Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
Centenary of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic (
Nature) 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which claimed about 50 million lives. The introduction of influenza viruses and subsequent adaptation to humans, which enabled human-to-human transmission, continues to pose a constant threat of a future pandemic. Despite the efforts to develop antiviral drugs and vaccines, improved surveillance and prevention strategies, influenza viruses continue to circulate in human populations and cause seasonal influenza epidemics around the world each year.
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Global Health Security
Medicine & Public Health
A Severe Flu Season is Stretching Hospitals Thin. That is a Very Bad Omen (
STAT News) A tsunami of sick people has swamped hospitals in many parts of the country in recent weeks as a severe flu season has taken hold. In Rhode Island, hospitals diverted ambulances for a period because they were overcome with patients. In San Diego, a hospital erected a tent outside its emergency room to manage an influx of people with flu symptoms.
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Science & Technology
Maybe Rats Aren't to Blame for the Black Death (
National Geographic) Rats have long been blamed for spreading the parasites that transmitted plague throughout medieval Europe and Asia, killing millions of people. Now, a provocative new study has modeled these long-ago outbreaks and suggests that the maligned rodents may not be the culprits after all.
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Other 21st Century Threats
China Enters the Battle for AI Talent (
Nature) A mountainous district in western Beijing known for its temples and mushroom production is tipped to become China's hub for industries based on artificial intelligence. Last week, the Chinese government announced that it will spend 13.8 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) on an AI industrial park--the 1st major investment in its plan to become a world leader in the field by 2030.
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