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The spread of the coronavirus has surprising similarities to the spread of fake news, gun violence and even social media fads. What they all have in common is that mathematics plays a role in predicting how things "go viral," whether it's a germ, a rumor or an internet trend. Adam Kucharski, associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is the author of The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread — And Why They Stop. Adam Kucharski hide caption ...

The coronavirus outbreak in Nashville that once centered in Antioch and other southeastern neighborhoods is shifting to the city’s core, spreading among downtown residents and patrons of bars, honky-tonks and other crowded Lower Broadway businesses. The city government on Tuesday released heat maps showing the virus is spreading fastest and furthest in the downtown area, and leaders said the outbreak threatens to push hospitals to the brink in the coming weeks or months if left unchecked. The virus moving downtown also means new infections are shifting from older, Latino populations to younger, non-Latino residents, said Dr. Alex Jahangir, head of the city’s coronavirus task force. Younger people are less likely to suffer serious complications from the virus but can still spread it to o...

Perhaps more important, an injection every two months may allow more people to remain on medication, known as “pre-exposure prophylaxis” or PrEP, that blocks the virus. People whose medical care is inconsistent, including homeless people, intravenous drug users and others in unstable situations, have trouble remaining on the daily pills. Others are reluctant to obtain them because of the stigma still associated with HIV. “Giving individuals an option of an injection every eight weeks instead of taking a daily pill to prevent HIV provides choices and flexibility,” Monica Gandhi, San Francisco co-chair of the AIDS 2020 conference, said in an email. The worldwide conference is taking place online this week. Truvada and Descovy, both manufactured by Gilead Sciences, are the only PrEP drugs ...

BILLINGS - A Billings care facility announced Tuesday it has recently received results that found 43 residents and 15 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. In a press release issued Tuesday, officials at Canyon Creek Memory Care Community stated a total of 55 residents and 56 staff members were tested. Seven residents and 26 staff members tested negative, and test results are pending for nine residents and 15 staff members. Two residents who tested positive have been admitted to the hospital. The facility located at 1785 Majestic Lane is under quarantine, the press release states, and residents and family have been notified of the situation. "Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have closely monitored and implemented all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and ...

China has recorded a new case of dengue fever on the same day the country confirmed a bubonic plague infection, according to officials. A resident in the eastern Chinese city Guangde was diagnosed on Sunday with dengue fever, a deadly virus spread by infected mosquitos, the local health authorities said. It comes after a herdsman in China's northern Inner Mongolia region has been detected to have bubonic plague over the weekend, known as the 'Black Death' in the Middle Ages.  A resident in the eastern Chinese city Guangde, Anhui province, was diagnosed with dengue fever on Sunday, according to the local health authorities on Tuesday. The file picture taken on September 16, 2019, shows a street in the city of Bozhou in China's eastern province Anhui ...