The number of deaths related to fungal infections is complicated to measure and as a result likely underreported. The updated mortality rate is almost double that of past estimates, according to a study published Jan. 12 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Illness and disease are common with age, but new research suggests that U.S. adults are now spending more time in their life sick than well, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 17.

Thirty-five states are experiencing high or very high respiratory virus activity, according to the CDC, despite a recent dip in flu hospital admissions and a slower increase in the rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Health officials in Clay County, Mo., issued an exposure warning Jan. 12, after confirming an active measles case in a resident of Liberty, a suburb 15 miles outside of Kansas City.

After weeks of rising cases of flu nationally, hospitalizations and positive tests have slightly declined. COVID-19 hospitalizations have also slowed for the first time in weeks, according to CDC data.

Patients who have survived a COVID-19 infection may be at a greater risk of developing digestive diseases, according to research published Jan. 10 in BMC Medicine.

Between 20 and 30 individuals were possibly exposed to measles at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Del., CBS News reported Jan. 11. It is the latest in a series of exposure warnings and transmissions of the infection from an index case that originated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and resulted in eight confirmed cases.

The JN.1 COVID-19 variant is now the most prevalent strain both globally and in the U.S., where it accounts for an estimated 62% of cases. 

Nearly 1 in 10 adolescents have used nonprescription weight loss products in their lifetimes that are ineffective and potentially harmful, according to a study published Jan. 10 in Jama Network Open.

YouTube is taking a dive into the healthcare industry by partnering with Mass General Brigham to produce step-by-step, explainer videos on first aid topics. 

Twenty-one states reported "very high" levels of respiratory virus activity — a measure of outpatient and emergency department visits — for the week ending Dec. 30, up from 13 that reported the same a week earlier.  

COVID-19 tests used to be able to detect a positive case within the first 48 hours, but many results are now delayed until four days after symptoms appear, according to the LA Times.

Two COVID-19 omicron subvariants that emerged in 2023, BA.2.86 and JN.1, may be more severe than previously thought, according to research published Jan. 8 in the journal Cell.

Philadelphia officials have named five hospitals, two healthcare facilities and one day care as potential exposure sites to a measles outbreak.

Hospitalizations for respiratory viruses are on the rise nationwide following a holiday season marked by extensive travel and indoor gatherings.

Upticks in respiratory virus activity, especially hospitalizations, are taxing to the nation's healthcare system in terms of both costs and resources. 

Officials from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are reporting a cluster of measles cases in unvaccinated individuals, according to a Jan. 5 news release. 

Nearly 35,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country in the week ending Dec. 30 — a 20% jump from the week prior. In the same week, more than 20,000 flu patients were hospitalized, according to the latest updates from the CDC. 

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, has called for a halt to the administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over concerns about what he calls nucleic acid contaminants, the office shared in a Jan. 3 news release. The move contradicts national guidelines from the CDC and FDA. 

Despite rising respiratory infections nationwide, Kim Bennion, the enterprise director of research and respiratory care at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, is optimistic about what 2024 may hold for respiratory care, thanks in-part to advances in technology like artificial intelligence. The advancements promise to streamline pulmonary care and could eventually be used to also monitor more acute respiratory conditions like COVID-19 or the flu.