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.

What makes H5N1 a pandemic risk and how can we stop it?

A new PEARLS article in PLoS Pathogens reviews the rapid evolution and pandemic potential of emerging influenza A viruses, with a focus on H5N1. It highlights scientific advances and future strategies to outpace the virus, from next-generation vaccines to AI-driven antiviral discovery.

19 May 2025

Diabetes paradox: Rising diabetes prevalence poses a growing threat to the labor market

Advances in medical technology over the last 30 years have made it easier to detect and treat diabetes, leading to significant health improvements in people with the disease.

18 May 2025

Electromagnetic waves disrupt SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and lower infectivity

Researchers demonstrated that specific electromagnetic wave frequencies can disrupt the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein structure in virus-like particles, leading to reduced infectivity in cell models. This proof-of-concept study suggests new avenues for non-chemical viral inactivation methods.

18 May 2025

Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly set to begin in May 2025

The Seventy-eighth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA78) will convene from 19 to 27 May 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme "One World for Health".

16 May 2025

Pharmacists stockpile most common drugs on chance of targeted Trump tariffs

In the dim basement of a Salt Lake City pharmacy, hundreds of amber-colored plastic pill bottles sit stacked in rows, one man's defensive wall in a tariff war.

16 May 2025

Even where abortion is still legal, many brick-and-mortar clinics are closing

On the last day of patient care at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette, Michigan, a port town on the shore of Lake Superior, dozens of people crowded into the parking lot and alley, holding pink homemade signs that read "Thank You!" and "Forever Grateful."

16 May 2025

Socioeconomic gaps persist in COVID-19 vaccination among older Swedes

The spring COVID-19 vaccination program in Sweden is in its final stages in several parts of the country. The program has encompassed free booster doses for those at increased risk of serious illness, including the very oldest members of society.

16 May 2025

US hospitals see rising complications in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy

A large US study found that takotsubo cardiomyopathy is associated with high in-hospital mortality and serious cardiovascular complications, with no improvements in outcomes over five years. Mortality is more than double in men compared to women, and risk factors include age, race, and hospital characteristics.

15 May 2025

Lower fitness before infection raises risk of long COVID, study finds

Adults who later developed long COVID had lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) before infection than those who did not. COVID-19 was not linked to accelerated or clinically significant declines in CRF, even among long COVID cases.

15 May 2025

HIV vaccine study marks breakthrough in targeting broad immune responses

A decades-long scientific challenge in HIV vaccine development has been finding a way to train the immune system to produce antibodies that can target many variants of the virus.

15 May 2025

Breakthrough bat organoid platform sheds light on behavior of zoonotic viruses

Did you know that more than 75% of new infectious diseases affecting humans originally come from animals? Bats, in particular, are natural hosts to some of the world's most dangerous viruses, including those responsible for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), MERS-CoV, influenza A, and hantavirus outbreaks.

15 May 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': GOP poised to cut billions in health benefits

After all-night markups, two key House committees approved GOP budget legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from federal health programs over the next decade, mostly from the Medicaid program for people with low incomes or disabilities.

15 May 2025

New WHO report reveals the deeper health impacts caused by COVID-19 pandemic

WHO published its World health statistics report 2025, revealing the deeper health impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on loss of lives, longevity and overall health and well-being.

15 May 2025

SLIRP protein identified as key regulator of immune responses

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, various new infectious diseases continue to emerge, posing ongoing viral threats that demand robust and sustained immune defenses.

15 May 2025

Rethinking the public health workforce for a changing world

As the U.S. continues to face complex public health challenges, a new paper published by a researcher at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health calls for a redefinition of the public health workforce-one that goes beyond traditional boundaries and acknowledges the growing number of professionals outside government agencies who contribute to public health.

15 May 2025

Reinfections lower long COVID risk but raise cumulative burden

A population-based study in Quebec found that healthcare workers faced a threefold higher risk of long COVID after a first infection compared to reinfections. However, the cumulative risk rose with each additional infection, especially among those with severe illness or early variants.

14 May 2025

The GOP’s trying again to cut Medicaid. It’s only gotten harder since 2017.

It has been nearly eight years since Sen. John McCain's middle-of-the-night thumbs-down vote torpedoed Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make drastic cuts to Medicaid.

14 May 2025

Readers scrutinize federal cuts and medical debt

The recent KFF Health News article "Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.'s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump" (April 17) struck a nerve.

13 May 2025

More screen time, less happiness? New study links phones to poorer child and adolescent health

Smartphone use and symptoms of problematic smartphone use (PSU) have increased among children and adolescents between 2018 and 2024. The study links this trend to a decline in quality of life, particularly in girls and younger children, though causality remains unclear.

13 May 2025