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

Apr 30, 2021

New coronavirus found, and it jumped from dogs to people

A new coronavirus has been discovered, and it may have jumped to humans from dogs. In a new study, researchers detected a new canine coronavirus in a swab sample obtained from a Malaysian child diagnosed with pneumonia in 2018. If the virus is confirmed to cause disease in humans, it...

Mar 31, 2021

People are taking an animal deworming drug for COVID-19, and it's a really bad idea

People are taking dangerous doses of an anti-parasitic drug as a COVID-19 treatment, even though there is no solid evidence that it has any benefit for the disease. The drug, called ivermectin, is often used to treat or prevent parasitic diseases in animals, such as heartworm, according to the Food...

Mar 31, 2021

COVID-19 booster shots may be needed within 12 months, US officials say

People vaccinated against COVID-19 may require booster shots within nine to 12 months of their initial vaccination, Reuters reported. Evidence suggests that the coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna offer at least six months of robust protection from COVID-19 infection. But even if this protection lasts for longer, several...

Mar 31, 2021

UK researchers will deliberately reinfect people with COVID-19 in new 'challenge study'

Researchers in the U.K. are looking for volunteers who have already had COVID-19 for a challenge study that will deliberately reexpose them to the novel coronavirus. The goal of the study is to understand what immune response is needed to protect against reinfection with COVID-19, according to a statement from...

Mar 31, 2021

J&J coronavirus vaccine can resume in US, CDC advisory panel recommends

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel voted to recommend that the U.S. resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people 18 years of age and older. This comes after an 11-day pause in administering the vaccine prompted by reports of extremely rare, but severe, blood...

Mar 31, 2021

Novel coronavirus really is seasonal, study suggests

Warm temperatures and tropical climates may really help reduce the spread of COVID-9, a new study suggests. The study found that places with warm temperatures and long hours of sunlight — such as countries close to the equator and those experiencing summer — had a lower rate of COVID-19 cases,...

Feb 28, 2021

Why is China giving travelers anal tests for COVID-19?

Travelers to some Chinese cities have been required to take anal swab tests for COVID-19, a measure that has sparked outcries from other countries, according to news reports. This week, officials in Japan complained that some Japanese citizens arriving in China had been subjected to the tests, which caused great...

Feb 28, 2021

1st COVID-19 vaccine vial used in the US headed to museum

When a New York nurse became the first American to receive a dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine in December, it was a moment that would go down in history. Now, that first vaccine vial is heading to a history museum, to be displayed in an exhibit planned for next...

Feb 28, 2021

WHO thinks it knows where COVID-19 originated

After a months-long investigation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that wildlife farms in China are likely the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. These wildlife farms, many of them in or around the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, were likely supplying animals to vendors at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale...

Feb 28, 2021

An 'absolute plague' of mice is ravaging eastern Australia

Mice in the cabinets. Mice in the streets. Thousands upon thousands of mice in the barn, pooing so much it takes six hours to clean up their waste. These are scenes from Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, where an out-of-control mouse infestation is making life miserable for farmers, grocers...

Feb 28, 2021

COVID-19 may trigger diabetes in some people

Emerging data hint that COVID-19 can trigger diabetes in some people, although the exact reason remains unknown. Scientists around the world noticed an uptick in new diabetes cases last year and, in particular, saw that some COVID-19 patients with no history of diabetes were suddenly developing the condition, Scientific American...

Feb 28, 2021

Mysterious brain disease 'cluster' under investigation in Canada

Officials in Canada are racing to find the cause of a mysterious brain disease that has afflicted more than 40 people in the New Brunswick province, according to news reports. Symptoms of the mystery illness resemble those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare and fatal brain disorder; and include memory...

Jan 31, 2021

California coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly. Should we worry?

A variant of the new coronavirus that first appeared in Southern California last summer has now spread to more than a dozen U.S. states and several other countries, according to a new study. The variant, known as CAL.20C, was first detected in a single case in Los Angeles County in...

Jan 31, 2021

CDC issues new guidelines for safely reopening schools

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a detailed guide to safely reopen America's schools, some of which have been closed for in-person learning for nearly a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is centered on five key mitigation strategies to reduce COVID-19 transmission in...

Jan 31, 2021

Prior infection with common cold viruses won't protect against COVID-19

For months, scientists have wondered whether past exposure to seasonal coronaviruses that cause common colds might prevent people from getting a severe case of COVID-19. TThat protection would explain why children, who get more of these colds, are less severely impacted by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But a...