Ignaz Semmelweis (1860) aged 42 | Public Domain Frontiers for Young Minds takes you down on a dive into the depths of the historical scientific archives and introduces you to scientists you may have not heard about, but you should! This time, we tell you the story of the invaluable contribution of Ignaz Semmelweis to the field of antiseptic policy by his discovery in infectious disease prevention – or, why you among others should wash your hands. By Paola Pellanda The Covid pandemic has reminded us more than ever of the importance of washing our hands to stop spreading infections, bu ..read more

Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com Two years have passed since the first Covid-19 case was reported. The impact of the pandemic has been devastating with death toll numbers painting a dismal picture of post recovery on health and on the tourism industry. Scientific revelations from the past years have shown that research on infectious disease transmissions, epidemiology, prevention and treatment is paramount – and so is going beyond the human host. The scope of one of Frontiers in Microbiology‘s largest sections – Infectious Diseases, has been refocused into Infectious Agents and Disease with ..read more

French lockdown succeeded in reducing COVID transmission, but many existing infectious cases and lack of herd immunity means the risk of a second wave is high. Image: Shutterstock. –by Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, Frontiers Science Writer COVID-19 restrictions in France should be lifted with caution because of the high risk of a second wave of infection, reports a new study, published in Frontiers in Medicine, which confirms the lockdown restrictions were successful in reducing the spread of this virus. “The lockdown was effective at reducing the transmission rate of COVID-19 but the potential fo ..read more

Study outlines key immunological factors underlying COVID-19 disease progression and proposes a range of drugs that may be repurposed to treat the disease. Image: Shutterstock — by Jillian Hobson, Frontiers Science Writer Due to the devastating worldwide impact of COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, there has been unprecedented efforts by clinicians and researchers from around the world to quickly develop safe and effective treatments and vaccines. Given that COVID-19 is a complex new disease with no existing vaccine or specific treatment, much effort is being made to investi ..read more

Mortality risk factors include old age, underlying health conditions, and bacterial and respiratory co-infections. Image: Shutterstock — by Nora Belblidia, Frontiers Science Writer If we understand the risk factors that lead to mortality among COVID-19 patients, we can prevent deaths caused by the disease. That was the impetus behind the recent paper published in Frontiers in Medicine, in which researchers in Wuhan, China studied how the illness progressed among fatal cases. “A better understanding of the disease progression, especially for the severe or critically ill cases, is essential to t ..read more

Two years have passed since the first COVID-19 case was reported. The impact of the pandemic has been devastating with death toll numbers painting a dismal picture of post recovery on health and on the tourism industry. Scientific revelations from the past years have shown that research on infectious disease transmissions, epidemiology, prevention and treatment is paramount – and so is going beyond the human host. The scope of one of Frontiers in Microbiology‘s largest sections – Infectious Diseases, has been refocused into Infectious Agents and Disease with the aim to: Encourage broader path ..read more

French lockdown succeeded in reducing COVID transmission, but many existing infectious cases and lack of herd immunity means the risk of a second wave is high. Image: Shutterstock. –by Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, Frontiers Science Writer COVID-19 restrictions in France should be lifted with caution because of the high risk of a second wave of infection, reports a new study, published in Frontiers in Medicine, which confirms the lockdown restrictions were successful in reducing the spread of this virus. “The lockdown was effective at reducing the transmission rate of COVID-19 but the potential fo ..read more

Study outlines key immunological factors underlying COVID-19 disease progression and proposes a range of drugs that may be repurposed to treat the disease. Image: Shutterstock — by Jillian Hobson, Frontiers Science Writer Due to the devastating worldwide impact of COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, there has been unprecedented efforts by clinicians and researchers from around the world to quickly develop safe and effective treatments and vaccines. Given that COVID-19 is a complex new disease with no existing vaccine or specific treatment, much effort is being made to investi ..read more

Mortality risk factors include old age, underlying health conditions, and bacterial and respiratory co-infections. Image: Shutterstock — by Nora Belblidia, Frontiers Science Writer If we understand the risk factors that lead to mortality among COVID-19 patients, we can prevent deaths caused by the disease. That was the impetus behind the recent paper published in Frontiers in Medicine, in which researchers in Wuhan, China studied how the illness progressed among fatal cases. “A better understanding of the disease progression, especially for the severe or critically ill cases, is essential to t ..read more

New study explains the mechanisms, symptoms, and diagnosis of the new coronavirus. Image: Shutterstock –by Mischa Dykstra, Frontiers Science Writer COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus SARS-Cov-2, has infected over 4 million people in 212 countries, of whom at least 272,000 have died. The ongoing economic and social impact of the pandemic is staggering, but despite a daily flood of news on the disease, few laypeople know that paradoxically, COVID-19 mostly kills through an overreaction of the immune system, whose function is precisely to fight infections. In a new review article – expli ..read more