CIDRAP

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP; "SID-wrap") is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. Founded in 2001, CIDRAP is part of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota.

  HealthMap

HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization).

  Infectious Agents

People get sick when another organism, big or small, invades their body and infects them. These infectious agents come in all shapes and sizes, and all of them pose different threats to the human body. Some are microscopic, such as bacteria or viruses, which attack human bodies on the cellular level. Others are larger, like fungi, which are unicellular or multicellular organisms that grow on and feed off organic material, including humans. Finally, parasites such as tapeworms can find their way inside the human body and feed on blood and nutrients without killing their host.

 Opioids Tied to Risk of Fatal Infections

Opioids may be tied to an increased risk of life-threatening infections. Animal studies have shown that opioids suppress the immune system, but their clinical effect in human infections has not been widely studied.

 Untreatable Infections Are Likely Killing More People Than Doctors Thought

The United States isn’t unique in not knowing its actual rate of antibiotic-resistance-related deaths. The international standard for reporting on deaths, International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system, doesn’t currently have categories for deaths where antibiotics failed to work.

Four of the most lethal infectious diseases of our time and how we’re overcoming them

In 2013, the World Health Organisation declared antibiotic resistance was a threat to global health security. It can seem hard to believe that in the 21st century infectious diseases remain such a profound existential risk. But this declaration highlights the ever-lingering threat of infectious diseases and our dependence on antibiotics to stave off their impact on human and animal health and industry.

In a world with no antibiotics, how did doctors treat infections?

Alternative therapies have been used to treat infections since antiquity, but none are as reliably safe and effective as modern antimicrobial therapy. Unfortunately, due to increasing resistance and lack of development of new agents, the possibility of a return to the pre-antimicrobial era may become a reality. So how were infections treated before antimicrobials were developed in the early 20th century?

Viruses Are the Antibiotics of the Future

Although Bacteriophages have proven to be an effective alternative to antibiotics for treating infections caused by these superbugs, their adoption in the United States and Western Europe has been incredibly slow.

A Silent Killer

There is no easy way to diagnose sepsis. The good news is you probably don’t have it, but here’s how to ask your doctor if you’re worried.

Bacteria or Virus? New Tests May Identify What’s Causing Your Infection

Research holds promise for treating respiratory illness and limiting overuse of antibiotics.

Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines

The number of infected people, measured over 70-some years and across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, generally declined after vaccines were introduced. The heat maps below show number of cases per 100,000 people.

Can Humans Evolve To Be Immune To Diseases?

We absolutely can evolve resistance to some diseases. But only some, and perhaps only temporarily before they evolve new means to overcome our defenses. And we will never evolve resistance to all disease.

Disease X Is What May Become The Biggest Infectious Threat To Our World

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now added Disease X to its Blueprint list of priority diseases. What? WHO? What the heck is Disease X? No, this is not Wolverine getting a bad hangnail, Mystique getting jaundiced, or some other X-Men problem.

Half of People With HIV Had it For Three Years Without Knowing

One of the reasons HIV initially went undiscovered for so long is that people can have it for a long time without showing any symptoms. Widespread and regular testing can cut the time between infection and diagnosis, which is why health authorities encourage it.

How to Prevent Deadly Infection in Babies? Good Bacteria

It may be possible, scientists say, to save many thousands of newborns in poor countries by giving them a simple probiotic — a strain of bacteria originally scooped out of the diaper of a healthy baby.

In Hospitals, Pneumonia Is a Lethal Enemy

Pneumonia is the No. 1 hospital-acquired infection in America and hospitals aren’t doing enough to fight it. The best weapon: a toothbrush.

Making Peace with Bacteria—for Good Health

In their efforts to find new approaches to fighting harmful bacteria without harming the microbiome, researchers are actively studying how our microbial populations protect us and how microbial imbalances cause disease.

Research Shows Post-Surgical Infection Is A Very Real Threat

Post-operative infection risk is multi-factorial. A patient's health status is a key risk factor.

The Forgotten $35 Billion U.S. Healthcare Problem

Each year, more than 23,000 people die in the United States as a direct result of bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics–the equivalent of a Boeing 747 crashing each week. And the same can be said for Europe, which estimates that 25,000 lives a year are lost to resistant bacteria.

To Fight Fatal Infections, Hospitals May Turn to Algorithms

Machine learning could speed up diagnoses and improve accuracy.

Traveling Abroad? Born Before 1989? You May Need a New Measles Vaccination

The wildly contagious virus is still alive and well in Europe, Africa, and Asia—if you’re going there, you might need better protection.

Unlocking the Mechanics of the Urinary Tract Infection

New research helps explain how bacteria send their victims running to the bathroom.

We Will Always Have New Epidemics

Human behavior is the biggest variable in any outbreak.

When Athletes Share Infections

When parents of young athletes reel off their kids’ sports-related health issues, they usually think of sprains, broken bones and concussions. Infectious diseases may not even make the list. But to pediatricians, the close contact and casual equipment give and take that are often components of team bonding can also be a breeding ground for infection.

Why Hasn't Disease Wiped out the Human Race?

Fear of extinction is human. Thankfully, so is resilience.

Why overweight people may be more likely to die from infections like pneumonia and sepsis

We may be vastly underestimating obesity’s toll.

Why you may not need all those days of antibiotics

Taking your full course of antibiotics isn’t helping prevent the spread of resistance; it’s fueling it.

Women Are More Vulnerable to Infections

Public health officials and medical studies should take sex into account when addressing people's response to flu and other infections.