In the last decade, 152 million infants worldwide were born preterm — and while preterm birth rates are not changing, death rates from preterm birth complications are on the rise, according to a May 9 report from the World Health Organization. 

The bacteria that caused a massive infant formula shortage in 2022 may soon be added to a federal watch list of diseases, according to a May 9 report from NBC News affiliate WSMV.

Chicago is seeing an increase in mpox, drawing concerns from some experts about the potential for a nationwide resurgence of the virus this summer, according to a May 8 report from NBC News.

A rare fungal outbreak at a Michigan paper mill has infected more than 100 people, and health officials are still searching for the source of the fungus. 

Six days out from the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, hospitalizations and deaths are down and the CDC has released details about what will change in its surveillance of the virus going forward. The major changes? Reporting cadence will shift, three surveillance reports will be discontinued and the agency will launch a redesigned data tracker.

COVID-19 has dropped to the fourth leading cause of death after being the third in 2020 and 2021, a May 5 CDC report found. On the same day, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. 

Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of unidentified illnesses at an elementary in Detroit, NBC News reported May 4.

Hospitals across the country eagerly await the release of The Leapfrog Group's Safety Grades in the spring and fall each year. Leah Binder, president and CEO of the organization, spoke with Becker's about why her organization's A-F grades are important.

Some states saw "alarming" and "dangerous" increases in three specific healthcare-acquired infections, according to Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. The organization's spring 2023 Safety Grades report was released May 3.

After an intensive 'tripledemic' virus season where flu, COVID-19 and RSV all peaked at high rates nationwide, physicians at children's hospitals are actively preparing to take on what could be another round this fall, U.S. News reported May 3.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are nearing a new low after various variants caused spikes and dips, data shows, and some hospitals say they have zero cases. 

The CDC has released its first-ever strategic plan on public health data, which aims to "help our nation quickly respond to health threats, promote health equity and improve health outcomes," the agency said in a May 3 tweet.

Just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it will stop tracking cases of COVID-19 in line with the end of the pandemic-induced public health emergency on May 11, 35 people tested positive for the disease after attending the CDC's own annual conference in Atlanta at the end of April, according to a Washington Post report.

The U.S. has noted an increase in hospitalizations from eating disorders for the past few years. Here are six things to know: 

Even before COVID-19, Missouri's life expectancy was in decline. While it is not the lowest in the nation, the state has consistently been trending worse for nearly four decades, according to a May 1 report from St. Louis Public Radio. 

It's time for the U.S. to prioritize Americans' social connections and address the health implications of loneliness, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, wrote in an April 30 opinion piece for The New York Times. 

The omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 is quickly gaining prevalence in the U.S., spurring the CDC to start tracking the strain separately in mid-April. 

Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 continues its growth path in the U.S., with the latest CDC estimates showing it accounts for nearly 12 percent of cases. 

The CDC released its latest Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System study April 28. Here are 16 things to know from the research that spanned 2021 — when many high schools were operating virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic:

A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee met April 27 to hear insight and recommendations from a panel of expert witnesses on how to improve U.S. biosafety and pathogen research in light of concerns surrounding the origins of COVID-19 stemming from a possible lab leak.