Hands spread viruses faster than sneezes; 1 in 5 chance Ebola will spread to US by end of the month;

News From Around the Web

> New research indicates hands may spread viral infections faster than sneezes, according to a presentation at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy as reported by MedPageToday. Article

> Nearly half of maternal deaths in the United States, France and the United Kingdom are preventable, according to guidelines published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Study abstract

> Experts say there is a 20 percent chance the Ebola virus will spread to the United States by the end of September, MedicalNewsToday reports. Article

Health IT News

> Though big data offers the potential to improve healthcare and cut costs, developing winning public policy will require making the case with real-life examples showing how data-sharing led to improvements, according to a new Health Affairs article. Article

> The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights has delayed its second round of HIPAA audits while it works to get a web portal up and running through which entities can submit information. Article

And Finally… Oops. Article