Viruses are constantly changing, and new versions—called variants—often arise. News of variants of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus is spreading nearly as fast as the variants themselves. To learn more about these variants, we talked to Dirk Dittmer, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at UNC School of Medicine. 1. When it comes to viruses,…
Last month, Pfizer and Moderna shared preliminary results from their coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trials. We talked to UNC Health infectious disease expert Cindy Gay, MD, MPH, who leads the Moderna clinical trial at UNC, about what the data from these trials tell us. 1. Clinical trials show the first two vaccines are about…
After weeks of exciting news about the promising results of the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trials, a small subset of Americans is actually receiving vaccines. This is a momentous occasion because clinical trials show the first two vaccines are about 95 percent effective at preventing people from getting sick with COVID-19. With a continued…
Editor’s note: This article originally ran August 25, 2020, and was updated September 19, 2022, to reflect updated public health guidance. You wake up with a headache and cough. Great. Is this COVID-19, a cold or the flu? It’s also allergy season, of course—the options feel endless. “These conditions can be so similar that it’s tough…
Clinical research related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exploded in recent months as public and private researchers look for ways to test, treat and prevent the illness. When it comes to vaccines, there are five selected by the U.S. federal government for funding and accelerated development under Operation Warp Speed: Moderna’s mRNA-1273, The…
The headlines are constant, and they’re scary—the United States is in the midst of the worst measles outbreak since 1994. As of last week, 764 cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states. Measles had previously been declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, but now “the number of susceptible people has increased…
UNC urologist and male fertility specialist Matt Coward, MD, would like to start a conversation about male infertility. As the general understanding of male infertility has grown over the years, the myth that fertility issues are a female problem has been debunked. But, he says, there is still a wide gap in the number of…
The statistics are enough to give any parent a sick feeling: Each week, about a dozen children ages 12 and under are killed in traffic accidents. Many more are injured, sometimes seriously. Research shows that many of these children were not buckled in properly, despite the safety and legal consequences (a ticket for driving an…
Pop quiz, just for men: What’s your doctor’s name? Wait, you do have a doctor, right? Too many men don’t have a family physician and don’t get regular checkups, says Culley Carson, MD, a urologist with UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill. This problem is especially bad among younger men, he says. Between ages 18…
