Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2020

Does UV light kill the new coronavirus?

Ultraviolet light has been used to stop pathogens in their tracks for decades. But does it work against SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the pandemic? The short answer is yes. But it takes the right kind of UV in the right dosage, a complex operation that is best administered by trained...

Jun 30, 2020

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in first published results

An experimental COVID-19 vaccine from the biotech company Moderna showed promising results in an early trial of 45 participants, according to the first trial data from the company to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. After receiving two doses of the vaccine, called mRNA-1273, all participants developed so-called neutralizing antibodies,...

Jun 30, 2020

Contact tracing won't curb COVID-19 spread if testing is too slow

Contact tracing is a key strategy for controlling the spread of COVID-19, but a new study finds that delays in COVID-19 testing will significantly hamper this process. The study researchers found that even the best contact-tracing strategy — where all contacts of an infected person are identified and alerted —...

Jun 30, 2020

Should schools reopen amid the pandemic?

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 4:23 pm ET on July 21 to include results from a large study conducted in South Korea about virus transmission among household contacts. Just a few months ago, Erica Fuhrman would spend her days teaching children with special needs alongside their typical curriculum...

Jun 30, 2020

Woman's migraine medication caused a bizarre 'medieval' disease

A woman's migraine medication caused a rare reaction: a burning sensation in her legs and the loss of one of her toes, according to a new report of the case. Doctors diagnosed the woman with ergotism — also known as St. Anthony's fire — a now uncommon condition that once...

Jun 30, 2020

Breastfeeding appears safe for mothers with COVID-19, if they take precautions

Mothers with COVID-19 appear unlikely to pass the disease to their newborn babies — even if they breastfeed and share the same room — provided they take certain precautions, a small new study suggests. The study found that, out of 120 babies born to mothers with COVID-19, none contracted the...

Jun 30, 2020

XPrize launches $5 million competition for better COVID-19 tests

A new XPrize competition calls on the world's brightest minds to develop faster and cheaper COVID-19 tests, with a $5 million reward for the winner. The competition was launched Tuesday (July 28) by XPrize, the nonprofit organization that runs public competitions to encourage tech innovations that benefit humanity. Dubbed XPrize...

Jun 30, 2020

260 kids and teens infected with COVID-19 at Georgia sleepaway camp

More than 250 children and teens tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a sleepaway camp in Georgia, according to a new report. The young staff and campers took some measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as keeping children in groups based on their cabins, social distancing outside of...

May 31, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine doesn't prevent people from catching COVID-19, study finds

Taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine did not prevent people from coming down with COVID-19 after being exposed to the disease, according to a new study. The study, published Wednesday (June 3) in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first of its kind to examine hydroxychloroquine as a way...

May 31, 2020

Live Science podcast 'Life's Little Mysteries' special report: Coronavirus (June 4)

In this special episode of Life's Little Mysteries, we focus on a serious topic that everybody is talking about: SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Every day at Live Science, our reporters and editors track the latest coronavirus developments around the world: from global case numbers and quarantines, to...

May 31, 2020

Toilet flushes may spread Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease could potentially spread through toilet flushing, which releases invisible plumes of contaminated water into the air, according to a new report. The report, published Wednesday (June 10) in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, describes the cases of two patients at a hospital in France who likely contracted Legionnaires'...

May 31, 2020

Pregnancy may make COVID-19 more severe, new study suggests

Pregnancy may increase the risk of severe COVID-19, a new study suggests. Pregnant women were more likely to require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or use of a ventilator, compared with people who weren't pregnant. However, pregnant women don't appear to be at increased risk of death from...

May 31, 2020

'Don't talk': How to stay safe from COVID-19 inside elevators

For people in cities like New York, getting back to work during a pandemic may mean taking several elevator rides a day, to and from their office spaces ⁠— but without safety measures in place, elevators could become hot spots of COVID-19 spread, data suggests. COVID-19 can spread when infected...

May 31, 2020

Many Americans with COVID-19 don't know how they got infected, survey suggests

Many Americans with COVID-19 can't pinpoint how they got the infection, a new study suggests. The study researchers, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that more than half of U.S. patients with COVID-19 in a recent survey couldn't identify another person with the disease whom...

Apr 30, 2020

FDA releases more stringent rules for COVID-19 antibody tests

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued more stringent rules for COVID-19 antibody tests sold in the U.S., after a slew of antibody tests hit the market without adequate proof that they really work, according to news reports. Under the new rules, companies that are already selling these...