Plague News and Research

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Historical case studies: Pandemics in past societies

Whether it's the plague, cholera or currently COVID-19: epidemics are part of human history. Long before there were vaccinations or microscopes for the investigation of pathogens, societies had to develop coping strategies.

5 Sep 2020

For kids with special needs, online schooling divides haves and have-nots

It's Tuesday morning, and teacher Tamya Daly has her online class playing an alphabet game. The students are writing quickly and intently, with occasional whoops of excitement, on the little whiteboards she dropped off at their homes the day before along with coloring books, markers, Silly Putty and other learning props — all of which she created or paid for with her own money.

31 Aug 2020

Study identifies livestock husbandry practices associated with increased risk of infection

The risk of transmitting the livestock virus PPRV, which threatens 80 percent of the world's sheep and goats, increases with certain husbandry practices but not herd size.

24 Aug 2020

Remains of 17th century Bishop provide insights into the origins of tuberculosis

Bishop Peder Winstrup of Lund, Sweden passed away in the winter of 1679 at the age of 74 and was interred in a crypt at Lund Cathedral.

15 Aug 2020

Chaotic and incoherent: Damning study of over 500 U.S. campus COVID-19 reopening plans

Now, a new study by researchers at California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 shows that poorly planned and inadequate testing approaches to mitigate viral spread among the returning university students are likely to result in epidemics that will plague the country for a long time.

13 Aug 2020

Finned nanoporous catalyst facilitates molecular transport

Thousands of chemical processes used by the energy industry and for other applications rely on the high speed of catalytic reactions, but molecules frequently are hindered by molecular traffic jams that slow them down.

10 Aug 2020

Humans promote diseases from the animal kingdom

The coronavirus pandemic, which has now infected nearly 19 million and killed more than 712,000 people, most likely originated from bats. Just like other coronavirus outbreaks in the past, a spill-over event or zoonosis caused the viruses to jump from animals to humans.

6 Aug 2020

Compounds demonstrate promising activity against tuberculosis

Compounds tested for their potential as antibiotics have demonstrated promising activity against one of the deadliest infectious diseases - tuberculosis (TB).

30 Jul 2020

UArizona aims to develop a device for quick and accurate detection of pathogens, biological threats

To better protect individuals serving on the front lines of battlefields or dealing with an event like the current COVID-19 health crisis or potential future pandemics, scientists at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix are leading an effort to develop a device for easy, quick and accurate detection of pathogens and biological threats.

28 Jul 2020

New approach could enable wider adoption of COVID-19 testing for diagnosis in research laboratories

Clinician-scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore's (NTU Singapore) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) have demonstrated a way to improve the speed, handling time and cost of COVID-19 laboratory tests.

27 Jul 2020

Racially motivated hate crimes increase in the U.S.

Under the Hate Crime Statistic Act, hate crimes are defined as "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity."

22 Jul 2020

Rat plague following COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the widespread closure of many business establishments, including eateries and restaurants. This kind of mass change in human behavior has historically led to changes in animal behavior as well. This is especially observed with respect to urban rat behavior.

9 Jul 2020

COVID cuts a lethal path through San Quentin’s death row

The old men live in cramped spaces and breathe the same ventilated air. Many are frail, laboring with heart disease, liver and prostate cancer, tuberculosis, dementia. And now, with the coronavirus advancing through their ranks, they are falling one after the next.

8 Jul 2020

China reports Dengue fever after bubonic plague threat

The actively spreading coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first emerged in China in December 2019. More than six months after, the world grapples with nearly 11.8 confirmed cases of the viral infection. Now, as China slowly starts to reboot its economy and ease lockdown restrictions, two new health issues are emerging.

8 Jul 2020

Mongolia warns of suspected bubonic plague

Mongolia has issued a warning to residents in the western Khovd region after two people are suspected of having the bubonic plague. The National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) states that the disease is linked to the consumption of marmots, a relatively large ground squirrel.

6 Jul 2020

Survey reveals significant mental health impact during COVID-19 pandemic

The findings of a nationwide survey assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional wellbeing of U.S. adults show 90 percent of survey respondents reported experiencing emotional distress related to the pandemic.

2 Jul 2020

NAU research centers receive grants from Flinn Foundation to support COVID-19 response

Scientists at two Northern Arizona University research centers--the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute and the Center for Health Equity Research--recently received grants totaling $175,000 from the Flinn Foundation in support of projects directed at responding to the COVID-19 threat.

17 Jun 2020

Genomic analysis of medieval skeletons has important implications for syphilis history in Europe

Mass burials are common remnants of the many plague outbreaks that ravaged Medieval Europe. A number of these graveyards are well documented in historical sources, but the locations of most, and the victims they contain, have been lost to the pages of time. In Vilnius, Lithuania, one such cemetery was found in a typical way: accidental discovery during a routine city construction project.

12 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Say what? The spread of coronavirus confusion

As we gain more and more information about the coronavirus and COVID-19, we seem to have less and less understanding of how the disease works and how prevalent it is in areas around the country and world.

11 Jun 2020

Researchers examine bat genome assemblies to find solution for COVID-19

While questions remain about the origin of COVID-19, many scientists now believe the virus spread to humans from bats. Two Texas Tech University researchers are now taking a closer look at whether bats also could offer a solution to the pandemic.

9 Jun 2020