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Zika virus likely present in Americas long before 2015-16 epidemic
The Zika virus circulated in many regions of the Americas for months before cases were detected, according to a study from an international research team from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and collaborating institutions. Lead author…
To quarantine or not to quarantine?
May 4, 2017 — During an infectious disease outbreak, is it best to quarantine those who have been exposed to the disease — who may or may not be infected — or is it sufficient to send the…
Physicians’ opioid prescribing patterns linked to patients’ risk for long-term drug use
For immediate release: Wednesday, February 15, 2017 At a glance: New research shows great variation among clinicians’ opioid prescribing practices and links physician prescription patterns to patients’ risk for subsequent long-term opioid use. Being treated by an emergency…
‘Bugs’ on the subway: Monitoring the microbial environment to improve public health
For immediate release: June 28, 2016 Boston, MA – The trillions of microbes that transfer from people to surfaces could provide an early warning system for the emergence of public health threats such as a flu outbreak or a rise…
Response to Zika outbreak driven by Ebola failures
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health community are working more aggressively to contain the Zika virus in the Americas to avoid repeating mistakes that occurred during the handling of the continuing Ebola epidemic in West…
New HarvardX course focuses on pressing issues in global health
How do experts predict global disease patterns? How do they decide which health care interventions to use in the case of an epidemic, disaster, or armed conflict? Is there a way to end diseases like guinea worm and…
Predicting global health threats for 2016
Which diseases might plague the world in 2016? Experts say that relatively unheard-of diseases could emerge, such as the Zika virus, which may already be causing birth defects in Brazil and French Polynesia. Or known threats such as…
Stopping tuberculosis requires new strategy
Past decades’ reliance on biomedical solutions has not worked; ‘biosocial’ approach needed For immediate release: October 26, 2015 Boston, MA ─ Unless there is a major shift in the way the world fights tuberculosis—from a reliance on biomedical…
Overcoming the opioid crisis
In response to opioid abuse that has skyrocketed in the U.S. in recent years, communities, clinicians, state and local leaders, and federal officials have been working on several fronts to stem the crisis—but there’s still much more to…
Resilient health systems key for managing disease outbreaks
Health systems can better handle future infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola by being more resilient and better prepared to respond to severe global health crises, according to a May 7, 2015 Lancet article co-authored by Margaret E.…