Disease/Infection News

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Health officials worried MDR-TB will become more common worldwide, in U.S.

The case of a Nepalese man with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) traveling through 13 countries before illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico, "first described by Betsy McKay at the Wall Street Journal, provides a window on a problem that health officials say is sure to arise more and more often," NPR's "Shots" blog reports.

12 Mar 2013

Fluoridated drinking water provides dental health benefits to adults

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Adelaide, Australia, has produced the strongest evidence yet that fluoride in drinking water provides dental health benefits to adults, even those who had not received fluoridated drinking water as children.

12 Mar 2013

Pneumococcal vaccine pre-clinical development supported by £0.2 million award from Biomedical Catalyst

ImmBio (Immunobiology Ltd), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative vaccines against serious infectious diseases, today announced that the UK government-backed Biomedical Catalyst has awarded the company approximately £0.2 million ($0.3 million) to support pre-clinical development of its pneumococcal vaccine, PnuBioVax™, which targets a wide range of strains of the bacteria.

12 Mar 2013

Many challenges exist to delivering proven interventions for preventing pediatric HIV infections

Last week's "scientific report on the 'functional cure' of a HIV-infected infant has set the world's media ablaze with discussion and speculation," Randal Kuhn, director of the Global Health Affairs Program at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and Benjamin Young, chief medical officer of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, write in a GlobalPost opinion piece.

12 Mar 2013

Sosei commences SO-1105 Phase III trial in oropharyngeal candidiasis

Sosei Group Corporation, the biopharmaceutical company, today announces that its Japanese subsidiary, Sosei Co., Ltd., has initiated a Phase III trial for SO-1105 for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.

12 Mar 2013

Study: No increase in mortality with well-controlled HIV

For HIV-infected patients whose disease is well-controlled by modern treatment, the risk of death is not significantly higher than in the general population, according to a study published in AIDS, official journal of the International AIDS Society. AIDS is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

12 Mar 2013

Cell phone microscope can detect intestinal worm infections in children

Scientists working in rural Tanzania have used a simple US$8 glass lens, a strip of double-sided tape, and a cheap flashlight to convert an Apple iPhone into a field microscope that can successfully detect intestinal worm infections in children, according to a study published online today by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

12 Mar 2013

IL-22 plays critical role in normal lung repair following influenza infection

Once the initial episode of influenza has passed, the chronic effects tend to be overlooked. The results of a new study indicate that the cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) plays a critical role in normal lung repair following influenza infection. This study is published in the April 2013 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

11 Mar 2013

PEPFAR should consider performance-based financing

"The recent IOM evaluation of PEPFAR made clear that a key challenge for the program moving forward will be to get country governments to effectively assume primary responsibility of AIDS programs in their countries, both in terms of finances and 'leadership,'" Victoria Fan and Jenny Ottenhoff of the Center for Global Development write in the center's "Global Health Policy" blog.

11 Mar 2013

Only 1 in 5 central Pennsylvania women receive preventive counseling about partner abuse

Only about one in five central Pennsylvania women who have experienced intimate partner violence is asked or counseled by a health care provider about abuse, according to Penn State medicine and public health science researchers. Overall, approximately only one in nine women has received preventive counseling about violence and safety.

11 Mar 2013

WHO announces 8th death from novel coronavirus

"A 69-year-old man in Saudi Arabia died after being infected with a new SARS-related virus, becoming the 14th confirmed case and the eighth death, the World Health Organization said" on Wednesday, Bloomberg reports.

11 Mar 2013

MiR-198 controls migration of skin cells necessary for wounds to close and heal

Patients with diseases such as diabetes suffer from painful wounds that take a long time to heal making them more susceptible to infections that could even lead to amputations. A*STAR's discovery paves the way for therapeutics to improve healing of such chronic wounds, which are a significant burden to patients.

11 Mar 2013

Health-related MDGs should 'remain at the heart' of post-2015 goals

Mark Suzman, managing director for International Policy, Programs & Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and how "there is a heightened sense of urgency to ensure we do everything possible to meet this ambitious deadline of 2015 -- and to make sure that a new set of goals are set that keep up the critical momentum."

11 Mar 2013

Blog reports on case of 'U.N. cholera denial' in Zimbabwe

"There is understandable outrage over the United Nation's reaction to its role in first creating and then denying responsibility for Haiti's cholera outbreak in 2010 that killed 8,000 people," Todd Moss, vice president for programs and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in the center's "Global Health Policy" blog.

11 Mar 2013

U.S. global health investments must continue

"A decade ago, as I was beginning my time as Senate majority leader, bipartisan consensus in Washington helped launch a new era of progress in global health just when it was sorely needed," former Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) writes in a Roll Call opinion piece.

11 Mar 2013

Influenza drug: an interview with Dr Jenny McKimm-Breschkin, CSIRO

Influenza or flu for short is caused by a family of viruses, which can be called influenza A or influenza B. Influenza A viruses are found in humans, animals – like swine and horses- and mostly aquatic birds. Influenza B is only found in humans.

11 Mar 2013

International community should 'strengthen and sustain' efforts to prevent GBV, HIV

Noting the ongoing 57th session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and International Women's Day, recognized today, Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. global AIDS coordinator and head of the State Department's Office of Global Health Diplomacy, and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé write in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

11 Mar 2013

Global Vaccine Summit organizers hope to obtain increased commitments to end polio

"The Global Vaccine Summit will be held on April 24 and 25 under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and in partnership with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," The National reports.

11 Mar 2013

Early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels

The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

11 Mar 2013

Georgetown University Medical Center to host symposium on emerging zoonotic diseases

Georgetown University Medical Center will host a half-day symposium exploring emerging zoonotic diseases - contagious diseases that spread between animals and humans, which can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi carried by animals and insects.

11 Mar 2013