Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New study reveals high lifetime exposure to hepatitis B and C in Ukraine

A study just published on Eurosurveillance has found evidence of substantial lifetime exposure to hepatitis B and C viruses in Ukraine in a 2021 nationwide, representative sample of the population, with findings also suggesting significant ongoing circulation of these viruses.

24 Jul 2025

CoVerage outperforms rivals in early detection of COVID mutations

The CoVerage system monitors SARS-CoV-2 evolution, predicting variants and scoring amino acid changes to inform vaccine efficacy and public health strategies.

24 Jul 2025

Study reveals pandemic life made brains age faster, even without catching COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated biological brain aging in older adults by an average of 5.5 months over less than three years, regardless of infection status. Social disruption, age, male sex, and socioeconomic disadvantage heightened vulnerability, while only infected individuals showed measurable declines in executive function.

23 Jul 2025

RSV causes severe outcomes and heart complications in older adults

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a well-known cause of infections in children, but it's understudied in older individuals.

23 Jul 2025

Scientists make breakthrough in developing Nipah virus vaccine for pigs

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have taken a major step forward in tackling one of the world's most dangerous viruses, the Nipah virus, by evaluating vaccine candidates for pigs.

23 Jul 2025

UC Davis researchers pioneer safer gene therapy for vision loss

The UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore a new way to treat vision loss using gene therapy.

22 Jul 2025

Breakthrough gene therapy reverses genetic deafness across age groups

Using gene therapy to treat hereditary deafness is safe and effective in both children and adults, according to new findings from a multicenter clinical trial.

22 Jul 2025

Covid-19 pandemic linked to accelerated brain aging

A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated people's brain health, even if they were never infected with the virus.

22 Jul 2025

Low-cost diagnostic tool delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour

An affordable new diagnostic tool that delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour could help boost pandemic preparedness in resource-poor regions, according to a team of researchers.

22 Jul 2025

New insights into tick immune response could help prevent deadly virus transmission

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a severe haemorrhagic fever virus transmitted by tick to animal and humans. Discovered in 2009, the virus is found in South-East Asian countries and has a fatality rate of up to 40%.

22 Jul 2025

Australian study uncovers first potential prophylactic treatment against HTLV-1

Around 10 million people globally live with the life-threatening virus HTLV-1. Yet it remains a poorly understood disease that currently has no preventative treatments and no cure.

21 Jul 2025

AI and wastewater surveillance unite to detect emerging viruses

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Jul 2025

APOE ε4 variant reveals hidden risk factors beyond Alzheimer’s

Researchers discovered that people carrying the APOE ε4 gene variant share a unique immune-related protein signature across their blood, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid—regardless of neurodegenerative disease diagnosis. This signature reveals a fundamental, disease-independent vulnerability linked to APOE ε4, reframing our understanding of genetic risk in conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, ALS, and FTD.

21 Jul 2025

Gene editing in the brain offers hope for ultra-rare neurological disease

Scientists have corrected gene mutations in mice causing an ultra-rare disease by editing DNA directly in the brain with a single injection, a feat with profound implications for patients with neurological diseases.

21 Jul 2025

Louisiana upholds its HIV exposure law as other states change or repeal theirs

When Robert Smith met his future girlfriend in 2010, he wanted to take things slowly. For Smith, no relationship had been easy in the years since he was diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.

21 Jul 2025

Maternal RSV vaccination linked to sharp drop in infant lung infections

Vaccination of pregnant women has been linked to a drop in newborns being admitted to hospital with a serious lung infection, research suggests.

18 Jul 2025

Lipoxygenase emerges as a promising antiviral agent against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) was reported in Asia, with a fatality rate that can reach as high as 50%.

18 Jul 2025

Study reveals complex patterns of burden and survival among people with digestive system cancers in China

Digestive system malignancies (DSMTs)-including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers-represent a major public health challenge in China.

18 Jul 2025

New mRNA vaccine strategy awakens immune system to fight cancer

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to "wake up" the immune system against cancer.

18 Jul 2025

Local climate and wildlife factors help predict avian flu outbreaks in Europe

Several local factors - including the minimum temperature reached in autumn, the water level in lakes and ponds in winter, and the presence of mute swans (Cygnus olor) - could be key for predicting the potential of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) occurring in Europe.

17 Jul 2025