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.

Virtual coach offers affordable alternative to human breathing trainers

A study by Aston University researchers suggests that a computer-generated breathing coach could be as effective as sessions with a human trainer.

30 Jan 2025

Trump administration’s halt of CDC’s weekly scientific report stalls bird flu studies

The Trump administration has intervened in the release of important studies on the bird flu, as an outbreak escalates across the United States.

30 Jan 2025

Study identifies rare diseases linked to increased COVID-19 mortality risks

An England-wide study of over 58 million people has identified eight rare diseases that carry significantly increased risks for COVID-19-related mortality in fully vaccinated individuals.

30 Jan 2025

WHO applauds Guinea's success in eradicating human African trypanosomiasis

The World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates Guinea for eliminating the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem.

30 Jan 2025

Study explores long-term effects of Japan's COVID-19 health advisories

In contrast to the lockdowns imposed in many countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese authorities issued health advisories and counted on citizens to follow them voluntarily.

29 Jan 2025

New study compares dementia care approaches and the impact on caregivers

New research comparing different approaches to dementia care for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias found no significant differences in patient behavioral symptoms or caregiver strain, whether delivered through a health system, provided by a community-based organization, or as usual care over an 18-month period.

29 Jan 2025

Study reveals pandemic’s effects on social skills of young children

Lockdowns. Social distancing. Shuttered schools and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping disruptions set off a stampede of "what it's doing to us" research, focused largely on schoolchildren.

29 Jan 2025

New tool launched to track infectious disease spread through wastewater

The European Commission has just launched a new tool that supports the tracking of the spread of infectious diseases by analyzing wastewater: the European Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard. It displays data from across the EU by bringing together existing national and research-based dashboards.

29 Jan 2025

Leukocyte count predicts severity of COVID-19 symptoms in older women

Thanks to advances in treatment options, a COVID-19 diagnosis is no longer as scary as it once was, at least for most people.

29 Jan 2025

Led by RFK Jr., conservatives embrace raw milk. Regulators say it's dangerous.

In summertime, cows wait under a canopy to be milked at Mark McAfee's farm in Fresno, California. From his Cessna 210 Centurion propeller plane, the 63-year-old can view grazing lands of the dairy company he runs that produces products such as unpasteurized milk and cheese for almost 2,000 stores.

29 Jan 2025

Survey reveals shift in U.S. views on childhood vaccine requirements

With President Donald Trump having threatened school vaccine mandates for children during his campaign, a new survey finds that nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults support requiring that children be vaccinated against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella.

29 Jan 2025

First henipavirus identified in North America

Researchers at The University of Queensland have identified the first henipavirus in North America.

28 Jan 2025

Simple sessions can improve wellbeing of pediatric critical care staff

The Staff Wellbeing (SWell) project, led by Aston University researchers in collaboration with Birmingham Children's Hospital and NHS England, has developed two simple, easy-to-deliver sessions to improve the wellbeing of staff in pediatric critical care (PCC) units in UK hospitals.

28 Jan 2025

Lifestyle choices are driving America’s heart disease epidemic, AHA warns

The AHA's 2025 report highlights alarming trends in cardiovascular disease, obesity, and lifestyle factors, emphasizing the urgent need for healthier behaviors to curb rising healthcare costs and mortality.

28 Jan 2025

Post-lockdown child mortality rates in England rise

Post-lockdown, child mortality rates in England increased, revealing significant disparities and ongoing challenges in pediatric health for vulnerable groups.

28 Jan 2025

What RFK Jr. might face in his nomination hearings this week

President Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer with no formal medical or public health expertise, as secretary of Health and Human Sciences.

28 Jan 2025

Pandemic linked to significant rise in firearm hospitalizations

Firearm injuries that sent victims to the hospital had gone down steadily over the five years before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but reversed course sharply over the next two years, a new University of Michigan study finds.

27 Jan 2025

Adderall shortage linked to shift in ADHD treatment for children

A national shortage in a common treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was associated with changes in stimulant prescriptions filled for children over recent years, a new study suggests.

27 Jan 2025

Exposure to diverse news sources increases vaccine uptake

People who get their news from an ideologically diverse array of sources are more likely to get vaccinated, regardless of their political affiliation, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows.

27 Jan 2025

Alarming cardiovascular disease statistics highlighted in 2025 report

Heart disease kills more people than any other cause as many of the risks factors that contribute to it remain on the rise, according the data reported in the 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of U.S. and Global Data From the American Heart Association.

27 Jan 2025