In the Press

New coronaviruses armed with the capacity to cause severe human disease are becoming more frequent, raising the stakes for global preparedness, along with a need for a vaccine that could broadly protect against the most dangerous ones, such as SARS-CoV-2.

he World Health Organization has reported 169 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in kids ages 1 month to 16 years old.1 The reporting comes as of April 23.

The issue of mold contamination has drawn the national and international spotlight on the heels of publicity about prominent situations, such as a hotly contended link between mold and severe illness—and one death—in 10 Ohio infants in 1993 and 1994; a major 2001 insurance battle over the moldy Dripping Springs, Texas, house of Melinda Ballard and her family; the mushrooming mold infestations indoors and out along the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed ashore in 2005; and the mold infestation that helped spur the February 2007 outcry over the treatment given to recuperating soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A large observational study of newborn babies with sepsis shows the impact that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is having on this vulnerable population.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, depressive symptoms increased and life satisfaction decreased among secondary school children in England, particularly among girls, reports a new study led by UCL researchers.

Enhancement effect of human movement on high risk range of exhaled aerosols was proposed.

The presence of toxic indoor molds with accompanying bacterial growth is clearly detrimental to human health. The pathophysiological and toxicological effects of toxins and structural components of molds and bacteria have been clarified in experiments conducted in tissue culture and animals, and there is convincing epidemiologic evidence; nonetheless their implications for human health are either ignored or denied, at least in Finland.

Studies have demonstrated a potential correlation between low vitamin D status and both an increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and poorer clinical outcomes. This retrospective study examines if, and to what degree, a relationship exists between pre-infection serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and disease severity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2.

As China battles an Omicron-fueled COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, its largest city, it is also now seeing cases rise in Beijing, its capital and home to more than 21 million people. Meanwhile, in the United States, COVID-19 activity, mainly due to the more transmissible BA.2 subvariant, are rising, mainly in two regions.

Findings suggest women with COVID-19 during pregnancy are five times more likely to be hospitalised, and six times as likely to require treatment in intensive care.