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.

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

First exposure to influenza virus dictates our lifelong ability to fight flu

Were you born in an H1N1 year or an H3N2 year? The first type of influenza virus we are exposed to in early childhood dictates our ability to fight the flu for the rest of our lives, according to a new study from a team of infectious disease researchers at McMaster University and Université de Montréal.

30 Jan 2020

Coronavirus could turn into a new pandemic

With news that the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV is capable of spreading from human to human, many are concerned about the possibility of a new pandemic, and that is not outside the realm of possibility, according to Jeff Hogan, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Georgia, who studied the SARS coronavirus extensively.

24 Jan 2020

Antiviral compound from banana plants shows potential for clinical use against influenza

What keeps most infectious disease researchers up at night aren't infamous viruses like Ebola. Instead, influenza, commonly known as the flu, continues to be a clear and present danger to humanity.

21 Jan 2020

Woman from Chinese city Wuhan lands in Bangkok with mysterious Corona virus infection

The World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that there is a possibility of an outbreak of a strain of Corona virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Both common cold viruses as well as the deadly SARS virus belong to the family of Corona viruses say experts. A new case of the infection has been reported in a Chinese woman travelling to Thailand and this has sparked fears of the infection spreading beyond the boundaries of the nation.

15 Jan 2020

WHO spells out most urgent health issues for the next 10 years

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its “to-do” list of the most urgent worldwide health issues that need to be tackled over the next decade. The heart of the issue, argues the WHO, is that governments are simply failing to fund health needs and health care systems. As a result, they are putting many people at the risk of death, poverty and of a national economic downturn.

14 Jan 2020

Researchers find another piece of puzzle relating to bird flu viruses

Normally, bird flu viruses do not spread easily from person to person. But if this does happen, it could trigger a pandemic. Researchers from the MDC and RKI have now explained in the journal Nature Communications what makes the leap from animals to humans less likely.

10 Dec 2019

Justinianic plague did not wipe out the Romans as history books tell us

A new study has revealed that it was not plague that killed half of the world’s population and thus proved to be the downfall of the Roman Empire as we know from history. The study was published this week in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study involved scholars from different fields including history, archaeology and science. The study is titled, “The Justinianic Plague: An inconsequential pandemic?”

3 Dec 2019

Many women in Europe are diagnosed at late stage of HIV infection

Many women in the WHO European Region, particularly those in their 40s, are diagnosed at a late stage of HIV infection when their immune system is already starting to fail. They are three to four times more likely to be diagnosed late than younger women.

28 Nov 2019

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Research reveals new pathogenic mechanism for influenza NS1 protein

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

Coronavirus tests public health infrastructure in the heartland

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

Improving handwashing at airports could reduce the spread of infectious diseases

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

UK facing a major coronavirus outbreak, experts warn

Panicky responses to coronavirus may create many more problems

Coronavirus - pandemic or not?

Coronavirus update: Crucial information about transmission, diagnosis, treatment

Investigational HIV vaccine not effective in preventing HIV

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

First exposure to influenza virus dictates our lifelong ability to fight flu

Coronavirus could turn into a new pandemic

Antiviral compound from banana plants shows potential for clinical use against influenza

Woman from Chinese city Wuhan lands in Bangkok with mysterious Corona virus infection

WHO spells out most urgent health issues for the next 10 years

Researchers find another piece of puzzle relating to bird flu viruses

Justinianic plague did not wipe out the Romans as history books tell us

Many women in Europe are diagnosed at late stage of HIV infection

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