Pandemic

DNA confirms Yersinia pestis as cause of the first recorded pandemic 1,500 years ago

Using ancient DNA from eight teeth under Jerash's Roman hippodrome, scientists date the outbreak to mid-6th–early 7th century, finding nearly identical strains from a fast, deadly wave.

A researcher holds a Jerash tooth used to help identify the origin of the first plague.
Covid-19 pandemic tied to 5.5-month surge in brain aging across population. Illustration.

Covid-19 pandemic tied to 5.5-month surge in brain aging across population

 Sabina - New Day

From Lockdown to Light: Sabina’s New EP Shines Bright

 NATIONAL SERVICE volunteers at the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran rehabilitation village shower a special education student with severe disabilities with affection, as though he were their own sibling.

Crisis, conflict, and the kindest generation - opinion


Pandemic aftermath: Chronic fatigue cases surge across Germany

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals affected by ME/CFS has increased. Experts note that the incidence has likely doubled during this period.

 Pandemic aftermath: Chronic fatigue cases surge across Germany.

The rise of homeschooling: A global trend shaped by technology and pandemic challenges


First foreign tourists since pandemic invited to celebrate Kim Jong Il's birthday in North Korea

Tour Rason's top sites and celebrate Kim Jong Il's Birthday in North Korea, Koryo Tours announced.

 North Korean waitress serves beer to foreign tourists, Kaesong Folk Hotel.

CIA concludes COVID-19 more likely originated from lab leak than natural causes

Agency assigns 'low confidence' to conclusion, evidence remains inconclusive.

 Wuhan, China, October 2020.

COVID-19 virus likely originated from lab leak, CIA says

The newly appointed CIA chief, John Ratcliffe, noted last week that one of his priorities would be assessing the origins of the pandemic.

 A man wearing a face mask walks past an image of a virus November 24, 2020. Oldham, United Kingdom.

Israel can't afford to take threat of another virus lightly amid war - editorial

If there is going to be a global medical crisis once more, Israel’s leaders, who are busy enough as is with another life-threatening crisis, must learn from their past choices.

A woman wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic

US congressional report concludes COVID-19 likely originated from Wuhan lab leak

The report states that SARS-CoV-2 'probably emerged due to a laboratory-related accident or research.'

 State Public Health Laboratory in Exton Tests for COVID-19.

Black Plague killed farmers thousands of years before 14th-century Europe - study

Researchers identified at least three plague outbreaks spanning six generations that they could trace in one of the studied families.

A plague doctor and his typical apparel during the 17th Century Outbreak.

At least 100 Israelis infected with West Nile virus, most patients concentrated in central Israel

For the most part, the virus is considered a mild disease, but in some cases, it causes severe morbidity and even death.

 Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz institute on January 26, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.

21 Israelis diagnosed with West Nile virus, two die over the weekend

The Health Ministry has published new guidelines and protocols for the virus, which hit central Israel in recent weeks.

 An Aedes aegypti mosquito is kept in a container in Buenos Aires, Argentina March 13, 2024.

Deadly sea urchin epidemic spreads, causes major threat to coral reefs

Tel Aviv University experts warn:  A deadly epidemic among sea urchins in the Red Sea has spread to the Indian Ocean, posing a major threat to coral reefs around the world.

 The sea urchin Diadema setosum before (left) and after (right) mortality. The white skeleton is exposed following tissue disintegration and loss of spines.