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.

Opinion pieces address Global Vaccine Summit

Project Syndicate last week published two opinion pieces addressing the Global Vaccine Summit, held in Abu Dhabi from April 24-25, which was hosted by His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in partnership with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2 May 2013

Viewpoints: Outrage at mistaken report on Hill health coverage; Two views of Florida's option on Medicaid

Because members of Congress are accustomed to high-quality medical care provided to them through federal employee benefit programs, one might expect that they would push for top quality care to be delivered through the exchanges too.

2 May 2013

Somalia launches pentavalent vaccine with support from GAVI, UNICEF, WHO

"Coinciding with World Immunization Week, the Somali government announced on 24 April its intention to vaccinate all children under the age of one with a new five-in-one vaccine, known as a pentavalent vaccine, funded by the GAVI Alliance, with [UNICEF] and the [WHO] as implementing partners," IRIN reports.

30 Apr 2013

Blog examines role of Islamist leadership in combating polio

Noting the Global Vaccine Summit held in Abu Dhabi last week, Ayesha Malik, a campaigner at the Muslim-led campaigning charity MADE in Europe, writes in a post in the charity's blog about the role of Islamic leadership in the global push to eradicate polio.

30 Apr 2013

Upcoming symposium to offer highlights of 150-year history of Hospital for Special Surgery

An upcoming symposium will offer highlights of the 150-year history of Hospital for Special Surgery and at the same time provide a fascinating look at the evolution of medicine from the "Dark Ages" of the Civil War period to modern medicine as we know it today.

29 Apr 2013

Calcipotriol drug offers a potential treatment option for fibrotic diseases

Liver fibrosis results from an excessive accumulation of tough, fibrous scar tissue and occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. In industrialized countries, the main causes of liver injury leading to fibrosis include chronic hepatitis virus infection, excess alcohol consumption and, increasingly, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

26 Apr 2013

Bill Gates seeks additional $1.5B in donations for polio eradication efforts

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "is seeking a further $1.5 billion in donations to wipe out polio by 2018 and make it the first infectious disease eradicated since smallpox was wiped from the planet in 1979".

26 Apr 2013

GPEI presents comprehensive six-year polio eradication plan at Global Vaccine Summit

Today, at the Global Vaccine Summit, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative presented a comprehensive six-year plan, the first plan to eradicate all types of polio disease – both wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived cases – simultaneously.

25 Apr 2013

Donations made, agreements signed to fight polio in advance of Global Vaccine Summit

Hundreds of international health experts and leaders from the public and private sectors are gathered in Abu Dhabi Wednesday for the beginning of the first Global Vaccine Summit, which "is expected to place special emphasis on polio eradication," Gulf News reports (Zaman, 4/23).

25 Apr 2013

Political, public health leaders convene in Gulf for Global Vaccine Summit

"Political and public health leaders meeting in the Gulf this week will back a $5.5 billion plan to eradicate polio within five years, despite repeated setbacks including a recent spate of assassinations of health workers giving vaccines," the Financial Times reports.

24 Apr 2013

Opinion pieces address polio eradication goal to be discussed at Global Vaccine Summit

Public and private sector representatives will meet this week in Abu Dhabi at the Global Vaccine Summit, hosted by His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in partnership with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

24 Apr 2013

Bill Gates reflects on Global Vaccine Summit in foundation blog

"This week I'm going to Abu Dhabi to attend the Global Vaccine Summit to celebrate the tremendous progress the world has made in ending polio and immunizing children," Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

24 Apr 2013

Partnership and accountability among countries will lead to global health successes

In remarks at the Africa Health Forum on Friday in Washington, D.C., Deputy Secretary of State William Burns discussed the evolution of foreign assistance and cooperation "from a donor-recipient relationship to more of a partnership," according to a speech transcript provided by the U.S. State Department.

23 Apr 2013

Experts call for better vaccine supply, logistics systems ahead of World Immunization Week

In recognition of World Immunization Week, which began April 21, the WHO "is calling on nations to help immunize more children against preventable diseases so more lives can be saved," VOA News reports, noting the U.N. health agency "estimates immunization saves the lives of two to three million children every year."

23 Apr 2013

Britain to 'stand together' with other stakeholders to eradicate polio

"[V]accinations play a huge part in deciding a country's long-term health," and "[t]he more healthy a population, the better able it is to contribute to and benefit from economic development," British Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening writes in an Independent opinion piece.

23 Apr 2013

Clinical Research Forum honors studies with potential to benefit human health and welfare

Ten of the most outstanding clinical research projects from institutions around the country have been selected to receive the Clinical Research Forum's Annual Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards.

22 Apr 2013

Penn researcher wins Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for innovations in gene therapy

A gene therapy study focused on finding a cure for a rare congenital blinding disease has been recognized as one of the ten most outstanding clinical research projects of the year by the Clinical Research Forum (CRF).

22 Apr 2013

Penn Medicine gene therapy study receives Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award

20 Apr 2013

Nature reports on efforts to vaccinate Nigeria's nomadic communities against polio

"A 25-year, $10 billion global effort has taken the number of polio cases from hundreds of thousands per year to just hundreds, but it is now struggling to stamp the virus out of its final strongholds in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, where transmission has never been interrupted," Nature reports.

19 Apr 2013

Global experts highlight strategies to immunize more children

In advance of World Immunization Week, global experts are highlighting strategies to further advance progress on the Global Vaccine Action Plan that was endorsed by the World Health Assembly, 2012.

19 Apr 2013

Polio News and Research

Further Reading

Opinion pieces address Global Vaccine Summit

Viewpoints: Outrage at mistaken report on Hill health coverage; Two views of Florida's option on Medicaid

Somalia launches pentavalent vaccine with support from GAVI, UNICEF, WHO

Blog examines role of Islamist leadership in combating polio

Upcoming symposium to offer highlights of 150-year history of Hospital for Special Surgery

Calcipotriol drug offers a potential treatment option for fibrotic diseases

Bill Gates seeks additional $1.5B in donations for polio eradication efforts

GPEI presents comprehensive six-year polio eradication plan at Global Vaccine Summit

Donations made, agreements signed to fight polio in advance of Global Vaccine Summit

Political, public health leaders convene in Gulf for Global Vaccine Summit

Opinion pieces address polio eradication goal to be discussed at Global Vaccine Summit

Bill Gates reflects on Global Vaccine Summit in foundation blog

Partnership and accountability among countries will lead to global health successes

Experts call for better vaccine supply, logistics systems ahead of World Immunization Week

Britain to 'stand together' with other stakeholders to eradicate polio

Clinical Research Forum honors studies with potential to benefit human health and welfare

Penn researcher wins Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for innovations in gene therapy

Penn Medicine gene therapy study receives Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award

Nature reports on efforts to vaccinate Nigeria's nomadic communities against polio

Global experts highlight strategies to immunize more children

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