The CDC issued a health alert Dec. 7 advising clinicians and public health officials in the U.S. to watch for cases of mpox and enhance surveillance as a more transmissible and severe subtype of the disease, clade I, spreads in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

As COVID-19 metrics pick up steam in the U.S, experts are keeping an eye on the growth of a new variant and how it may affect transmission levels in the coming weeks. 

More than a third of mothers — around 40 million women — are affected by lingering health issues after giving birth, according to a new study published Dec. 6 in The Lancet Global Health.

COVID-19 and flu levels across the nation are picking up steam, with health officials anticipating further increases as the holiday season kicks off. 

Mississippi has the highest average death rate from influenza and pneumonia, while Vermont has the lowest, according to historical CDC data analyzed by Newsweek. 

Some research suggests a positive mindset when receiving a flu shot may lead to greater levels of protection.

Cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae have begun popping up both in the U.S. and in China, but experts say the outbreaks are not linked to one another and that the type of pneumonia-causing bacteria is not novel. Still, clinicians are being urged to stay alert for possible new cases. 

Health experts say there is no connection between pediatric pneumonia cases in the U.S. and the surge of cases in China and several other countries. 

For a fourth week in a row, the number of cases of respiratory illnesses are above average in eight of 10 CDC regions, and flu hospitalizations have also gone up again. 

CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, said the season of respiratory syncytial virus is in "full swing" as flu slowly begins and COVID-19 leads the most hospitalizations and deaths, CNN reported Nov. 30. 

Hospitals in Warren County, Ohio, have reported 142 cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in children since August, meeting the state's definition of an outbreak, according to the local health department.

Young women ages 25 to 34 in 2019-2021 are facing more health threats than previous generations, a new report by the Population Reference Bureau found.

Experts say China's current outbreak of respiratory illness is another example of what played out in the U.S. last year when COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus peaked simultaneously, allaying fears that a new virus is behind the surge. 

Life expectancy for adults in the U.S. increased to 77.5 years in 2022 — up 1.1 years from 2021 — but the average is still not back to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Ten states and New York City reported high levels of respiratory virus activity for the week ending Nov. 18, the latest CDC data shows. 

The U.S. is seeing a 9.7% rise in COVID-19 hospital admissions — 18,119 in the most recent week — according to CDC data. Emergency department visits for the virus have also gone up during the same time period by nearly 2% and deaths increased by 8.3%, as of Nov. 18.

A CDC investigation into a cluster of rare, ocular syphilis cases that cropped up in southwestern Michigan between March and July 2022 found that the incidents may be linked by an unidentified strain of Treponema pallidum — the bacterium that causes syphilis. 

Health officials in the U.K. have confirmed the country's first human case of a new swine flu variant typically found in pigs. 

COVID-19 omicron strain BA.2.86 is now a variant of interest after nearly tripling in prevalence. 

Respiratory virus season is in full swing across the U.S., with flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus metrics all on the rise.