Coronavirus and the Crisis of Trust
Influenza and coronavirus cause similar symptoms probably through similar modes of transmission. What is unique about coronavirus is that misinformation, missteps, conspiracies, and cover-ups have left their mark on public trust.
The post Coronavirus and the Crisis of Trust appeared first on The Hastings Center. (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - March 12, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Susan Gilbert Tags: Health Care coronavirus COVID-19 global health Hastings Bioethics Forum Pandemic Planning Public Trust syndicated Source Type: blogs
Mortality rates in the 20th Century
Regarding DQ ' s query in the comments to the previous post:Here is the record of mortality in the U.S. in the 20th Century.You can see the obvious spike in mortality in 2018, due to the influenza pandemic. Mortality during the Great Depression is choppy, but does generally seem to continue the downward trend seen before the 1918 flu pandemic, before turning down smoothly after 1940. We would not expect to see a large mortality impact in the U.S. due to WWII, as the U.S. had a total of about 400,000 combat and non-combat casualties of the war spread out over 4 years.I couldn ' t find a high quality graphic showing global 2...
Source: Stayin' Alive - March 10, 2020 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Post #48 Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic Update
Well before news of COVID-19 wreaked havoc on our borders, travels, news cycle, and hand sanitizer supplies, influenza was quietly going about its yearly routine business with minimal hubbub from the media.To put things in perspective, consider that for the 2019-20 flu season, there have been an estimated 20,000 - 52,000 deaths thus far per the Center for Disease Control in the United States alone. That is just one country.In contrast, there have been approximately 3,600 deaths from COVID-19 worldwide. More deaths are sure to follow, and quite possibly, the final tally may far outstrip that of the seasonal flu.An unkn...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - March 8, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Why Didn't the 1919 Flu Leave A Bigger Cultural Imprint?
The still growing COVID-19 pandemic has reminded me of a question I've batted in my head a few times. In 1918 and 1919 a global influenza pandemic killedon the order of 50 million people worldwide. The scale of the jump in flu deaths in the U.S. can be seen inthe below plot. That's more than the number of civilians and military personnel estimated to havebeen killed during World War I. Yet despite this, it would seem that there has been very little impact on culture (at least the culture I am aware of).Read more » (Source: Omics! Omics!)
Source: Omics! Omics! - March 6, 2020 Category: Bioinformatics Authors: Keith Robison Source Type: blogs
Birds, Pigs and Silent VIP ’s
It has become a tragic fact that every year the flu season brings an immense burden on health care services and now has dozens of subtypes cataloged, from ‘swine flu’ to ‘bird flu’ to ‘Asian flu’ and beyond. Typically, between late Fall and early Spring, over the last ten years, the United States alone has suffered hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths across all ages [1]. But shortly after the turn of the century the ‘Spanish Flu’ pandemic of 1918 to 1920 was different in the extreme, and like every disease or virus did not discriminate on age, gender, race, even specie...
Source: GIDEON blog - March 4, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: General Source Type: blogs
Coronavirus: action plan - a guide to what you can expect across the UK
Department of Health and Social Care -This policy paper sets out what the UK as a whole has done – and plans to do – to tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, based on experiences of dealing with other infectious diseases and influenza pandemic preparedness work.Policy paperDepartment of Health and Social Care - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - March 2, 2020 Category: UK Health Authors: The King ' s Fund Library Tags: Local authorities, public health and health inequalities Source Type: blogs
The Misleading Arithmetic of COVID-19 Death Rates
Alan ReynoldsAssuming the number of people who have reportedly died from COVID-19 is reasonably accurate, then the percentage of infected people who die from the disease (the death rate) must surely have beenmuch lower than the 2 –3% estimates commonly reported. That is because the number of infected people is much larger than the number tested and reported.The triangle graph, from a February 10 study fromImperial College London, shows that most people infected by COVID-19 are never counted as being infected. That is because, the Imperial College study explains, “the bottom of the pyramid represents the likely larges...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 2, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Alan Reynolds Source Type: blogs
Mid-Winter Winterizing of Our Courses | Bonus Episode 63
Host Kevin Patton alerts us to the potential impact of influenza and other outbreaks on our courses and provides advice and options for preparation, handling impacts, and more! In the absence of outbreaks, these tips also help cope with normal winter absences resulting from illnesses.00:42 | Why Winterize in Mid Winter?04:16 | Sponsored by AAA04:33 | Learning from Past Epidemics and Pandemics08:49 | Sponsored by HAPI09:11 | Staying Home. I Mean It!16:04 | Sponsored by HAPS21:49 | Survey Says...22:19 | Final Thoughts26:56 | Staying ConnectedIf you cannot see or activate the audio playerclick here.Pl...
