viruses

Spillovers of a virus from animals to humans may not be as rare as scientists used to think. Here are some of the possible human cases documented since November 2021

Health & Safety

From a surprising long COVID theory to a new cow flu: Our 5 top 'viral' posts in 2023

7:27am December 14, 2023

by Marc Silver

The pandemic state of emergency was lifted but there are still plenty of viruses to worry about. Here are some highlights of our viral coverage this year, including NPR's "Hidden Viruses" series.

Long-time collaborators Pardis Sabeti (right) of the Broad Institute and Christian Happi of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria, are developing an early-warning system that could flag an emerging pandemic .

Scientific dynamic duo aims to stop the next pandemic before it starts

7:01am September 25, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Two scientists, one Nigerian and one American, created a cutting-edge surveillance network to catch the next emerging disease before it becomes a pandemic.

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Health & Safety

A new flu is spilling over from cows to people in the U.S. How worried should we be?

2:05pm March 29, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Pigs and goats likely catch it too. It's been found in humans' noses in the Southwest — and in the air at airports and at chicken farms in Malaysia.

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You asked about bats, pets, immunity and other hot viral topics! We've got answers

7:00am March 25, 2023

In response to our series on spillover viruses, you had many questions: from the role of climate change to possible benefits. We turn the mic to you for a special edition of 'Hidden Viruses.'

A table showing documented cases of possible spillovers of dog coronavirus, pig coronavirus and MERS by year, animal and country.

How do pandemics begin? There's a new theory — and a new strategy to thwart them

5:00am February 15, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

What's a spillover? A spillback? Here are definitions for the vocab of a pandemic

7:01am February 04, 2023

by Max Barnhart

Since the pandemic was declared in 2020, many perhaps unfamiliar terms have become part of daily conversation. Here's a glossary, from antibodies to zoonosis.

Yeshnee Naidoo prepares a "flow cell" for analysis by one of the center's many genetic sequencing machines.

Who's most likely to save us from the next pandemic? The answer may surprise you

1:07pm February 02, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

The South African-based scientist who co-discovered the omicron variant of COVID-19 makes an intriguing argument.

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Do some people have built-in protection against a COVID infection?

From COVID to mpox to polio: Our 9 most-read 'viral' stories in 2022

12:30pm December 09, 2022

by Laurel Dalrymple

It was a big year for viruses, which simply refused to be ignored. And unlike the previous two years, COVID had to share the spotlight.

An image from an electron microscope of the monkeypox virus (orange) on infected cells (green).

COVID sewage surveillance labs join the hunt for monkeypox

5:01am August 08, 2022

by Mark Kreidler

Wastewater testing has proved a reliable early alarm bell for COVID-19 outbreaks. U.S. researchers are now adapting the approach to track the explosive spread of monkeypox, and maybe other viruses.

People line up outside of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on June 23, as the city makes vaccines available to residents possibly exposed to monkeypox.

Monkeypox outbreak in U.S. is bigger than the CDC reports. Testing is 'abysmal'

5:00am June 25, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The testing system set up by the CDC actually deters doctors from ordering a monkeypox test, and many physicians aren't familiar with the disease, resulting in too few tests and little tracking.