Ian Jones, University of Reading The severe and devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic were undoubtedly made worse by a substantial lack of pandemic preparedness, with the exception of East and South East Asia, which had built up defences after their experience with SARS in 2003. So it is crucial that governments begin
Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford UK prime minister Boris Johnson recently announced a fuzzy blueprint for his “winter plan”, in which further lockdowns and compulsory mask-wearing were not being introduced but could not be ruled out. As an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in complex systems and health policy, it looks to me like the
Working with dangerous viruses sounds like trouble – but here’s what scientists learn from studying pathogens in secure labs Jerry Malayer, Oklahoma State University There are about 1,400 known human pathogens – viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and helminths that can cause a person’s injury or death. But in a world with a trillion
This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series. All viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – evolve over time.
The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China and spread around the world. Genomic analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like (SARS-like) bat viruses, therefore bats could be the
Vaccines are the best cost-benefit tools to control and eradicate infectious diseases. The live smallpox vaccination, called variolation, was the injection of the homologous virus and this promoted self-healing local lesions that guaranteed strong and long-lasting protection. However, since 3% of these variolations caused cases of smallpox in the vaccinated individuals, it was
Si è accennato, nel numero di MAG di gennaio-febbraio, all’inquinamento presente nelle nostre abitazioni, del grande tempo che passiamo all’interno di queste e di quanto la nostra coscienza ambientale, attenta all’aspetto della qualità dell’aria esterna, non abbia percezione dell’esistenza del fenomeno. Esaminiamo ora nello specifico quali possono essere realmente i veleni che troviamo