Infectious Disease

The worm causes a debilitating intestinal disease called schistosomiasis. And the parasite is spreading rapidly because of an economic boom along the shores of East Africa's Lake Malawi.

Improving access to clean water can reduce the spread of diarrheal diseases in developing countries. The "Drinkable Book" should help: It has water safety tips and each page works as a filter.

A second case of the new Middle East respiratory syndrome has shown up in the U.S. The virus has been spreading through Saudi hospitals. Health officials expect more cases to appear here.

Federal health officials warned that a dangerous group of superbugs has become increasingly common in hospitals. The bacteria are said to be resistant to virtually all antibiotics.

Journals usually require researchers to reveal genetic sequences for a toxin that is the subject of a scientific paper. The requirement was waived for a new botulinum toxin because of security risks.

The world is at greater risk than ever from pandemics and biological weapons, health officials said Thursday. In response, the U.S. government is spearheading a global effort to build an early warning system for infectious diseases, drug-resistant microbes and possible bioterror agents.

The first in a new class of drugs that can cure the viral infection that is the leading cause of liver failure and liver cancer is poised for a marketing green light from the Food and Drug Administration. More than 3 million Americans have hepatitis C, but most don't know it.

Two years ago Pakistan's Punjab province was hit with one of the world's worst dengue outbreaks. This year the number of recorded cases has plummeted. Many leaders credit a mobile phone app that tracks mosquito populations and city workers' efforts to contain them.

After decades without any reported cases, dengue fever seems to be getting a foothold in the U.S. In 2009, it surfaced in Key West. This year, 18 cases have been reported this summer in Martin County, Fla.

After being free of polio for decades, Israel has detected the virus in sewers across the country. No children have become ill. But health officials are worried that polio has regained a foothold in Israel.