Explore what it's like Inside a patient isolation unit.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.

There have been close to 40 Ebola outbreaks since 1976

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes severe illness, organ damage, and sometimes internal bleeding. It spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and is most common in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This explainer covers its symptoms, transmission, and treatment options.

Watch what the Ebola virus does inside the body in order to spread and survive.

Ebola virus, with an average fatality rate of around 50%, has been responsible for more than 2,000 confirmed deaths during the 2026 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

See how Ebola tore through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014-16.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak is hampered by a lack of vaccine against the relevant species of the virus, heightening the need for rapid tests to aid in disease control.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola.

Three Ebola species are responsible for most large outbreaks of the disease.

See how the Ebola virus affects blood circulation in the human body.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones have hampered Ebola responses in West Africa.

Marburg virus, related to Ebola, is also extremely deadly, and has no available vaccine.

Mapping the spread of a dangerous fungus growing in US healthcare facilities

Explore the data showing how the fungus C. auris has spread in the US, with more than 10,000 reported cases since 2016. Recommended steps to prevent infections and limit their spread have been successful in some areas, but infection control remains complicated because the fungus is often now multidrug-resistant.

Ebola is a filovirus, meaning it resembles a thread under a microscope.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

Ebola species have historically been named after the places where they were discovered, stigmatizing residents of those areas, including Bundibugyo, in Uganda.

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

An Ebola vaccine was developed during the 2018 west African Ebola outbreak, but the 2026 Ebola outbreak is with a different species of the virus, not the one that the vaccine is approved to treat.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spurring new Ebola vaccine development for the Bundibugyo species.

What are zoonotic diseases?

Interspecies interactions are a breeding ground for disease transmission. This basic background information on zoonotic disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chronicles the different ways humans can get sick, identifies what groups are particularly vulnerable, and offers links to other resources.

Explore a heatmap showing the decline in infectious diseases following vaccine deployment, with a focus on measles, hepatitis A, mumps, polio, and more.

Bats have evolved to carry viruses without getting sick

Bats—the likely animal reservoir for diseases including Ebola and coronavirus—tolerate viruses without getting sick. The secret lies in evolutionary adaptations allowing bats to become the world’s only flying mammal and to thrive under immense physiological stressors.

Watch an expert's take on the rare disease hantavirus—and why it's not of great concern to the general population

This rare zoonotic disease, transmitted to humans primarily through infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, is rarely spread between people. The disease was of particular concern in spring 2026, when an outbreak occurred on a 150-person cruise ship, prompting a flurry of action, including contact tracing for passengers in their home countries. The disease can be fatal. But early care—primarily oxygen support—can help patients survive.

Candida auris spreads easily in healthcare facilities and causes high death rates

This fungus has spread rapidly in healthcare settings since the first US case was reported in 2016, and it has grown increasingly resistant to echinocandins, the antifungal medicine most commonly used to treat it. Often, it’s resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, contributing to its high death toll. It can most readily infect those with invasive medical devices like intravenous catheters and those with frequent or long-duration stays in healthcare facilities.

Measles is one of the most contagious preventable diseases—it was eliminated in the US in 2000, but it is now making a resurgence due to declining vaccination rates.

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.)

The US military, concerned about potential deployments worldwide, has long funded experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies.

Collaborations between the military, biotech, and academic researchers led to an experimental antibody treatment for the Andes hantavirus strain—the one that more readily passes between humans. As of spring 2026, it had only been tested in animals. The US Army has also tested a potential hantavirus vaccine in people. It published early findings in 2023 that seemed promising, eliciting some immune system response. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Choosing to get vaccinated against infectious diseases can help protect vulnerable populations who aren't eligible for certain vaccines, including infants and pregnant women.

Read what it's like working in emergency medicine

A board-certified emergency medicine physician working in the Bronx writes about what her workweeks look like and what attracted her to this fast-paced medical specialty, including being able to help suffering patients quickly, treating a wide range of ailments, and tending to disadvantaged communities.

