Diseases (Page 8)

Groundbreaking research on COVID-19, cancer, diabetes, and other health concerns.

Latest in Diseases

A photo of an open window, skylight.

How better ventilation can fight the spread of COVID in your home

By Liz Szabo / KHN

A girl getting vaccinated.

Children 5 to 11 can now get COVID boosters

National Mall in Washington, D.C. covered in thousands of white flags to represent each US COVID death

We’ve lost more than 1 million Americans to COVID

By Purbita Saha

The 1918 flu outbreak, in which patients were kept in quarantine wards like this, was one of the world's deadliest pandemics.

A viral descendent of the deadly 1918 flu is probably still going around

A child playing with a bear.

We still don’t know what’s behind the global hepatitis outbreak in kids

People standing on a bridge at sunset while bats fly over.

Climate change could introduce humans to thousands of new viruses

By Philip Kiefer

A pill bottle on a blue background spilling aspirin tabs.

Millions of Americans take aspirin to prevent heart disease—but should they?

By Philip Kiefer

a person sneezing

CDC estimates 58 percent of Americans have been infected with COVID so far

The CDC needs the public’s help to reverse the upward trend in STIs

The CDC needs the public’s help to reverse the upward trend in STIs

By Kate Baggaley

Person in a pink hijab talking to an oncologist in a pony tail and white coat about cancer treatments

Why doctors almost never say cancer is ‘cured’

By Jeanette Beebe

N95 Masks laid out on a blue background

Masks can work—even if you’re the only one wearing them

By Philip Kiefer

Three children in dresses playing in a sandbox during an acute hepatitis outbreak in the US and Europe

A mysterious liver disease is sickening kids in the US and Europe

By Purbita Saha

a white and blue medicine box that reads paxlovid by pfizer

What to consider when taking Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid

By Kate Baggaley

A single HPV vaccine is effective against the disease, a new study shows.

A single HPV vaccine dose can protect against cervical cancer

Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Washington, DC hosting a COVID vaccine booster meeting

The FDA is inching closer to a long-term COVID booster plan

By Philip Kiefer

a woman wearing a mask finished receiving a shot and is getting a bandaid on her arm

Everything you should know about getting a second COVID booster

By Kate Baggaley

People in masks waiting on a New York City street in daytime for free COVID-19 testing at a blue truck

COVID relief funds are drying up—and so are free tests and treatments

By Lauren J. Young

Box of COVID-19 medical masks on wooden floor.

Your disposable COVID masks could be reborn as fuel

By Carla Delgado

moderna covid shot

Moderna’s latest COVID vaccine trial for kids offers ‘really good news’

Best high-filtration masks

Best N95 and other high-filtration masks

By Rebecca Sohn

Terahertz laser setup with green lights and silver machinery in a dark room

You’ve probably never heard of terahertz waves, but they could change your life

A sunny European plaza with empty tables because of the BA.2 COVID surge

COVID’s coming back in Europe. Are we next?

By Philip Kiefer

a patient receives a covid shot

mRNA COVID vaccines pose no serious risks for immunocompromised people

By Kate Baggaley

One big reason why Alzheimer’s might be going undetected in the US

One big reason why Alzheimer’s might be going undetected in the US

COVID test samples with tubes and labels for detecting variants like Delta and Omicron

‘Deltacron’ could exist after all

By Philip Kiefer

A man standing under some trees outside at sunset, holding his face in his hands because he is stressed out or anxious.

How to manage your mental health as traumatic events pile up

By Alexandra Frost

SARS-CoV-2 or COVID virus infecting human cells in a green and purple microscopy image

A deep dive on the evolution of COVID and its variants

By Philip Kiefer

a man using his phone on the New York City subway, while other passengers also use their phones

Your smartphone is gross. Learn how to clean it properly.

kid holding their moms hand wearing kn95 mask

Young kids should also wear better masks to protect against COVID. Here’s what to consider.

By Alexandra Frost

Focused black woman in mask reading newspaper in new york city subway train

You still probably have to wear a mask while traveling

By Maggie Galloway

Biden State of the Union 2022 with the US president, vice president, and speaker of the House of Representatives in front of an American flag and two other individuals wearing COVID masks in the Capitol

A quick look at Biden’s new COVID preparedness plan

By Purbita Saha

Two condoms on blue and yellow background.

