“China virus”, the Chinese virus — at the start of the 2020 pandemic, you likely often encountered this epithet in the media. The use of geographically-based labels to define the disease (COVID-19) and the virus causing it (SARS-CoV-2) had significant consequences on public opinion, fueling and amplifying — sometimes with very serious outcomes — prejudices against specific people and countries, accused of having a causal role in spreading the contagion. The neutral designation COVID-19, proposed for the disease by the WHO in mid-February 2020, was quickly adopted globally. However, geographic names arose again with subsequent variants of the virus: in the media and in everyday language, people referred to the “Indian,” “British,” or “South African” variants, among others.

To counter this trend, in May 2021 the WHO introduced a nomenclature based on Greek letters — Alpha, Beta, Delta, etc. — completely neutral and free of geographic references. A study published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) analyzed the impact of this change in the Australian media, showing that although the shift toward neutral names happened relatively quickly after the announcement, the positive effects in reducing potential stigma remained only partial.

This finding highlights the importance of expanding research on this topic, in order to establish effective communication guidelines within national and global pandemic response plans.

A new study finds children as young as 10 show clinical-level gaming disorder, which researchers say could affect 100,000 Australian children, with a further 350,000 at risk of smartphone addiction.

In the field of nursing, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the patient experience, the role of healthcare professionals, and the cultural and social factors in the healthcare environment. While traditional research methods have limitations in revealing these complex phenomena, autoethnography is emerging as an emerging research method. It skilfully combines personal experiences with cultural analyses, opening up new perspectives for nursing research.