Disease/Infection News

RSS

Samoa measles epidemic escalates as death toll reaches 32

The deadly measles epidemic sweeping the Pacific islands has now claimed 32 lives in Samoa, according to the health authorities.

27 Nov 2019

TB must also be reduced to achieve the goal of ending AIDS epidemic by 2030

The World Health Organization has set a goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. To achieve that goal, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, is calling on governments, health advocates and non-government organizations on World AIDS Day to strengthen their response to AIDS and tuberculosis.

27 Nov 2019

Sanitization error might possibly have exposed hundreds to HIV at Indiana hospital

An Indiana hospital is in the news for all the wrong reasons. An accidental failure by one of the seven sterilization technicians working at the hospital was recently discovered. The technician failed to carry out a single step in a protocol concerning the sanitization of surgical equipment at Goshen Hospital, over a period from April 1 to September 30.

26 Nov 2019

Attacking HIV at the source

A new study published on November 26, 2019, in the journal Cell Reports, details a new discovery that may help avert HIV infection right at the start. The virus is known to take a long time to infect a person, and the scientists say they have found a period during which it can be weakened or killed, in the very first hours after it has entered a host. They call this the window of vulnerability.

26 Nov 2019

Cleveland-based startup will use federal grant to develop AI tools for TB detection

Cleveland--Diascopic LLC, a Cleveland-based medical research company that develops diagnostic technology, will use a highly competitive federal grant to develop and apply new artificial intelligence and digital pathology tools for detecting tuberculosis.

26 Nov 2019

International consortium to receive BRL 43.5 million for discovering drugs to treat neglected diseases

In the search for new drugs to treat neglected diseases and malaria, researchers at the University of Campinas and University of Sao Paulo will assemble a team of scientists in a global collaboration network co-funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and the Medicines for Malaria Venture.

26 Nov 2019

LACV-infected cerebral organoids reveal how to protect neurons from virus-induced death

Scientists have determined that La Crosse virus, which can cause inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis, in children, affects brain cells differently depending on their developmental stage.

26 Nov 2019

New way to thwart HIV infection at early stages

1.7 million. That's how many people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) each year worldwide. 1.7 million people who are condemned to lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) or risk developing fatal AIDS . Out of the 37.9 million people living with HIV (PLWH), 22.3 million have access to ART, allowing them to have an almost normal lifespan.

26 Nov 2019

Better definition could lead to better diagnosis, treatment for rare diseases

Thousands of rare diseases cumulatively affect millions of people across the globe, yet because each case is so rare doctors struggle to accurately diagnose and effectively treat individual patients. Every time a patient with an unspecified disorder walks into a new clinic or shows up in an emergency room, doctors must start from scratch. The patients often go through years of such experiences before they ever get a diagnosis.

26 Nov 2019

Researchers trace the origins and global spread of S. aureus lineages

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen prone to developing antibiotic resistance, causing 120,000 cases of bloodstream infections every year in the United States and over 5000 in Australia; the mortality rate is around 25 per cent from each case.

26 Nov 2019

Researchers find new way to protect against disease in MS model

Researchers have found a new and unexpected way of preventing disease in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis (MS).

26 Nov 2019

Newly discovered immune cells play key role in group A streptococcal toxic shock

Recently discovered immune cells called MAIT cells play a key role in group A streptococcal toxic shock, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report.

25 Nov 2019

Gut microbes can tamp down or boost the severity of norovirus infection

The highly contagious norovirus causes diarrhea and vomiting and is notorious for spreading rapidly through densely populated spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes, schools and day care centers. Each year, it is responsible for some 200,000 deaths, mostly in the developing world.

25 Nov 2019

HIV diagnosis falls to a record low in NYC, finds report

Reporting of new cases of HIV started in 2001 and since then there has been a steady rise and stability of numbers. In 2018 for the first time in nearly two decades, researchers have reported number of new cases to be below 2,000 over the year. This is a record 67 percent decline in the numbers since 2001, says the report. Further the decline in the numbers has been seen in nearly all age groups between 2017 and 2018.

25 Nov 2019

New antiviral drug drives treatment resistance in influenza viruses

On January 31, 2019, an 11-year old boy in Japan went to a medical clinic with a fever. The providers there diagnosed him with influenza, a strain called H3N2, and sent him home with a new medication called baloxavir.

25 Nov 2019

One Health approach that targets both humans and animals can reduce costs

Promoting healthcare strategies that target both human and animal populations at the same time can save money, participant time and result in a two-for-one stop for health care services.

25 Nov 2019

New treatment method for periodontal disease could spare patients from many side effects

New biodegradable rods promise to provide better treatment for periodontal disease. Researchers from the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg have re-combined an already approved active ingredient and filed for a patent for their invention together with two Fraunhofer Institutes from Halle.

25 Nov 2019