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.

Flawed coronavirus model prompts urgent reassessment for drug developers

The COVID pandemic illustrated how urgently we need antiviral medications capable of treating coronavirus infections.

4 Jul 2025

Letting bird flu run its course could spark wider pandemic

In a Policy Forum, Erin Sorrell and colleagues – a coalition of virologists, veterinarians, and health security experts – argue that the recent proposal to permit the uncontrolled spread of highly pathogenic avian influence (HPAI) among U.S. poultry to identify birds that survive infection is dangerous and unethical.

4 Jul 2025

New study moves closer to defeating dormant tuberculosis cells

New drugs that target 'zombie' tuberculosis (TB) cells are now a step closer, thanks to a new study led by the University of Surrey, published in Scientific Reports.

4 Jul 2025

Illness expectations play a crucial role in asthma progression and patient-reported outcomes

Individual expectations about one's health can influence him/her future condition and the speed of the progression of a disease: in fact, a research conducted by researchers of psychology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan campus, shows that, after a diagnosis of asthma, people who are optimistic about their health will have a slower progression of the disease.

3 Jul 2025

States brace for reversal of Obamacare coverage gains under Trump’s budget bill

Shorter enrollment periods. More paperwork. Higher premiums. The sweeping tax and spending bill pushed by President Donald Trump includes provisions that would not only reshape people's experience with the Affordable Care Act but, according to some policy analysts, also sharply undermine the gains in health insurance coverage associated with it.

3 Jul 2025

New global guidelines aim to make clozapine safer and more accessible

The most effective antipsychotic drug for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia is clozapine.

3 Jul 2025

What’s behind the rising accident risk for Americans overseas?

Over the past two decades, US citizens traveling abroad have become relatively more likely to die from vehicular and non-vehicular accidents, even as absolute fatalities declined. Rising proportional mortality ratios highlight persistent regional risks, especially in lower-income destinations.

3 Jul 2025

Canada faces growing threat from communicable diseases and misinformation

Canada must address the growing crisis of communicable diseases that has occurred in tandem with a rise in misinformation that threatens our health systems, argue authors in an editorial in CMAJ.

3 Jul 2025

Covid-19 impact extends beyond virus with increased deaths from other conditions

Disrupted care during the covid-19 pandemic led to sharp increases in other non-covid causes of illness and death, particularly mental health disorders, malaria in young children, and stroke and heart disease in older adults, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

3 Jul 2025

European study reveals barriers to multinational clinical trials

A new study by investigators from Europe, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK), has shed light on significant ethical, administrative, regulatory, and logistical (EARL) hurdles in delivering multinational randomized clinical trials.

3 Jul 2025

Study finds significant uptick in chronic digestive disorders during COVID-19 pandemic

A study led by Cedars-Sinai investigators uncovered a significant uptick in chronic digestive disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

3 Jul 2025

Looking for a natural way to lower blood pressure? Whole grains might be the answer

A new meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies found that higher whole grain intake is linked to a significantly lower risk of developing hypertension, with a 26% risk reduction observed between highest and lowest intake groups. In contrast, refined grain consumption showed no clear association with hypertension risk.

2 Jul 2025

Mediterranean diet wins on weight but misses on memory in diverse aging population

A 14-month randomized trial in older African American adults with obesity found that adopting a Mediterranean diet, with or without calorie-restricted weight loss, significantly improved diet quality and reduced body weight and visceral fat. However, no cognitive benefits were observed compared to usual diet.

2 Jul 2025

New study questions the universal benefits of pet ownership on well-being

A new study challenges the belief in a universal "pet effect" on human well-being. Using data collected during COVID-19 lockdowns, researchers found no significant change in respondents' well-being when they acquired or lost a pet in their household.

2 Jul 2025

Republican megabill will mean higher health costs for many Americans

President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" cuts federal spending on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces by about $1 trillion over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, threatening the physical and financial health of tens of millions of Americans.

2 Jul 2025

USAID funding cuts could cost millions of lives worldwide, study warns

A new study published in The Lancet has raised urgent concerns about the global health consequences of recent cuts to U.S. foreign aid.

1 Jul 2025

How underreporting masks the real impact of RSV in older populations

Research shows RSV leads to high hospitalization rates in adults, emphasizing the importance of enhanced surveillance and diagnostic measures in healthcare.

1 Jul 2025

Genetic bottlenecks limit the rise of pandemic cholera strains

A new study by the Genomics and Microbial Evolution Group at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) together with the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, sheds light on one of the great enigmas of microbiology: why only certain strains of common bacteria become pandemic pathogens.

30 Jun 2025

WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens reports on SARS-CoV-2 origins

The WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts, today published its report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

27 Jun 2025

Most Medicaid plans cover naloxone but barriers still exist

A new study found that almost all plans in 40 states and Washington, DC covered at least one form of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, although certain restrictions and quantity limits may still prevent people from accessing this life-saving drug.

27 Jun 2025