Infectious Disease

When a single raindrop hits the ground, it causes tiny water droplets to shoot into the air, some containing bacteria.

WATCH: Raindrops Catapult Bacteria Into The Air, And It's Beautiful

1:58pm March 07, 2017

by Rae Ellen Bichell

They don't have wings, but bacteria sure can fly. Researchers at MIT say that tiny bubbles trapped by raindrops play a part in launching bacteria on long-distance flights.

Pig farm workers push live pigs into a large grave in Nipah in 1999. To stop the outbreak, the Malaysian government culled almost 1 million pigs, nearly destroying the country's pork industry.

A Taste For Pork Helped A Deadly Virus Jump To Humans

10:00am February 25, 2017

People were dropping dead in Malaysia, and no one could figure out why their brains were swelling. A young scientist solved the mystery. Then he had to get people to believe him.

Andie Vaught grasps a stress toy in the shape of a truck as she prepares to have blood drawn as part of a clinical trial for a Zika vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., in November 2016.

To Test Zika Vaccines, Scientists Need A New Outbreak

1:42pm February 23, 2017

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

It's a bit of a paradox, but researchers say they need Zika virus to re-emerge this year so they can test vaccines designed to defeat it.

Germ History: From Measles To Syphilis, How We Created The Golden Age Of Germs

10:07am February 09, 2017

Ten thousand years ago, many of our deadly human diseases didn't exist. What happened?

Heat and steam from your shower or shave can rob medicine of its potency long before the drug's expiration date.

When Old Medicine Goes Bad

1:06pm February 06, 2017

by Patti Neighmond

With drug prices climbing, you may be tempted to keep unused pills and cough syrups past their expiration date. Don't do it, pharmacists warn. And get all medicine out of the bathroom cabinet now.

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VIDEO: When Humans Got Cozy, Germs Got Deadly

3:02pm February 02, 2017

Our first germs didn't do much damage, until we gave up our hunter-gatherer ways and started farming. Episode 1 of a three-part animated miniseries on the battle between humans and germs.

Under the old rules, the CDC's authority was primarily limited to detaining travelers entering the U.S. or crossing state lines. With the new rules, the CDC would be able to detain people anywhere in the country, without getting approval from state and lo

CDC Seeks Controversial New Quarantine Powers To Stop Outbreaks

7:53am February 02, 2017

by Rob Stein

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants more flexibility in deciding whom to quarantine and why. But critics say the changes the agency has proposed raise civil liberties questions.

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Truvada, when taken daily, can vastly reduce the risk of getting HIV in people at high risk.

Spreading The Word About HIV Prevention For African-American Women

1:22pm January 20, 2017

by Jose Soto

African-American women are more likely to be infected with HIV than other women. So the District of Columbia is launching an effort to inform them about PrEP, medication that can reduce their risk.

Keishla Mojica, 23, lives in Cuagas, Puerto Rico. She was infected with Zika virus while pregnant and expects to give birth in early January.

In Puerto Rico, A Woman Infected With Zika Prays For A Healthy Baby

4:21pm December 30, 2016

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Puerto Rico has experienced many more cases of Zika virus than the continental U.S. But health and educational services are scarce on the islands for children born with disabilities.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has been penalized in all three years since the creation of a Medicare program to reduce patient-safety issues in hospitals.

Medicare Penalizes Hospitals In Crackdown On Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

12:24pm December 22, 2016

by Jordan Rau

For the first time, Medicare penalties against hospitals with too many avoidable patient safety complications include fines tied to the prevalence of two types of bacteria resistant to drugs.