Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

First 24 hours shape the body's antiviral defense response

Age, genetics and lifestyle are known to influence how people respond to viral infections. Scientists also know that differences in immune response play an important role, but exactly how these factors shape the course of an infection has remained unclear.

19 Aug 2026

Lower-calorie meals look cheaper, but there’s a catch in the price

Analysis of 7,392 menu items from 200 large restaurant chains found that lower-calorie options on two major UK food delivery platforms carried a substantially higher cost per 100 kcal than higher-calorie items. The findings suggest that per-calorie pricing may create financial disincentives for choosing lower-calorie foods, with potential implications for diet-related health inequalities.

19 Aug 2026

New project builds AI infrastructure for healthcare crisis management

Which hospitals could become unavailable in the event of a natural disaster? How many intensive care beds are available, and what medicines are in stock? In the future, answers to questions like these should be available and updated more quickly.

19 Aug 2026

COVID-19 mortality gap between men and women narrowed sharply as the pandemic progressed

Men experienced higher absolute excess mortality than women across many high-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during pre-vaccine mortality peaks. Relative differences were much smaller, showing that sex disparities depended strongly on baseline mortality, age, country, and pandemic phase.

19 Aug 2026

Study examines how public deliberation can strengthen public health policymaking

Public health policies are commonly evaluated by their financial costs and expected outcomes. However, policy decisions must also be supported by strong evidence, political feasibility, effective implementation, and public trust to achieve lasting public health benefits.

13 Aug 2026

Poison center calls for liver injuries surged 400% between 2000 and 2024

Calls to poison centers involving liver injuries caused by medications, supplements, alcohol and other substances jumped nearly 400% between 2000 and 2024, according to a new study from UVA Health.

13 Aug 2026

H5N1 infections remain rare among workers exposed to infected birds

A two-year cohort study of 428 people exposed to H5N1-infected birds in England found fewer than 1% met criteria for infection, with no severe disease or secondary human transmission. The findings support continued PPE use, biosecurity, and targeted surveillance while highlighting challenges around occupational exposure, mucosal contamination, and pandemic preparedness.

10 Aug 2026

Rare cruise ship virus outbreak highlights public messaging lessons and disease preparedness

A small outbreak of a rare hantavirus on a cruise ship earlier this year captured worldwide attention and sparked concerns about a possible new pandemic.

10 Aug 2026

Voltammetry and machine learning for real-time neurotransmitter detection

Anne Andrews (UCLA) explains how voltammetry and machine learning can track multiple neurotransmitters in real time, even with overlapping signals.

From Pittcon 10 Aug 2026

Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses and may leave a lasting viral signature

A longitudinal study of 1,154 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found widespread reactivation of chronic Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae, with distinct viral patterns linked to disease severity, inflammation, and clinical outcomes. Anelloviridae also persisted during convalescence and were associated with physical deficits in long COVID, although the study did not establish causation.

7 Aug 2026

Night shifts and chronic insomnia may increase long COVID risk

The first evidence that night work and chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing long COVID comes from a new study led by ISGlobal, a centre supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), through the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort.

6 Aug 2026

Telemedicine expands access to pediatric primary care for endocrine or behavioral health issues

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that telemedicine is becoming increasingly common for problem-based primary care, particularly for children with endocrine or behavioral health issues where chronic needs are significant.

5 Aug 2026

New website tracks vaccine preventable diseases across the United States

A new website will track the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases across the United States to offer the public, the media, healthcare providers, public health officials, and policymakers reliable and visual information about current disease trends.

5 Aug 2026

Persistent media skepticism shapes common vaccine conspiracy beliefs

A research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University analyzed five years of longitudinal panel survey data collected between 2020 and 2024 and examined how vaccine-related conspiracy beliefs were associated with media skepticism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Aug 2026

Blurred boundaries between home and work can create barriers to sustained breastfeeding

Working from home is often seen as a good solution for new mothers, but a new Washington State University study reveals that the blurred boundaries between home and work can introduce barriers to sustained breastfeeding.

4 Aug 2026

Comedy videos help people recognize subtle positive facial expressions

In everyday life, the ability to read facial expressions plays a vital role in social communication, as it reveals a speaker's underlying emotions, intentions, and psychological state.

4 Aug 2026

Airplane wastewater pilot shows how airports could track pathogens across borders

Researchers showed that airplane wastewater from a shared US-UK transatlantic route could be collected and analyzed to detect respiratory and enteric pathogen genetic material. The pilot also captured SARS-CoV-2 lineage patterns, including earlier detection of XEC on UK-origin flights, while showing the need for harmonized assays and broader sampling.

4 Aug 2026

Daily social connections may improve long-term health and cognition

Calling a friend after a long day. Showing up to a neighbor's dinner when you'd rather stay home. Lingering a little longer in a conversation that didn't need to last.

3 Aug 2026

AI-driven optimization speeds large-scale vaccine distribution planning

Optimization models do an excellent job of ensuring products get where they are needed in the most efficient way possible, but those models require an impractical amount of computing power when dealing with large-scale problems – such as distributing vaccines to millions of people.

3 Aug 2026

Gestational diabetes cases surge across England, raising health concerns

One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes, with diagnoses rising by 60 per cent in just five years, according to a major study.

3 Aug 2026