In The News

Global Spread of COVID-19: Spiegel

Veronika Hackenbroch and Fritz Schaap February 20, 2020
Thirty countries report confirmed coronavirus cases. Global public health experts suggest that case counts are low and express concern about the spread to less developed countries with dense populations and deep trade connections with China. For example, battling COVID-19 would be a challenge in Africa with shortages of health personnel, testing facilities, protective equipment, and...

Coronavirus and Globalization: Spiegel

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...

Disease Prevention Must Be Policy Priority: CNN

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...

China Says US Causes Coronavirus Panic: BBC News

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...

Human Body Temperature Cools: Scientific American

Karen Weintraub January 25, 2020
Health officials and the public have long assumed that normal body temperature was a narrow range around 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In 1851, a German doctor tested 15,000 patients and determined the average. New studies reviewed historical data and suggest that temperatures declined, putting the average at 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit, or 36.3 degrees Celsius. Researchers suggest...

Lockdown on Coronavirus: South China Morning Post

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...

Human-to-Human Spread of Coronavirus: NBC News

Eric Baculinao, Dawn Liu, Yuliya Talmazan and Janis Mackey Frayer January 21, 2020
Chinese health officials have identified about 300 cases of the new coronavirus, with dozens of other cases waiting for verification. About 95 percent of the cases are linked to the Wuhan area. Still, authorities around the globe have increased screenings at airports and other travel hubs to prevent rapid spread, similar to SARS in 2003. China’s government has also confirmed human-to-human...