Why the FDA finally approved a condom for anal sex

By Sara Kiley Watson

People wearing COVID surgical masks in a dark movie theater

The CDC is relaxing indoor mask guidelines and shaking up how it measures COVID risk

By Purbita Saha

A long COVID patient with short brown hair and a white sweatshirt wearing a respirator mask while sitting on the street

Long COVID can manifest in dozens of ways. Here’s what we know so far.

Dust cloud from the Great Salt Lake in studio light and on a black background

Dust clouds are killing people out West—and the dangers could spread

By Virginia Gewin

SARS-CoV-2 virus, the origin of the Omicron, BA.2, and Delta variants, under a microscope

‘Stealth Omicron’ is spreading slowly in the US

By Popular Science Team

US vaccine card with Johnson & Johnson dose written in

Will the world run out of COVID vaccines?

By Kate Baggaley

two red cells attack a white cell, the cells have been pseudo-colored

A ‘living’ cancer drug helped two patients stay disease-free for a decade

By Kate Baggaley

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva wearing a purple costume, shown in three different poses on the ice during a program at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Kamila Valieva’s ‘doping’ drug probably doesn’t give athletes an edge

By Philip Kiefer

HIV infected cell

The first woman has been cured of HIV using donor stem cells

Cemetary with large stone chapel and headstones.

COVID-19 is overcrowding cemeteries and causing heavy metal pollution

By Anuradha Varanasi

large sauropod dinosaurs illustrated in a swampy lake

Even dinosaurs couldn’t escape the sniffles

By Kate Baggaley

A man wearing a surgical mask is vaccinated by a healthcare worker wearing gloves.

Just had COVID? Here’s when you should get a booster.

By Philip Kiefer

Person putting cloth face mask on a small child

Why several states say they’ll lift COVID mask mandates soon

People wear COVID masks in on public transportation

The 5 phases of COVID’s endgame

Hot pink, floating, circular HIV particles like those discovered in high virulent varient.

A highly virulent, but treatable, HIV strain has been quietly circulating since the ’90s

By Maggie Galloway

A pile of books to represent scientific journals and COVID preprint studies

‘Preliminary research’ on COVID has been surprisingly solid

By Philip Kiefer

Person throwing COVID-19 disposable mask in trash can.

This new recycling system could keep COVID PPE out of landfills

By Sara Kiley Watson

A COVID vaccine for young US children may be closer than ever

A person in workout attire trying to run but they're chained down to a viral particle.

The long road back to fitness after COVID

By Urmi Bhattacheryya

COVID antiviral pills work against Omicron—when people can get them

By Kate Baggaley

A patient sitting on a hospital bed with an IV, with two medical providers wearing protective clothes on either side.

Why the FDA paused monoclonal antibody treatments

By Philip Kiefer

Can cannabis protect people from COVID? Buzzy studies can’t say.

Can cannabis protect people from COVID? Buzzy studies can’t say.

a person is pricking their finger for blood to test on a white strip with a dropper

Insurance coverage for at-home tests could help stop the rise in STIs

By Kate Baggaley

a woman in a hospital bed with a close up on the venous catheter tubes in her hand and arm

The deadly combination behind the surge of ‘superbug’ fungus outbreaks

By Philip Kiefer

Multicolored masks for COVID-19 hanging from clothesline.

What to do with your old cloth masks

By Sara Kiley Watson

a doctor in a face mask, gloves, and hair net draws a vaccine with a syringe out of a vial

Why healthy, vaccinated people should still care about Omicron

By Kate Baggaley

Person in white buttondown and with long black hair in COVID surgical mask leaning against a table with milk, a bowl of cereal, and green apples and oranges

Some people still can’t smell or taste a year after COVID

By Maggie Galloway

A volcanic Tongan island.

Tonga is fighting multiple disasters after a historic volcanic explosion

A white COVID respirator mask and blue surgical masks hanging on a clothesline in a window

Here’s what the CDC is now saying about masks and respirators

By Purbita Saha

A doctor in a protective suit taking a nasal swab from a person to test for possible coronavirus infection

What does it mean for Omicron to peak?

By Philip Kiefer

Bits of marijuana lay on a table on top of a doctor's prescription pad.

No, smoking weed will not protect you against COVID-19

N95 respirators

The ultimate guide to reusing and buying N95 masks

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

This Roundup ingredient is riddled with controversy—here’s why

This Roundup ingredient is riddled with controversy—here’s why

By Isobel Whitcomb