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.

Smartphone app enhances retention and reduces opioid use in patients

Patients with opioid use disorder can reduce their days of opioid use and stay in treatment longer when using a smartphone app as supportive therapy in combination with medication, a new study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) shows.

30 Dec 2024

Estrogen's role in female binge drinking revealed by preclinical study

The hormone estrogen regulates binge drinking in females, causing them to "pregame" – consume large quantities of alcohol in the first 30 minutes after it's offered, according to a preclinical study led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine.

30 Dec 2024

WHO TAG-CO-VAC reviews COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and antigen composition

The WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) continues to closely monitor the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, and the performance of COVID-19 vaccines against circulating variants.

24 Dec 2024

Study highlights geographical and hospital type trends in hospital-at-home participation

Hospitals that have adopted the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) "hospital-at-home" program, which serves as an alternative to admission to brick-and-mortar facilities, are concentrated in large, urban, not-for-profit, and academic hospitals, new research suggests.

23 Dec 2024

Wellness influencers show higher rates of vaccine opposition on social media

Wellness influencers showed higher rates of vaccine opposition on social media compared to other users’ accounts, according to a new University of Michigan study.

23 Dec 2024

Advancing quality integrated health services through relational community engagement

A new report, entitled "Relationality in community engagement: its role in humanizing healthcare and achieving quality integrated health Services" has been developed in collaboration with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and launched at the Seventh edition of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) taking place in Doha on 13–14 November 2024.

21 Dec 2024

New insights into respiratory syncytial virus and prevention strategies

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory infections, particularly in infants, children under 5 years, and older adults. Its rapid spread makes RSV a serious public health concern. Currently, there are no effective medications for RSV, and current treatment focuses on providing supportive care and preventing its spread.

20 Dec 2024

Public health strategies essential for reducing airborne virus transmission

Half a decade on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by the University of Surrey highlights the significant impact of combined public health measures in reducing airborne viral transmission.

20 Dec 2024

How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic

Keith Poulsen's jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October.

20 Dec 2024

Pregnant women must be prioritized in pandemic vaccination programs

The vast majority of women who contract bird flu during pregnancy and their unborn baby will die from the virus, according to a new study. And the findings stress the importance of early inclusion of pregnant women in public health vaccination programs during pandemics.

19 Dec 2024

New design could make seasonal influenza vaccinations more broadly effective

Stanford Medicine scientists have designed a way to make our seasonal influenza vaccinations more broadly effective and possibly to protect us from new flu variants with pandemic potential.

19 Dec 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': End-of-year chaos on Capitol Hill

After weeks of painstaking negotiations, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate agreed to a major year-end package of health bills, including new regulations for drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers, and renewals of programs to combat opioid abuse and prepare for the next possible pandemic.

19 Dec 2024

Study reveals positive impact of COVID-19 lockdown on gender identity development

Research published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown had largely positive impacts on gender identity development in trans and gender diverse youth.

19 Dec 2024

Radboud study links lockdowns to heightened immune reactions post-pandemic

Research from Radboud university medical center shows that the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's immune response to microorganisms.

19 Dec 2024

Research identifies key stressors impacting midwives' wellbeing

Research into stress among midwives has identified the most effective actions individual midwives and healthcare trusts can make to enhance wellbeing and reduce negative outcomes, including staff leaving the profession.

19 Dec 2024

Syphilis family traced to Pre-Columbian Americas

In spring 1495, the Italian campaign of Charles VIII of France was interrupted by an intense outbreak of an apparently unknown illness – a disease of high mortality that quickly engulfed the whole of Europe and left its survivors with life changing impairments to their bodies and minds.

18 Dec 2024

Whooping cough cases on the rise, but public awareness of the disease still persists

Following a several-year lull during the pandemic, cases of whooping cough are increasing across the United States.

17 Dec 2024

Study: Nearly 75% of Australian adolescents experience depression or anxiety

Almost three quarters of adolescents in Australia experience clinically significant depression or anxiety symptoms, with most being chronic, according to a new study.

17 Dec 2024

COVID-19 pandemic caused significant decline in special education identification

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted K-12 education and its effects have been well documented.

17 Dec 2024

Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump's choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives.

17 Dec 2024