Public HealthMarch 11, 2020
WHO Declares the Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic
The virus will likely spread to all countries on the globe, but actions can still limit its impact
Stories by Helen Branswell
Helen Branswell is STAT's infectious diseases and public health reporter. She comes from the Canadian Press, where she was the medical reporter for the past 15 years. Helen cut her infectious diseases teeth during Toronto's SARS outbreak in 2003 and spent the summer of 2004 embedded at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2010-11 she was a Nieman Global Health Fellow at Harvard, where she focused on polio eradication. Warning: Helen asks lots of questions.
Public HealthFebruary 27, 2020
Latest U.S. Coronavirus Case Suggests True Scope of Undetected Spread Is Unknown
A California woman may have been infected locally, but few Americans are being tested
Public HealthFebruary 25, 2020
WHO Says Coronavirus Is Not Yet a Pandemic but Urges Countries to Prepare
The director-general said nations should aim to protect groups at highest risk, including health care workers and the elderly
MedicineFebruary 18, 2020
Sanofi Announces It Will Work with HHS to Develop Coronavirus Vaccine
The vaccine likely won’t be ready to test in people for at least a year
Public HealthJanuary 28, 2020
The Coronavirus Questions That Scientists Are Racing to Answer
Although scientists have learned a lot so far, there is still much they do not know about the novel virus spreading in China and other countries
Public HealthJanuary 27, 2020
Experts Warn of Possible Sustained Global Spread of New Coronavirus
If the virus cannot be contained, it could start regularly circulating in the population like other common respiratory viruses
Public HealthJanuary 24, 2020
CDC Reports Second U.S. Case of Novel Virus Spreading in China
The patient had recently returned to Chicago from Wuhan
Public HealthJanuary 24, 2020
Four “Generations” of Spread Seen with Virus in China, Alarming Experts
Evidence suggests at least one Chinese patient ignited a chain of human-to-human transmission
Public HealthJanuary 21, 2020
WHO Calls for Emergency Meeting on New Virus in China as Cases Spread to Health Care Workers
The new coronavirus has sickened people in several countries, and there has been at least one confirmed case of human-to-human transmission
Public HealthJanuary 9, 2020
WHO Says Mysterious Illness in China Likely Being Caused by New Virus
The virus behind an outbreak that has sickened at least 59 people in Wuhan is thought to be a type of coronavirus, the family that includes SARS and MERS
Public HealthJanuary 6, 2020
Cause of Wuhan’s Mysterious Pneumonia Cases Still Unknown, Chinese Officials Say
The virus has sickened 59 people so far but does not appear to be transmitting among humans
MedicineDecember 20, 2019
FDA Approves an Ebola Vaccine For the First Time
The first to be approved in the United States, the vaccine protects against the virus responsible for the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
MedicineDecember 4, 2019
Trump Administration Program Will Provide HIV Prevention Drug for Free
The “Ready, Set, PrEP” program will provide donated drugs that could protect up to 200,000 people a year for 11 years
PolicyDecember 2, 2019
Ebola-Response Workers Killed in Attacks Force Withdrawal From Critical DRC Region
Four health care workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed in two attacks last week, and six others were injured
MedicineNovember 15, 2019
CDC Report Finds 35,000 Americans Die of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Each Year
While the number of deaths has gone down since 2013, new infections—such as the deadly Candida auris—have appeared
MedicineNovember 12, 2019
Ebola Vaccine Approved in Europe in Landmark Moment
The approval of Merck’s vaccine comes after decades of research aimed at preventing the deadly disease
MedicineSeptember 30, 2019
Flu Vaccine Selections Suggest This Year’s Shot May Be Off the Mark
The strains chosen for the Southern Hemisphere vaccine suggest the Northern Hemisphere one may not provide optimal protection
Public HealthJuly 23, 2019
The Superbug Candida auris Is Giving Rise to Warnings—and Big Questions
Scientists ponder how the deadly fungus arose and became so resistant to treatment
Public HealthApril 29, 2019
U.S. Measles Cases Top 700 This Year as Health Officials Urge Vaccinations
The surge in cases has sent 66 children to the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Public HealthJanuary 23, 2019
Ebola Vaccine Supplies Are Expected to Last
The World Health Organization predicts the Democratic Republic of the Congo has enough of the experimental vaccine
Public HealthNovember 19, 2018
WHO Chief Warns Congo Violence Is Allowing Ebola to Spread
Rebels repeatedly attack the outbreak epicenter—where the response operation is headquartered
MedicineOctober 25, 2018
FDA Approves a Fast-Acting Flu Drug That Is Taken in a Single Dose
Xofluza is the first drug with a new mechanism of action to be approved in nearly 20 years
Public HealthOctober 5, 2018
Flu Season Length May Differ by City Size
Work suggests preparedness strategy should differ by location
Public HealthSeptember 20, 2018
Pet Store Puppies Blamed for Drug-Resistant Infections
More than 100 people have become ill with diarrheal disease