Hospitals have been adding weapon detection systems to emergency rooms in response to violence

Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience violence at work than employees in other industries, according to pre-pandemic federal data. Yet, despite growing awareness of these threats, fewer than one in three hospitals have installed metal detectors.

In 1865, Hawaii's king authorized forcible removal, quarantining of those with leprosy

King Kamehameha V authorized the removal of anyone with leprosy symptoms and for them to be placed in a medical facility later maintained by the Catholic Church on Moloka'i, Hawaii's fifth largest island. Patients weren't allowed to transfer to other medical facilities until 1969.

Explore inside a mosquito factory where millions of mosquitoes are bred weekly

In Medellin, Colombia, scientists are infecting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium that wouldn't otherwise infect the species, but does block its ability to transmit dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. In the wild, infected mosquitoes would breed with wild mosquitoes, pass down Wolbachia, and thus reduce disease transmission.

Legionnaires' disease is a serious lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria, and it's often contracted from inhaling contaminated mist or water.

West Nile is named after the district in Uganda where it was first isolated from a patient

In 1937, scientists isolated the virus from a woman in the West Nile District of Uganda. It's since been detected in much of Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, the Middle East, and was first detected in US patients during an outbreak in 1999.

The US had about 155.4 million emergency room visits in 2022, and more than a third involved injuries, including poisonings.

Find out how prevalent the flu is at this current moment

Updated weekly, this USAFacts resource shares current data from the CDC detailing how many cases of influenza and other flu-like illnesses accounted for doctor's visits. Monitor the spread of respiratory illness during flu season with this handy resource and prepare accordingly.

This is what happens inside your body when you're sick

This video details the biology of what happens inside the human body during illness.

Read an account of what life was like in America's national leprosarium—its leper colony

José Ramirez Jr. shares an account of his eight years at the 300-acre national leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, from 1968 through the mid-1970s. Mostly staffed by nuns with nursing degrees, this facility was home to hundreds of people at a time, and it's also the site where they were required to be buried.

There are more than a dozen types of different emergency medicine specialties

This video details medical subspecialties in emergency medicine, including medical toxicology, pediatric emergency medicine, undersea and hyperbaric medicine, hospice medicine, and more. It discusses where these types of specialists may work, including beyond a hospital setting.

Explore this interactive visualization of illnesses known to jump from animals to people, and learn how these zoonotic diseases spread.

Bats are uniquely suited to act as reservoirs of viruses.

Some of the deadliest diseases to jump from animals to humans originate in bat species. This rich visualization explores the diversity of bats and the factors that make them efficient vectors for harboring and transmitting disease, from their long lifespans to their migration patterns.

Discover the latest information on US measles cases from official outbreak tracking figures.

The contagiousness of a disease is calculated as the average number of new infections caused by one infectious person in a hypothetical scenario in which everyone could be infected and no preventive measures were in place.

In the 1960s, Virginia became home to the first emergency department in the US.

Measles attacks the body's immune system, leaving it vulnerable to secondary complications.

Most flu cases are treated at home, but antivirals help high-risk patients

Rest, fluids and common medicines usually ease influenza symptoms. For people at higher risk of complications, doctors may prescribe antiviral drugs, which work best when started soon after symptoms begin.

Animal-to-human pathogens constitute 75% of emerging infectious diseases

Zoonotic diseases encompass more than 200 diseases transmitted from animals to humans, wherein humans are usually accidental hosts. Ranging from rabies to HIV to monkeypox, this overview lists some of the most common viral threats.

Explore a typical layout of an emergency department

This architectural diagram illustrates the layout of an emergency area. It provides insights into a typical emergency room organizational system to provide context for patients as they flow from entry through triage into treatment.

Increasing contact between humans and wild animals is driving zoonotic threats

Zoonotic diseases, which spread from animals to humans, present one of the most significant emerging threats worldwide. Scientists have identified around 200 viruses capable of infecting humans, and unfortunately, the number of such diseases are on the rise—at least 60% of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin.