outbreak

So far this season, tens of millions of birds have died of disease or been culled, driving up prices of eggs, chicken, and turkey meat.

The Scientist spoke with the UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, about this winter’s high bird flu prevalence, the effects of the disease, and efforts to combat it.

The pathogen known as swine flu evolved in pigs in Mexico following imports of the livestock from the US and Europe.

Seven years of surveillance and research revealed the complex history of the H1N1 virus that leapt from pigs to humans and sparked the global swine flu outbreak.

Ebola virus was detected in samples from a child who died last week, the World Health Organization and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Health announce.

Officials say it’s not yet clear whether this case is linked to an outbreak in Guinea earlier this summer.

Surveillance networks set up to detect outbreaks among pets could one day have public health uses too.  

A patient caught the rare disease in Nigeria before flying through two US airports, exposing more than 200 people from 27 states.

In addition to continued scruitiny of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, research on similar pathogens could aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and future disease outbreaks.

Genetic analyses suggest that the virus came from a patient who survived the 2013–2016 West African outbreak.

The woman may have had a link to another person, who was married to an Ebola survivor and who died a few days previously in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is less effective at preventing COVID-19 than other approved vaccines are, but experts say it could still be an important tool in curbing the pandemic.

Studies on SARS-CoV-2’s milder cousins hint that our immune systems are quick to forget the viruses, but it’s unclear whether the same is true for the agent that causes COVID-19.

A handful of factors tip the scales in making a virus more likely to trigger a disruptive global outbreak. Right now, scientists tend to rank influenza, coronaviruses, and Nipah virus as the biggest threats.

A coronavirus has been commanding the headlines for months, but strains of influenza and paramyxovirus are extremely dangerous pathogens that could spark outbreaks.

Some researchers express skepticism given the lack of data about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, and the country plans to vaccinate healthcare workers, teachers, and others even before testing is complete.

The basic reproductive R0, along with the more malleable effective reproduction number Re, are centerpieces of most epidemiological models that are informing government responses to COVID-19.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has revealed the limitations of R0 as no other disease outbreak has before, at a time when policymakers need accurate forecasts.

As communities and businesses reopen amidst the pandemic, masks—in addition to other social distancing measures—are crucial for preventing new outbreaks.