Immunization programs offered in low- and middle-income countries provide a high “return on investment” in terms of the economic costs of diseases that are prevented and the values of lives that would have been lost, according to a new study led by scientists at the International Vaccine Access Center based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School […]
Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country—with almost two-thirds […]
As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures. The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria […]
A new QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute study has found people who are strongly pessimistic about the future are at greater risk of dying earlier than those who are not pessimists. The researchers also found, however, that being an optimist did not extend life expectancy. The lead researcher, Dr. John Whitfield from QIMR Berghofer’s Genetic […]
A new study of 1,443 medications found that three prescription drugs currently on the market caused unexpected changes in worms that could point to potential, unrecognized effects in humans. The study shows that a microscopic nematode worm called C. elegans, which is commonly used in biology experiments, can serve as a quick, inexpensive tool to […]
For families with members who struggle with various mental illnesses, there’s so much that our peers who aren’t in that boat struggle to fully understand. Particularly in the cases of often misunderstood and mis-represented mental illnesses — like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder — it can be complicated (on top of trying to […]
An analysis of a series of maternal deaths in Maputo’s central hospital, in Mozambique, reveals a major diagnostic error in almost 40% of the deaths. The results, published in Lancet Global Health, show there has been scarce improvement over the last ten years. The study was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), […]
Dutch authorities announced Friday that yet another mink farm has been infected with the novel coronavirus, making 18 in total, with thousands of animals to be culled. The outbreak was reported on a farm at Landhorst in the southeast, the Health Ministry said in a statement, in the same region where 17 other farms were […]
Passengers travelling to or from Italy by air will no longer be able to use the overhead baggage lockers in planes after the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac) decided they were a health risk. The new rule results from a government decree, prompted by fears of further spreading the novel coronavirus, that specifies travellers may […]
Last week, a new rule was introduced making it mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport to try to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Failure to follow the new rules could result in a fine of up to £100. However, some people are exempt from wearing them due to health conditions or a disability. […]
