Disease/Infection News

RSS

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Friday published Issue 205 of its "Global Fund Observer."

11 Dec 2012

GlobalPost series examines HIV/AIDS in European, MENA regions

As part of its ongoing series, titled "The State of AIDS," GlobalPost published two articles examining the epidemic in different regions. In Eastern Europe, rates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses have risen in several countries, including Ukraine and Russia, according to the first article, which discusses some of the potential reasons for the increases.

11 Dec 2012

GAVI Alliance to support 30M HPV vaccinations among girls by 2020

"In an effort to fight the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, more than 30 million girls will be immunized against HPV by 2020 with GAVI support, the global health alliance announced on Thursday," Xinhua/Global Times reports.

11 Dec 2012

PEPFAR blueprint relies on science to inform policies, SciDev.Net reports

"Science is at the center of efforts to design and implement more effective preventative and care programs for HIV/AIDS set out in a blueprint published by a U.S. government initiative that fights the disease," SciDev.Net reports, referencing the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation that was released November 29.

11 Dec 2012

Governments, donors should follow PMI model of testing drugs for quality

"[W]e are losing the global fight against bad medicines," and though "[s]ome progress is being made," the "problem is that ... crackdowns tend to focus on counterfeit drugs" while a "much bigger public health problem ... is substandard drugs that are the result of shoddy manufacturing and handling -- or perhaps worse, deliberate corner-cutting," Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

11 Dec 2012

Africa needs additional $3.6B to fight malaria, RBM partnership board says

"There is currently a $3.6 billion funding gap on malaria in Africa, according to the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, whose board concluded its 23rd meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on December 7," Devex's "Development Newswire" blog reports.

11 Dec 2012

Orientation of antibody binding to bacteria can mean life or death to the bug

The orientation of antibody binding to bacteria can mean life or death to the bug, according to a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine on December 10th. These findings may help explain why these bacteria cause millions of localized infections, but more serious, systemic blood infections are rare.

11 Dec 2012

Boston College professor to research into new drugs that can prevent onset of toxoplasmosis

The American Cancer Society has awarded a four-year, $720,000 grant to Boston College Associate Professor of Biology Marc-Jan Gubbels for research into potential new drugs that can prevent the onset of toxoplasmosis in cancer patients with weakened immune systems.

10 Dec 2012

Severe RSV disease may impair innate immune response in infants

Infants with severe lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may have a dysfunctional innate immune response that relates to the severity of their disease.

10 Dec 2012

Despite effective anti-viral drugs, majority of HCV patients remain untreated

Just 20 percent of people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) begin the recommended treatment regimen and less than 5 percent go on to successfully overcome the virus, according to a new review in General Hospital Psychiatry.

10 Dec 2012

Nuron Biotech announces acquisition of Meningitec from Pfizer

Nuron Biotech Inc., a specialty biologics and vaccines company, today announced it has acquired from Pfizer Inc. Meningitec, which is a vaccine for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C.

10 Dec 2012

Researchers track emergence and global spread of healthcare-associated C. difficile

Researchers show that the global epidemic of Clostridium difficile 027/NAP1/BI in the early to mid-2000s was caused by the spread of two different but highly related strains of the bacterium rather than one as was previously thought. The spread and persistence of both epidemics were driven by the acquisition of resistance to a frontline antibiotic.

10 Dec 2012

Sanofi Pasteur’s IMOJEV vaccine against Japanese encephalitis is now available in Australia

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that IMOJEV vaccine against Japanese encephalitis (JE) is now available in Australia.

10 Dec 2012

Exposure to passive smoking may increase risk of invasive meningococcal disease in children

The dangers of second-hand smoke (passive smoking) on children continue to become ever more apparent. A new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health shows that second hand smoke and foetal exposure due to maternal smoking while pregnant significantly increase the risk of invasive meningococcal disease.

10 Dec 2012

IDSA guidelines describe best methods for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections

Of the one million people each year who get hips and knees replaced, as many as 20,000 will get an infection in the new joint, a number that is expected to skyrocket in the next 20 years. Multispecialty physician teams need to work together to reduce disability, death and costs associated with the ever-growing number of these prosthetic joint infections, note the first guidelines on the topic being released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

9 Dec 2012

More than 100 academic institutions to participate in Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013

More than 100 academic institutions and scholarly societies have joined in a major world-wide initiative: Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE) 2013. This year-long effort will highlight the contributions made by mathematics in tackling global problems, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis; climate change; sustainability; and pandemics.

9 Dec 2012

C5aRA treatment could be effective against periodontitis

Periodontitis, a form of chronic gum disease that affects nearly half of the U.S. adult population, results when the bacterial community in the mouth becomes unbalanced, leading to inflammation and eventually bone loss. In its most severe form, which affects 8.5 percent of U.S. adults, periodontitis can impact systemic health.

9 Dec 2012

IQWiG investigates benefits of rilpivirine for HIV treatment

Since the start of 2012, a new drug called rilpivirine has been available for adult patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). It is marketed by two different pharmaceutical companies, by one as a single agent (trade name Edurant-) and by the other as a fixed combination with other HIV drugs (trade name Eviplera-).

8 Dec 2012

New public-private partnership will allow Brazil to produce patented ARV for national treatment program

For the first time, Brazil in 2013 will enter into a new type of public-private partnership that allows the nation to produce a generic version of the antiretroviral (ARV) drug atazanavir sulphate, which will be under patent through its producer Bristol-Myers Squibb until 2017, Inter Press Service reports.

8 Dec 2012

Lancet editorial examines possibility of 'AIDS-free generation,' PEPFAR blueprint

"After three decades of global emergency responses and a series of scientific breakthroughs in the fight against HIV/AIDS, it is now tempting to ask if we are marching towards the end of AIDS," an editorial in the Lancet states.

8 Dec 2012

Disease/Infection News

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

GlobalPost series examines HIV/AIDS in European, MENA regions

GAVI Alliance to support 30M HPV vaccinations among girls by 2020

PEPFAR blueprint relies on science to inform policies, SciDev.Net reports

Governments, donors should follow PMI model of testing drugs for quality

Africa needs additional $3.6B to fight malaria, RBM partnership board says

Orientation of antibody binding to bacteria can mean life or death to the bug

Boston College professor to research into new drugs that can prevent onset of toxoplasmosis

Severe RSV disease may impair innate immune response in infants

Despite effective anti-viral drugs, majority of HCV patients remain untreated

Nuron Biotech announces acquisition of Meningitec from Pfizer

Researchers track emergence and global spread of healthcare-associated C. difficile

Sanofi Pasteur’s IMOJEV vaccine against Japanese encephalitis is now available in Australia

Exposure to passive smoking may increase risk of invasive meningococcal disease in children

IDSA guidelines describe best methods for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections

More than 100 academic institutions to participate in Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013

C5aRA treatment could be effective against periodontitis

IQWiG investigates benefits of rilpivirine for HIV treatment

New public-private partnership will allow Brazil to produce patented ARV for national treatment program

Lancet editorial examines possibility of 'AIDS-free generation,' PEPFAR blueprint

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