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.

Over 14 million children miss lifesaving vaccines threatening global goals

More than 14 million children missed out on lifesaving vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough last year, putting global goals off track, new UN data shows.

22 Jul 2025

Funding cuts threaten decades of progress in the fight against HIV

Countries worldwide must step up to support the fight against HIV or face the “ticking time bomb” left by the wholesale withdrawal of US funding, warns UNAIDS.

22 Jul 2025

Covid-19 pandemic linked to accelerated brain aging

A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated people's brain health, even if they were never infected with the virus.

22 Jul 2025

Low-cost diagnostic tool delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour

An affordable new diagnostic tool that delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour could help boost pandemic preparedness in resource-poor regions, according to a team of researchers.

22 Jul 2025

AI and wastewater surveillance unite to detect emerging viruses

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Jul 2025

Early smartphone use linked to poorer mental health in young adults

Owning a smartphone before age 13 is associated with poorer mind health and wellbeing in early adulthood, according to a global study of more than 100,000 young people.

21 Jul 2025

One-third of U.S. public schools mandate mental health checks for students

Nearly one-third of the nation's K-12 U.S. public schools mandate mental health screening for students, with most offering in-person treatment or referral to a community mental health professional if a student is identified as having depression or anxiety, according to a new study.

18 Jul 2025

Study underscores the need for enhanced child abuse detection during public health emergencies

Child physical abuse (CPA) is a leading cause of injury-related death among infants and young children. Common indicators include bruises, fractures, and particularly retinal and intracranial hemorrhages.

18 Jul 2025

Rethinking childhood obesity through gentle nutrition and emotional support

Over the past decades, childhood obesity has become a global health crisis, intensified by the sedentary routines and dietary disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Jul 2025

Insurers and customers brace for double whammy to Obamacare premiums

Most of the 24 million people in Affordable Care Act health plans face a potential one-two punch next year — double-digit premium increases along with a sharp drop in the federal subsidies that most consumers depend on to buy the coverage, also known as Obamacare.

18 Jul 2025

Health perceptions and stigma keep kids from eating school meals

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government enabled schools to provide all children, regardless of need, with free meals to address nutrition and food insecurity.

18 Jul 2025

COVID-19 boosters reduce hospitalization risk for cancer patients

Vaccine boosters help keep cancer patients from being hospitalized or admitted to intensive care units due to COVID-19, according to a new study led by Cedars-Sinai investigators.

17 Jul 2025

Study: Nearly half of hospital toilet users skip handwashing

Almost one in two people using a hospital toilet did not wash their hands afterwards, according to new research from the University of Surrey - raising serious concerns about hygiene compliance in high-risk environments.

17 Jul 2025

Measles outbreaks surge worldwide, driven by declining immunization coverage

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, is sounding the alarm over a sharp resurgence of measles cases in the United States and globally.

17 Jul 2025

Virtual eye clinics in shopping centers cut waiting times for routine appointments

Innovative virtual eye clinics in shopping centres could significantly reduce waiting times for routine eye appointments, UCL-led research suggests in a first-of-its-kind study.

15 Jul 2025

Infectious disease outbreaks erode trust in political institutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn the attention to the far-reaching social implications of emerging infectious diseases, bringing to mind similarly impactful events like the Black Plague in early modern Europe or the Spanish Flu after World War I.

15 Jul 2025

Study: Millions worldwide still lack access to essential surgical care

Progress towards universal access to safe, affordable surgical care is dangerously off track as at least 160 million patients each year are unable to receive surgery - with Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) bearing the brunt of the crisis, a new study reveals.

15 Jul 2025

Light-activated drug discovery identifies broad-spectrum antivirals

UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators from campus biotech spinoff Integrated Biosciences, as well as Harvard, MIT and genomics company Illumina Ventures are using optogenetics - the use of light to probe the functions of living tissue - to find compounds to help our bodies more effectively help themselves in times of physiological stress.

15 Jul 2025

New AI tool can help doctors read chest X‑rays better and improve health care outcomes

Can artificial intelligence, or AI, potentially transform health care for the better? Now, rising to the challenge, an Arizona State University team of researchers has built a powerful new AI tool, called Ark+, to help doctors read chest X‑rays better and improve health care outcomes.

15 Jul 2025

Genetic secrets of Spanish flu revealed through century-old sample

Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich have used a historical specimen from UZH's Medical Collection to decode the genome of the virus responsible for the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Switzerland.

14 Jul 2025