Author Archives: Bara Vaida

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About Bara Vaida

Bara Vaida (@barav) is AHCJ's core topic leader on infectious diseases. An independent journalist, she has written extensively about health policy and infectious diseases. Her work has appeared in the National Journal, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg News, McClatchy News Service, MSNBC, NPR, Politico, The Washington Post and other outlets.

Tips to help journalists cope with pandemic and other stress 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska via pexels.

As we enter year three of the pandemic, many journalists continue to search for strategies to help them cope with mental health fallout from both experiencing and covering COVID-19.

Several recent surveys show journalists during the pandemic have experienced high rates of symptoms associated with post traumatic distress syndrome (PTSD) like anxiety, depression, flashbacks, negative changes in thinking or mood and increased reactivity to emotionally charged events.

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Resources for covering RSV and the ‘tripledemic’

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via pexels.

Are you looking for a Thanksgiving health story? Consider adding the brewing “tripledemic” of pathogens to your coverage. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are overwhelming hospitals, and some health care experts are urging families to bring back some of the pandemic’s mitigation measures during the holiday.

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Resources for covering the 2022-23 flu season

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch: via pexels

It may seem a bit like the boy who cried wolf, but public health officials are once again urging the public to be concerned about a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and flu this coming winter.

The reason: A combination of a tough flu season in the southern hemisphere, the end of pandemic social distancing and masking behaviors, and the potential for another SARS-CoV-2 variant, experts say.

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Webinar: A White House Q&A on Monkeypox

Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., M.P.H.

The number of new monkeypox cases has declined since this summer, but many questions remain about symptoms, transmission, vaccines, treatments and whether the virus that causes the disease can mutate.

For health journalists covering the evolving monkeypox story, AHCJ’s webinar on Sept. 22 at noon EST provides a great opportunity to get answers to some of your questions by asking White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator Demetre Daskalakis, M.D, M.P.H.

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How to use COVID-19 rapid tests to avoid misleading results

Photo by Jernej Furman via Flickr.

Rapid antigen tests are now the standard way for people to determine if they have COVID-19, but studies show they are less sensitive than laboratory tests and can result in a false negative for infection, creating public confusion about about how to use rapid tests.

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