Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

ORNL's Urban Dynamics Institute supports polio vaccination efforts in developing countries

The new Urban Dynamics Institute at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to aid polio vaccination efforts in developing countries.

17 Oct 2014

BIDMC scientists uncover new class of molecules that protects against diabetes

Scientists at the Salk Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have discovered a new class of molecules—produced in human and mouse fat—that protects against diabetes.

10 Oct 2014

Salk researchers receive BRAIN Initiative funding

Joseph Ecker, a Salk professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and Margarita Behrens, Salk staff scientist, have been named recipients in the 2014 round of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative for leading-edge work in neuroscience.

1 Oct 2014

Rapid and coordinated response helps control Ebola outbreak in Nigeria

The Ebola outbreak in Nigeria appears to be nearing a possible end thanks to a rapid response coordinated by Nigeria's Emergency Operations Center with assistance from international partners, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

1 Oct 2014

UAE calls for strengthening global campaign to eradicate polio

At an event hosted by the UAE Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, speaking on behalf of the Minister MICAD, HE Sheikha Lubna Bint Khaled Al Qasimi, HE Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, called for an intensification of the global campaign to eradicate polio.

23 Sep 2014

Sustained international efforts can help reduce premature deaths by 40% over next 20 years

New research published today [Friday 19 September] in The Lancet suggests that, with sustained international efforts, the number of premature deaths could be reduced by 40% over the next two decades (2010-2030), halving under–50 mortality and preventing a third of the deaths at ages 50–69 years.

19 Sep 2014

High impact health interventions reduce maternal and child mortality in poor countries

New studies have uncovered the specific interventions and advances that have led to the success with these at-risk populations in the poorest countries.

17 Sep 2014

Getting flu shot every autumn can lead to better health

Everyone knows that the best way to avoid the flu is by getting an annual flu shot. But a trip to your physician every autumn for the vaccination can help you avoid much more than the dreaded flu bug. "At the doctor's office, the focus is on you and what is going on with your health. This is your time to talk about concerns to improve your well-being beyond the flu season," says Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System.

15 Sep 2014

Gates Foundation pledges $50 million to support emergency efforts to control Ebola epidemic

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that it will commit $50 million to support the scale up of emergency efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and interrupt transmission of the virus.

10 Sep 2014

Scientists identify how immune cells use two critical receptors to clear dead cells from the body

In most of the tissues of the body, specialized immune cells are entrusted with the task of engulfing the billions of dead cells that are generated every day.

8 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: End-of-life discussions; seniors missing their vaccinations; health law's new political calculations

There is reason to hope that a degree of sanity may be returning to the touchy issue of advance planning for medical care at the end of life.

8 Sep 2014

High uptake of US infant vaccination in 2013

The recently published National Immunization Survey (NIS) conducted by the CDC, shows that the majority of infants in the US were vaccinated against potentially serious diseases in 2013. Fewer than 1% of children were unvaccinated in 2013.

29 Aug 2014

WHO calls for an end to continued attacks on health workers in conflicts, other humanitarian crises

As major emergencies around the globe increase in scale, complexity and frequency, WHO is calling for an end to the targeting of health workers in conflicts and other humanitarian crises, which represent a breach of the fundamental right to health.

18 Aug 2014

Scientists identify gene that regulates sleep and wake rhythms

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a gene that regulates sleep and wake rhythms.

14 Aug 2014

United Spinal partners with Airshells to provide access to safety bags for people living with disabilities

August 6th, United Spinal Association today announced a partnership with Airshells.us to provide people living with disabilities access to safety bags designed to protect foldable and rigid wheelchairs from damage during air travel.

7 Aug 2014

Small molecule may be able to convince damaged nerves to effectively rewire circuits

Frogs, dogs, whales, snails can all do it, but humans and primates can't. Regrow nerves after an injury, that is—while many animals have this ability, humans don't.

6 Aug 2014

Little-known supportive cells in brain may play major role in cognitive function

When you're expecting something-like the meal you've ordered at a restaurant-or when something captures your interest, unique electrical rhythms sweep through your brain.

29 Jul 2014

Doctors remind parents about importance of immunizing children

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to remind parents about the importance of immunizing their children when preparing to send the children back to school.

29 Jul 2014

Salk scientists identify gene that fights metastasis of common lung cancer

Scientists at the Salk Institute have identified a gene responsible for stopping the movement of cancer from the lungs to other parts of the body, indicating a new way to fight one of the world's deadliest cancers.

18 Jul 2014

Single injection of protein FGF1 enough to restore blood sugar levels

In mice with diet-induced diabetes—the equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans—a single injection of the protein FGF1 is enough to restore blood sugar levels to a healthy range for more than two days.

17 Jul 2014