There are a few types of influenza and thousands of virus strains, which is why scientists develop the new flu shot each year.

The flu has different carriers too. Flu viruses can spread from animals to humans. This process is referred to as zoonotic transmission and has led to global outbreaks and pandemics. In recent years, you’ve likely heard of those worldwide flu epidemics courtesy of animals. Pigs, chickens and other birds can carry the virus.

And now, bats join the list as animals that might spread the flu.

[Read more…]

A Chinese scientist made headlines this week after announcing that the parasite behind malaria may be a cure for cancer.

We’ve seen studies in the past that show respiratory viruses could be used to fight cancer. Will the plasmodium parasite be next?

According to drug researcher Chen Xiaoping, maybe so.

Chen, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, spoke about the study at a forum in February. He stated that the parasite showed promising results in a trial of 10 cancer patients. The patients were observed within the past year after being injected with a controlled amount of malaria parasites.

[Read more…]

Ever since initial cases were reported in recent weeks, Zombie Deer Virus has gained worldwide attention. Who can be surprised with a virus that sounds like it comes from a horror movie?

Zombie Deer Virus actually has a much more mundane name though: chronic wasting disease. The disease was initially discovered in the 1960s in Colorado.

Why is it Called Zombie Deer Virus?

Zombie Deer Virus is a close cousin to mad cow disease. Although it hasn’t been in the news for a while, mad cow disease caused a similar uproar. It was in international headlines for months and affected cattle throughout Great Britain.

[Read more…]

The WHO recently reported that a man from the Netherlands returned home due to an illness. After returning home, the man found at he had come down with yellow fever.

According to Reuters, the young man traveled to West Africa in mid-November last year. He visited the nations of Gambia and Senegal. They are neighboring countries and are positioned in such a way that Gambia is almost entirely surrounded by Senegal. The countries share the north Atlantic Ocean along the shores of West Africa.

For many countries, a yellow fever infection is a dangerous, but fairly regular occurrence. But some countries, like the Netherlands, have almost no experience with the virus.

[Read more…]

There’s much more to pneumonia than meets the eye (or in this case, lung).

Millions of people in the United States come down with atypical pneumonia every year. That doesn’t mean they all have the same experiences with the infection. Each bout with atypical pneumonia may be vastly different depending on the type of bacteria they are infected with.

There are four common types of atypical pneumonia and today we’re here to help you understand them all.

[Read more…]