Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Italy shuts down schools, universities amid surge in coronavirus cases

Italy will shut down schools and universities in response to the sharp increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. The Italian government has ordered the nationwide cancellation of education classes until Mar. 15, as the country grapples to contain the worst outbreak that has hit Europe, claiming 107 lives and infecting more than 3,000 people.

5 Mar 2020

How do cells protect themselves from viruses?

Amid the coronavirus outbreak that is wreaking havoc across the globe, it is essential to know how the cells of the body evade infection from viruses. A team of scientists has explained the mechanism that takes place in case a virus penetrates the body.

4 Mar 2020

Two genome sequences of coronavirus (COVID-19) show possible internal transmission

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading around the globe. With the high infection rate and spread of the virus to more than 80 countries, scientists are racing to study the nature of the virus, in the hopes of finding new vaccines and therapeutics.

4 Mar 2020

Indonesia reports first coronavirus cases, World Bank pledges $12 billion

Now, Indonesia has reported its first cases of the coronavirus on Mar. 2, a 31-year-old woman and a 64-year-old woman from Depok, a city in West Java province in Jakarta. The mother and daughter had been in contact with an infected Japanese National who lived in Malaysia and had tested positive after returning from a trip to Indonesia.

4 Mar 2020

Protective gear to fight coronavirus depleting, WHO warns

Amid the global health crisis of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that there is a shortage of protective gear, and this endangers healthcare workers.

4 Mar 2020

Adding travel history to routine medical assessments could help stem pandemics' spread

Integrating travel history information into routine medical assessments could help stem the rapidly widening COVID-19 epidemic, as well as future pandemics, infectious disease specialists recommend in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

4 Mar 2020

Obesity could increase severity of influenza study shows

A new study has revealed that those who are obese or overweight tend to get more severe bouts of influenza than those who are a healthy weight. The reason behind this could be the altered immune system of those who are obese. The study outlining this finding is published in the latest issue of the journal mBio from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The study was titled, "Obesity-Related Microenvironment Promotes Emergence of Virulent Influenza Virus Strains."

3 Mar 2020

Coronavirus may threaten 70 percent of human population says epidemiologist

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is rapidly spreading around the globe, infecting more than 90,000 and killing more than 3,000 people. Now, an epidemiologist says it may eventually threaten about 70 percent of the total population.

3 Mar 2020

Research opens up new prospects for prevention and treatment of bacterial pneumonia

Researchers from the Lille Centre for Infection and Immunity, INRAE and from Brazilian (Belo Horizonte), Scottish (Glasgow) and Danish (Copenhagen) laboratories have shown for the first time in mice that perturbation of the gut microbiota caused by the influenza virus favors secondary bacterial superinfection.

3 Mar 2020

Australia reports first human-to-human coronavirus transmission, total cases now 39

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has started to gain momentum over the past week, spreading to 77 countries, including Australia. The number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 41, with ten new cases reported in Queensland.

3 Mar 2020

NHS doctors say UK not prepared for coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has spread dramatically around the globe, infecting more than 92,000 people and killing more than 3,000.

3 Mar 2020

Discovery Of Gabaergic Synaptic Regulations Inside The Brain For A New Epilepsy Treatment

DGIST announced on February 12 that the joint research team of Professor Jaewon Ko and Professor Ji Won Um in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences found a new candidate target to treat epilepsy by regulating GABAergic synaptic functions

3 Mar 2020

Analysis: One sure thing about COVID-19: No telling how many people have it

It has been nearly three months since the first cases of a new coronavirus pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China, and it is now a global outbreak. And yet, despite nearly 90,000 infections worldwide (most of them in China), the world still doesn't have a clear picture of some basic information about this outbreak.

3 Mar 2020

Updated USPSTF recommendations on hepatitis C screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection screening for adults in the age group 18 to 79 years. This update comes against the background of increasing HCV over the last ten years, primarily due to higher injection drug use, and closer monitoring. The recommendation ensures that this screening will be covered by insurance as well without cost-sharing.

2 Mar 2020

New direct-acting antiviral therapies effectively target Hepatitis C virus

New direct-acting antiviral therapies are highly effective at eliminating the Hepatitis C virus infection, according to a systematic evidence review by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University.

2 Mar 2020

Smaller carbon footprint improves global health and economy

A viewpoint published in the journal JAMA February 28, 2020, discusses how a low-carbon future could improve global health and provide economic benefit.

2 Mar 2020

The changing face of the COVID-19 epidemic

The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus, which hit China with the disease now named COVID-19 in December 2019 and has since spread to over 70 countries, has caused over 90,000 cases, and 3,117 fatalities, with 95% or more of both being in China.

2 Mar 2020

Health officials urge India to be on high alert for coronavirus

China has borne the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak with tens of thousands infected and 2,912 deaths related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Now, health officials across the globe are urging India to be on high alert.

2 Mar 2020

Australia's first coronavirus death puts country on alert

The rapid spread of the coronavirus outside China has intensified as the total number of infections globally has topped 90,000, and the number of deaths reached more than 3,000. The sudden surge of cases in Italy, Iran, and South Korea have left health officials concerned about the magnitude of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

2 Mar 2020

Tapping pre-existing immunity to enhance therapeutic cancer treatment

A new research from the University of Helsinki showed for the first time how the pre-immunization acquired through common childhood vaccines can be used to enhance therapeutic cancer treatment.

2 Mar 2020