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.

Nigerian COVID-19 response highlights cultural trust in ethnopharmacology

During COVID-19, ethnopharmacology became prominent in Nigeria due to affordability, accessibility, and cultural trust, but evidence for safety and efficacy remains limited.

25 Aug 2026

Visual storytelling transforms scientific evidence into meaningful public health action

Even as the scientific community has reached broad consensus that infectious pathogens, such as viruses, can spread through airborne transmission in virus-laden aerosols, one fundamental challenge remains.

25 Aug 2026

Japan vaccinated heavily during COVID-19. Why are so many unsure about vaccinating next time?

A nationwide Japanese survey found that only 53.1% of respondents said they would accept vaccination in a hypothetical future pandemic with COVID-19-like fatality, despite substantially higher previous COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Willingness varied by demographics, perceived disease risk, exposure to misinformation, vaccine characteristics, and practical factors such as cost, evidence, professional recommendations, and accessibility.

24 Aug 2026

Survey provides a comprehensive snapshot of youth mental health and drug use in Ontario

Findings from the 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggest that Ontario middle and high school students have rebounded from the heightened mental health challenges seen during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Aug 2026

Yeast-based nanoparticle vaccine could make annual flu shots obsolete

The world mostly relies on an 80-year-old method for producing flu vaccines from chicken eggs - a slow, costly process that struggles to quickly adapt to new, mutant strains.

24 Aug 2026

Nanoparticle vaccine offers long-lasting protection against multiple flu strains

A new, nanoparticle vaccine could one day grant patients immunity to the flu with fewer trips to the doctor and without health officials correctly guessing which flu strains will become dominant each year.

24 Aug 2026

A two-year diet trial challenges the idea that weight loss is the only result that matters

In the two-year DELISH randomized trial, adults with obesity achieved modest, sustained weight loss with either an adapted Mediterranean-style program or a commercial weight loss program. The Mediterranean-style intervention produced greater improvements in self-reported diet quality, while 24-month weight loss did not materially differ between groups.

24 Aug 2026

Study highlights strengths and barriers of remote heart failure care

Interviews with patients hospitalized for heart failure, caregivers, providers, and organizational leaders highlighted several strengths of Mighty Heart (a major clinical trial examining the effectiveness of in home and telehealth-enabled visits from paramedics) that may support its adoption and implementation across health systems, a Columbia Nursing-led study finds.

21 Aug 2026

Study links past COVID infection to stronger breathing response after brief arousals from sleep

COVID-19 can leave behind fatigue, breathing difficulties and neurological symptoms that persist long after the initial infection.

21 Aug 2026

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

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Nigerian COVID-19 response highlights cultural trust in ethnopharmacology

Visual storytelling transforms scientific evidence into meaningful public health action

Japan vaccinated heavily during COVID-19. Why are so many unsure about vaccinating next time?

Survey provides a comprehensive snapshot of youth mental health and drug use in Ontario

Yeast-based nanoparticle vaccine could make annual flu shots obsolete

Nanoparticle vaccine offers long-lasting protection against multiple flu strains

A two-year diet trial challenges the idea that weight loss is the only result that matters

Study highlights strengths and barriers of remote heart failure care

Study links past COVID infection to stronger breathing response after brief arousals from sleep

First 24 hours shape the body's antiviral defense response

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

New project builds AI infrastructure for healthcare crisis management

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

Study examines how public deliberation can strengthen public health policymaking

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

H5N1 infections remain rare among workers exposed to infected birds

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

Voltammetry and machine learning for real-time neurotransmitter detection

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

Night shifts and chronic insomnia may increase long COVID risk

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

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