History tells us trying to stop diseases like COVID-19 at the border is a failed strategy

The US response to the coronavirus was slow and problematic, but it also was rooted in a 19th-century way of viewing public health.

Charles McCoy, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SUNY Plattsburgh • conversation
Aug. 28, 2020 • ~8 min
infectious-diseases covid-19 coronavirus pandemic quarantine outbreak epidemics cdc disease-control yellow-fever

Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life

Beer was extremely popular in ancient Mesopotamia. Sipped through straws, it differed from today’s beer and was enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

Tate Paulette, Assistant Professor of History, North Carolina State University • conversation
Aug. 24, 2020 • ~8 min

 alcohol  archaeology  poetry  pandemic  university-of-chicago  epidemics  beer  iraq  wine  mesopotamia  brewing  gilgamesh  bars  alcohol-use  babylonians  sumerians  ancient-mesopotamia

What happens when COVID-19 and influenza collide? Can hospitals handle the strain?

Pandemic policy experts offer 10 recommendations that could reduce the risk that a bad flu season on top of the COVID-19 pandemic will overwhelm hospitals.

Leslie Ruyle, Associate Research Scientist and Assistant Director Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University • conversation
Aug. 20, 2020 • ~8 min
influenza health covid-19 coronavirus schools pandemic social-distancing vaccination hospitals epidemics flu-vaccine

Test positivity rate: How this one figure explains that the US isn't doing enough testing yet

Test positivity rates measure the success of a testing program. Even though the US performs a huge number of tests, high test positivity rates across the country show that that it still isn't enough.

Ronald D. Fricker, Jr., Professor of Statistics and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Administration, Virginia Tech • conversation
July 30, 2020 • ~7 min
health covid-19 coronavirus pandemic donald-trump sars-cov-2 outbreak testing epidemics coronavirus-testing asymptomatic

What makes a 'wave' of disease? An epidemiologist explains

There's no scientific definition for a wave of disease – and no evidence that the original onslaught of coronavirus in the US has receded much at all.

Abram L. Wagner, Research Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Michigan • conversation
July 6, 2020 • ~8 min
influenza infectious-diseases epidemiology covid-19 coronavirus pandemic sars-cov-2 herd-immunity epidemics 1918-flu-pandemic iran seasonal-flu waves second-wave pandemic-flu seasonality coronaviruses

This simple model shows the importance of wearing masks and social distancing

A simple computer model shows that safety measures can significantly impact both the exponential spread of COVID-19 and mortality rates.

Jeyaraj Vadiveloo, Director of the Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research, University of Connecticut • conversation
June 26, 2020 • ~5 min

 epidemiology  covid-19  coronavirus  pandemic  sars-cov-2  social-distancing  epidemics  epidemiological-modelling

How deforestation helps deadly viruses jump from animals to humans

Yellow fever, malaria and Ebola all spilled over from animals to humans at the edges of tropical forests. The new coronavirus is the latest zoonosis.

Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Professor of Epidemiology, Universidade de São Paulo • conversation
June 25, 2020 • ~11 min
health climate covid-19 coronavirus ebola pandemic malaria forests disease epidemics wildlife deforestation bats wildlife-trade monkeys mosquitoes yellow-fever zoonoses vectors carrying-capacity

A majority of vaccine skeptics plan to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, a study suggests, and that could be a big problem

As most of the world early awaits a vaccine for COVID-19, a smaller group of people scoffs. They could spell real trouble in the effort to build widespread immunity.

Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University • conversation
May 4, 2020 • ~8 min

 covid-19  pandemic  anthony-fauci  coronavirus-2020  epidemics  vaccine-development  coronavirus-vaccine  anti-vaxxers  covid-19-vaccine  bill-gates  vaccine-safety

In Depth Out Loud podcast: how to model a pandemic

An audio version of an in depth article on why mathematical modelling is crucial to understanding pandemics like the new coronavirus.

Christian Yates, Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Biology, University of Bath • conversation
April 3, 2020 • ~2 min

 covid-19  coronavirus  pandemic  epidemics  in-depth-out-loud-podcast  mathematical-modelling

Calling COVID-19 a 'Chinese virus' is wrong and dangerous – the pandemic is global

Emphasizing foreign origins of a disease can have racist connotations and implications for how people understand their own risk of disease.

Mari Webel, Assistant Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
March 25, 2020 • ~10 min

 history-of-medicine  infectious-diseases  covid-19  coronavirus  history  ebola  pandemic  rift-valley-fever  wuhan  world-health-organization  sars-cov-2  2019-ncov  epidemics  new-coronavirus  world-health-organization-who  norovirus  wuhan-coronavirus  lassa-fever  cholera  bush-meat  ebola-virus  ebola-virus-disease  rift-valley-fever-virus  ebola-zaire  ebola-blame  covid-19-pandemic

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