The CDC may recommend an additional COVID-19 booster this spring, but likely only for those who are most vulnerable to the virus, NBC News reported Feb. 15. 

The National Institutes of Health will pump an additional $515 million into researching long COVID-19, the agency announced Feb. 13.

Forgoing the usual metrics for emergency medical services, researchers evaluated more than 9,000 EMS companies through 11 measures. They found large discrepancies in patient care.

Kawasaki disease, an acute febrile illness that affects children, declined by 50% during COVID-19, but physicians at San Diego, Calif.-based Rady Children’s Hospital have noticed a resurgence, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Feb. 13.

Emergency departments are finally seeing some reprieve after weeks of capacity issues exacerbated by respiratory virus activity across the U.S. Visits to the ER for respiratory viruses continue to follow a downward trend, but the amount of respiratory illnesses in circulation is still elevated overall, CDC data shows.

The CDC has appointed Robyn Neblett Fanfair, MD, as the permanent director of the Division of HIV Prevention, which falls under the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, according to a Feb. 12 news release.

In early 2024, clusters of measles outbreaks have appeared in at least six states. Here is a quick timeline of events:

The CDC plans to do away with its five-day COVID isolation guidance, aiming to put the recommendations more in line with those for flu and respiratory syncytial virus, officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The U.S. is now monitoring BA.2.87.1, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant with more than 30 changes in the coronavirus spike protein. 

An older adult in Alaska died after contracting 'Alaskapox' — a form of orthopox virus which was discovered in 2015. It is the first reported death due to the virus, according to a Feb. 9 news release from the Alaska Division of Public Health.

The CDC's latest update shows flu activity increased in Central and Midwestern states in the week ending Feb. 3. 

The quantity and risk of fungal infections continues to grow worldwide, particularly as global temperatures warm, creating new environments for fungus to thrive, but drugs to treat these new and emerging infections haven't kept the same pace.

Respiratory syncytial virus is the leading pathogen for infant hospitalizations, but a second contender is close behind in prevalence: human rhinovirus. 

A 29-year-old Michigan man died Feb. 3 after a severe blastomycosis infection, according to CBS News. The infections are caused by the fungus called Blastomyces.

After 12 patients died from a meningitis outbreak in 2023, researchers discovered the cause was an epidural contaminated with the fungus Fusarium solani, according to findings published Feb. 8 in The New England Journal of Medicine. 

Amid a yearslong increase in syphilis cases, the CDC published new recommendations for syphilis testing in labs Feb. 8. 

On Feb. 5, the CDC, FDA and local health officials released their findings on a recent outbreak of bacteria and fungi stemming from contaminated eye drops.

The U.S. government has unveiled a National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People, which 17 federal departments and agencies jointly worked to develop.

Delivering multiple vaccines in both arms, rather than just one, substantially increases antibody responses, new research suggests. 

As key indicators of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus continue to fall, the number of states reporting high levels of virus activity is also decreasing.