Disease/Infection News

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VAC-3S immunotherapeutic vaccine for HIV completes first clinical development phase

InnaVirVax, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in research and development on therapeutic and diagnostic solutions for diseases linked to immune dysregulation, has just announced successful completion of the first clinical development phase for VAC-3S immunotherapy in the treatment of HIV infections.

30 Nov 2012

Study shows how anaplasma phagocytophilum subverts natural processes

Bacteria that cause the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis in humans create their own food supply by hijacking a process in host cells that normally should help kill the pathogenic bugs, scientists have found.

30 Nov 2012

PEPFAR, Zimbabwe will continue to work together, improve country ownership

Recognizing World AIDS Day is December 1, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe David Bruce Wharton writes in a Herald opinion piece, "Ending AIDS is a shared responsibility. ... Everyone has a role to play -- government leaders, the private sector, multilateral organizations, civil society, media, faith-based organizations, and each one of us."

30 Nov 2012

Haiti, Dominican Republic to seek $2.2B over 10 years for cholera elimination plan

"Haiti and the Dominican Republic will require $2.2 billion over the next 10 years for an ambitious plan to eliminate cholera, an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] said Wednesday," the Associated Press/NewsOK reports.

30 Nov 2012

Secretary Clinton to unveil PEPFAR Blueprint at event on Thursday; White House event to commemorate World AIDS Day

"On Thursday November 29, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will commemorate World AIDS Day 2012 and unveil the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation that provides a roadmap for how the U.S. government will work to help achieve an AIDS-free generation," a Department of State press notice reports, noting, "Secretary Clinton will be joined by Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator."

30 Nov 2012

JQ1 cancer drug may be useful in purging latent HIV infection

Breakthrough drugs have made it possible for people to live with HIV longer than ever before, but more work must be done to actually cure the disease. One of the challenges researchers face involves fully eradicating the virus when it is latent in the body.

30 Nov 2012

CSL, PharmaJet partner for needle-free delivery of Afluria influenza vaccine

PharmaJet Inc. has entered into a collaboration with CSL Limited to enable Afluria influenza vaccine to be delivered with the PharmaJet Stratis needle-free jet injector, as soon as the 2013-2014 flu season.

30 Nov 2012

Study: Only one third of MSM can easily access HIV services

A large-scale study of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), conducted by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), indicates that only one third of MSM can easily access condoms, lubricant, HIV testing, and HIV treatment.

29 Nov 2012

RIVA fully automated IV compounding system ahead of competitors in overall performance

RIVA, the fully automated IV compounding system manufactured by Intelligent Hospital Systems (IH Systems), is ahead of competitors in overall performance, meeting business case expectations and customer satisfaction, according to a new study of IV automation systems by independent healthcare research firm KLAS.

29 Nov 2012

Bend Research, PATH and FhCMB develop new technology for thermostable vaccine production

Bend Research Inc., PATH, and Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (FhCMB) announce the development of a new technology for the production of thermostable vaccines. Utilizing novel formulation and spray-drying processing methods, the technology has enabled scientists at Bend Research, PATH, and FhCMB to develop a spray-dried influenza vaccine product that is stable at 50°C for over 2 months. The technology can also be applied to emerging influenza and other vaccines.

29 Nov 2012

Naked AIDS protesters arrested in Boehner's congressional office

Seven people took their clothes off in a House office building Tuesday to protest cuts to AIDS funding, and three women were arrested. The group was joined by dozens of other -- clothed -- protesters.

29 Nov 2012

Reflecting on U.S. military's contribution to global AIDS response

"As we look forward to World AIDS Day this year, I'm amazed at how far we've come in the battle against HIV and how effectively U.S. government agencies continue to work collaboratively towards an AIDS-free generation," Richard Shaffer, director of the U.S. Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, writes in the AIDS.gov blog.

29 Nov 2012

Global AIDS response will miss 2015 targets, ONE report suggests

"The world has lost momentum in the fight against the AIDS epidemic, with millions of new people infected last year, the ONE foundation said in a report," titled "The Beginning of the End? Tracking Global Commitments on AIDS" and released on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

29 Nov 2012

SLU study to use various assays for new TB vaccine development

A pilot study at Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development could shape the future of tuberculosis vaccine research by developing tests to identify the most promising vaccine candidates to address this global health crisis.

29 Nov 2012

International Men's Day opportunity to recognize volunteers for VMMC

Emmanuel Njeuhmeli, senior biomedical prevention adviser in the USAID Office of HIV/AIDS, writes in the agency's "IMPACTblog" that the first International Men's Day on November 19 was an opportunity to "recognize and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of men in East and Southern Africa who are stepping up for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) to protect their own health and that of their families."

29 Nov 2012

Myanmar can build more stable future by investing in vaccines, immunization

"For the first time, with support from the GAVI Alliance, a pentavalent vaccine was introduced in Myanmar this week that will defend children against five potentially fatal diseases," Dagfinn Hoybraten, vice president of the Norwegian Parliament and chair of the GAVI Alliance Board, writes in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, adding, "Over the next six months, more than half a million children in the country will be protected from diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B (hepB), and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

29 Nov 2012

HIV treatment cascade important tool for reaching AIDS-free generation goal

In the Huffington Post's "Healthy Living" blog, Ward Cates, president emeritus of FHI 360, examines the HIV treatment cascade, which he says "is crucial both to assuring the individual's health and to achieving the public health goal of an AIDS-free generation."

29 Nov 2012

Nude activists enter House Speaker's office to protest potential AIDS spending cuts

"At least seven nude protesters stormed House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) office in the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday, according to reports from Sahil Kapur of Talking Points Memo and others who were there," the Huffington Post reports.

29 Nov 2012

UNAIDS, Stop TB Partnership sign memo to work together to halve TB deaths by 2015

UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership on Tuesday launched an "initiative aimed at reducing HIV deaths caused by tuberculosis (TB) by half" by 2015, the U.N. News Centre reports.

29 Nov 2012

Study: Tdap vaccination safe for seniors

A new study of the safety of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine supports the recommendation that those 65 and older get the vaccine to protect themselves and others, particularly young babies, from pertussis.

29 Nov 2012