|
|
|
|
Top headlines
Lead story
It’s only March, but it’s already looking like another bad year for measles. After decades of a few hundred cases per year in the United States at most, measles cases spiked past 2,000 last year and are on track to surpass that number this year. In the past 15 months, all but three states in the U.S. have reported cases.
It is, of course, highly concerning that an extremely contagious and dangerous illness is regaining a foothold in the U.S. Beyond being a worry in its own right, the resurgence of measles “serves as a serious warning about the country’s capacity to manage infectious disease threats of all kinds,” write Jennifer Nuzzo, a renowned expert in pandemic preparedness, and her research colleague Andrea Uhlig.
How well a country controls measles, they explain, “can be viewed as a proxy for how well it would control many other diseases.” And as trust in public health experts and public health systems erodes, protecting Americans from future disease threats becomes much more difficult.
To see the latest from our ongoing coverage of the Iran war, click here.
[ Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails). ]
|
|
Alla Katsnelson
Associate Health Editor
|
|
The U.S. eliminated measles in 2000, but the disease is once again circulating around the country.
Marina Demidiuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus
Jennifer B. Nuzzo, Brown University; Andrea Uhlig, Brown University
Controlling the spread of many infections, including measles, depends on trust in public health, which is eroding.
|
Ethics + Religion
|
-
Shalom Goldman, Middlebury College
For some Americans, biblical prophecies about the end-times serve as a guide to conflicts in the Middle East today.
-
Jue Liang, Case Western Reserve University
Rooted in the Buddhist teaching of the bardo − states of ‘in-between’ − the text offers a way to understand death, life and transformation as deeply intertwined.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, University of Virginia; Charlie Hunt, Boise State University
As critics question President Trump’s motivations for war on Iran, it’s not just about politics. It’s about the Constitution and whether Congress has any hope of checking the president’s warmaking.
-
Aaron Walayat, University of Dayton
After the government acquired a warehouse in PA to expand ICE operations, questions are mounting about transparency, cost and government real estate transactions.
-
Ashley Sanchez, University of Notre Dame
A new DHS policy could result in the detention of thousands of people who have lawful immigration status.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder
Concerns about shortages of interceptor missiles in the conflict between the US and Iran highlight the challenges of defending against missiles and drones.
-
Debaleena Chattopadhyay, University of Illinois Chicago
As devices get smarter, families and communities bear a heavier burden of technology caregiving for older adults.
|
|
International
|
-
Lily Hindy, University of California, Los Angeles
Despite risks, Kurds in Syria have the best chance in a generation to protect their national rights. Their success may hinge on the international community.
|
|
Education
|
-
Stephen Roll, Washington University in St. Louis; Jenn Finders, Colorado State University; Leah Hamilton, Appalachian State University
A combination of Colorado state tax credits for low-income families is predicted to lift more than 50,000 children out of poverty.
|
|
Economy + Business
|
-
Brian Y. An, Georgia Institute of Technology
Hundreds of thousands of rural families could lose their affordable homes as mortgages the program supported expire by 2050.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Jeanette Tran, Drake University
The Oscar-nominated film about Shakespeare’s son explores how men and women mourn differently – and how ‘Hamlet’ may have transformed a father’s private sorrow into enduring art.
-
Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti, Rice University
The show’s opening included a ritual performance by the artist, connecting the living with their ancestors.
|
|
|
|
|
| | |
