Viruses found hiding in lungs’ immune cells long after initial illness

A study by researchers at WashU Medicine shows that respiratory viruses can hide out in immune cells in the lungs long after the initial symptoms of an infection have resolved, creating a persistently inflammatory environment that promotes the development of chronic lung diseases such as asthma.

Air monitor can detect COVID-19 virus variants in about 5 minutes

Now that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, scientists are looking at ways to surveil indoor environments in real time for viruses. By combining recent advances in aerosol sampling technology and an ultrasensitive biosensing technique, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a real-time monitor that can detect any of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants in a room in about 5 minutes.

Should You Take Your Child to the Emergency Room, Urgent Care—or Call the Doctor?

As a parent, your number one goal is keeping your child safe and healthy. When is it time to head to the emergency department (ED)—and when is it best to call your child’s doctor, or go to an urgent care center?If it’s not an emergency, calling your pediatrician or going to urgent care are the best ways to address a variety of medical concerns.

SEIR Model to Address the Impact of Face Masks amid COVID-19 Pandemic

When vaccines are not available, alternative strategies are required to decrease SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Behavior of the population and government regulations, such as hand hygiene, quarantine of exposed persons, isolation of symptomatic persons, and travel restriction, play an essential role in…

Physicians issue warning about rare neurological condition, expected to appear this fall

Pediatricians Henry David, MD, and Madan Kumar, DO, of the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital warn parents of young children to watch out for symptoms of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a rare neurological disorder linked to viral infections that can lead to permanent paralysis.