Even with the help of modern medicine, the possibility of disease pandemics doesn’t go away. Outbreaks like the Spanish Flu in 1918 show the costs of one of these pandemics. It just takes one dangerous and previously unseen virus that can spread across the globe.

It’s important for us to ask how much would it cost to develop vaccines that could prevent these pandemics from even happening?

A study published earlier this year in the Lancet looked at this exact issue. Researchers from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) conducted the study.

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A mysterious polio-like illness has been making major headlines this past week after the CDC announced that more than 150 potential cases are under investigation.

The disease in question is called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).

Considering it is mostly children who have been affected so far, many parents are concerned about this seemingly new problem.

Even though AFM is not actually a recent discovery, scientists still don’t understand much about it.

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A new study published in August by the New York Genome Center helped uncover one of health’s largest mysteries: why gene mutations cause different symptoms for people with the same disease.

The questions has gone unanswered within the science community for years. As a tool to predict symptoms of diseases such as cancer and autism, an answer could help millions around the world.

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While living in a big city likely makes it easier for you to catch the flu, a new study shows that population size is not the only factor in efficient virus transmission.

Researchers from the American Association for the Advancement of Science studied weekly data from 603 cities collected day and night over six years. The results showed what shapes the intensity, length and effect of the flu season in different cities across the country.

Georgian DeKalb County Board of Health official Dr. Sandra Ford noted that research focused on cities of different climates and sizes.

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A recent study from teams at Fiocruz and the Institute Pasteur reveals that the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is capable of spreading yellow fever.

Considering the tiger mosquito is active in both urban and forest environments, the findings are a cause for concern.

That said, the information could also prove invaluable in the fight to prevent dangerous yellow fever outbreaks. Officials could even use the information for the current epidemic plaguing Brazil.

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Last year’s flu season was reportedly the deadliest in 40 years with at least 80,000 lives taken according to the CDC.

The total for the 2017-2018 flu season was revealed in late September 2018. It is significantly higher than recent counts of flu-related deaths, which have been between 12,000 and 56,000 per year.

Experts knew at the time that the disease was hitting harder than anticipated, but such a high toll was unexpected. In fact, Vanderbilt University vaccine expert Dr. William Schaffner told the Associated Press that the amount was almost twice as much as what officials had previously considered to be a bad year.

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A few short years ago, Zika virus was in the news on a daily basis.

As cases reached North America, millions worried about the dangerous illness. Those fears peaked during the summer of 2016, with thousands of cases around the world.

Zika is of the flavivirus family that comes from mosquitoes in the Aedes aegypti group. Researchers suggest that people who have had Zika in the past cannot get it again and are immune to it. Scientists began to conduct research to create a vaccine, but with fewer reported cases in recent years, there was less urgency for the vaccine.

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When taking a cross-country road trip in North America, it can be a point of emphasis to stop in small towns. Travelers get a feel for the areas the otherwise would never get to explore.

But, this practice is usually overlooked when thinking about traveling abroad.

That doesn’t mean foreign travelers don’t have many opportunities. Much like a trip in the United States or Canada, these small towns can often provide more authentic and memorable experiences.

Here are five small towns that you need to visit in foreign countries:

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In recent years, we’ve seen some promising results for disease prevention in low-income countries. But, in during that same time, lower-middle income countries have been forgotten.

The lack of money for vaccinations in these countries has created new disease risks. Worse, the most common are the preventable diseases that pose little threat in other regions. This brings along with it a strong likelihood of future outbreaks if things don’t change.

But, what makes up a lower-middle income country?

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Come flu season, every person of all ages is at risk of influenza. Every region across the world is susceptible to the contagious respiratory illness. Being different than a common cold, the flu can take effect suddenly and can range from mild to severe in illness.

While many sick with the flu tend to recover within two weeks, some people can develop complications.

One of those complications can lead to pneumonia. According to Everyday Health, one-third of pneumonia cases develop from a respiratory virus, with the flu the most common of those.

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