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. 

Southern Nevada saw cases of rare, serious brain abscesses among children triple in 2022. Now the CDC is investigating what caused the increase, according to an April 28 report from CNN.

The CDC plans to reduce the number of COVID-19 data elements hospitals must report upon termination of the COVID-19 public health emergency May 11. 

Ahead of the May 11 end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine, told the Houston Chronicle April 27 that emerging variants, vaccine uptake and pandemic preparedness are top of mind for him.

The likelihood of another pandemic similar to COVID-19 or worse is around 28 percent, Bloomberg reported April 13. As such, the question for many has become "Are we ready?" In response, the World Health Organization has launched a new initiative aimed at making the answer a "Yes," — or at least "Here's how to be" — for countries around the world. 

Anthony Fauci, MD, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, detailed his take on the COVID-19 pandemic, what went wrong, what went right and how it all ties back to the overarching picture of public health in the U.S. during a lengthy interview published April 24 in The New York Times.

Infants who contract respiratory syncytial virus in the first year of life may have a greater risk of childhood asthma, according to new findings led by researchers at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center.