Roll received a vaccine on the set of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in October 1956.

How Elvis Helped America Eliminate Polio

The rock star's much-publicized vaccination inspired reluctant U.S. teens to get inoculated

The survey did not conclude how the wild mink became infected with the virus, but it’s not unusual for captive minks to escape fur farms. (Infected mink not pictured.)

First Case of Covid-19 in a Wild Animal Found in a Utah Mink

The U.S. Department of Agriculture detected the infection while testing wild animals around a mink farm with a Covid-19 outbreak

A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient in London on December 8. Some experts say the fastest way to test second-generation COVID-19 vaccines is through human challenge trials.

A Brief History of Human Challenge Trials

For more than two centuries, scientists have been intentionally infecting patients with dangerous diseases in order to learn more

The vaccination effort underway is the biggest in United States history.

Distribution Begins for First Covid-19 Vaccine Authorized in the United States

Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA last week

Tasmanian devils nip at each other's faces while eating carcasses and during mating season, providing opportunities for infectious face cancer to spread.

Study Offers Hope for Tasmanian Devils, Once Thought Doomed by Infectious Cancer

In the late 1990s, one affected devil infected an average of 3.5 others, but now each only infects about one

Marine mammals could contract the virus through their mucus membranes, like their blowholes, eyes and mouths.

Can Marine Mammals Catch Covid-19 via Wastewater? The Evidence Is Murky

Whales, and other species, may have the same cellular vulnerability to Covid-19 as humans, but experts say the risk of infection is incredibly low

Chimps relax at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Humans can transmit many diseases to chimps, orangutans and their kin.

How Researchers Are Protecting Great Apes From Covid-19

Humans who study and care for the primates are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and its unknown effects

Trench fever came to prominence during World War I, but new research suggests that the disease afflicted people long before the 20th century.

Before WWI, Trench Fever Plagued the Ancient Romans and Napoleonic Soldiers

Long associated with the Great War, the disease actually dates back at least 2,000 years, a new study suggests

In February, the Covid-19 pandemic halted polio immunization campaigns across Afghanistan and Pakistan, fueling a new resurgence of polio in children. Here, a young girl is given the polio vaccine in the Kabul Province in October after campaigns were resumed.

How Covid-19 Drove New Polio Cases in Afghanistan

Due to the pandemic, a total of 50 million children did not receive the polio vaccine in Afghanistan and Pakistan

In some states, the odds of having a Covid-positive guest at a ten-person dinner are as high as 80 percent.

Are Small Gatherings Driving Recent Covid-19 Surges? Policymakers and Scientists Are at Odds

Data suggests that universities, indoor dining and large parties may be the bigger culprits

According to the World Health Organization, some 42 "candidate vaccines" against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 are undergoing clinical trials.

What Is the Best Strategy to Deploy a Covid-19 Vaccine?

Mathematicians are modeling different scenarios for a vaccine rollout to see what may work best

An American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) on a human finger.

Higher Temperatures Make Some Ticks Pick Humans Over Dogs

The study’s results suggest certain tick-borne diseases could become even more prevalent as climate change heats up the planet

But since 2010, the percentage of children around the world receiving the first vaccine has plateaued at around 85 percent; only 71 percent receive the second dose.

A Resurgence of Measles Killed More Than 200,000 People Last Year

Public health experts worry that vaccine availability will be further stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic

The vaccine candidate produced by Pfizer and BioNTech is stable at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit, so Pfizer developed a suitcase-sized box that uses dry ice to keep between 1,000 and 5,000 doses that cold for 10 days.

Why the Most Promising Covid-19 Vaccines Require Super-Cold Storage

Both Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines contain mRNA, which must be stored in frigid conditions

Reconstruction of a titanosaur with ulcerations

First Evidence of Parasites in Dinosaur Bones Found

A team of paleontologists used CT scans and tissue samples to uncover blood pathogens in an infected titanosaur

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology designed a peer-reviewed tool to estimate the risk of attending an event with someone infected with the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

Five Online Tools for Evaluating Covid-19 Risk Ahead of the Holidays

Of course, the safest option is holding events virtually and skipping in-person, indoor gatherings altogether this year

Canadians gathered around their dining room tables for Thanksgiving on October 12, and two weeks later, authorities reported a spike in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Covid-19 Cases Surged After Canadian Thanksgiving in October. Will Americans Heed Their Northern Neighbor's Warning?

Two out of five Americans plan to gather in large groups for the holiday, raising public health concerns

Electron microscope image of a human cell (purple) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (yellow)

Will the Coronavirus Evolve to Be Less Deadly?

History and science suggest many possible pathways for pandemics, but questions remain about how this one will end

The U.S., the Netherlands, Denmark and Spain have all reported coronavirus outbreaks on mink farms.

Denmark Plans to Kill 15 Million Mink to Prevent Spread of Mutated Coronavirus on Fur Farms

At least 12 Danish people have been infected with a SARS-CoV-2 mutation linked to the ferret-like animals

When natural places are destroyed, wildlife are exposed to humans at the edges of their habitat, and they can expand their territories into urban areas, increasing the likelihood of contact with humans.

To Prevent Future Pandemics, Protect Nature

All six of the most recent pandemics have been linked to destructive human activities like deforestation, climate change and the wildlife trade

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