In the years leading up to the unexpected events of March 2020, U.S. life expectancy was declining, according to a June 1 report published in the American Journal of Public Health. 

Pediatric patients who are Black or speak a language other than English acquire central line-associated bloodstream infections at a rate higher than non-minority children, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics on May 30.

Childhood obesity rates in the U.S. are not where they need to be affecting nearly 20 percent of children and adolescents, according to the CDC, and weight-loss surgeries are increasing in children as a result. 

Infectious disease threats are growing and can have fatal consequences for patients and the public. 

AdventHealth's Rapid Amoeba PCR test, which can confirm a brain-eating amoeba infection in as little as three hours, is a "game changer" and could mean the difference between life and death for patients, Jose Alexander, MD, clinical microbiologist and director of microbiology, virology and immunology for AdventHealth Orlando (Fla.), told Becker's. 

It took three years, two months and 19 days since the declaration of the pandemic, but COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit a record low in the U.S., CDC data shows.

The U.S. and Mexico have asked the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern over a fungal meningitis outbreak linked to two surgery clinics in a Mexico border city, a CDC official told CBS News on May 26.

Cases of human metapneumovirus sharply rose this spring, according to CDC data. Symptoms closely mimic other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus and the flu, but patients are not typically tested for its presence unless admitted to the ER.

Increasing temperatures are creating the perfect environment for the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri to thrive in. Northern U.S. states including Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota have seen infections from the bacteria climb, causing public health officials to warn clinicians to be prepared. 

The CDC is monitoring more than 200 U.S. patients who may be at risk for fungal meningitis likely tied to surgical procedures they underwent at clinics in a Mexico border city, the agency said May 24.

More than 40 percent of people who seek medical care at New Jersey hospitals are presenting with "major" or "extreme" levels of illness, according to a May 24 New Jersey Hospital Association report, which noted the highest levels of severe illness were reported by inpatients with a non-COVID-19 diagnosis. 

The CDC found HIV infections declined 12 percent between 2017 and 2021, and the decline was driven by young people.

The woman at the center of an ongoing civil case in Washington state — who is infected with tuberculosis and has repeatedly refused both isolation and treatment — failed to appear in court again on May 19, according to Pierce County Superior Court documents. Judge Philip Sorensen again issued an order of contempt of court and for involuntary detention.

Droughts and overpumping of aquifers are leading to increased levels of heavy metal in domestic wells, KFF Health News reported May 22.

The World Health Organization is doubling-down on pathogen surveillance with the launch of a global network created to understand more about how infectious emerging diseases are and how they spread. 

An additional death linked to contaminated eye drops was reported by the CDC May 15, bringing the total to four associated deaths and 81 patient cases across 18 U.S. states. 

The CDC is warning clinicians and health officials of a potential mpox resurgence this spring and summer.

A woman in Washington state who became infected with Tuberculosis in 2022 and repeatedly refused treatment for the highly-contagious disease is still at large, but set to appear for a court hearing May 19, according to NBC News.

The next updates to COVID-19 vaccine formulas should primarily target XBB variants, the World Health Organization announced May 18.

Injuries inside hospitals to healthcare workers and patients increased during the pandemic, according to a report from the Massachusetts Department of Health, which was presented at a May 17 Public Health Council meeting.