Disease/Infection News

RSS

Geographers conduct first daily surveillance of emerging COVID-19 hotspots

Over the course of the coronavirus epidemic, COVID-19 outbreaks have hit communities across the United States. As clusters of infection shift over time, local officials are forced into a whack-a-mole approach to allocating resources and enacting public health policies.

20 Aug 2020

Lack of consistency in COVID-19-related data could harm prevention efforts

Since COVID-19 emerged late last year, there's been an enormous amount of research produced on this novel coronavirus disease.

20 Aug 2020

Influenza A virus can spread by airborne aerosolized fomites, finds study

Viruses like the influenza virus and even the novel coronavirus are capable of spreading from person to person via airborne droplets as well as dust, fibers, and other surfaces. Now, a new study provides evidence of airborne virus transport on microscopic particles called “aerosolized fomites.”

20 Aug 2020

Genetically engineered mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys

Mosquitoes are known to be vectors or bearers of several viral and protozoal infections such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, Chikungunya, and malaria. These infections are known to infect and even kill millions around the world each year. In order to tackle this vector-borne menace, researchers have genetically engineered mosquitoes that could replace the infection carrying species of the mosquitoes.

20 Aug 2020

Research finds link between COVID-19 mortality and morbid obesity

The prevalence of morbid obesity in a population is associated with negative outcomes from COVID-19, according to an analysis by researchers at The University of Alabama of morbid obesity data and reported COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

20 Aug 2020

Websites selling home-based COVID-19 testing kits providing inadequate or misleading information

In the UK and US, many websites are selling direct to user self-sampling and testing kits to detect SARS-CoV-2. Recently, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out to check the completeness and accuracy of information provided by these websites.

20 Aug 2020

New SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective in macaques

Researchers from the biotechnology company Novavax in Gaithersburg, Maryland, have developed a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that successfully induces immunogenicity and protection against the virus in macaques.

20 Aug 2020

COVID-19 could compromise key element of immune response

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have made the unsettling discovery that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might compromise the activation of the CD8+ T-cell responses that would usually ameliorate disease and drive recovery in cases of respiratory disease.

20 Aug 2020

Post-mortem study of dead COVID-19 patients finds lung damage and blood clots

A new post-mortem study of patients who have died from COVID-19 found severe damage to the lungs and signs of blood clotting in major organs.

20 Aug 2020

Whey protein from human breastmilk inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection

Many scientists have reported the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on pregnancy and the virus has been detected in breastmilk. Now a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows that whey protein in human breastmilk efficiently prevents infection with SARS-CoV-2 as well as post-entry viral replication.

20 Aug 2020

Exeter experts organize global AI summit to address ongoing healthcare crisis

A global summit which aims to boost effective collaboration between experts working in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being organised by academics at the University of Exeter.

20 Aug 2020

Low indoor air humidity increases spread of SARS-CoV-2

The airborne transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 via aerosol particles in indoor environment seems to be strongly influenced by relative humidity.

20 Aug 2020

Yellow fever vaccination campaign launched to target 1.6 million people in the West-Nile region of Uganda

Mr Mark Oguma Oguti and his daughter Claudia are thrilled about the launch of the Yellow Fever Vaccination campaign.

20 Aug 2020

Researchers find statistical relationship between COVID-19 hospital use and mortality

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Washington found a statistical relationship between the number of hospital beds (ICU and non-ICU) occupied by COVID-19 patients in a state and reported mortality.

20 Aug 2020

Contact tracing apps not likely to control the spread of COVID-19

Contract tracing apps used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are unlikely to be effective without proper uptake and support from concurrent control measures, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

20 Aug 2020

Crisis preparedness system can help scale up emergency healthcare during disease outbreaks

Operators beyond the confines of conventional emergency healthcare are willing and able to assist in a crisis, a University of Gothenburg study shows.

20 Aug 2020

Cells lining the nose are key entry point for coronavirus, shows study

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experimenting with a small number of human cell samples, report that the "hook" of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times more prevalent in the olfactory supporting cells lining the inside of the upper part of the nose than in the lining cells of the rest of the nose and windpipe that leads to the lungs.

20 Aug 2020

Children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought

In the most comprehensive study of COVID-19 pediatric patients to date, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Mass General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers provide critical data showing that children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought

20 Aug 2020

COVID-19 linked to type 1 diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis in children

A team of researchers at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London has found a link between COVID-19 and new-onset type 1 diabetes in children. The research is published in the journal Diabetes Care.

20 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks antiviral factors to promote infection in human lung cells

Now, a new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 shows that under conditions resembling those in vivo, IFNs may promote efficient viral invasion instead.

20 Aug 2020