Source: The A and P Professor - February 25, 2020 Category: Physiology Authors: Kevin Patton Source Type: blogs
Doctor Doom prognosticates again
Nouriel Rubini is the economist nicknamed " Dr. Doom " because he correctly predicted the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the resulting Great Recession.Now he ' s at it again. This time, however, it ' s not just one thing. He ' s seeing geopolitical stresses, notably the quadruple confrontations of the U.S. with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. He ' s seeing the coronavirus. He ' s seeing natural disasters associated with climate change. I don ' t know what he ' s on about with the abnormal seismic activity and undersea volcanoes, but he ' s got enough to legitimately worry about.The situation regarding coronavirus is b...
Source: Stayin' Alive - February 23, 2020 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Improved PCR Flu Diagnostic for Pandemic Response: Interview with Chris Hole of TTP
TTP, a technology company based in Melbourn, UK, is developing a handheld PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic device that can rapidly detect influenza viruses, and one day other viruses, in samples of nasal mucus. The company claims that the system, which uses a high speed version of traditional RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), incorporates several breakthroughs that translate to improved speed, cost, and size when compared with existing molecular diagnostics systems. Such technology could be crucial in providing diagnostic and surveillance capability for infectious disease outbreaks such as...
Source: Medgadget - February 20, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Exclusive Public Health Source Type: blogs
Checking in on GenBank
When high schoolers in New York City were curious whether the sushi in their local market contained the kind of fish that was advertised, GenBank held the clues. When historians wanted to identify the sequence of the lethal pandemic 1918 influenza virus that killed millions worldwide, they found the answer through GenBank. When physicians were… (Source: NLM In Focus)
Source: NLM In Focus - October 3, 2019 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Posted by NLM in Focus Tags: Programs & Services Source Type: blogs
TWiV 557: Congress in Rotterdam
From the European Congress of Virology in Rotterdam, Vincent and local co-host Ben Berkhout speak with Ron Fouchier, Rosina Girones, and Marie-Paule Kieny about their careers and their work on influenza virus, environmental virology, and developing an Ebola virus vaccine during an epidemic. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 557 (41 MB .mp3, 67 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 22, 2019 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antigenic drift ebola virus environmental virology epidemic global health H2N2 influenza virus pandemic vaccine viral viruses viruses in water Source Type: blogs
What's new in midwifery - 17th July 2019
Some recent things...Global healthExploring the equity impact of a maternal and newborn health intervention: a qualitative study of participatory women ’s groups in rural South Asia and AfricaBaby ‐Friendly Community Initiative—From National Guidelines to Implementation: A Multisectoral Platform for Improving Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and Integrated Health ServicesA study in KenyaExpanding the Agenda for Addressing Mistreatment in Maternity Care: A Mapping Review and Gender AnalysisAuditNational Maternity and Perinatal Audit Organisational Report 2019 (HQIP)Second report from this audit. Map...
Source: Browsing - July 17, 2019 Category: Databases & Libraries Tags: midwifery Source Type: blogs
TWiV 536: A flock of seagulls, a herd of seals
Vincent and Alan travel to Tufts Veterinary School where they meet up with members of the Runstadler lab to talk about their work on influenza virus circulation in water birds and seals. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 536 (54 MB .mp3, 96 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 24, 2019 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology avian influenza ecology influenza virus pandemic seagull seal seal influenza spillover Tufts veterinary school viral viruses water birds Source Type: blogs
Nanopore Sensor Exploits Artificial Intelligence for Specific Virus Detection
Researchers at Osaka University in Japan have developed a nanopore sensor to detect single influenza viral particles in a biological sample. The researchers used artificial intelligence to work out the “hallmarks” of the virus, which allowed them to identify it using the sensor. The technique has potential as a point-of-care diagnostic tool for influenza patients, which could be very helpful in case of a dangerous outbreak.
Influenza infects millions of people every year. In vulnerable patients, such as the elderly, the infection can prove fatal, and there is an ever-present risk of a global flu pandemic, which could h...
Source: Medgadget - November 28, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Genetics Informatics Materials Medicine Nanomedicine Pathology Source Type: blogs
