Disease/Infection News

RSS

Focus water, sanitation investments on cholera risk zones, aid groups say

"Aid groups are urging donors to invest in water and sanitation in areas known as hotbeds for cholera," saying "while such projects might directly affect a relatively small population, the indirect impact in terms of cholera reduction could be immense," IRIN reports.

29 Jan 2013

New tweet-screening method effectively tracks flu cases

Sifting through social media messages has become a popular way to track when and where flu cases occur, but a key hurdle hampers the process: how to identify flu-infection tweets. Some tweets are posted by people who have been sick with the virus, while others come from folks who are merely talking about the illness. If you are tracking actual flu cases, such conversations about the flu in general can skew the results.

29 Jan 2013

Common myths about flu from Mayo Clinic

It seems you can't go anywhere these days without hearing "the flu this" or "the flu that." Unfortunately, this season's influenza outbreak is one of the worst in years. And it's not just the flu virus that's causing problems; there are also many myths about the flu that are keeping people from doing more to prevent it.

29 Jan 2013

Blue light can selectively eradicate skin and soft tissue infections

Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Medical School, Boston.

29 Jan 2013

WHO Executive Board meeting discusses consensus on R&D for neglected diseases

Intellectual Property Watch reports on discussions at the ongoing WHO Executive Board meeting "over legal and political aspects of a consensus reached by a small number of member states in November on implementing a plan to address the global lack of research and development [R&D] for neglected diseases predominantly afflicting poor populations."

29 Jan 2013

1 in 5 people infected with swine flu during first year of epidemic, WHO-led study shows

"At least one in five people worldwide were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, an international research group said on Friday, but the death rate was just 0.02 percent," Reuters reports.

29 Jan 2013

Military women more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections: Study

As the number of women in the military increases, so does the need for improved gynecologic care. Military women may be more likely to engage in high-risk sexual practices, be less likely to consistently use barrier contraception, and, therefore, more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to research recently released by a physician at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

29 Jan 2013

New research sets out alternative approach to pandemic preparedness

'Evil' scientists, deadly viruses and terrorist plots are usually the preserve of Hollywood blockbusters. But when it comes to pandemic influenza, it is the stuff of real life. As controversy about research into the H5N1 bird flu virus continues, a new paper argues for a complete overhaul of current approaches to pandemic preparedness.

29 Jan 2013

New DNA-delivering film holds promise for improving effectiveness of vaccines

Vaccines usually consist of inactivated viruses that prompt the immune system to remember the invader and launch a strong defense if it later encounters the real thing. However, this approach can be too risky with certain viruses, including HIV.

29 Jan 2013

Janssen, Medivir and Idenix partner for clinical development of HCV combination therapy

Medivir AB today announced a non-exclusive collaboration between Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Janssen) and Idenix Pharmaceuticals for the clinical development of an all-oral (interferon-free) direct-acting antiviral (DAA) hepatitis C (HCV) combination therapy.

29 Jan 2013

Germany commits to providing 1B euros to Global Fund through 2016

"Germany will give one billion euros $1.3 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the country's minister for economic cooperation and development Dirk Niebel said Thursday" during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, CNN reports.

28 Jan 2013

'Vaccine diplomacy' could reduce disease burden on Korean Peninsula

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a New Year's Day speech, called for reductions in international tension and an end to confrontation with South Korea, while raising the prospect of reunification between the North and South," Peter Hotez, president and director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, notes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece, asking, "Could 'vaccine diplomacy' work on the Korean peninsula?."

28 Jan 2013

Urging U.N. to collect, report data on aging population affected by HIV

"Estimates suggest that by 2040, over nine million people with HIV will be 50 or older in sub-Saharan Africa, triple that of current data," The Body reports, noting, "Despite this, the 2012 UNAIDS report does not mention the aging of HIV," and "because it does not include data on those aged 50 or older, the report is inaccurate and misleading."

28 Jan 2013

Evidence links HPV16 to focal cortical dysplasia type IIB

Researchers at Shriner's Hospital Pediatric Research Center at the Temple University School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania have evidence linking the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) - the most common cause of cervical cancer - to a common form of childhood epilepsy.

28 Jan 2013

Daily antibacterial baths can safely reduce risk of bloodstream infections in critically ill children

Daily baths with an ordinary antibacterial cleanser can safely reduce the risk of dangerous bloodstream infections in critically ill children, according to a trial conducted in five pediatric hospitals and led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

28 Jan 2013

Devex interviews WHO NTD department director on roadmap for eliminating 17 diseases

"Lorenzo Savioli, director of WHO's department of neglected tropical diseases, spoke to Devex from Geneva in a phone interview on Wednesday, January 23, days after WHO released a progress report on its year-old roadmap to eliminate 17 tropical diseases," Devex's "Development Newswire" blog reports.

28 Jan 2013

Blogs examine leadership changes that may affect global health as Obama begins second term

"While two new members of House Appropriation Committee's State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee profiled in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog yesterday voted first for and then against the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, one of the three profiled in the blog on Thursday is an unambiguous supporter of global health initiatives, having played a pivotal role in virtually all legislation guiding America's HIV response for more than a decade," "Science Speaks" reports.

28 Jan 2013

Dengue fever mosquitoes tap into domestic networks of humans, along with their bloodstreams

The mosquitoes that spread dengue fever tap into the domestic networks of humans, along with their bloodstreams, finds a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

28 Jan 2013

2013 World Health Assembly should focus on new global rules, financing mechanisms for essential health

"This January marks the first anniversary of the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases -- a coordinated effort by endemic countries, non-governmental organizations, drug companies, and donors to improve the lives of more than a billion of the world's poorest people by the end of the decade," a Lancet editorial writes.

28 Jan 2013

Antibiotics not being used properly, leading to 'apocalyptic scenario' of drug-resistant infections, England's chief medical officer says

"The rise in drug-resistant infections is comparable to the threat of global warming, according to the chief medical officer for England," BBC News reports. Professor Dame Sally Davies "said bacteria were becoming resistant to current drugs and there were few antibiotics to replace them."

28 Jan 2013

Disease/Infection News

Focus water, sanitation investments on cholera risk zones, aid groups say

New tweet-screening method effectively tracks flu cases

Common myths about flu from Mayo Clinic

Blue light can selectively eradicate skin and soft tissue infections

WHO Executive Board meeting discusses consensus on R&D for neglected diseases

1 in 5 people infected with swine flu during first year of epidemic, WHO-led study shows

Military women more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections: Study

New research sets out alternative approach to pandemic preparedness

New DNA-delivering film holds promise for improving effectiveness of vaccines

Janssen, Medivir and Idenix partner for clinical development of HCV combination therapy

Germany commits to providing 1B euros to Global Fund through 2016

'Vaccine diplomacy' could reduce disease burden on Korean Peninsula

Urging U.N. to collect, report data on aging population affected by HIV

Evidence links HPV16 to focal cortical dysplasia type IIB

Daily antibacterial baths can safely reduce risk of bloodstream infections in critically ill children

Devex interviews WHO NTD department director on roadmap for eliminating 17 diseases

Blogs examine leadership changes that may affect global health as Obama begins second term

Dengue fever mosquitoes tap into domestic networks of humans, along with their bloodstreams

2013 World Health Assembly should focus on new global rules, financing mechanisms for essential health

Antibiotics not being used properly, leading to 'apocalyptic scenario' of drug-resistant infections, England's chief medical officer says

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

Latest News