Nipah virus (NiV) is a serious infectious disease that periodically causes outbreaks in parts of Asia. While the risk to most people remains very low, understanding this virus is important if you are planning to travel to one of the areas where it circulates. No cases have ever been found in the UK.
Measles is highly contagious so even a small decline in vaccine uptake can lead to a rise in cases. There has been a resurgence of measles in England and around the world in recent years. In 2024 there were 2,911 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number of cases recorded annually in decades.
Croup is a common childhood condition that affects the windpipe, the airways to the lungs, and the voice box. It mainly affects babies and young children, typically those aged between 6 months and 3 years, though most cases occur in 1-year-olds. Boys tend to be affected more than girls, and croup is most common during …
Shingles, known medically as herpes zoster, is an infection that causes a painful rash. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella). Once someone has recovered from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body and then can reactivate later in life and present as shingles because of decreased immunity – either …
UKHSA's Weather-Health Alerts (WHAs) are separate from the Met Office's National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) - and understanding the difference matters.
Adenovirus might not be a household name like flu or the common cold, but it's one of the most common causes of viral infections. Most people will have had at least one adenovirus infection before they turn 10, and because …
The NHS childhood vaccination schedule has recently been updated to help give children even better protection against diseases. Changes include protecting children against some diseases earlier and adding vaccines that protect against more diseases.
This blog post was last checked and updated January 2026. Due to the introduction of a varicella (chickenpox) vaccination programme, the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine replaced the MMR vaccine in the routine childhood programme from the 1 …
Antibiotic-resistant infections are on the rise. Data published in autumn 2025 shows there are nearly 400 new cases reported every week in England. When bacteria adapt to survive antibiotics, vital medicines stop working when we need them most. But the fight against …
In this blog post Samara shares her story of fighting antimicrobial -resistant tuberculosis, the hidden long-term consequences and the importance of getting that persistent cough checked out.
