Air purifiers were meant to save us from COVID. A new systematic review wonders where the evidence for that is.
Quaternary ammonium compounds can linger on surfaces and in indoor air and dust long after the disinfectant has dried.
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Quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as QACs or quats, are commonly used antimicrobials also found in many household products. Soap and water may be a safer bet when cleaning surfaces.
The black rat, or ship rat, was thought to have helped transmit the Black Death.
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Toilets eject aerosol droplets that may carry disease-causing pathogens. Learning about how these particles move could help reduce exposure in public restrooms.
An air scrubber in a classroom at the E.N. White School in Holyoke, Mass.
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
A lot of federal money is now available for making school buildings healthier. Two environmental health experts explain how school districts can best use it.
Claire Guinat, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; Etthel Windels, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and Sarah Nadeau, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
After a nose swab tests positive for a virus or bacteria, scientists can use the sample’s genetic sequence to figure out where and when the pathogen emerged and how fast it’s changing.
Vaccinated people are well protected from getting sick, but could they inadvertently transmit the coronavirus?
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We can learn about the spread of diseases through populations by studying naturally occurring instances of herd immunity. Avian cholera in the Canadian Arctic provides a useful case study.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, and the colder weather approaches, new mathematical models are needed to study changing social behaviours and indoor spaces.
The fines for failing to wear a mask during Melbourne’s lockdown have been criticised as ‘punitive’. But the fact that masks are cheap or free, with huge public health benefits, makes it justifiable.
A restaurant in Bangkok created plastic partitions and moved its tables farther apart to separate guests in a normally tight space.
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It’s hard to eat while wearing a face mask, and social distancing isn’t easy in restaurants’ normally tight quarters. An infectious disease expert offers some tips on what to look for to stay safe.
People shop at the reopening of the Farmer’s Market in Manhattan Beach, California on May 12, 2020.
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The US is slowly reopening, but the messages from governments are confusing. An expert offers guidance on many people’s first priority – connecting with loved ones.
The coronavirus, like many infectious diseases, can live and spread on inanimate objects in the world around us. An epidemiologist explains how and gives some advice on how to minimize the risk.
Places where lots of animals come into contact can help pathogens move from species to species.
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In the real world, new diseases emerge from complex environments. To learn more about how, scientists set up whole artificial ecosystems in the lab, instead of focusing on just one factor at a time.
To how many others will one infected person spread the infection?
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Epidemiologists want to quickly identify any emerging disease’s potential to spread far and wide. Dependent on a number of factors, this R0 number helps them figure that out and plan accordingly.
Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Research Leader in Respiratory cellular and molecular biology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney