Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

Emergency physicians to present research studies at Research Forum 2010

The risks associated with boarding admitted patients in the emergency department – including patient mortality – as well as proposed solutions will be key themes of Scientific Assembly, the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians. In addition, emergency physicians will present more than 450 research studies during 2010 Research Forum, the premier, annual scientific research event focused on the latest advances in the practice of emergency medicine.

14 Sep 2010

Gladstone Institute elects for 2010 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today that Dr. Eric M. Verdin of the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, Calif., has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the NIDA Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research for his proposal to study the mechanisms of latent HIV infection.

14 Sep 2010

North Mississippi IRB approves CEL-SCI's Multikine Phase III clinical trial for head and neck cancer

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today it has received approval from the North Mississippi Health Services Institutional Review Board ("IRB") to begin enrollment of subjects for a Phase III clinical trial of Multikine®, the Company's flagship immunotherapy developed as a first-line standard of care in treating head and neck cancer. An IRB is a group formally designated by an institution to review and monitor research involving human subjects and to ensure protection of their rights and welfare.

13 Sep 2010

Aethlon Hemopurifier captures immunosuppressive exosomes from individuals with metastatic melanoma.

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that its researchers have demonstrated the ability of the Aethlon Hemopurifier® to capture immunosuppressive exosomes derived from individuals with metastatic melanoma.

9 Sep 2010

Focusing on most disadvantaged children more cost-effective than current strategies, UNICEF reports say

UNICEF on Tuesday said that by "comparing the effectiveness of different strategies for aid delivery, targeting the poorest and neediest children could save more lives per $1 million spent than the current path," Reuters reports (Charbonneau, 9/7).

9 Sep 2010

Groups call for mandatory flu vaccinations for health workers

USA Today: "The American Academy of Pediatrics plans to call for all health workers to get flu vaccinations, saying unvaccinated doctors, nurses and other medical staffers pose a threat to patients. The academy, which represents 60,000 pediatricians, is the latest of several organizations that now back mandatory flu shots for health workers

9 Sep 2010

AVAC welcomes new Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan

AVAC welcomes the new Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan, released today, as a critical document that the field must implement as part of ongoing efforts to improve coordination, efficiency and transparency to quickly capitalize on recent advances in AIDS vaccine research.

8 Sep 2010

Data finds low risk of serious complications in 2009 H1N1 infection

An analysis of data from influenza cases in Wisconsin indicates individuals with 2009 H1N1 infections were younger than those with H3N2 (2007-2008), and that the risk of most serious complications was not higher in adults or children with 2009 H1N1 compared with recent seasonal strains, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Sep 2010

CDC ramps up production of new three-in-one flu vaccine

Health officials say that there will be plenty of flu vaccine available this year, now that the H1N1 pandemic has ended, The Washington Post reports. "The World Health Organization declared an end to the pandemic last month, based on indications that the H1N1 flu was transitioning to a more seasonal virus. Unlike last year, when there was one vaccine for H1N1 flu and another for seasonal flu, this year's vaccine is a 'three-in-one' that includes protection against H1N1 as well as two other strains."

8 Sep 2010

New blood signature test to diagnose, treat respiratory infections

Coughing and wheezing patients could someday benefit from quicker, more accurate diagnosis and treatment for respiratory infections such as flu, through a simple blood test, according to scientists.

7 Sep 2010

Research provides new framework for quantifying risk of avian-borne diseases

In 2005 an outbreak of the H5N1 'bird flu' virus in South East Asia led to widespread fear with predictions that the intercontinental migration of wild birds could lead to global pandemic.

4 Sep 2010

AVAC calls for economic and political support for CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial's critical follow-up studies

AVAC today issues a call to action to donors, policy-makers, researchers and advocates to ensure that critical follow-up studies to the landmark CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial receive the economic and political support needed to move forward as quickly as possible. The call comes as a group of microbicide and public health experts have agreed upon a plan for further studies, which are expected to cost $100 million over three years, of which only $58 million has been committed.

