An epidemic is a phenomenon characterized by the occurrence of cases of a specific disease, infection, or health-related event in a population, community, or region at levels significantly exceeding the expected baseline during a defined time period. It reflects a dynamic imbalance between pathogen transmission, host susceptibility, and environmental or social determinants. Epidemics are described mathematically using measures such as the basic and effective reproduction numbers (R₀, Rₑ), incidence rates, and epidemic curves, and are driven by mechanisms including person-to-person transmission, vector-borne spread, or common-source exposure, often necessitating targeted public health interventions for containment and mitigation.
Diseases historically absent from the United States have been showing up in Florida, Texas, California and other U.S. states in recent years. To understand why, look to Peru. That's where researchers from Stanford and other ...
Environment
Mar 17, 2026
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Scientists have created a genomic blueprint for Aeromonas bacteria, which can cause antibiotic-resistant diarrheal disease—with symptoms often misidentified as cholera—in humans and animals.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 11, 2026
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Between 1347 and 1353, Europe was gripped by the most catastrophic pandemic in its history: the Black Death. Killing many millions, the plague wiped out between one-third and a half of Europe's population.
Ecology
Mar 5, 2026
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The bubonic plague, which swept across Europe between 1347 and 1353, is estimated to have killed up to one half of the continent's population. The sudden loss of life led to the abandonment of farms, villages and fields, ...
Ecology
Mar 5, 2026
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Currently, Australia is the only continent in the world still free from the highly contagious H5 bird flu. But that status faces an ongoing threat.
Veterinary medicine
Mar 2, 2026
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The Microbiology Society's Microbiology Outlooks, launched in 2025, has published its inaugural article: "When Theory Meets Genomics: Reconciling Game Dynamics and Within-Host Evolution." The new commentary explores how theoretical ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 28, 2026
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Whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are highly social, but those social ties can also help diseases spread through populations of rare or threatened species.
Plants & Animals
Jan 16, 2026
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Researchers have developed a tool that reliably predicts where destructive new roads are likely to carve through tropical forests, giving environmentalists and public health officials a head-start in identifying at-risk areas ...
Environment
Dec 23, 2025
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A study published in Communications Biology sheds new light on the relationship between bats and dangerous viruses. Led by researchers at the University of Oklahoma, the study shows that, contrary to widespread assumptions, ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 4, 2025
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26
During an epidemic, some of the most critical questions for healthcare decision-makers are the hardest ones to answer: When will the epidemic peak, how many people will need treatment at once and how long will that peak level ...
Environment
Oct 25, 2025
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