Pandemic News and Research

RSS

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.

‘A fear pandemic’: Immigration raids push patients into telehealth

Jacob Sweidan has seen his patients through the federal immigration raids of the 1990s, a sitting governor's call to abolish birthright citizenship, and the highly publicized workplace crackdowns and family separation policies of President Donald Trump's first term.

14 Aug 2025

Study shows economic benefits of continued COVID-19 vaccination

As the nation gears up for the rollout of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, a new study shows the economic benefits of continued broad vaccination in adults.

14 Aug 2025

Pandemic left measurable changes in teen brains, hormones, and immunity

Adolescents assessed after COVID-19 lockdowns showed lower daily cortisol, higher inflammation, and reduced prefrontal cortex activity compared to matched pre-pandemic peers, suggesting widespread stress-related biological changes. These alterations mirror patterns seen after prolonged early-life stress, raising concerns about long-term health risks.

13 Aug 2025

Doctor’s white coats remain a symbol of trust despite growing acceptance of scrubs

Patients are still more likely to trust doctors and consider them more professional when they wear white coats, although women doctors in this attire are often misidentified as nurses or medical assistants, finds a review of the available research on the topic, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

13 Aug 2025

Rising human adaptive potential seen in 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the H5N1 influenza virus. It was first identified in birds three decades ago and has now gradually found its way to humans.

12 Aug 2025

Long COVID linked to lasting financial hardship and work disruption

While the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be widely studied and debated, the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic for individual patients is less understood.

12 Aug 2025

Global Virus Network committed to the continued development of mRNA vaccines

The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries dedicated to advancing pandemic preparedness, is unequivocally committed to the continued development and deployment of mRNA vaccines and the global scientific collaboration that makes such innovation possible.

12 Aug 2025

Considering a life change? Brace for higher ACA costs

People thinking about starting a business or retiring early — before they're old enough for Medicare — may want to wait until November, when they can see just how much their Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost next year. Sharp increases are expected.

12 Aug 2025

New biomarker may be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID

Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID.

11 Aug 2025

Childhood and adolescent immunizations decline in Michigan, study shows

Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declined in Michigan between 2017 and 2023, particularly among counties with lower household income and higher uninsurance rates, a new study suggests.

11 Aug 2025

Why young Americans dread turning 26: Health insurance chaos

Amid the challenges of adulthood, one rite of passage is unique to the United States: the need to find your own health insurance by the time you turn 26.

11 Aug 2025

New research pipeline fuels the development of universal vaccines

Most vaccines are designed to provide immunity against just one pathogen. Vaccines for chicken pox (caused by varicella-zoster virus) were only developed to fight that one disease, for example.

7 Aug 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Kennedy cancels vaccine funding

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that the federal government will cancel nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding is unnerving not only for those who develop vaccines, but also for public health experts who see the technology behind the first covid-19 shots as the nation's best hope to combat a future pandemic.

7 Aug 2025

Immune surveillance in children sheds light on virus rebound after COVID

The first paper from a multi-year clinical research study has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Dynamics of Endemic Virus Re-emergence in Children in the USA Following the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022-2023): A Longitudinal Immunoepidemiologic Surveillance Study and demonstrates how the approach can improve modeling to better predict future outbreaks.

7 Aug 2025

Early screening linked to spike in early-stage colon cancer diagnoses

Recent study shows a significant increase in early-stage colorectal cancer among 45-49 year-olds, linked to new screening recommendations and pandemic effects.

7 Aug 2025

Patient numbers at NIH hospital have plummeted under Trump, jeopardizing care

The number of people receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center — the renowned research hospital that cares for patients with rare or life-threatening diseases — has tumbled under the second Trump administration, according to government documents and interviews with current and former NIH employees.

7 Aug 2025

Children show delayed exposure to respiratory viruses after COVID restrictions

COVID-19 prevention methods such as masking and social distancing also suppressed the circulation of common respiratory diseases, leaving young children lacking immunity to pathogens they otherwise would have been exposed to, a new multi-center clinical research study reveals.

6 Aug 2025

Lifelong learning helps older adults build mental resilience

In a pair of new studies, researchers found that older adults who challenge themselves to learn new things are less likely to experience loneliness or depression, even during times of major upheaval.

6 Aug 2025

Scientists map the genes behind diet and dementia risk

Researchers established a high-quality genetic dataset from the MIND diet trial, enabling new studies of gene–diet interactions in cognitive health. This resource allows deeper investigation into why individuals respond differently to dietary interventions targeting dementia risk.

6 Aug 2025

Does your morning coffee or tea really boost your mood? Here’s what science says

Caffeine consumption is linked to increased positive mood in daily life, especially within 2.5 hours after waking. This effect is influenced by tiredness and social context, with no consistent impact on negative emotions.

6 Aug 2025