COVID-19: How South Korea Prevailed While the U.S. Failed

In a commentary, researchers demonstrate the stark differences in public health strategies from two democratic republics: South Korea and the United States, which have led to alarming differences in cases and deaths from COVID-19. After adjusting for the 6.5 fold differences in populations, the U.S. has suffered 47 times more cases and 79 times more deaths than South Korea.

Back to School?

Dr. Terry Adirim provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 and return to school for school-age children. Adirim is a physician executive with senior leadership and executive experience in academic medicine and the federal government. Her expertise includes pandemic planning and response, health care quality improvement and patient safety, and health policy and management.

New York State Department of Health Announces Study on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

The New York State Department of Health today announced that the Department has led a study on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19, which was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Department collaborated with the University at Albany School of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to complete the study.

Dangerous Tick-Borne Bacterium Extremely Rare in New Jersey

There’s some good news in New Jersey about a potentially deadly tick-borne bacterium. Rutgers researchers examined more than 3,000 ticks in the Garden State and found only one carrying Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. But cases of tick-borne spotted fevers have increased east of the Mississippi River, and more research is needed to understand why, according to a study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss How to Handle Groceries at Home

New Brunswick, N.J. (March 31, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Donald W. Schaffner is available for interviews on how to handle groceries safely at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you are concerned about the outside of food packages being contaminated, I suggest…

How can we be more sure social media posts about coronavirus are accurate?

As COVID-19 has increasingly isolated us from each other, we’re relying more and more on social media for a sense of connection and as a source of information about the virus and it’s spread. But how can we be more confident that what we’re seeing is accurate?

Heat Stress May Affect More Than 1.2 Billion People Annually by 2100

Heat stress from extreme heat and humidity will annually affect areas now home to 1.2 billion people by 2100, assuming current greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Rutgers study. That’s more than four times the number of people affected today, and more than 12 times the number who would have been affected without industrial era global warming.

Public health, nursing expert: Coronavirus: Health care workers must protect themselves even if employers won’t

Faculty Q&AAs the coronavirus spreads throughout the country, an increasing number of American health care workers helping to treat patients are contracting the infection.Christopher Friese.Christopher Friese, the Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Professor of Nursing at the School of Nursing and professor of health management and policy at the School of Public Health, leads a research team focused on health care delivery in high-risk settings.

Expert in #expandedaccess to experimental drugs and diversity in clinical trials to speak at D.C. conf., and is available for interviews

An international expert in expanded access to experimental drugs, Marjorie A. Speers, Ph.D., will speak at the third annual Expanded Access Summit Jan. 27-29 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Speers, a former CDC official, is the executive…

FY 2020 Spending Bill Funds Critical Initiatives While Neglecting Urgent Priorities

The spending bill passed today is a welcome step forward. Allocations in the bill will strengthen public health and research efforts during the year ahead and will provide critical support for important goals. At the same time, the legislation in its final form also brings inadequate responses to current and urgent challenges with the potential for long-term and costly consequences.

House Drug Pricing Bill Serves Patients, Public Health

H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act passed by the House of Representatives today introduces critically needed and significant steps to reduce costs and improve access to life-saving therapies for conditions including HIV and hepatitis C. Importantly, the legislation also brings essential resources to combat antibiotic resistance, find and develop new infection fighting drugs and bring them to market. The balanced approach of this legislation will serve patients and public health.

Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report Shows Impacts of Federal Investments, Continued Gaps

The Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control today shows that while recent federal investments to combat antibiotic resistance have had meaningful impacts, the continued spread of infections that are not effectively treated by existing medicines pose deadly threats to patients and public health. As physicians and scientists on the front lines of a growing public health crisis, the Infectious Diseases Society of America urges federal policy makers to respond to the report’s warning with investments and commitment to turning the tide of antibiotic resistance.

UCI professor named to CDC committee on sexually transmitted infections

Sean Young, PhD, professor at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine and Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ad hoc committee to address the alarming increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

ATS Expert Resources: New CDC Clinical Guide on Vaping Lung Injury

Today, the CDC is expected to release new recommendations for evaluation and treatment of patients with suspected vaping-associated lung injury (VALI). The document — “Interim Guidance for Health Care Providers Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Suspected E-cigarette Use, or Vaping, Associated Lung Injury — United States, October 2019” — was written in concert with national experts identified from professional medical societies, including the ATS.

New STD Data Represent Urgent Call for Action

The continued steep increase in incidence of sexually transmitted diseases reported in the 2018 data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday, is a cause for deep concern about dangerous gaps in our public health infrastructure.