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Global malaria eradication could be achieved without globally coordinated campaign, study suggests

In a study published in the journal Science last week, a team of researchers at the University of Southampton, led by Andrew Tatem, suggest "the global eradication of malaria could be achieved by individual countries eliminating the disease within their own borders and coordinating efforts regionally," a press release from the University of Southampton reports.

28 Feb 2013

U.N.'s legal immunity, refusal to compensate Haitians for cholera claims 'cheapens its larger mission'

Noting the U.N. last week "announced that Haitian claims for compensation weren't receivable under article 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations," Armin Rosen, a writer and producer for The Atlantic's international channel, writes in an opinion piece in the magazine, "If a multinational corporation behaved the way the U.N. did in Haiti, it would be sued for stratospheric amounts of money."

28 Feb 2013

Inviragen to initiate second stage of DENVax Phase 2 study in dengue

Inviragen, Inc. today announced the initiation of the second stage of an ongoing Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of DENVax, the Company's investigational dengue vaccine.

27 Feb 2013

Recommendations for PEPFAR to improve data collection, use, distribution

Noting the release of the Institute of Medicine PEPFAR evaluation and an October 2012 report of the Data Working Group of PEPFAR's Scientific Advisory Board, Mead Over and Rachel Silverman of the Center for Global Development propose in the group's "Global Health Policy" blog "four recommendations where there seems to be agreement and feasible opportunities to improve PEPFAR's collection, utilization, and dissemination of data and knowledge."

27 Feb 2013

Rwanda to roll out combined measles-rubella vaccination campaign

"Rwanda has been so successful at fighting measles that next month it will be the first country to get donor support to move to the next stage -- fighting rubella too," the New York Times reports.

27 Feb 2013

Using smart phones to manage HIV treatment in rural Virginia

An innovative plan developed at the University of Virginia School of Medicine will use smart phones to improve care for people recently diagnosed with HIV in rural Virginia.

27 Feb 2013

PEPFAR has helped millions, but 'hard work' lies ahead to sustain gains

PEPFAR, initiated in 2003, is "the largest global health initiative ever undertaken focused on a single disease," a Washington Post editorial writes, noting, "Now, after four years of work, some 400 interviews and visits to 13 nations, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has provided [an] examination of this incredibly ambitious program."

27 Feb 2013

New research reveals special face masks prevent clinical respiratory and bacterial infections

Health care workers who consistently wear special fitted face masks while on duty are much less likely to get clinical respiratory and bacterial infections, according to new research led by University of New South Wales academics.

27 Feb 2013

Individual countries can eliminate malaria: Research

A researcher at the University of Southampton, working as part of a team from the UK and USA, believes the global eradication of malaria could be achieved by individual countries eliminating the disease within their own borders and coordinating efforts regionally.

27 Feb 2013

Hypothetical models examine spread of disease in age of modern transportation

The Atlantic Cities profiles the work of Dirk Brockmann, a theoretical physicist and professor of complex systems at Northwestern University, and other researchers who are examining how modern transportation, such as air travel, affect the spread of disease globally.

27 Feb 2013

Examining global efforts against Buruli ulcer

"During my visit to the Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF] Buruli ulcer ward in Cameroon it was wonderful to see the amazing care that the patients receive on a daily basis: antibiotics, state of the art dressings, physiotherapy to help prevent deformities, free food and medicines, and surgery when required," Daniel O'Brien, a specialist adviser with MSF-UK focusing on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Buruli ulcer, writes in the BMJ Group Blogs.

27 Feb 2013

Faecal microbiota transplantation highly effective in treating recurrent C. difficile infections

Clostridium difficile infections have developed into a virtual pandemic over the past two decades. The outcome of standard antibiotic treatment is unsatisfactory: the recurrence rates are high with every relapse increasing the risk of further follow-ups. Faecal microbiota transplantation offers a rapidly acting and highly effective alternative in treating recurrent Clostridium difficile infections (RCDI), as Professor Lawrence J. Brandt (Montefiore Medical Center, New York, USA) points out.

27 Feb 2013

Surgical site infections appear to have significant genetic connections

An estimated 300,000 U.S. patients get surgical site infections every year, and while the causes are varied, a new University of Utah study suggests that some who get an infection can blame it partly on their genes.

27 Feb 2013

AIDS activists work to influence Kenyan presidential candidates' positions on care, treatment

"A small team of HIV/AIDS activists is trailing Kenyan presidential candidates as they crisscross the country, pressing them to increase their commitment to the care and treatment of people living with HIV," PlusNews reports.

27 Feb 2013

DNDi receives 2013 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge and Culture Award

Today in Madrid, Spain, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) received the BBVA Foundation 'Frontiers of Knowledge and Culture Award for Development Cooperation'. This EUR 400,000 award will be presented at a ceremony in Madrid, Spain, in June of this year.

27 Feb 2013

Princeton metabolic model can predict how parasites would fare in altered climates

Knowing the temperatures that viruses, bacteria, worms and all other parasites need to grow and survive could help determine the future range of infectious diseases under climate change, according to new research.

27 Feb 2013

Nigeria launches 'NTD Master Plan'

Last week, "Nigeria launched a multi-year national plan for the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTD Master Plan)," which "provides a platform for Nigeria to stimulate global efforts to reach elimination and control of diseases under the London Declaration and Millennium Development Goal 6," Mawish Raza, communications intern for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), writes in the group's "End The Neglect" blog.

26 Feb 2013

U.N. must do more to fight cholera in Haiti

Noting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week cited diplomatic immunity in "reject[ing] a legal claim for compensation filed in 2011 on behalf of cholera victims in Haiti," Louise Ivers, a senior health and policy adviser at Partners In Health, writes in a New York Times opinion piece, "Regardless of the merits of this argument, the United Nations has a moral, if not legal, obligation to help solve a crisis it inadvertently helped start."

26 Feb 2013

Polio eradication strategy must be adjusted for local contexts

"It has been a particularly busy couple of months for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)," SciDev.Net Director Nick Ishmael Perkins writes in a SciDev.Net editorial. "The deadly attacks on vaccinators in Pakistan brought renewed global attention to the campaign, and then Bill Gates went public with his personal commitment to end polio," he states, adding, "The GPEI has responded with a strategy for what it calls the 'endgame.'"

26 Feb 2013

Finding solutions to global health problems might mean creating more risk

"Scientists are aware that their interventions in the natural world will have unintended effects, and in order to behave ethically, these potential risks must be considered," Maggie Koerth-Baker, science editor at BoingBoing.net, writes in a New York Times opinion piece, adding, "Even something as innocuous as a mosquito net may carry a considerable downside."

26 Feb 2013