pandemic News

Re/Insurers’ Fundamentals Begin to Erode in Challenge-Filled Market: A.M. Best

The ongoing pressures of diminishing investment returns, dwindling loss reserves and intense competition are beginning to erode industry fundamentals, cautioned A.M. Best in a special report titled “Insurers Hunt for Diminishing Opportunities in a Market Laden with Challenges.” “There is …

Rising Risks Could Cost Global Cities $1.17 Trillion of GDP in 2017: Cambridge Study

The costs of major shocks to the global economy from natural and manmade threats could put at risk $1.17 trillion of the total projected GDP of the world’s major cities in 2017, according to the findings of a report compiled …

Utah’s Unique Zika Case Remains Medical Mystery

A case of the Zika virus in Utah is now the only one in the continental U.S. that’s still puzzling researchers on exactly how it spread, health officials said this week. The man caught the illness after caring for his …

Yellow Fever Outbreak in DR of Congo Could Spread Across Globe, Charity Warns

An outbreak of yellow fever that has killed hundreds of people in central Africa could spread across the world, an international children’s charity warned on Tuesday, even as a massive vaccination campaign was expected to get underway. The Democratic Republic …

Zika Case in Utah Raises Questions over How Virus Spreads

The case of a Utah man who contracted the Zika virus after caring for his infected father raised new questions for health experts who said Tuesday that the investigation could guide new research into the way the disease spreads. The …

CDC Assisting Utah Investigation of Zika Virus Infection

The Centers for Disease Control is assisting in the investigation of a case of Zika in a Utah resident who is a family contact of the elderly Utah resident who died in late June. The deceased patient had traveled to …

U.S. Warned to Expect More Superbug Cases in Coming Months

After two confirmed U.S. cases of a superbug that thwarts a last-resort antibiotic, infectious disease experts say they expect more cases in coming months because the bacterial gene behind it is likely far more widespread than previously believed. Army scientists …

Hawaii Getting $1M in Federal Aid to Battle Zika Virus

Hawaii will receive $1 million in federal funds to fight the Zika virus. The cash will go toward developing and improving state websites about Zika preparedness. It also will pay for a communications staffer to handle public outreach. The state …

Climate Change May Have Fueled Mosquito-Born Zika Outbreak: Scientists

Climate change may have fueled the outbreak of the mosquito-born Zika virus in Latin American and make it harder for developing countries to manage future epidemics, researchers said. Record-high temperatures last year in Brazil, Ecuador and other South America countries …

Gene Creating Antibiotic-Resistant Superbug Detected in at Least 19 Countries

Just two months ago, researchers in China identified a gene that can make bacteria resistant to a last-resort antibiotic called colistin. It was a bombshell discovery for people who follow superbugs. Now that gene has been detected in at least …