The world’s best chance of preventing the next pandemic lies in a global treaty. But deep divisions over funding and the sharing of vaccines and treatments have so far prevented an agreement.
People often think of leprosy as a bygone disease, relevant primarily in biblical times. But in fact, it is still present in more than 120 countries, and the US is seeing an uptick in cases.
Social sciences play a key role in preventing zoonotic diseases from spreading to people from animals.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Pandemics often have animal origins, so prevention is often dominated by health and veterinary sciences. However, social sciences’ role in understanding human behaviour is also crucial to prevention.
The signs that remind you to pick up after your pet are not just trying to keep public spaces clean; they’re urging you to help safeguard your community’s health.
Rabies virus (red) has an incubation period that can last from days to months.
NIAID/Flickr
An unexpected case of rabies found in an animal can raise concerns for a potential outbreak. Proactive vaccination of both wildlife and people can help protect everyone.
Children and women run in a cloud of dust at the village of El Gel, Ethiopia. Climate change has pushed the Horn of Africa into a catastrophic drought.
Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Sarah McLean, Swinburne University of Technology e Enzo Palombo, Swinburne University of Technology
Animals, including the ones that live in our homes, can carry all kinds of illnesses. Most of the time it’s not a problem, but here’s what you should do to avoid getting sick.
An eastern box turtle crossing a rural Pennsylvania road.
Julian Avery
A newborn bison calf in Yellowstone National Park had to be euthanized after a visitor handled it in May 2023 – a recent example of how trying to help wild animals often harms them.
Museum archives hold biological specimens that have been collected over years or even decades. Modern molecular analysis of these collections can reveal information about pathogens and their spread.
This whirlwind tour of social history describes how infectious diseases have shaped humanity at every stage. It suggests reducing inequality will give us our best chance of surviving future plagues.
Nematode larvae belonging to the genus Anisakis can cause the disease anisakiasis, a threat to human health.
Shutterstock / WH_Pics
Raw seafood dishes such as sushi, poke bowls and ceviche are increasingly popular, but can harbour fish-borne parasites. What’s the best way to protect ourselves?
Countries around the world were not prepared to respond to COVID-19.
Andrew Wasike Shimanyula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A new global dataset shows there is no clear global increase of infectious disease outbreaks over time. And it can suggest which countries would most likely be affected by an outbreak.
Avian influenza viruses have evolved to infect birds, but the current H5N1 outbreak is also infecting a wide range of mammals. This suggests that it could mutate into forms that threaten humans.