At least 7 eastern college campuses experienced surprisingly large HFMD outbreaks in 2018

Adults usually have some immunity to HFM Disease—but can still spread it

In 2025, certain eastern states including Virginia and West Virginia reported a sizable uptick in their HFMD cases, particularly in their schools and daycare centers, though the reason for the larger outbreaks remains unknown. When adults or teens get the disease, their symptoms are usually mild or even asymptomatic. Still, they may pass the disease between people, too. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

There are more than 200,000 cases of HFMD annually, and there's no cure

The highly contagious disease is caused by several viruses and it primarily affects little kids. It causes red spots in and around the mouth, hands, feet, and even the buttocks. They often become painful water-filled blisters that can burst and cause small ulcers. Eating and drinking is uncomfortable for about a week so patients need to be careful not to become dehydrated.

HFMD was first reported in 1957 in New Zealand

The first clinical report involved eight kids with the characteristic sores in New Zealand, and then in the years that followed there were dozens more cases there and also reports of outbreaks in England and Scotland, among other settings, including the US.

CDC does not require docs to report hand, foot, and mouth cases which makes tracking difficult

Mid-Atlantic states saw a surge of hand, foot, and mouth disease in 2025 for as-yet unknown reasons. Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, reported elevated outbreak numbers in 2025 as compared to other recent years, but since the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require mandatory reporting of positive HFMD cases—unlike strictly notifiable diseases like measles—it's hard to truly know the extent of the outbreaks and how significant the caseload is as compared to prior years across the region or country.

Environmental conditions, shifting immunity, and viral strain could help explain 2025 spike

The surge in HFMD in the summer and early fall of 2025 in the mid-Atlantic could be the result of a confluence of factors, including a more virulent strain of disease-causing virus, good environmental conditions for the virus to spread—hot, humd—and a potential immunity gap among kids due to milder HFMD outbreaks the previous year.

In 2012, a virus that causes HFMD may have killed dozens of kids in Asia

More than 50 young children in Cambodia died in spring 2012 for unknown reasons, but laboratory testing of samples available from a limited number of those children came back positive for Enterovirus 71. That virus, which can cause HFMD, is known to cause severe complications among some people who contract the disease. But health officials concluded that poor baseline health and then incorrect treatment using steroids helped exacerbate their condition, helping lead to the deaths.

'Tomato flu' outbreak in India turned out to be HFMD

An illness initially dubbed "tomato flu" in 2022 that sickened children in Kerala, India, with symptoms typical of hand, foot, and mouth disease turned out to be that—not a new ailment. A letter published in the prestigious journal The Lancet had initially described the illness as "a new virus" but at least some of the children ultimately tested positive for one of the viruses that causes HFMD, so it wasn't a new condition after all. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Hand, foot, and mouth is usually seasonal—peaking in summer—but not always

This painful, contagious disease most commonly has outbreaks in summer and early fall in the US because the enteroviruses that cause disease can most readily survive and be transmitted in warmer, humid conditions. It can still show up throughout the year, however.

The first major norovirus outbreak sickened half an elementary school

In 1968, 50% of an Ohio school got ill from this foodborne pathogen. The disease name is a nod to that original strain discovered in Norwalk, Ohio, when half the elementary school students became ill. Almost all kids reported nausea and vomiting. Everyone recovered.

More than 20 mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases are found in the US

Children, older adults, and people with compromised immune systems are at particular risk of poorer health outcomes from these diseases. But dog owners and outdoor enthusiasts are among those at particular risk of contracting these illnesses, which include Lyme disease, Zika, and the condition Alpha-gal Syndrome.

In 2011, a mysterious illness spread around LeRoy, New York

A handful of girls were stricken with bizarre twitches, tics, and spasms — all apparently involuntary. Some believed the incident to be conversion disorder, an illness where emotional troubles have physical symptoms.

Lyme disease was first identified in Lyme, Connecticut in 1975

A cluster of 51 children and adults in the town all began experiencing uncommon arthritic symptoms and the cases were reported to the state health department. A quarter of the cases were preceded by a skin lesion. The patients tended to live near the woods.

19 fungal pathogens are of key concern to world health officials

In 2022, this global health body issued its first-ever list of top fungal threats to human health. It said fungal threats are spreading and occurring more frequently. The WHO’s list included 19 fungal pathogens to watch, and said that the most dangerous ones to public health are Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Candida auris. There are only a handful of classes of medication currently available to combat fungal pathogens, with few others in the pipeline even though antimicrobial resistance is growing.

Maryland required cholera researchers to fly a yellow warning flag—signifying quarantine dangers in the 1970s

University of Maryland Hospital researchers intentionally infected volunteers with the cholera bacterium in the late 1970s to further their understanding of the disease. They proceeded with this work following the recommendation of a US government panel. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

Girls are hitting puberty earlier than ever before

Around the world, there has been a spike in children—especially girls—experiencing early puberty and doctors are seeking to understand why. The rise has been particularly strong post-2020. Early-maturing girls are at a higher risk for developing...

Concierge medicine offerings are growing on college campuses, catering to students

Parents are interested in concierge and direct primary care services for their kids, including offerings with dorm visits, guaranteed same-day appointments, and medication access, so new practices have sprung up catering to college settings. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

One-third of kids with food allergies report being bullied because of it, surprising parents

Research published in 2021 surveyed how more than 100 kids with food allergies were treated by their peers. About one-third of the surveyed kids had their allergies used against them. Bullying tactics included that their allergens were sometimes intentionally put in their food or thrown at them. Parents usually had no idea this bullying was happening.

More than half of the 7,000 'kissing bugs' locals sent to Texas A&M University had parasites

Texas A&M University scientists began a community science program in 2012 asking people to send in kissing bugs (any of the 11 species of bugs potentially infected with Trypanosoma cruzi parasites). About 1,500 people sent in over 7,000 bugs for scientific research, and about 55% of the bugs were infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease.

Epstein-Barr virus—the cause of 'kissing disease' mononucleosis—may be the leading cause of MS

A Harvard study with data from more than 10 million US military personnel found that people that contracted Epstein-Barr virus had a roughly 32-fold increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The work, published in 2022, found that Infection of the virus preceded MS onset by a median of five years, raising questions about better Epstein-Barr virus management and potential disease prevention.

Measles reached global transmission during the 15th- and 16th-century Columbian exchange

Devastating diseases like smallpox, influenza, measles, and other viruses were largely introduced into the Western Hemisphere beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus and the ensuing age of exploration.

The hidden effects of March Madness

March Madness isn’t just a major sporting event—it’s also peak season for vasectomies. Urologists report a 50% increase during the tournament, as patients use recovery time as an excuse to watch nonstop basketball. Meanwhile, workplace distractions from bracket pools and game streaming are estimated to cost US businesses $17 billion.

Every virus is classified into 7 groups based on genetic differences

Viruses infecting humans have been named based on symptoms ("chickenpox") or the location or animal in which they were first discovered ("Bolivian Haemorrhagic Fever" and "Monkeypox"). For clarity among scientists and to reduce stigma, virologists classify the 15,000 known viruses (270 of which infect humans) by their basic genetic material.

There's a West Nile virus prevention rap—and it's amazing

This catchy rap from biologist MC Bugg-Z and the Fairfax County government in Virginia walks people through prevention steps and the dangers of the virus, telling listeners to "rock" insect repellant and talking about the history of the disease in the US.

Explore what it's like Inside a patient isolation unit

Containing a contagious disease like Ebola requires strict protective measures. There are several specialized medical wards to contain deadly infectious diseases at hospitals across the U.S. Emory University has one such unit, where 4 patients were treated during the 2014 outbreak.

See how Ebola tore through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014-2016.

How did the pandemic affect mental health?

Read this research brief to learn more about why heightened mental health and substance use concerns persist three years after the outbreak of COVID-19. According to a recent survey, the vast majority of American adults view the nation as facing a...

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Elk Cloner, the first computer virus to spread in public, was written as a practical joke by Richard Skrenta, a Pittsburgh high school student.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Mid-century modern graphic designers, known for their bright colors and bold lines in advertising, also found success with children's books.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

Prince's sexually explicit 1984 track 'Darling Nikki' attracted the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center, an advocacy group that inspired the Parental Advisory sticker, even though the song ends with a Christian message.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day