In this article, we take a look back at some of the other pandemics that humans have endured. Specifically, we investigate cholera, the Black Death, and the Spanish flu, among others. We will note any similarities and take lessons where we can. Pandemics have played a role in shaping human…

Amid the coronavirus global pandemic, the world is facing a shortage of medical supplies, especially those intended to protect health workers. With the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), including surgical masks and N95 masks, many people are left with no choice but to try and decontaminate this equipment…

David Slusky keeps hearing the same comments from other parents who are isolating with young children. They’re telling their kids, ‘Please don’t do gymnastics on the stairs because this is not the week I want to take you to the hospital!’ Many of us are trying to both avoid getting…

As more and more countries are on lockdown due to COVID-19, and an increasing number of people are living in isolation, the question on everyone’s mind is: “When will this be over?” We look at what experts have to say. Living in self-isolation has profound socio-political implications, in addition to…

A new study looking at the data of people who tested positive for COVID-19 backs up recent claims that the loss of the senses of smell and taste can be a symptom of the disease. Earlier this month, preliminary findings in a preprint started making headlines because they suggested that the list…

A recent study concludes that the four most common human coronaviruses follow distinct seasonal patterns. A recent study by the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor tracked a group of participants over 8 years. The team looked in detail at the prevalence of the four most…

Researchers at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center have made important discoveries about the immune response among patients who have recovered from mild COVID-19 disease that could help to inform prevention and treatment methods, as well as improve the efficacy of community testing. They found that many of the participants had high levels of neutralizing…

The immune system has many components that work together in protecting the body from foreign invaders. One of the most important types of immune cells is T lymphocytes or T cells, a type of white blood cell that acts as the core of adaptive immunity, the system that modifies the…

Infectious disease scientists report early development of a potential universal vaccine for Ebola viruses that preclinical tests show might neutralize all four species of these deadly viruses infecting people in recent outbreaks, mainly in Africa. Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center report their preclinical results in the Journal of Virology,…

Following the reports from different countries of patients recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but testing positive again during the control diagnostic appraisal, South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a similar occurrence in 51 patients. The global pandemic, caused by a novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus…

Experimental Ebola drug remdesivir could stop SARS-CoV-2 from replicating by acting on a key enzyme, according to a new study from the University of Alberta. Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the launch of a multinational trial, testing the four most promising therapeutic avenues for COVID-19. One of these avenues…

COVID-19 affects people differently, in terms of infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2 and mortality rates. In this Special Feature, we focus on some of the sex differences that characterize this pandemic.  There are many ways in which the pandemic itself affects people’s day-to-day lives, and gender — understood as the…

As medical researchers continue their efforts to improve human health, some are turning their attention to the ocean because they believe that the Earth’s seas might harbor novel disease-fighting chemistry. The oceans cover more than two-thirds of Earth. As the adage goes, we know more about the surface of the…

Two recently published studies underline how pervasive plastic is on our planet. One finds it hiding in table salt, and the other finds it in stool samples. The question is, how will it impact health? Most of us know that planet Earth has a problem with plastic — namely, there…

Scientists have identified proven interventions that, if scaled up, could almost completely restore ocean ecosystems within a generation. In the past 4 decades, populations of marine creatures have suffered catastrophic declines. Data from a 2018 report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) show an overall decline of 60% on average for mammals,…

Cyberchondria is the tendency to self-diagnose health problems online to anxiety-producing results. With the proliferation of the internet, cyberchondria has become more and more common.  In September, researchers at the Imperial College London estimated that trips to hospital clinics for internet-induced healthy anxieties cost the National Health Institute £420 million a year in outpatient…

Worrying excessively about health, and going for unnecessary appointments and tests, is a growing problem – fuelled by looking up symptoms on the internet, researchers say. Health anxiety can also be caused by previous health scares and could affect one in five hospital out-patients. UK researchers said psychotherapy could reduce…

The novel coronavirus pandemic has nearly exhausted stockpiles of medical gear in the United States. Personal protective equipment, like masks, serve as a first-line defense for medical professionals with a front row seat to COVID-19. Coming to the aid of those doctors and nurses is a team of scientists from…

Research published at the beginning of April casts serious doubts about the effectiveness of both surgical and cloth masks in preventing the spread of infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles. In an effort to find more ways of slowing the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and public health officials around the world have been debating…

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the healthcare landscape for many patient populations — including pregnant women.  Altered hospital policies, concerns about contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and changes to doctors’ office hours have all affected pregnancy. Information regarding pregnancy and COVID-19 is continually evolving. This article will cover the currently available…

Media Consumption in the Age of COVID-19 As the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc across the globe, people’s time that would have otherwise been spent perusing malls or going to live events, is now being spent on the sofa. During this period of pandemic-induced social isolation, it’s no surprise…

The Math Behind Social Distancing As we wait for scientists and healthcare professionals to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, there is another, more readily available tool at our disposal. Social distancing, defined as measures taken to reduce physical contact, is the first line of defense for containing an infectious disease…

The Fastest Growing and Declining E-Commerce Categories  The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on every aspect of life, including how people shop for their necessities, and their not-so-necessities.  With online retail sales estimated to reach an eye-watering $6.5 trillion by 2023, the ecommerce sector was already booming. But since the…

The History of Pandemics Pan·dem·ic /panˈdemik/ (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world. As humans have spread across the world, so have infectious diseases. Even in this modern era, outbreaks are nearly constant, though not every outbreak reaches pandemic level as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has.…

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed from its website guidelines for doctors on how to prescribe two antimalarial drugs that President Donald Trump has touted as potential treatments for the novel coronavirus.Trump has been pressing federal health officials to make the drugs — hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine — more…

Important religious feasts such as Easter and Christmas are marked by solemn liturgies that are attended by the faithful in large numbers and are followed by celebrations, greetings and hugs. But none of that this Easter under the Covid-19 lockdown. However, Churches and communities around the world are finding creative…

“Coronavirus will not overcome us,” the Queen has said, in an Easter message to the nation. While celebrations would be different for many this year, she said: “We need Easter as much as ever.” Referencing the tradition of lighting candles to mark the occasion, she said: “As dark as death…

The United States now has now overtaken Italy to have the highest death toll from coronavirus in the world. The latest data, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, shows more than 20,000 people in the US have now died. The grim milestone comes shortly after the US became the first nation to…

Researchers have analyzed the records of 85 individuals who died with COVID-19 in the early stages of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. The analysis revealed that the majority of those patients had a few consistent factors in common. A team of investigators hailing from eight institutions in China and the…

As deaths and infections mount, US historic failure to stop the outbreak will become a dark lesson The United States now has the highest number of coronavirus infections of any nation on the planet, The New York Times reports. Johns Hopkins’ tracker agrees. We now know for sure that our country’s response to the pandemic…