Infectious Disease

519 articles:
COVID-19
Flu
Ebola
STI
Zika
Urinary Tract Infections
Variants
by Maddi Dellplain

To mask or not to mask. The sequel

Canada’s provincial medical officers of health are resisting calls for mask mandates despite pressures on our health care system from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and influenza. But the question remains: Should we return to mandatory masking in indoor spaces?
by Chris Hayes

The ongoing race in health care. Who will win?

In the race to change health care, there are two participants: Health-care improvement and burnout. Who will win?
by Denis Chmoulevitch Stéphanie Guernon Rachel Salt Krishana Sankar

What to know about bivalent vaccines

Health Canada authorized the most recent bivalent vaccine to date, a Moderna booster, to target multiple strains of the COVID-19 virus. But what exactly is a bivalent vaccine? And is it safe? Here's all you need to know.
by Miranda So Jenny Curran Shahid Husain Qian Li Mark McIntyre

Antimicrobial resistance: ‘Slow-moving tsunami’ now coming fast and furious

Antimicrobial resistance long has been described as a “slow-moving tsunami,” suggesting its only likely to occur in some far-distant future. It may seem that we do not need to take immediate action because there is still time … but is there?
by Bhargavi Duvvuri

Research into rare diseases ‘touches everyone’

Research into rare diseases can hold the key to unlocking the secrets of far more common ailments.
by Catharine Chambers Nicole Naimer Maddi Dellplain

The Faces & Phases of COVID-19

The Faces/Phases Project is a portrait of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Through a series of data visualizations, we cover the first two years of the pandemic.
by Nour Al-Nasser Lydia-Joi Marshall Sophia Ikura

Trust is essential to a functioning social safety net: Lessons from the pandemic

For those who already felt disconnected from the health-care systems and policy-makers, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated lack of trust in health care and public messaging.
by Julia Bailey Roger McIntyre

Long COVID – a common problem in need of a solution

Long COVID continues to affect millions worldwide, yet there are no tangible solutions to address this emerging disease. A new study is underway that aims to help reduce and eliminate brain fog and fatigue in those experiencing long COVID.
by Michelle Cohen

‘Violating Nature’s Health Laws’: How an eccentric early 20th century influencer set the stage for the COVID infodemic

Recognizing historical influences is just the start of tackling the social underpinnings of the infodemic. We must shed the legacy of the idea that a sick person ‘deserved it as a penalty for violating Nature’s health laws.
by Noah Ivers

Will we sacrifice primary care at the altar of pandemic recovery?

The word trade-off indicates we gain in some areas while sacrificing in others. But in primary care, it feels like we are sacrificing quality, cost and time. We have two options now: Fix primary care or keep making trade-offs we shouldn’t have to.
by Catherine Varner

Exodus in health care begs the question: ‘What will make you stay?’

When we don’t acknowledge or commemorate the quiet departures of our coworkers, it leaves those of us who remain unsettled and asking, ‘why stay?’ if it is barely noticed when someone leaves.
by Julia Kontak Sara Kirk

Youth engagement essential for healthy school environments

Despite the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children, in Canada and across the globe children and youth too often do not have their voices heard, or their perspectives adequately considered. Issues related to child and youth health are no exception.
by Joe Vipond Jane E. McArthur

Toxic tradeoff: Disinfectants are ineffective for COVID-19 prevention and create harmful exposures

There are countless benefits to improving indoor air quality, not least of which is reducing the spread of this virus that has altered our lives. But cleaning surfaces with disinfectants could be doing more harm than good.

by Sai Sarnala

How plant-based vaccines can revolutionize the fight against infectious disease

For underdeveloped countries the cold storage of vaccines is an obstacle to achieving global health equity. Fortunately, plant-based vaccines provide a novel solution.
by Nili Kaplan-Myrth

Please parents, mask your children as they return to school

This year, we are sending children and educators back to school without mask mandates, without improvements to ventilation and without adequate HEPA filtration in classrooms, knowing full-well that COVID-19 is airborne and that rates of COVID-19 are still high.
by Malika Sharma Nanky Rai

Pandemics as portals: What monkeypox teaches us about medical apartheid and resistance

HIV, COVID, monkeypox - then, as now, structural injustices have been made clear in the wake of any infectious outbreak. How we respond to this outbreak and dismantle the structural violence that created the conditions that allowed it to happen is up to us.
by Anthony Fong

‘Medical gaslighting’ harming long-COVID patients

Despite the reality of their debilitating physical symptoms, Long-COVID patients have been frequently misdiagnosed with a psychiatric conditions - a form of "medical gaslighting" at the hands of their physicians.

by Jeffrey Mo

A pandemic silver lining? Research shows drop in bullying in school and online

The COVID-19 pandemic may have shut down schools but, as new research shows, it also shut down both in-person and online bullying. And bullies are still lying low. But why hasn’t bullying returned since students have gone back to school?
by Maddi Dellplain

Provinces have charted their own paths, but should all adults in Canada have access to second boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Canadian provinces and territories have gone their own ways on the advisability and availability of fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses. But should the general population be eligible for a fourth dose at this time? Or are we better off waiting? We asked a group of experts to weigh in.

by Justine Baek

Re-evaluating visitor restrictions

While visitor policies have undoubtedly helped prevent COVID transmission in hospitals, as we move away from a crisis response to COVID-19, caregivers and families may once again be able to support patients alongside their health-care teams.

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