Epidemiology

A burned cigarette sits on the edge of an ash tray.

Why is the FDA seeking to ban menthol cigarettes? 4 questions answered

David Mendez and Rafael Meza

The FDA has opened the public comment period for the agency’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. As experts on the behavioral and public health aspects of smoking, Michigan Public Health professors David Mendez and Rafael Meza explain the role of menthol in smoking-related illness and death.

Public health worker in Africa distributing vaccines

Is Africa Truly Free of Wild Polio?

Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14 and Uju Okeke

Without a case on the continent for several years, the World Health Organization declared Africa free of wild polio in 2020. But questions remain about the ability to reach remote areas for vaccination programs and for disease surveillance as well as questions around the security of infectious agents held in labs for research.

Microscopic image of a coronavirus

Teaching Infectious Disease History in 2020

Jon Zelner

Teaching a course on the social history of infectious disease during a pandemic poses particular challenges. Jon Zelner decided to put his students’ energies to work on public-facing content aimed at helping people make sense of this pandemic and its implications in context.

Microscopic image of Ebola virus

Why Africa Still Has Ebola Outbreaks

Kennedy DuBose, Julia Duffy, Sania Farooq, Sucaad Mohamud, and Maggie Sanders

Ebola virus disease outbreaks have occurred periodically in regions of west and sub-Saharan Africa since 1976. By identifying the social and environmental issues surrounding EVD’s continuous resurgence, the world can mount better, more lasting interventions to avoid these detrimental outbreaks.

Microscopic image of the AIDS virus

When the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Meets COVID-19

Claire Volkert, Jonethan James, Kourtney Young, Noreen Khan, Sydney Gurecki, and Bianca Ghita

The HIV/AIDS epidemic exposed how structural factors place individuals at an increased risk for infection, something we are seeing again today with COVID-19. Can lessons learned from the HIV epidemic help prevent us from making the same mistakes today?