The person with the longest consecutive COVID-19 infection was a 72-year-old man in Amsterdam who was documented to have the infection for 612 days, Scientific American reported May 1.

The U.S. has two vaccines ready to circulate if bird flu begins spreading easily to humans, with doses that could begin shipping widely within weeks, if needed, NBC News reported May 1.

The World Health Organization updated its classification of airborne diseases last month in a move expected to influence infection control policies globally. However, it's unclear whether the CDC will consider these changes in its final masking guidelines for healthcare facilities, KFF Health News reported May 1.

NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health has gone a full year without a single catheter-associated urinary tract infection, the hospital said April 30.

The number of complaints from patients who are harmed by complications when undergoing cosmetic procedures has increased in recent years. Complaints have ranged from harm done to patients to infectious disease outbreaks.

Hospital-acquired antimicrobial-resistant infections remain at least 12% above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new study from data at 120 U.S. hospitals. 

COVID-19 has upended a long-standing belief that physicians must care for infectious disease patients, irrespective of their own personal risk, suggests research published April 24 in Clinical Infectious Diseases. 

The FDA approved the first new antibiotic for urinary tract infections in two decades.

Smallpox, the only human disease to be fully eradicated, could reappear in the U.S. and across the globe, researchers said in a new report. 

Providence-based Rhode Island Hospital saw an increase in external ventricular drain infections after switching to a Medtronic device that has since been recalled, the CDC said April 11.

About 86% of infections following spine surgery could be linked to the patient's natural skin microbiome, a recent study from Seattle-based University of Washington School of Medicine found.

Health systems are scaling back mask rules for staff, patients and visitors as respiratory virus season wanes.

The CDC's framework to prevent healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infections may have potential benefits for hospitals, but further research is needed to fully understand its effectiveness, according to a study published March 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Physicians can reduce the risk of surgical site infections by using a nasal antiseptic before procedures, according to research published March 28 in the American Journal of Infection Control. 

The CDC acknowledged ventilation as a core strategy to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses in a March 22 guidance update. 

A recent study conducted by researchers in the U.K. found COVID-19 vaccines can reduce heart failure by up to 55% and blood clots by up to 78% after an infection.

Fifty-eight cases of measles have been reported in the first quarter of 2024, the same number of total cases in 2023, the CDC reported.

AI tools might be able to diagnose healthcare-associated infections, but human oversight is vital to ensuring patient safety, according to a study published March 13 in the American Journal of Infection Control. 

Cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children continue to be reported and saw a relative rise during fall 2023, the CDC reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that will reduce ethylene oxide emissions from commercial sterilization facilities.