 | By Stephanie Cornwell, Editorial Assistant | | | The COVID-19 pandemic made me realize how little we all know about epidemiology. I feel embarrassed sometimes, but hey, we're all here to learn! For today's lesson: Endemic Diseases. What are they? Why do we want COVID to be one already? | | | Today's Top Story | | Is COVID-19 Endemic Yet? |  | We have to let go of the notion that COVID will be eradicated. Instead, the virus will likely become endemic.
An endemic disease is always present in a specific population or geographic area; it circulates more predictably like the annual flu. Case rates may vary each flu season, but experts are prepared for the inevitable infections.
COVID is not there yet. It's still far too unpredictable and uncontrollable to be deemed endemic.
Although Omicron affects some people more mildly than variants, experts warn that it's not a mild disease. But a particular illness doesn't have to be mild to be endemic.
Malaria, for example, is eradicated from the U.S. but is endemic in many other regions. Cholera, a potentially severe infection, is endemic in 50 countries.
So when will we see COVID reach endemic status? First, case rates need to drop.
Mackenzie Weise, MPH, CIC, infection prevention clinical program manager at Wolters Kluwer Health, said "we're still sort of feeding the virus' ability to mutate further, get smarter, and learn how to thrive." | | Know More | | Once we reach an endemic state, the goal is to maintain a baseline. We need a more cohesive, standardized worldwide public health approach. This includes better infectious disease surveillance to identify, sequence, and monitor new variants and track their behavior among a population. | | Feel Better | | Lastly, our experts warn everyone against listening to misinformation online rather than researchers and scientists who have dedicated their careers to studying and protecting public health. | | |  | | If You Have a Negative Body Image, Try Spending More Time in Nature | | A recent study found that spending more time in nature could strengthen your coping mechanisms for dealing with feelings of negative body image. As participants increased their time in nature, their body appreciation and ability to healthily cope with negative body image increased. Exercise and fresh air may explain the findings, but staying present in nature and unplugged from social media may be equally beneficial. For overall well-being, everyone must have access to the natural environment. | | | | Food Workers Are Struggling to Put Food on Their Tables | | Food insecurity, the disruption of eating patterns caused by lack of money, is a huge problem in the United States. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of households experiencing food insecurity has increased because of people losing their jobs, unexpected medical bills, increased grocery prices, etc. A recent survey of Kroger workers found that 78% of them are food insecure. To help, go to Feeding America to find your local food bank to see how you can donate according to your community's needs. | | | | | | | |  | | In an interview with Verywell, Mackenzie Weise, MPH, CIC, urges people to get vaccinated to reach endemic status. |  | | COVID-19 will become endemic if we can be in a world where enough people receive vaccine-induced immune protection. That will most certainly significantly reduce the occurrence of severe illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths, and most certainly transmission in general. | |  |  | Mackenzie Weise, MPH, CIC,
Infection Prevention Clinical Program Manager at Wolters Kluwer, Health
| | | In Other News | | | ■ | Kids Shouldn't Have to Be 'Resilient'. The Atlantic | | | | | ■ | Shark Attacks Increased Around the World in 2021 After Years of Decline. The Guardian | | | | | ■ | Pandemic Anxiety Is Fueling OCD Symptoms—Even for People Without the Disorder. Time | | | | | | | |  |     | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.
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