4 Sep 2010

Results of PHLawFlu conference to be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels

The results of a three-year research project into pandemic flu preparedness in Europe will be launched at a meeting in Brussels in September. The results of the PHLawFlu (Public Health Law Flu) conference, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness in Europe: Are National Public Health Laws Fit for Purpose? will be presented by Professor Richard Coker, Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on 23 September at the European Parliament in Brussels.

3 Sep 2010

WHO proposes creation of African Public Health Emergency Fund, strategy to reduce alcohol use in Africa

During the 60th session of the Africa Committee of the WHO on Monday, Luis Sambo, regional director of the WHO for Africa, proposed the creation of a public health emergency fund to provide financial support to African countries in emergency situations, Agencia AngolaPress reports (8/30).

2 Sep 2010

U.N. Secretary-General, UNAIDS Executive Director highlight role NGOs can play in achieving MDGs

During the 63rd U.N. Department of Public Information/NGO Conference on Monday in Melbourne, Australia, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "call[ed] on delegates to do more to save the lives of mothers and babies," the Australian Associated Press/Sydney Morning Herald reports (Alexander/Rose, 8/30).

2 Sep 2010

Medicago included in President's report that examines drugs to prevent spread of infectious diseases

Medicago Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that it was included in a report of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology entitled "Report to the President on Reengineering the Influenza Vaccine Production Enterprise to Meet the Challenges of Pandemic Influenza", which was released earlier this month. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other public health officials held a briefing to discuss this report and the $2 billion plan to accelerate the development of drugs and vaccines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

31 Aug 2010

Mandatory influenza vaccination for healthcare personnel needed

Influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel is a professional and ethical responsibility and non-compliance with healthcare facility policies regarding vaccination should not be tolerated, according to a position paper released today by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

31 Aug 2010

Nanotherapeutics files NanoDTPA IND for treatment of radiation exposure

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for NanoDTPA™ an orally administered capsule that is a less invasive treatment alternative to the FDA approved injectable Zn-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentacetic acid). DTPA is used to remove radioactive compounds from the body to help eliminate the contamination. The NanoDTPA™ capsule is a unique orally-bioavailable fine particle formulation that allows DTPA to be absorbed into the body from the gastrointestinal tract.

30 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"[N]ew diagnostic techniques [for tuberculosis] need to be studied in children," according to a Lancet Infectious Diseases Reflection. "Tuberculosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, but estimates of disease burden are inaccurate because most cases are not confirmed," the author writes. He discusses a study published in the same issue that examines various methods for diagnosing TB in children.

27 Aug 2010

H1N1 flu increases complication in children with sickle cell anemia: Study

Children with sickle cell disease are especially hard-hit by the H1N1 flu strain, causing more life-threatening complications than the seasonal flu, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

27 Aug 2010

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Emergency physicians to present research studies at Research Forum 2010

Gladstone Institute elects for 2010 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research

North Mississippi IRB approves CEL-SCI's Multikine Phase III clinical trial for head and neck cancer

Aethlon Hemopurifier captures immunosuppressive exosomes from individuals with metastatic melanoma.

Focusing on most disadvantaged children more cost-effective than current strategies, UNICEF reports say

Groups call for mandatory flu vaccinations for health workers

AVAC welcomes new Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan

Data finds low risk of serious complications in 2009 H1N1 infection

CDC ramps up production of new three-in-one flu vaccine

New blood signature test to diagnose, treat respiratory infections

Research provides new framework for quantifying risk of avian-borne diseases

AVAC calls for economic and political support for CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial's critical follow-up studies

Results of PHLawFlu conference to be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels

WHO proposes creation of African Public Health Emergency Fund, strategy to reduce alcohol use in Africa

U.N. Secretary-General, UNAIDS Executive Director highlight role NGOs can play in achieving MDGs

Medicago included in President's report that examines drugs to prevent spread of infectious diseases

Mandatory influenza vaccination for healthcare personnel needed

Nanotherapeutics files NanoDTPA IND for treatment of radiation exposure

Recent releases in Global Health

H1N1 flu increases complication in children with sickle cell anemia: Study

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