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.

Sent home to heal, patients avoid wait for rehab home beds

After a patch of ice sent Marc Durocher hurtling to the ground, and doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center repaired the broken hip that resulted, the 75-year-old electrician found himself at a crossroads.

12 Mar 2025

COVID-19 pandemic caused significant loss of disability-free life in Europe

Among 289 million adults in 18 European countries, more than 16 million years of life were lost from 2020 through 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published March 11th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Sara Ahmadi-Abhari of Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues.

11 Mar 2025

How perception of risk affects COVID-19 infections in aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel

One category of first responders had close, daily contact with travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic: aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel.

11 Mar 2025

Who gives better health advice - ChatGPT or Google?

A new study compared four search engines and seven AI chatbots, including ChatGPT and GPT-4, to answer 150 health-related questions. Large language models outperformed search engines but showed sensitivity to prompts and risks of misinformation.

11 Mar 2025

Measles cases surge in Europe amid vaccine gaps

Data presented in the monthly measles and rubella update by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicate ongoing transmission of measles across a number of countries in EU/EEA, with a steep rise in cases reported during 2024.

11 Mar 2025

Study explores impact of pandemics on birth rates in Switzerland

Researchers at UZH have studied the impact of pandemics on the birth rate in Switzerland for the first time.

11 Mar 2025

Self-sampling could reduce disparities in cervical screening

New research from University of Manchester experts suggests that introducing a UK-wide self-sampling program alongside existing ‘smear tests’ could help to remove most of the current barriers to cervical screening.

11 Mar 2025

Canary in the coalmine: Study warns 21 million children missed measles shots in 2022

Researchers found that 21 million children missed measles vaccination in 2022, far exceeding those missing other vaccines, and 96% were in low- and middle-income countries. The study urges adding measles vaccination rates to global definitions of under-immunized children to better prevent deadly outbreaks.

10 Mar 2025

How falling measles vaccination rates put millions of children at risk

Two-dose measles vaccination coverage has fallen by 3.7% globally since 2019, leaving most WHO regions off track to meet Immunization Agenda 2030 targets. The study highlights a worrying rise in zero-dose children, especially in Africa, threatening global herd immunity against measles.

10 Mar 2025

Study reveals genes critical for tuberculosis survival during transmission

Tuberculosis bacteria rely on a family of genes that help them survive the challenging journey from one person's lungs to another person's during coughing, sneezing or talking, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

10 Mar 2025

MRNA vaccines, once a Trump boast, now face attacks from some in GOP

Researchers racing to develop bird flu vaccines for humans have turned to a cutting-edge technology that enabled the rapid development of lifesaving covid shots.

10 Mar 2025

Eradivir begins Phase 2 challenge study for antiviral therapeutic EV25

Eradivir, a clinical-stage small molecule immunotherapy biotech company, announced it has begun a Phase 2 challenge study with its antiviral therapeutic, EV25. The study will provide safety and efficacy data gathered from otherwise healthy participants infected with influenza then later treated with EV25.

7 Mar 2025

Incarcerated individuals face unique health risks during wildfires

When a wildfire approaches a prison and an evacuation warning is issued, what are the health risks that incarcerated people face when officials decide to not evacuate?

7 Mar 2025

Marty Makary, often wrong as pandemic critic, is poised to lead the FDA he railed against

Panelists at a covid conference last fall were asked to voice their regrets — policies they had supported during the pandemic but had come to see as misguided. Covid contact tracing, one said. Closing schools, another said. Vaccine mandates, a third said.

7 Mar 2025

Medicaid advocates say critics use loaded terms to gain edge in Congressional debate

In Washington's debate over enacting steep funding cuts to Medicaid, words are a central battleground.

7 Mar 2025

Study highlights the long-term impact of COVID-19 pandemic on student performance

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student performance is well known, but four years after the pandemic, scores in college classes are not returning to their pre-pandemic levels. A University of Mississippi study might point to an answer.

7 Mar 2025

Telehealth for ADHD treatment linked to higher substance use disorder risk

For nearly five years, people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have had the option of getting their stimulant medications prescribed and renewed by doctors they see only over a computer screen, despite the risks that these stimulant drugs can pose if misused.

6 Mar 2025

Scientists discover new strategy to fight back against norovirus

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a strategy to fight back against norovirus, a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide.

6 Mar 2025

New antibody pair could defeat all SARS-CoV-2 variants

A Stanford-led team has found two antibodies that can work together to defeat all SARS-CoV-2 variants. More research is needed, but the approach could help in the development of treatments to keep pace with evolving viruses.

6 Mar 2025