In The News

Kathy Katella February 7, 2020
The new coronavirus originating in China has spread quickly in a globalized world of frequent travel and cross-border trade. But globalization of communications also ensures timely reports on symptoms and best practices as well as collaboration among the world’s public health researchers. So far, 35,000 cases have been confirmed with more than 700 deaths. The new virus, believed to have started...
Georg Fahrion, Kristina Gnirke, Veronika Hackenbroch, Martin Hesse, Martin U. Müller, Katharina Graça Peters, Michael Sauga and Bernhard Zand February 6, 2020
A coronavirus moves through populations with astounding speed. A Wuhan doctor identified seven cases as a public health issue on December 30. Local authorities berated him for breaking the law before he fell ill, too. The world reports 20,000 confirmed cases in 24 countries with more than 500 deaths. China, responsible for about one-third of global economic growth, responded by closing businesses...
Sten Vermund February 5, 2020
Societies do not have to wait for diseases like the new coronavirus to emerge and spread. Ongoing preparedness and investment can go a long way in preventing global public health crises, argues Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. “Investing in one epidemic can have an impact that spans other diseases, future years, distant continents and disparate health systems,” he writes...
February 3, 2020
China is on the defensive after the United States declared the coronavirus a public health emergency, limiting travel and denying entry to foreign nationals who have visited China in the past two weeks. China has more than 17,000 confirmed new coronavirus cases and more than 350 deaths; the US has 11 confirmed cases.Some public health officials suggest that the case estimates could be low...
January 31, 2020
The World Health Organization declared a global emergency on the new coronavirus. “The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems,” reports BBC News. Low-income nations lack public health personnel and resources to identify and contain the fast-spreading virus. Public health officials identified the disease in Wuhan, China, in early January, and it quickly spread....
Elliot Smith January 28, 2020
The rapid spread of a new coronavirus has alarmed investors, contributing to a decline in stock markets worldwide. China reports more than 2,800 cases with more than 100 deaths. For now, analysts anticipate a short-term hit for China’s economy, but much depends on how fast public health officials can contain the epidemic. “Danske Bank analysts projected that the Chinese service sector is likely...
January 23, 2020
China has taken the unprecedented step of quarantining Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus. The virus has infected more than 500, killed 17 people and spread to at least six nations since the start of the year. Public health officials connect foreign cases to travel and time spent in Wuhan. Wuhan's public transportation is closed. “Local residents rushed...