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.

Sleep patterns reveal hidden health clues

Your sleep tracker might give you information about more than just your sleep–specifically, it might give you information about chronic conditions such as diabetes and sleep apnea, and illnesses such as COVID-19.

25 Jun 2024

US surgeon general declares gun violence ‘a public health crisis’

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence a public health crisis, as gun deaths and injuries punctuate daily life in America.

25 Jun 2024

Quality Improvement Program for Missouri saves millions and enhances elder care

A researcher at the University of Missouri has developed a program that improves the quality of care and reduces avoidable hospitalizations in nursing homes - saving Missouri nursing homes and Medicare millions of dollars and allowing Missouri nursing homes to invest more in retaining their most skilled staff members.

24 Jun 2024

Positive emotion skills improve health care workers' well-being

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already rising rates of burnout among American health care workers.

24 Jun 2024

Impact of Cannabis Act: Increase in cannabis disorders among pregnant women in Quebec

The impact of the Cannabis Act (CAC) and the COVID-19 pandemic on substance-related disorders among pregnant women in Quebec.

24 Jun 2024

New study warns of potential pandemic risk from α-H1N2 swine flu virus

The α-H1N2 influenza virus in swine poses a higher pandemic risk due to its ability to evade human immunity and transmit between species, highlighting the need for vigilant monitoring.

23 Jun 2024

Pennington Biomedical researchers partner on award-winning long COVID study

Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, is serving as a co-principal investigator on the Pathobiology in RECOVER of Metabolic and Immune Systems, or PROMIS, study.

21 Jun 2024

Cannabis use tied to increased risk of severe COVID-19

As the deadly disease that came to be known as COVID-19 started spreading in late 2019, scientists rushed to answer a critical question: Who is most at risk?

21 Jun 2024

Human fleas found to be a culprit in plague outbreaks

The plague might be most commonly associated with the devastating European pandemic of the 1300s known as the "Black Death".

21 Jun 2024

Community-support model for underserved groups during health emergencies

King Jr, K. I., et al. (2024). Building Power on Mass&Cass: A Community-Centered Approach to Addressing Health Resource Gaps for Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Boston, MA, 2021. American Journal of Public Health. doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307713.

20 Jun 2024

Study finds increase in cannabis-related disorders among pregnant women post legalization

In October 2018, Canada enacted the Cannabis Act in Canada (CAC), which legalised the non-medical use of cannabis.

20 Jun 2024

‘We’re flying blind’: CDC has 1M bird flu tests ready, but experts see repeat of covid missteps

It's been nearly three months since the U.S. government announced an outbreak of the bird flu virus on dairy farms.

20 Jun 2024

Experts: US hospitals prone to cyberattacks like one that hurt patient care at Ascension

In the wake of a debilitating cyberattack against one of the nation's largest health care systems, Marvin Ruckle, a nurse at an Ascension hospital in Wichita, Kansas, said he had a frightening experience: He nearly gave a baby "the wrong dose of narcotic" because of confusing paperwork.

20 Jun 2024

A tale of two states: Arizona and Florida diverge on how to expand kids’ health insurance

Arizona and Florida — whose rates of uninsured children are among the highest in the nation — set goals last year to widen the safety net that provides health insurance to people 18 and younger.

20 Jun 2024

Several key policies to stop the spread of COVID-19 were generally a good idea in hindsight according to majority of Americans

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation present findings from a national poll they conducted to obtain public views on COVID-19 pandemic-related policies.

20 Jun 2024

Unveiling the role of auto-antibodies in COVID-19 severity

Even though COVID-19 manifests as a mild and short-lived disease in most people, some suffer extremely severe symptoms; in the worst cases, these patients die due to complications such as respiratory failure or thromboembolism.

19 Jun 2024

Study shows vaccines cut long COVID risk, especially for those with preexisting conditions

A study in JAMA Network Open found that women and individuals with preexisting cardiovascular conditions are more likely to suffer from long COVID, but vaccinations, especially multiple doses, significantly reduce this risk.

18 Jun 2024

Drug-related infant deaths surge in the U.S., study finds

A recent study from the Journal of Perinatal Medicine reveals a significant rise in drug-related infant deaths in the U.S. between 2018 and 2022, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions.

18 Jun 2024

Mathematical modeling reveals hemoglobin's role in silent hypoxemia of COVID-19

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to global public health, infecting millions and claiming numerous lives.

18 Jun 2024

Report reveals rising rates of fatal opioid overdoses in Ontario shelters

Researchers from the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) at St. Michael's Hospital and Public Health Ontario analyzed health data from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario and ICES, and found that there were 210 accidental opioid-related toxicity deaths within shelters between January 2018 to May 2022, with the number of deaths more than tripling during the study period (48 before the pandemic versus 162 during the pandemic).

18 Jun 2024