Epidemics

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Muslim faithful leave after attending prayers marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, as authorities intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, at the Central Mosque in Bunia town, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 27, 2026.

How Religious Leaders Can Bolster the Ebola Response

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Religious actors can help reduce the fear and mistrust surrounding the Ebola outbreak, and deliver health-care services directly

Global Health Security Lessons from the U.S. Biodefense Response

Global Health Security Lessons from the U.S. Biodefense Response

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The COVID-19 pandemic exemplified how an institute concerned with biodefense could pivot to serve public health needs

Limited Information Hampers Understanding of U.S. Farmed Mink Outbreaks

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Comparing the U.S. and Danish responses to COVID-19 outbreaks in mink populations

People push a cart with culled mink at the farm of Henrik Nordgaard Hansen and Ann-Mona Kulsoe Larsen near Naestved, Denmark, November 6, 2020.

Plague Ships, Shotgun Mobs, and the "Saffron Scourge"

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Recalling the massive, deadly New Orleans yellow fever epidemic of 1878—and what lessons it holds for coronavirus today

Painting of the Staten Island Quarantine Facility—built in 1799 to care for yellow fever patients, where by the 1850s all passengers from newly arrived ships with signs of a disease were quarantined. The image is an oil painting showing a bustling waterway with lots of tall ships with sails lowered and smaller vessels ferrying cargo to them. GETTY IMAGES/Keith Lance

What's Next for COVID-19?

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Containment of the coronavirus would make an enormous difference to health around the world. Is it still possible?

A colorized scanning electron microscope image of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, also known as 2019-nCoV, which causes COVID-19. Image shows a colorful molecular world with a bunch of worm-like dendrites, presumably biological material like cells, and bright orange cluster of spheres in the middle of the image. NIAID-RML image

How to Tackle Global Problems in an Age of Populism

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Appetites for investment do exist today to define achievable goals, apply effective tools, and solve global challenges

Famous singer and social activist Bono attends a Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing on foreign assistance in Washington D.C. on April 12, 2016. The photo shows Bono at a long table with several rows of chairs behind him. The chairs are filled with people who appear to be laughing. The REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Gender and the Coronavirus Outbreak

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Gender inequities make outbreaks worse, so why not integrate gender analysis into the response now to help save lives?

Immigration officers wearing protective awaiting Thai nationals evacuated from Wuhan, China—the center of the coronavirus epidemic, at the U-Tapao airport in Rayong province, Thailand on Feb 4, 2020. REUTERS/Royal Thai Navy Handout.

Dr. Tom Frieden on the Politics of Epidemics

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Health protection can fight disease, reduce economic losses, and save lives

Photo shows a digital rendering of the 2019-nCoV virion.

Pandemic, a Game Gone Viral

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An interview with Matt Leacock, creator of the popular 10-year-old board game, on the art of designing cooperative play

A bundle of the original Pandemic board game boxes. Photo a large armful-sized package neatly wrapped in brown paper. The paper is slightly torn open, revealing eight new boxes of the game Pandemic. Photo courtesy of Matt Leacock

Twenty-First Century Epidemic Responses

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An interview with Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust

Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. The picture shows Farrar wearing a blue shirt and blazer, smiling as he leans on sleek railing and standing out against a highly bokeh background. FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE/Dave Guttridge