Have you ever wondered why you have to get a flu shot every year, but some vaccines are one-and-done? It all has to do with how and how fast viruses evolve - and that depends on mutation rates.

Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, the virus has accrued a variety of mutations to infect its human hosts more effectively. Certain antiviral treatments work by increasing the rate of these ...

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, researchers say it is important to track how the coronavirus mutates because it could affect the efficacy of a vaccine. Like all living cells, viruses evolve their ...

California researchers say the world may be just one genetic tweak away from human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus — a worrisome mutation that could open the door to widespread human ...

The avian flu virus isolated from a hospitalized teenager in Vancouver has mutations in key areas that could help the virus spread more easily in humans, scientists say. There is no indication that ...