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CDC says U.S. H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise; Senators question government's handling of H1N1 vaccination program

Supplies of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine are steadily increasing in the U.S. and should soon be more widely accessible in the next two weeks, the CDC said on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. During a press briefing, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said that 22.4 million vaccine doses are now available for states to order (Norman, 10/27). "We're beginning to get to significant increases in the availability," Frieden said.

28 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: Germany HIV/AIDS grant; Sumatra water situation; India's unlicensed doctors; land ownership, food security

The Organisation for the Coordination of the Struggle Against Epidemics in Central Africa (OCEAC) on Tuesday announced that the German government has granted $34 million to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in central Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

28 Oct 2009

CDC: H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise

"More than 22 million doses of swine flu vaccine are available now, and most Americans should soon find it easier to get their dose, U.S. health officials said Tuesday, " according to The Associated Press/The Washington Post.

28 Oct 2009

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital collaborate on respiratory diseases research

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) recently announced the formation of a research agreement between the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

28 Oct 2009

FDA approves the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with PEPFAR

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today marked the recent approval of the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aimed at the prevention, treatment, and care of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.

28 Oct 2009

Innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Saint-Petersburg Government Healthcare Institution’s Center for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases; AIDS, Statistics, Health, a respected regional non-governmental organization (NGO); and Saint-Petersburg Government Healthcare Institution’s Policlinic N109 are honored to announce that they are forming an innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and prevention services and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.

28 Oct 2009

Fastest supercomputer used to create an evolutionary genetic HIV family tree

Supporting Los Alamos National Laboratory's role in the international Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) consortium, researchers are using the Roadrunner supercomputer to analyze vast quantities of genetic sequences from HIV infected people in the hope of zeroing in on possible vaccine target areas.

28 Oct 2009

Dementia patients face higher risk of flu mortality; refine guidelines needed for testing and vaccination policies

An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza (P&I) in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia.

28 Oct 2009

Researchers find link between foreskin and HIV infection

Randomized clinical trials conducted by researchers in Rakai, Uganda, have revealed a link between the size of foreskin surface area and the risk of male HIV acquisition.

28 Oct 2009

Toxic chemicals in face paints can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis

Ghosts and goblins aren't the only spooky things lurking around this Halloween. A new report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reveals that popular children's face paints contain lead, a potent neurotoxin, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause lifelong skin sensitization and contact dermatitis.

28 Oct 2009

Nasopharyngeal Flocked Swabs are recommended for H1N1 and influenza A testing

Preparing for this flu season, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) PSAB Committee on Laboratory Practices has recently published a new interim algorithm providing guidance to clinical laboratories responsible for testing patients with respiratory illness for Influenza A, including H1N1.

28 Oct 2009

Drug-cocktail approach offers hope in developing single agent to treat drug-resistant H1N1 swine flu

An experimental drug cocktail that includes three prescriptions now widely available offers the best hope in developing a single agent to treat drug-resistant H1N1 swine flu, says a virology researcher in the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

28 Oct 2009

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $17 million to fund projects to fight costly and dangerous health care-associated infections, or HAIs.

28 Oct 2009

Internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise in lowering healthcare costs

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have shown that an employer-sponsored, internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise as a low-cost benefit to lower healthcare costs for those at higher risk for above-average costs and healthcare utilization such as cardiac, hyperlipidemia, hypertension or diabetes patients.

28 Oct 2009

HMSMobile Swine Flu Center application to provide information on H1N1 virus introduced

The HMSMobile Swine Flu Center, a new iPhone application developed by the Harvard Health Publications Division of Harvard Medical School, is now available for purchase in the iTunes store.

28 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

The U.S. Embassy in Uganda announced a grant of $246 million in new aid for improving the Uganda's agricultural and health systems, Reuters reports. "More than $170 million will be spent on health and education to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, fight tuberculosis, eradicate malaria, improve maternal and child health and increase access to family planning and reproductive health services," the news service writes (Biryabarema, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

New York Times examines journal editorial on neglected tropical diseases in Islamic nations

The New York Times examines the conclusions drawn in a recent PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial that the Islamic world is suffering from a "devastating burden" of neglected tropical diseases.

27 Oct 2009

HIV infections, deaths declining in Caribbean, senior official says

Ahead of the regional Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) meeting, a senior official announced that the number of new HIV infections in the region has fallen since last year, Agence France-Presse reports.

27 Oct 2009

Gateses to appeal for ongoing U.S. funding of global health

Bill and Melinda Gates are expected to ask Washington officials on Tuesday to "continue funding global health initiatives despite the recession and to commit to nearly halve the number of child deaths worldwide by 2025," the Washington Post reports.

27 Oct 2009

H1N1 overwhelms hospitals; Sebelius addresses flu vaccine shortage

Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed "as waves of flu patients arrive at their doors, doubling their emergency room volume," USA Today reports. "Just as significant is the effect on intensive care units: A relatively small number of flu patients are requiring intensive care, but some are so ill they will need round-the-clock care for weeks.

27 Oct 2009

Disease/Infection News

CDC says U.S. H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise; Senators question government's handling of H1N1 vaccination program

Also in Global Health News: Germany HIV/AIDS grant; Sumatra water situation; India's unlicensed doctors; land ownership, food security

CDC: H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital collaborate on respiratory diseases research

FDA approves the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with PEPFAR

Innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg

Fastest supercomputer used to create an evolutionary genetic HIV family tree

Dementia patients face higher risk of flu mortality; refine guidelines needed for testing and vaccination policies

Researchers find link between foreskin and HIV infection

Toxic chemicals in face paints can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis

Nasopharyngeal Flocked Swabs are recommended for H1N1 and influenza A testing

Drug-cocktail approach offers hope in developing single agent to treat drug-resistant H1N1 swine flu

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

Internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise in lowering healthcare costs

HMSMobile Swine Flu Center application to provide information on H1N1 virus introduced

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

New York Times examines journal editorial on neglected tropical diseases in Islamic nations

HIV infections, deaths declining in Caribbean, senior official says

Gateses to appeal for ongoing U.S. funding of global health

H1N1 overwhelms hospitals; Sebelius addresses flu vaccine shortage

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

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