In the News
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January 29, 2020
Getting vaccinated halved the risk of hospitalization for flu-related complications among young kids, according to research by Hannah Segaloff, research fellow in epidemiology: “Over half of our study population had underlying conditions that may put them at high risk for severe influenza-related complications, so preventing influenza in this group is critically important.”
U.S. News & World Report -
January 29, 2020
“The improvements have been on the hard science — figuring out the virus’ genome, building new hospitals at a moment’s notice — more than on the soft science side of managing information and dealing with people,” said Mary Gallagher, professor of political science and director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, on the shortage of testing supplies and China’s initial reticence in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
Reuters -
January 28, 2020
Most men with HIV know whether they have enough of the virus in their blood to make them contagious, but new research by Rob Stephenson, professor of nursing, and health behavior and health education, found that one in five may mistakenly think they can’t spread the virus even when they can. The results, he says, suggest that some HIV-positive men may not fully understand the public health message that “undetectable equals untransmittable.”
Reuters -
January 28, 2020
“The court avoided making the administration’s deeply unpopular campaign to demolish the ACA a centerpiece of the presidential race. Given that the court has frequently expedited or taken other extraordinary steps in cases of similar import, its refusal to do so in this instance looks an awful lot like an effort to help the Republican Party,” wrote Leah Litman, assistant professor of law, on the Supreme Court’s refusal to consider a challenge to the Affordable Care Act until after the presidential election.
The Washington Post -
January 28, 2020
“Over the span of a decade-long export reform initiative, this is the only instance where lethal weapons have been recategorized as commercial products. At the very time we should be restricting access to military-style firearms, the new regulations aim to normalize them and boost sales,” said Susan Waltz, professor of public policy, on the Trump administration’s easing of regulations on some commercial firearms exports.
CNBC -
January 27, 2020
The scale and complexity of the quarantine in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus broke out last month, is probably unprecedented, says Howard Markel, professor of health management and policy and director of the Center for the History of Medicine: “This is just mind-boggling. I’ve never read about or seen a bigger one than they’re proposing. … It’s a bazooka, not a BB gun.”
The Washington Post -
January 27, 2020
Karyn Lacy, associate professor sociology, and Afroamerican and African studies, discusses in an op-ed the energy that black people expend daily to counteract racial stereotypes and get fair treatment: “I study race and race relations for a living, and I’ve long known that strategizing about ways to avoid or counteract discrimination is an energy-draining task, and for too many, it’s part of everyday life.”
The New York Times -
January 27, 2020
“I think this is an important step in demonstrating that we have methods where we can reduce the risks that the things in urine pose,” said Krista Wigginton, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, whose research shows that urine can be used as a fertilizer without fear it will fuel the spread of antibiotic resistance — an issue experts have said is as great a threat to humanity as the climate crisis.
The Guardian (U.K.) -
January 24, 2020
“If ever there were a case where your heart says yes but your mind says no, Juliana unfortunately is that case,” said David Uhlmann, professor from practice and director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program, commenting on a landmark lawsuit brought on behalf of young people against the U.S. government. The case was quashed by a federal appeals court because “climate change is not an issue for the courts.”
The New York Times -
January 24, 2020
Emily Martin, associate professor of epidemiology, says this flu season is already notable for two reasons: “One is we are having a very early season. … The second thing … is that in previous years we will usually have some influenza A and then we will have a little bit of influenza B that comes a little later in the season, in the spring, and this year it is backwards.”
WDIV/Detroit
