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.

Transcendental meditation greatly reduces PTSD symptoms, meta-analysis shows

Just published is the third new study showing that TM is highly effective in reducing stress in a wide array of populations.

21 Apr 2025

Long COVID poses lasting health risks for young people

Long COVID can result in increased risk for a variety of serious health problems for young people, including those affecting the kidney, gut, and cardiovascular system, according to a group of new studies led by investigators at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

21 Apr 2025

Vaccinated children far less likely to develop long COVID

Unvaccinated children and adolescents were up to 20 times more likely to develop long COVID than their vaccinated peers, according to new research led by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

21 Apr 2025

Anxiety and depression in children increased steadily from 2016 to 2022

The percentage of children under 18 years old with anxiety and depression increased steadily from 2016 to 2022, according to publicly available data from the National Survey of Children's Health that were analyzed by researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

21 Apr 2025

Timely and targeted psychiatric care can be lifesaving for adolescents with depression

There has been a troubling rise in adolescent mental health struggles and suicide rates over the past decade, with a dramatic increase following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Apr 2025

California halts medical parole, sends several critically ill patients back to prison

California has halted a court-ordered medical parole program, opting instead to send its most incapacitated prisoners back to state lockups or release them early.

21 Apr 2025

Insurance instability more common among low-income adults with diabetes

An Oregon Health & Science University-led study reveals that low-income adults with diabetes are more likely to go in and out of health insurance, and that insurance instability is even worse for those with complex needs.

18 Apr 2025

Economic downturns linked to shorter life expectancy for less-educated Americans

Fifty years of economic change have taken a heavy toll on some Americans, especially those with less education who not only have been left behind but are sicker and living shorter lives, according to new research.

18 Apr 2025

Covid worsened shortages of doctors and nurses. Five years on, rural hospitals still struggle.

Even by rural hospital standards, Keokuk County Hospital and Clinics in southeastern Iowa is small.

18 Apr 2025

Why measles is resurging in vulnerable countries despite global progress

Global measles incidence, mortality, and DALY rates in children under five dropped significantly from 1990 to 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted vaccination efforts, leading to coverage declines and elevated outbreak risks in low-SDI regions.

17 Apr 2025

Vaccine trial shows promise for saving California condors from bird flu

Researchers evaluated the safety and immune response of a poultry-derived H5N1 avian influenza vaccine in black vultures and critically endangered California condors. The findings support the use of vaccination as a conservation tool against deadly avian flu outbreaks.

17 Apr 2025

WHO Member States take major step forward in making the world safer from pandemics

After more than three years of intensive negotiations, WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics, by forging a draft agreement for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May.

17 Apr 2025

RFK Jr. struggles to navigate frustrated supporters and a demanding boss

After the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, supporters of his "Make America Healthy Again" movement cheered at having a champion in the federal government.

17 Apr 2025

Dr. Hayre warns of mental health crisis for children after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic deepened existing health disparities and thrust children into a mental health epidemic, altering the landscape of health and wellbeing for a generation.

16 Apr 2025

Congenital heart surgery in children remained safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Major reallocation of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that elective surgery in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) was significantly reduced, so that those needing urgent, lifesaving and emergency surgery could be treated.

15 Apr 2025

Do disasters delay early cancer diagnoses?

Rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses dropped during and shortly after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, according to a recent analysis. However, late-stage diagnoses eventually exceeded expectations, suggesting that limited access to cancer screening services due to these disasters likely hindered timely CRC diagnoses. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

15 Apr 2025

#RareDiseases - The EU Action Plan must step up European-national cooperation

A high-level conference convened in Warsaw under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union highlighted the importance of adopting a comprehensive Europe-wide policy framework on rare diseases.

15 Apr 2025

Why measles is back in the U.S. and what doctors must know now

Measles is making a troubling comeback in the U.S., driven by declining vaccination rates and rising vaccine hesitancy. Pediatric infectious disease experts provide clinical guidance to help healthcare providers recognize, manage, and prevent measles in today’s outbreak-prone environment.

14 Apr 2025

Limited health care access during disasters may hinder timely colorectal cancer diagnoses

Rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses dropped during and shortly after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, according to a recent analysis.

14 Apr 2025

Adolescent obesity in England rises by 50% over 15 years

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that the proportion of adolescents living with overweight or obesity in England has increased by 50% from 2008-2010 (22%) to 2021-2023 (33%).

12 Apr 2025