We study how the flu virus spreads between people. While we strongly encourage everyone to get the flu vaccine, the findings from our study on the stability of flu viruses in the air can provide useful information for parents, teachers and health care officials to limit the spread of flu in the community.

We are ten years on from the Financial Crisis and I’m sure many readers of this article will think of the television pictures of the Lehman Brothers‘ bankers clearing their desks into cardboard boxes and leaving their building on 14 September 2008. That was one of the immediate physical manifestations of the crisis that had started in 2007 and whose root cause were the losses in the US sub-prime crisis (see “The Big Short” movie for a full explanation of it). But what exactly is the legacy of the Financial Crisis? It is tempting to answer, like others have done to past revolutions, that it’s too early to tell…

The mandatory pension plan in Mexico is, as of today, a Defined Contribution (DC) type. This plan was formally introduced in 1997; before this, the mandatory pension plan was a Defined Benefit (DB) type on a PAY-AS-YOU-GO basis. Workers who entered this mandatory pension plan after July 1, 1997 had to join the new plan. On the other hand, workers who were already in the labour market before that date could choose between either of the plans to retire.

For over a century, we have relied on a simplistic measure to determine if someone is a “healthy” weight or not. This is the body mass index (BMI) – the ratio of a person’s weight to the square of their height. The limits of this ratio are clearly demonstrated by professional rugby players; most of whom would be classified as “overweight”, despite having less than 10% body fat.

In the early 20th century, the leading cause of death was infectious disease. Epidemics erupted with little warning, seemingly out of the blue. When the “Great Influenza” struck in 1918, it killed thousands of people a week in American cities and spread like wildfire around the globe. My great aunt, still a teenager, and living in the San Francisco area, was one of its estimated 50 to 100 million victims worldwide.

During my second year of graduate school, I moved in with my sister’s family to save money. “You must get the flu shot if you are going to live here,” my sister declared. Both of my nieces were under the age of 5, putting them at a high risk of flu complications; therefore, it was critical that I do my part in, first, getting vaccinated to minimize my risk of getting the flu, and second, not passing the flu to a vulnerable population. A key part of this was, and still is, washing my hands regularly.

If you do nothing else the next few days, get a flu shot. The best time to get a flu shot is by the end of October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises. Considering the severity of last year’s flu, it is especially important for everyone over age six months to be vaccinated. This includes pregnant women.

Sleep has become widely recognised as playing a really important role in our overall health and wellness – alongside diet, stress management and exercise.

Peter Devlin Deloitte Partner Peter Devlin is a Partner of Deloitte and heads their Total Rewards practice in Germany where he has been based for the last 16 years. In addition he leads the human capital Post Merger Integration team. He is responsible for advising clients on pensions, compensation and other Total Reward issues. Prior to moving to Germany he was a pensions actuary and investment consultant based in

Tim Spector King’s College London Professor of Genetic Epidemiology Tim Spector is a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at Kings College, London & Director of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Professor Spector graduated from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, London. After working in General Medicine, he completed a MSc in Epidemiology, and his MD thesis at the University of London. He founded

Jonathan Runstadler Tufts University Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Runstadler seeks to understand genetic factors that impact susceptibility to infectious disease, specific or general and the repercussions for potential epidemics, persistence, and evolution of those infectious agents. His research is conducted within the context of the interactions that define the ecology between an infectious agent, the environment and the host. His

Michelle Sconce Massaquoi University of Oregon Doctoral candidate, microbiology, Michelle Sconce Massaquoi is a doctoral student in the Institute of Molecular Biology under the mentorship of biology professor Karen Guillemin. Massaquoi’s research focuses on understanding the interactions between gut bacteria and the host, specifically how gut bacteria influence the development of the pancreas. For this work, she uses zebrafish to study how a bacteria-secreted protein found in select gut

Linsey Marr Virginia Tech Professor Linsey Marr is the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering. Marr, who was recently awarded a Fulbright fellowship, is an expert in air quality and health whose research interests include characterizing the emissions, fate, and transport of air pollutants in order to provide the scientific basis for improving air quality and health. She also conducts

Seema Lakdawala University of Pittsburgh Assistant Professor Seema Lakdawala is an Assistant Professor in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department at the University of Pittsburgh. The Lakdawala lab studies the molecular properties contributing to the epidemiological success of influenza A viruses to better predict future pandemics. There are two main areas of research in her lab 1) exploring the dynamics of influenza viral RNA assembly and 2) defining properties necessary for

Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert @Drmom26 Rockland County, New York State, USA Commissioner of Health and Hospitals Dr. Ruppert is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and a Distinguished Lecturer in Epidemiology and Community Medicine at New York Medical College. She began her career in a faculty medicine practice for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, in Paterson, New Jersey, then in a private internal medicine practice

Sophie Medlin sophie@sophiedietitian.com King’s College London Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics Sophie Medlin is a Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at King’s College London and a Freelance Dietitian. Sophie is an experienced clinical dietitian, having worked in the NHS for many years specialising in surgical gastroenterology and intestinal failure. Sophie moved from clinical dietetics to academia in 2014 and pursues research interests in colorectal and gastrointestinal disorders. Sophie maintains