Pandemic

France faces budget crisis as aging population drives spending to 60% of GDP

France once stood out in Europe for its higher birth rate, but that advantage has eroded since the pandemic as the number of children per woman has fallen and retiree numbers climb.

General view of the Notre Dame Cathedral and the river Seine in Paris October 20, 2009
A vial of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and an information sheet is seen at a hospital

Israel's measles outbreak linked to global decline in vaccination rates, WHO warns

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Stress is the silent pandemic, but recovery starts at home

A jackal is seen at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, September 3, 2022

Israeli study: Movement of wild animals can help us predict next pandemic


Japanese get trained in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off

"Culturally, a smile signifies that I'm not holding a gun and I'm not a threat to you," said smile instructor Keiko Kawano.

 Smile coach Keiko Kawano teaches students at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, Japan, May 30, 2023.

A post-COVID world means changes for the Israeli work day - survey

A recent Israel Democracy Institute study finds that 61% of working people in Israel are satisfied with their work-life balance 

 Work from home (illustrative)

Is COVID over? A requiem for the coronavirus pandemic

For many people, the arbitrary nature of the pandemic, with tough rules one day about things like masks, and then rules discarded the next, has left an imprint.

 IN NOVEMBER 2021, Israel moved to vaccinate children over age five (Illustrative).

Post-COVID pandemic traveling fear and what to do about it

Most people gradually overcame their worries about venturing out to the world again, but some are still so traumatized by COVID.

 MANY PEOPLE are avoiding crowds: Jerusalem’s Navon train station.

Israel marks 12,500th COVID death as WHO says no more global emergency

A total of 12,500 people in Israel had died from the COVID-19 pandemic since the first victim died on March 21, 2020.

 SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (illustrative).

COVID is no longer global health emergency - WHO

Lifting it is a sign of the progress the world has made in these areas, but COVID-19 is here to stay, the WHO has said, even if it no longer represents an emergency.

A logo is pictured outside a building of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an executive board meeting on update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Geneva, Switzerland, April 6, 2021.

WHO experts to weigh whether world ready to end COVID emergency

Since giving its initial high alert for COVID in January 2020, a panel of experts have continued to examine the prominence of the crisis.

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital team members wearing safety gear as they work in the Coronavirus ward of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospitall in Jerusalem on December 27, 2021, as Jerusalem hospital reopens COVID ward.

Three years after pandemic, key questions grow

US-China tensions in the background as Congress and media push for answers

 MEDICAL WORKERS in protective suits work inside a makeshift nucleic acid testing laboratory amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Beijing, last year.

Taiwan to allow more China flights in show of goodwill

Taiwan is set to resume allowing flights to China after they had previously been frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resuming direct flights is said to be an expression of goodwill.

 Flag of Taiwan

Investing in animal health prevents pandemics and saves lives - A4AH

Action for Animal Health released a report on how animal health affects human health and saves lives.

Cows at a dairy farm