• PUBLIC HEALTHNearly 108,000 Overdose Deaths in 2021 Bear Out a Prediction from Five Years Ago

    A grim prediction made half a decade ago by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health epidemiologists and modelers has come true: More than 100,000 people are now dying from drug overdoses annually in the U.S.

  • PUBLIC HEALTHU.S. Tracks Monkeypox Case Tied to Recent Canadian Travel

    By Stephanie Soucheray

    US officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox in a Massachusetts resident who had recently traveled to Canada. This is the first monkeypox case detected this year in the United States. In 2021, both Maryland and Texas reported single cases in residents who had recently traveled to Nigeria, where the virus is endemic.

  • BIORISKSGain-of-Function Studies Need Stricter Guidance: Researchers

    Researchers and biosecurity specialists are calling on the U.S. government to issue clearer guidance about experiments the government might fund which would make pathogens more transmissible or deadly.

  • BIOSECURITYStrengthening the Nation’s Early Warning System for Health Threats

    The White House hosted the Summit on Strengthening the Nation’s Early Warning System for Health Threats in support of the launch of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA). The launch of the CFA fulfills requirements in National Security Memorandum-1 (NSM-1), which instructed U.S. leadership to strengthen the international COVID-19 response and advance global health security and biological preparedness.

  • BIOTHREATSDeveloping New Vaccine Against Three Biothreat Pathogens

    Scientists are seeking to develop a multi-pathogen vaccine that will protect against three bacterial biothreat pathogens.

  • MISINFORMATIONDoes Free Speech Protect COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation?

    By Sharon Beckstrand

    “The Supreme Court has held that many kinds of false statements are protected speech under the First Amendment,” says Stanford University’s Michelle Mello. “The Supreme Court’s general finding is that false statements can often be valuable in terms of allowing people to challenge widely held beliefs without fear of repercussions, and that things could go pretty wrong if the government had a wider berth to regulate them.”

  • NUCLEAR WASTERComparing Geologic Repository Assessment Tools

    A computer modeling system is designed to answer critical safety assessment questions about future disposal options for spent nuclear fuel deep underground and the system of tunnels, containers and possible concrete-like barriers used to keep the radioactive material contained far from the surface and water sources.

  • DEATH STINGCan You Really Die from a Single Bee Sting, as in 'Bridgerton'?

    By Molly Callahan

    The Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Bridgerton” featured a flashback wherein Edmund Bridgerton, patriarch of the titular family, dies suddenly after getting stung by a bee. It would seem that Edmund Bridgerton experienced a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This severe, life-threatening reaction is at the far end of a spectrum of allergy symptoms that people may experience.

  • DISASTERSThe Social Impact of Disasters

    By Samuel Schlaefli

    A human geographer and a physicist conduct research into weather and climate risks. Their methods may be different, but they agree that the scale of a disaster is often determined more by societal decisions than by the natural hazard itself.  

  • GUNSFirearms Kill More Children Than Car Crashes: Report

    Latest CDC data show that guns now kill more children than any other cause, but health care interventions show promise for prevention.

  • PANDEMICSU.S. Can End Pandemics Within a Decade

    A new report from the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense containins specific recommendations to Congress and the administration about how the U.S. could put an end to pandemics within a decade.

  • OUTBREAKSCDC Launches New Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics

    New center will enhance capability for timely, effective decision-making to improve outbreak response using data, models, and analytics

  • GEOENGINEERING & HEALTHGeoengineering Could Bring Back Malaria for One Billion People

    Geoengineering the climate would have massive repercussions for the health of billions of people at risk of malaria who live in tropical countries. The study focuses on solar radiation management (SRM), an intervention that hypothesizes emergency actions aimed at reducing dangerous impacts of climate change.

  • FOOD SECURITYNew Network to Improve Biosecurity in Livestock

    Health and welfare, safety and sustainability are crucial elements for ensuring the future of livestock production. Biosecurity aims to prevent the introduction and spread of pathogens within and between farms and, consequently, results in better welfare, increased food safety and better sustainability. A new network to improve biosecurity in livestock.

  • DIRTY BOMBSRisks of a Dirty Bomb Attack Are Increasing

    In a new factsheet, the GAO says that the risks of a dirty bomb attack are increasing and the consequences could be devastating.