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.

As the coronavirus spreads, Americans lose ground against other health threats

Antibiotics revolutionized the care of infections. Vaccines turned deadly childhood diseases into distant memories. Americans lived longer, healthier lives than their parents.

26 Feb 2020

Using social media to study vaccine acceptance in China

Vaccine acceptance is a crucial public health issue, which has been exacerbated by the use of social media to spread content expressing vaccine hesitancy.

25 Feb 2020

Prepare for potential coronavirus pandemic, WHO warns

As the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases spike over the past few days outside China, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the world must prepare for a potential pandemic.

24 Feb 2020

Italy grapples with the largest coronavirus outbreak in Europe

In just a matter of days, Italy has reported an increasing number of cases linked to the novel coronavirus that is spreading rapidly across the globe. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged in China late in December 2019 and has so far reached 30 countries.

23 Feb 2020

Is COVID-19 the dreaded ‘Disease X' scientists warned us about?

Back in February 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) talked about a new virus that will emerge and wreak havoc across the globe. Disease X was the term used for this new unknown pathogen that might cause a future epidemic.

23 Feb 2020

Study shows main gates for coronavirus importation in Africa

Egypt, Algeria and Republic of South Africa are the African countries most at risk for coronavirus COVID-19 importation in the continent, due to high air traffic with the contaminated Chinese provinces.

20 Feb 2020

SwRI's Rhodium evaluates drug compounds for possible treatment of coronavirus

Drug discovery software at Southwest Research Institute is expanding the capacity to virtually screen drug compounds for possible treatment of coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

20 Feb 2020

Vaccine for COVID-19 coronavirus could soon be a reality

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health have managed to make significant progress in the development of a vaccine against the fast-spreading and virulent COVID-19/Novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019 and is still infecting thousands.

19 Feb 2020

Research reveals new pathogenic mechanism for influenza NS1 protein

Influenza is a deadly virus, with about 290,000 to 650,000 deaths worldwide each year. When pandemics hit, the toll can soar: The Spanish flu of 1918 caused 40 million to 50 million deaths, the Asian flu of 1957 caused 2 million deaths, and the Hong Kong flu of 1968 caused 1 million deaths.

16 Feb 2020

Effectiveness of travel bans to control infectious disease outbreaks is mostly unknown

Because of the quick and deadly outbreak in late December of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, now known as COVID-19 – infecting tens of thousands and killing hundreds within weeks, while spreading to at least 24 other countries – many governments, including the United States, have banned or significantly restricted travel to and from China.

14 Feb 2020

Coronavirus tests public health infrastructure in the heartland

Every weekday at noon since Jan. 27, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams gathers his outbreak response team for a meeting on coronavirus.

13 Feb 2020

Increased hand hygiene at airports can mitigate spread of coronavirus by 37%

As coronavirus spreads across the globe via infected air travelers, authorities are attempting to contain the outbreak and avoid a pandemic.

12 Feb 2020

Improving handwashing at airports could reduce the spread of infectious diseases

A new study estimates that improving the rates of handwashing by travelers passing through just 10 of the world's leading airports could significantly reduce the spread of many infectious diseases.

10 Feb 2020

Five-year $3.7 million dollar grant supports research on evolution of viruses

The evolution of viruses will be the focus of a five-year $3.7 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation's new program on convergence research, to an interdisciplinary team led by Penn State.

10 Feb 2020

UK facing a major coronavirus outbreak, experts warn

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or Wuhan coronavirus) is spreading like wildfire across the globe and health officials are racing to contain the virus. Experts in the United Kingdom warn that the country is facing a major coronavirus outbreak in the coming weeks as the number of confirmed cases rises to four, as more than 25 countries have reported increasing case toll.

9 Feb 2020

Panicky responses to coronavirus may create many more problems

The new coronavirus is still spreading rapidly, in and out of China. By January 31, barely a month after the new pathogen's appearance on the world stage, already 62 countries had imposed restrictions on the entry of Chinese citizens.

6 Feb 2020

Coronavirus - pandemic or not?

The coronavirus strain called 2019-nCoV has been causing widespread illness in China, with 28,276 affected by the virus and over 565 deaths worldwide, mostly in China. As of now, it is already more deadly than the SARS epidemic that raged between 2002 and 2004.

6 Feb 2020

Coronavirus update: Crucial information about transmission, diagnosis, treatment

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has spread from China to more than 25 countries, is more difficult to contain than previously thought. The death toll from the infection soars past 565, with more than 28,256 confirmed cases. Scientists from around the globe are racing to determine the mode of transmission and how the virus spreads at such a rapid pace.

6 Feb 2020

Investigational HIV vaccine not effective in preventing HIV

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), part of the National Institutes of Health, has stopped administration of vaccinations in its HVTN 702 clinical trial of an investigational HIV vaccine.

3 Feb 2020

Patients with type 2 diabetes can achieve cardiovascular protection from use of SGLT2 inhibitors

All type 2 diabetes patient subgroups are likely to achieve cardiovascular protection from the use of SGLT2 inhibitors, according to a large multi-study review published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

31 Jan 2020