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.

Evolution of digital medicine is reshaping healthcare operations

At least 12 percent of Americans now communicate with their healthcare providers about appointments, test results, and ongoing treatments via secure online patient portals and health apps, a new study shows.

22 Jun 2026

Bogotá’s strictest COVID restrictions delivered the clearest air-quality gains

A natural quasi-experiment in Suba, Bogotá, found that more stringent COVID-19 mobility restrictions were associated with larger reductions in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ air pollution. The findings suggest targeted traffic and emissions controls could improve urban air quality, although ozone responses were more complex, and the results may not generalize beyond this high-traffic district.

21 Jun 2026

New diagnostic tools aim to bridge long Covid knowledge gap

Five years after the first cases, patients with long Covid continue to go through months or years before receiving a diagnosis.

18 Jun 2026

Losing smell and taste may profoundly affect wellbeing

University of East Anglia research reveals that smell loss can affect quality of life as severely as conditions including diabetes, stroke, Parkinson's, and kidney failure.

16 Jun 2026

US adults are taking more supplements as multivitamins lose ground

A 25-year NHANES analysis of 63,442 US adults found that reported dietary supplement use rose from 51% to 60%, with the largest increases among adults aged 65 years and older. Use shifted away from multivitamin-multimineral products and toward vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and nonvitamin nonmineral supplements marketed for immune, anti-inflammatory, gut, skin, and joint health.

16 Jun 2026

Salt-loaded nanoparticles help deliver fragile gene therapies into cells

Researchers at the University of Houston's College of Pharmacy have discovered an unexpected simple strategy to improve the performance of mRNA vaccines and gene therapeutics: adding salt.

16 Jun 2026

Social comparisons may undermine happiness and life satisfaction

New research is shedding light on how comparing ourselves to others affects happiness and life satisfaction.

15 Jun 2026

Tiny genetic change influences coronavirus spillover into humans

Most pandemics start when a pathogen spreads from animals to humans. It's a leading explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic: the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, is a cousin to coronaviruses that live in bats.

15 Jun 2026

Wastewater analysis offers novel approach to track HIV burden

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) detection in wastewater offers a novel approach to monitor the virus in communities.

15 Jun 2026

Global study links rising obesity to premature heart disease deaths

Researchers are warning that obesity is reshaping the global cardiovascular disease crisis, as trend data covering 204 countries reveal that heart disease now peaks in people aged 50-54 rather than the elderly and increasingly in South Asia, where rates have grown more than three times faster than global averages, according to a study being presented Monday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.

15 Jun 2026

Massive study maps national medicine trends and health inequalities

The team from the BHF Data Science Centre at Health Data Research UK and the University of Liverpool say this type of analysis can offer opportunities for smarter and safer prescribing in their study published in the journal Nature Health.

15 Jun 2026

New EHR-based marker flags transplant patients at high risk for organ rejection

A new multicenter study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai suggests that a novel electronic health record-based marker can help clinicians identify transplant patients at high risk for organ rejection due to not taking their medications as prescribed-and intervene before the rejection happens.

15 Jun 2026

New mRNA flu vaccine offers broader protection against influenza strains

A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that an investigational mRNA influenza vaccine helps the immune system recognize a wider range of influenza viruses than today's standard flu shot, offering stronger and potentially longer-lasting protection.

15 Jun 2026

New poll reveals how politics reshaped trust in U.S. public health

A Harvard Chan/de Beaumont national poll of 2,205 U.S. adults found CDC trust dropped to 50% one year into new federal public health leadership, while state and local health agencies remained more trusted.

14 Jun 2026

Progress and gaps shape India's tuberculosis control strategy

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Tuberculosis (TB) is among the main infectious diseases responsible for global mortality worldwide. Cases in India, markedly contribute to the global TB burden.

12 Jun 2026

Study supports atropine drops for managing childhood short-sightedness

Low concentration atropine eye drops are a safe and effective treatment for short-sightedness (myopia) in UK children, although the effects are small, suggests a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

11 Jun 2026

Metformin reduces long COVID risk according to ACTIV-6 clinical trial

New findings from the ACTIV-6 randomized clinical trial provide important confirmation of prior clinical trial results that metformin, a widely available and inexpensive medication with an established safety record, reduced the risk of clinician-diagnosed long COVID when started during acute COVID-19 infection.

11 Jun 2026

BU professor to examine the role of postpartum hypertension on recurrent HDP risk

Samantha Parker Kelleher, along with researchers at BU School of Public Health and Boston Medical Center, will examine the role of high blood pressure during the postpartum period on the risk of developing recurrent hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.

11 Jun 2026

Remote work is reshaping social life and mental health in America

Zang and O’Brien’s Science Perspective highlights evidence that the post-pandemic rise in remote work has increased time spent alone and contributed to higher psychological distress among US workers. Drawing on findings from Emanuel et al., the article argues that workplaces provide an overlooked form of social infrastructure, making hybrid scheduling and institutional support important for preserving flexibility without deepening isolation.

10 Jun 2026

Remote work explains part of the post-pandemic rise in mental distress

Researchers found that workers in remote jobs spent more time alone after the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced greater psychological distress than those in non-remote jobs. The effects were strongest among people living alone, suggesting that reduced everyday social contact may be an important cost of remote work.

10 Jun 2026