respiratory disease

Traffic on a hazy evening in Fresno, Calif. A new study estimates that about 50,000 lives could be saved each year if the U.S. eliminated small particles of pollution that are released from the tailpipes of cars and trucks, among other sources.

Health & Safety

Eliminating fossil fuel air pollution would save about 50,000 lives, study finds

5:15pm May 17, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Burning oil, coal and other fossil fuels releases plumes of tiny, dangerous particles. A new study estimates that eliminating that pollution would save about 50,000 lives in the U.S. each year.

Nurses at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville stand in the hallway of an ICU as patients receive ECMO therapy during the delta variant surge of late summer 2021.

Even with risky survival rate, shortages of ECMO machines cost lives, study finds

6:16am March 28, 2022

by Blake Farmer

For COVID patients, ECMO is a last-ditch respiratory treatment in which only about half survive. Yet a new small study suggests many lives would still have been saved if there had been more machines.

Growth of coronavirus cases around the world (as of March 14)

Coronavirus World Map: We've Now Passed The 100 Million Mark For Infections

8:21am March 16, 2021

A map of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world. The respiratory disease has spread rapidly across six continents and has killed at least 2 million globally.

Vaccine-makers are readying 190 million doses of the flu vaccine for deployment across the U.S. this fall — 20 million more doses than in a typical year. A nasal spray version will be available, as well as shots.

2020 Flu Shot Strategy: Get Yours Early In The Season

10:00am August 04, 2020

by Fran Kritz

With the flu season looming, public health officials urge nearly all Americans over 6 months old to get immunized starting next month. Strategize now to avoid getting the flu while COVID-19 is raging.

KQED Deep Look delves into how the novel coronavirus attacks the lungs in this new video.

VIDEO: How The Novel Coronavirus Hijacks Our Defenses

4:19pm May 05, 2020

It's just a bit of genetic material wrapped in protein and fat. But the virus behind COVID-19 can wreak havoc deep inside human lungs when it triggers the immune system to go into overdrive.

Wildfires caused high levels of air pollution in San Francisco in November 2018. Climate change is making wildfires and heat waves more likely, and driving more days of unhealthy air in many U.S. cities.

Science

Climate Change Undercuts Air Pollution Improvements

12:02am April 21, 2020

by Rebecca Hersher

More Americans are breathing unhealthy air, even though overall air pollution has decreased in recent decades. In the tug-of-war between air regulations and climate change, global warming is winning.

The mouthpiece of a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device delivers enough pressurized air to keep the breathing passage of someone who has obstructive sleep apnea open throughout the night.

CPAP Machines Were Seen As Ventilator Alternatives, But Could Spread COVID-19

1:12pm March 27, 2020

by Markian Hawryluk

Doctors say the machine that helps some people with sleep apnea keep their airway open at night won't be enough to help an ill COVID-19 patient breathe and could spread the coronavirus to bystanders.

There's "currently no scientific evidence establishing a link between ibuprofen and worsening of COVID‑19," the European Medicines Agency advised Wednesday.

Advice From France To Avoid Ibuprofen For COVID-19 Leaves Experts Baffled

9:07pm March 18, 2020

by Maria Godoy

A weekend tweet by France's health minister suggesting ibuprofen might exacerbate COVID-19 doesn't have strong evidence behind it, say the WHO and other infectious disease doctors and researchers.

Ventilators can be a temporary bridge to recovery — many patients in critical care who need them for help breathing get better.

As The Pandemic Spreads, Will There Be Enough Ventilators?

3:11pm March 14, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

In severe cases of COVID-19, as lungs become inflamed, membranes that transfer oxygen into the blood can become blocked. Some hospitalized patients need mechanical breathing support to recover.

Queue Listen Now

Tom Cooper, Nashville General Hospital's supply chain director, inspects a box of N95 respirators. The hospital is among a small group of pilot sites now sharing data about the inventory of its protective equipment with the Centers for Disease Control and

Health & Safety

Coronavirus Pushes More Hospitals To Share Data About Inventories Of Protective Gear

5:00am March 12, 2020

by Blake Farmer

There is currently no central coordination of the supply of protective garb and masks in U.S. hospital inventories. A CDC project wants hospitals to share that information for the good of all.