Dengue risk is exacerbated in highly populated areas of Brazil after extreme drought because of improvised water containers housing mosquitoes, suggests a new study in Lancet Planetary Health. The research was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s (LSHTM) Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health and Centre for the Mathematical Modelling […]
Study suggests more robust testing strategy needed to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks at homeless shelters
A study that tested individuals living at shelters for COVID-19 found that among those who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, less than 15 percent had symptoms, suggesting expanded testing of asymptomatic individuals could help stop the spread in shelter settings. The study, which analyzed 1,000 COVID-19 tests from 20 different shelter locations in Canada’s […]
Relaxed precautions, not climate, the biggest factor driving wintertime COVID-19 outbreaks
Wintertime outbreaks of COVID-19 have been largely driven by whether people adhere to control measures such as mask wearing and social distancing, according to a study published Feb. 8 in Nature Communications by Princeton University researchers. Climate and population immunity are playing smaller roles during the current pandemic phase of the virus, the researchers found. […]
What we’ve learned from COVID-19 outbreaks in meat-processing plants
From the United States to Brazil, Britain, Germany and Australia, meat-processing plants have played a peculiar role in spreading COVID-19. In Brazil, union officials allege one-fifth of the industry’s employees—about 100,000 meat plant workers—have been infected. In the US, meat-processing facilities have been linked to more than 38,500 cases and at least 180 deaths. Meat […]
New tool can detect COVID-19 outbreaks in U.S. counties that host pro football events
Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 have been detected following football events in the United States, and games have the potential to become “superspreader” events. Because the National Football League (NFL) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made the decision to play their games amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical […]
Preventing virus spread within households could be key to controlling new outbreaks of COVID-19
More effective measures to prevent infection spreading within households are a vital part of preventing a second wave of COVID-19, say researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick. In an article published in the BMJ, experts at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research and Warwick Medical School argue that robust strategies […]
New virus outbreaks raise alarm as India cases hit 1 million
Fresh coronavirus outbreaks, even in places as far flung as China’s western Xinjiang region, are prompting worldwide moves to guard against the pandemic, as the number of confirmed cases globally approaches 14 million. India on Friday said it had surpassed 1 million cases, third only to the United States and Brazil, with more than 25,000 […]
Lessons learned from addressing myths about Zika and yellow fever outbreaks in Brazil
When disease epidemics and outbreaks occur, conspiracy theories often emerge that compete with the information provided by public health officials. A Dartmouth-led study in Science Advances finds that information used to counter myths about Zika in Brazil not only failed to reduce misperceptions but also reduced the accuracy of people’s other beliefs about the disease. […]