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.

Iron dysregulation linked to long COVID development

Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body's ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, new research has discovered.

5 Mar 2025

CDC firings undermine public health work far beyond Washington

The Trump administration’s sudden firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees gutted training programs across the nation whose participants bolstered the workforce of state and local public health departments that for decades have been starved of resources.

5 Mar 2025

New study shows why breastfeeding and fortified foods must go hand in hand

Food fortification and breastfeeding play a crucial role in combating malnutrition during a child's first 1,000 days, but their success depends on improved monitoring, policy support, and public-private partnerships.

4 Mar 2025

Smartwatches could be a powerful tool to prevent future pandemics

Everyday smartwatches are extremely accurate in detecting viral infection long before symptoms appear - now, research shows how they could help stop a pandemic before it even begins.

4 Mar 2025

Millions suffer from lack of access to safe medical oxygen globally

Six out of every ten people globally lack access to safe medical oxygen, resulting in hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year and reducing quality of life for millions more, an international report co-authored by the University of Auckland has found.

4 Mar 2025

Study reveals key cause of ventilator-induced lung injury

A new study from Tulane University suggests that repeated collapse and reopening of tiny alveoli-air sacs in the lungs essential for breathing-during mechanical ventilation may cause microscopic tissue damage, playing a key role in ventilator-related injuries that contribute to thousands of deaths annually.

3 Mar 2025

Maternal stress may disrupt infant gut health, study highlights long-term risks

Perinatal maternal stress may alter gut microbiota in mothers and infants, potentially increasing inflammatory bacteria linked to health risks. A scoping review highlights the need for better stress measurement and microbiome research.

3 Mar 2025

Tomatoes and lycopene: Can eating more reduce your cancer risk?

Higher dietary and blood lycopene levels are linked to a reduced risk of cancer, with the strongest protective effects seen against lung cancer mortality. However, these findings are observational and require further research.

2 Mar 2025

Study examines transmission-risk assessment metrics for infectious diseases in indoor spaces

A recent study published in the journal Engineering delves into the complex world of assessing the transmission risk of infectious diseases in indoor spaces.

2 Mar 2025

Cambridge launches program to tackle engineered pandemic risks

Covid-19 showed us how vulnerable the world is to pandemics – but what if the next pandemic were somehow engineered? How would the world respond – and could we stop it happening in the first place?

27 Feb 2025

How social media spreads diet misinformation—and what experts say must change

Systematic review reveals Instagram and YouTube as primary hubs for nutrition misinformation, notably promoting unverified "miracle diets" linked to orthorexia and COVID-19, urging public health institutions and healthcare professionals to prioritize digital literacy and evidence-based content.

27 Feb 2025

Wealth disparities impact telehealth access for mental health care

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that mental health visits for patients with depression from high-wealth neighborhoods in Maryland were significantly more likely to happen via telehealth compared to patients with depression from low-wealth neighborhoods in Maryland from mid-2021 through mid-2024.

27 Feb 2025

Virtual lactation support shows promise in increasing breastfeeding rates

Mothers who were given access to virtual breastfeeding support (or telelactation) through a free app tended to report more breastfeeding than peers who did not receive such help, with a more-pronounced effect observed among Black mothers, according to a new RAND study.

27 Feb 2025

Young children rapidly adapt to new social norms during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major and sudden effect on all aspects of life, requiring children and their families to rapidly change their habits and adopt new behaviors to stay healthy.

27 Feb 2025

Air sampling detects 70–90% of poultry viruses and reveals 50 more hidden threats

Researchers found that environmental sampling in live-bird markets detects 70–90% of poultry viruses, often outperforming traditional swab methods, and identified 50 additional viruses, some from non-avian sources.

26 Feb 2025

NSHAP study examines cognition and aging in post-COVID era

A new supplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences presents new measures, methods, and data collected during Round 4 (2021 to 2023) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) - with a focus on cognition and how researchers adapted to working with participants as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

26 Feb 2025

Why life expectancy gains in Europe stalled—and how some countries stayed ahead

Life expectancy gains in Europe slowed after 2011, with the COVID-19 pandemic further accelerating declines—while some countries maintained progress through sustained public health policies.

25 Feb 2025

Routine psychological screening can improve maternal cardiovascular health

Integrating routine psychological health screening and treatment during and after pregnancy may reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and improve maternal cardiovascular health, according to a new scientific statement published today in a Go Red for Women spotlight issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Feb 2025

Opioid cash grab: As federal funding dries up, states turn to settlement money

At a recent Nevada legislative committee hearing, lawmakers faced off with members of the governor's administration over how to fill gaping holes in the state's upcoming budget.

25 Feb 2025