Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Tue, Apr 07, 2026 11:35 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Maciej F. Boni

Associate Professor of Biology, Pennsylvania State University
Epidemiology of influenza in the tropics. Tropical disease epidemiology. Treatment strategies and antimalarial drug resistance. mHealth and participatory epidemiology. Theory of infectious disease dynamics. Pathogen evolution, population genetics, phylogenetics, recombination.

From 2008 to 2016, I ran a research group in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, focused on influenza epidemiology in the tropics and treatment strategies to delay or slow antimalarial drug resistance. My PhD students and other team members have been mathematical modelers, bioinformaticians, field site coordinators, and laboratory research assistants.

We have been running a large seroepidemiology study in southern Vietnam, aimed at reconstructing the disease dynamics of influenza virus including both symptomatic and asymptomatic influenza. This work has expanded to dengue virus, and we are also using the project to look at incidence of a number of other diseases, most recently Tetanus and Hepatitis B and E.

Since 2009, we have been running a community-based mHealth study on influenza-like illness (ILI) in Ho Chi Minh City. The study has collected over 40,000 data points and is currently used as a real-time epidemiology tool for Ho Chi Minh City. You can read about the study here .

Our malaria work is focused on designing and calibrating individual-based microsimulations. The microsimulations are used to compare different long-term drug distribution strategies to see which ones are most effective at delaying drug resistance. You can read about the most recent modeling results here and here. Our next goal is to perform health-economic analyses to determine if deploying multiple first-line therapies is an economically feasible strategy.

How big will the coronavirus epidemic be?

Mar 10, 2020 11:02 am UTC| Health

The Harvard historian Jill Lepore recounted recently in The New Yorker magazine that when democracies sink into crisis, the question where are we going? leaps to everyones mind, as if we were waiting for a weather forecast...

Economy

Italy's Service Sector Contracts for First Time in 16 Months Amid Rising Costs and Weakening Demand

Italys services industry slipped into contraction territory in March 2026 for the first time in over a year, as escalating costs tied to Middle East tensions and softening demand weighed heavily on business activity. The...

Sterling Slides as Dollar Holds Firm Amid U.S.-Iran Tensions

The British pound came under pressure Tuesday, trading near $1.3234 against the U.S. dollar as geopolitical uncertainty and strong American economic data kept the greenback well-supported. Cable dipped to an intraday low...

Goldman Sachs Cuts 2026 Copper Price Forecast Amid Global Growth Concerns

Goldman Sachs has revised its 2026 copper price outlook downward, now projecting an average of $12,650 per tonne compared to its earlier estimate of $12,850. The adjustment reflects softer global demand expectations tied...

European Stocks Hold Steady as Iran Ceasefire Deadline Looms

European stock markets showed little movement on Tuesday following a long holiday weekend, as investors remained cautious amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The pan-European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.1%, Germanys DAX...

Asian Markets Hold Steady Ahead of Trump's Iran Deadline as Oil Tops $110

Asian equity markets traded within tight ranges on Tuesday as cautious investors stepped back from risk assets ahead of a critical U.S. deadline tied to the escalating Iran conflict. With President Donald Trump warning...

Politics

Russia Secretly Aids Iran With Satellite Intelligence and Cyber Support Across the Middle East

A Ukrainian intelligence assessment has revealed that Russian satellites conducted at least 24 detailed reconnaissance missions over 11 Middle Eastern countries between March 21 and 31, surveying 46 strategic locations to...

Trump May Delay Iran Military Strike If Diplomatic Deal Shows Promise

President Donald Trump is reportedly open to postponing planned military action against Iran should credible signs of a diplomatic breakthrough emerge, according to multiple media outlets citing an Axios report. U.S....

Iran-Israel War Escalates as Trump's Ceasefire Deadline Looms

Tensions in the Middle East reached a critical flashpoint as Iran and Israel continued exchanging strikes, with Tehran firmly rejecting a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal just hours before a deadline issued by President...

Vance Visits Hungary to Back Orban Ahead of Pivotal 2025 Elections

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Hungary this week in a show of political solidarity with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces his most difficult re-election battle since coming to power in 2010. The two-day...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...

Science

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

Apple's Foldable iPhone Faces Engineering Setbacks, Mass Production Timeline at Risk

Apples highly anticipated foldable iPhone is running into significant engineering hurdles during its test phase, raising concerns about potential delays in both mass production and product shipments, according to a report...

Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute

The United Kingdom is actively working to attract Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI app, to expand its footprint in the country. This diplomatic push comes as Anthropic finds itself in the middle of a...

OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO

OpenAI is navigating a significant leadership restructuring at one of the most pivotal moments in its history. The AI powerhouse confirmed that Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap is transitioning into a newly created...

Elon Musk Ties SpaceX IPO Access to Mandatory Grok AI Subscriptions

Elon Musk is reportedly making Grok subscriptions a prerequisite for banks and advisers involved in SpaceXs highly anticipated initial public offering. According to the New York Times, citing insiders familiar with the...