by Maggie Fox | 3 May 2023 | Climate decoders, Environment, Health and Wellness, Writing's on the Wall
There are all kinds of dangers associated with climate change. Can we still have healthy lives amid rising seas and extreme weather? Photo illustration by News Decoder. This article is one in a series of decoders examining critical aspects of climate change. They are...
by Maggie Fox | 5 Jul 2022 | Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, Science
Most nations have rolled back steps to contain COVID-19. But the virus continues to kill. Many experts are frustrated governments are not doing more. Immunization, conceptual illustration (Photo by: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images) Airlines have stopped requiring...
COVID fatigue is worldwide even though the virus continues to spread. In many places, restrictions have been lifted for masks, travel and testing. Vaccination targets remain largely out of reach. Since the onset of the pandemic, health experts and governments have been at odds about the best approach to beat the virus. Our inability to curb the spread of the virus begs broader questions, including whether we are up to the task of combating climate warming. How could we have better balanced health and the economy, collective responsibility and individual rights to overcome COVID sooner?
Exercise: Ask students to debate the role of government versus individual responsibility in combating global crises such as COVID and climate change.
by Maggie Fox | 25 Aug 2021 | Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, Science, World
COVID-19 could have brought out the best in humanity. Instead, public health programs have fallen short, exposing us to a resurgence of diseases. A baby is vaccinated against malaria in Malawi. (WHO/Mark Nieuwenhof) COVID-19 has shut down vaccination programs around...
Headlines about COVID-19 understandably tend to focus on the current state of affairs — cases, hospitalizations, deaths, new variants, vaccines. It takes the kind of expertise that Maggie Fox has earned in years of writing about science and health to look beyond today to see what the pandemic means for tomorrow. Citing the latest research, Fox explores how public health services are failing to cope with myriad illnesses that don’t stop in their tracks just because there’s a pandemic. The outlook is not bright.
Exercise: Ask your students to speak to a local epidemiologist to learn how COVID-19 is affecting public health services nearby and the impact the pandemic is having on the fight against other illnesses.
by Maggie Fox | 6 Mar 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness
Most cases of the new coronavirus disease are mild. Those most at risk have underlying health conditions. Why all the fuss then? A microscopic image of the new coronavirus, made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIAID-RML via AP) Why is everyone...
by Maggie Fox | 28 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness, Media Literacy
Coronavirus headlines are taking readers on a roller coaster of fear, hope and confusion. Here are tips for telling what’s true and what’s not. Medical staff check the temperature of passengers at Nanjing South Railway station in Nanjing, China, 27 January...