A Colorado resident has tested positive for measles this month, marking the state's first case since January 2019, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment said Dec. 20.

New COVID-19 admissions continue to increase in the U.S., with 23,432 reported for the week ending Dec. 9. 

With the days of social distancing mostly behind us, increasing pressure and anticipation to get back to gatherings, show up in person for work and more are leading Americans to overuse cold and allergy medicines to mask symptoms from regular colds to ensure their attendance, Bloomberg reported Dec. 20.

Reports of hospitals operating over capacity are creeping up — a situation that could become more widespread over the next few weeks if COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus levels continue to rise, the CDC recently warned. 

As of late December, flu activity was highest in South Carolina and lowest in Vermont, CDC data shows. 

Respiratory virus season is well underway, and with holiday travel plans approaching, the CDC said it anticipates millions of people to get sick over the next two months, particularly as vaccination rates remain low. 

A growing number of states are reporting high levels of respiratory virus activity as COVID-19 and flu admissions continue to rise across the country, according to updated CDC data. 

Seasonal flu activity is up again for the sixth week in a row. According to the CDC, there were 7,090 flu-related hospitalizations in the last week, compared to 5,753 the week before.

As COVID-19-related hospital admissions have risen for another week in a row — 23,432 in the most recently reported week — the CDC is also alerting clinicians to low vaccination rates, urging them to emphasize its importance in preventing severe infection.

The CDC has issued an alert to clinicians warning of rising cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children following COVID-19 infections.

In 2023, infectious disease research inched closer to, but still fell short of, conclusively landing on a standard definition for long COVID. There's still much to discover about how the post-infection condition manifests in some patients, but not others, as well as therapeutic solutions and for what length of time long COVID may actually last, experts told Becker's.

The physical health of adults in the U.S. has significantly deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with obesity and diabetes rates at or nearing record highs, a new Gallup report shows.

JN.1 is now the fastest-growing COVID-19 variant in the U.S., accounting for around 21% of cases, data from the CDC shows.

Fifteen states and New York City reported high levels of respiratory virus activity for the week ending Dec. 2, up from 10 states the previous week, according to newly updated CDC data. 

Data from the CDC and anecdotal reports form hospital officials suggest respiratory syncytial virus infections have peaked in the U.S., allaying concerns that the nation could see simultaneous surges of COVID-19, flu and RSV.

Flu activity is continuing to rise across the country for a fifth week in a row, with 5,753 patients admitted to hospitals due to confirmed flu cases, according to CDC data published Dec. 8. 

New COVID-19 admissions were up nearly 18% for the week ending Dec. 2, marking the fourth straight week of increase. 

Officials at the Metro Public Health Department in Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn., are reporting an uptick in mpox cases, leading it to offer a vaccine clinic a day after the announcement was made.

The Home Test to Treat program piloted earlier this year by the National Institutes of Health, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the CDC, is now available nationwide, according to a Dec. 6 news release.

An estimated 3.3 million adults are living with chronic fatigue syndrome in the U.S., suggests CDC data released Dec. 8.