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Lloyd Sealy Library
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Emerging Infectious Diseases (COVID-19, influenza, Ebola etc): Resources relevant to all novel epidemics

Use these resources to find authoritative information about any contemporary infectious disease epidemic, especially new diseases caused by previously unknown infectious agents.  E.g. COVID-19, AIDS, SARS, MERS and Ebola.  

Best bets for authoritative information on current epidemics

News sources from biomedical professionals

High quality news articles can be found in the weekly medical publications The Lancet, NEJM, and JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), and the news sections of the weekly science journals  Science (published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science) and Nature (U.K. publication). 

High quality newspaper subscriptions for CUNY

Responses

Some books in the library

Is Wikipedia any good?

Anyone, anywhere, at anytime can write and change Wikipedia articles, which is both a strength and a weakness.  The reliability of wikipedia articles is debated.  However, during the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa,  the Wikipedia articles on Ebola emerged as a trusted resource for many readers, as they attracted an unusual amount of attention from doctors and scientists who were concerned at ensuring the information in the article is good, and are volunteering their time and expertise to edit the articles as a public service, as they were being read by so many people. The same may be happening with the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak.  But expert volunteers may not stay so vigilant though, as with the passing of time other matters will demand their attention. 

WARNING: Always read Wikipedia sites with skepticism!  Be aware many professors do not want to see a WIkipedia article cited in an assignment!  USE WITH CAUTION!  

Wikipedia on the Ebola virus disease.

WIkipedia on the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

Wikipedia on the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak