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Sittercity.com offers tips on how you can develop a swine flu contingency caregiving plan

With Swine Flu (H1N1 influenza) outbreaks already resulting in more than 600 school closings this fall and daycares quickly reaching maximum capacity, an increasing number of parents are finding themselves without child care options; but not Sittercity.com parents. On Sittercity.com, the nation's largest and most trusted online source for qualified babysitters and nannies, the number of parents finding sitters to cover last-minute care needs before the need arises has increased by 37% over the same period last year.

6 Nov 2009

SmarterTravel offers tips for staying healthy while traveling

SmarterTravel®, a comprehensive travel advice resource for the budget-conscious consumer, today offered tips for staying healthy while traveling, including some of the dirtiest parts of the plane you should avoid, especially during a highly contagious cold and flu season.

6 Nov 2009

School district leaders plan for H1N1 pandemics using a four-step process

School district leaders planning for H1N1 pandemics should update emergency plans using a four-step process, according to the McGraw-Hill Education Urban Advisory Resource, a team of former educators and school administrators dedicated to serving the unique needs of large school districts.

6 Nov 2009

UCSF HIV researchers receive two NIH grants to improve health of HIV positive patients

UCSF HIV researchers have received two NIH grants of $1 million each to study the use of web-based, patient controlled personal health records to improve health and HIV prevention outcomes for HIV positive patients.

6 Nov 2009

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

The Wall Street Journal examines "big pharma's growing interest in a corner of healthcare - emerging-market inoculations," in light of a recent move by Novartis to purchase an 85 percent stake in the Chinese vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. In the summer, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA made a similar move to acquire a majority stake in India's Shantha Biotechnics, the newspaper notes.

6 Nov 2009

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous (IV) antiviral drugs to help treat hospitalized 2009 H1N1 influenza patients.

6 Nov 2009

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

In a session at the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, experts discussed the tools required to eradicate the disease and highlighted insecticide and drug resistance in some parts of the world, Xinhua reports. Researchers noted that resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) has been documented in western Cambodia and "has now also been reported in the west of Thailand and in eastern Myanmar," the news service writes (Ooko/Zhuoyun, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

Helix BioPharma completes enrollment in its Topical Interferon Alpha-2b ano-genital warts clinical program

Helix BioPharma Corp. announced today that its Phase II trial of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b for the treatment of ano-genital warts (AGW) has completed patient enrollment, with the required 120th patient randomized to enter the trial.

5 Nov 2009

MSF calls for sustained commitment to global HIV/AIDS funding

During a press conference on Thursday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned that the "global economic crisis and calls to commit funds to other health crises" threatened to undermine recent gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports. MSF "says money for other health issues should be given in addition to money for [HIV/]AIDS" (11/5).

5 Nov 2009

Also in global health news: Kenya child mortality; DRC rape; Cape Verde dengue outbreak; Guatemala malnutrition; East Africa flooding

"The most current data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics under the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) launched on Wednesday shows mortality among children under five years stands at 7.4 percent, while that of infants is at 5.2 percent," Business Daily reports.

5 Nov 2009

Japanese data suggests a protocol for schools to follow during H1N! pandemic

As flu season approaches, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. But how bad should an influenza outbreak be for a school to shut down? A study led by epidemiologists John Brownstein, PhD, and Anne Gatewood Hoen, PhD of the Children's Hospital Boston Informatics Program, in collaboration Asami Sasaki of the University of Niigata Prefecture (Niigata, Japan), tapped a detailed set of Japanese data to help guide decision making by schools and government agencies.

5 Nov 2009

SafetyTies and SafetyScarves of SafeSmart help reduce the spread of H1N1

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), H1N1 - better known as the swine flu - was widespread in 48 states as of Oct. 18-24. The CDC's website offers guidelines, from cough etiquette to keeping sick workers at home, for healthcare professionals and the public on how to minimize spread of the H1N1 influenza.

5 Nov 2009

Appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy reduces mortality in patients with septic shock

Patients experiencing septic shock who receive inappropriate therapy may have a fivefold reduction in survival, shows a new study. Researchers from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, retrospectively reviewed the cases of 5,715 patients with septic shock to determine the appropriateness of initial antimicrobial therapy, clinical infection site, and relevant pathogens.

5 Nov 2009

Researchers find link between cholera outbreaks and seasonal low river flow and floods in Bengal

Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has reemerged as a global killer. Outbreaks typically occur once a year in Africa and Latin America. But in Bangladesh the epidemics occur twice a year - in the spring and again in the fall.

5 Nov 2009

Phadia offers ImmunoCAP, a reliable test to accurately diagnose the severity of egg allergy

The World Health Organization recently declared H1N1 swine flu a global pandemic, resulting in the creation of rigorous vaccination programs worldwide. Children are among those considered particularly susceptible to contracting swine flu and are viewed as a top priority in receiving this vaccine.

5 Nov 2009

Poor housing conditions can lead to chronic disease and premature death

Being warm enough at home might lead to better health, according to a new review appearing online in the American Journal of Public Health.

5 Nov 2009

Online self-assessment tool on MayoClinic.com helps assess flu symptoms

The flu symptoms self-assessment tool on MayoClinic.com helps you assess whether you or your loved ones have some form of flu, or just a cold. If you possibly or likely have the flu, you'll also learn whether antiviral medication is an option. And you can check a concise list of high-risk groups who should seek medical attention for the flu.

5 Nov 2009

Imagenetix awarded U.S. patent for its 1-TDC drug candidate to treat periodontal disease

Imagenetix, Inc., announced today the issuance of a new U.S. patent (No. 7,612,111). The patent provides intellectual property protection for Imagenetix's 1-TDC early stage drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease.

5 Nov 2009

NIAID funds CCHI and IMVC programs to help identify new vaccines for emerging infectious diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism.

5 Nov 2009

Healthcare unions in Nova Scotia to suspend all collective activities till New Year in response to H1N1 flu

Three of the four major healthcare unions in Nova Scotia have agreed to suspend all collective bargaining activities until at least the New Year. This move is in response to the increased pressures that the H1N1 flu pandemic is placing on the province's health system.

5 Nov 2009

Disease/Infection News

Sittercity.com offers tips on how you can develop a swine flu contingency caregiving plan

SmarterTravel offers tips for staying healthy while traveling

School district leaders plan for H1N1 pandemics using a four-step process

UCSF HIV researchers receive two NIH grants to improve health of HIV positive patients

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

Helix BioPharma completes enrollment in its Topical Interferon Alpha-2b ano-genital warts clinical program

MSF calls for sustained commitment to global HIV/AIDS funding

Also in global health news: Kenya child mortality; DRC rape; Cape Verde dengue outbreak; Guatemala malnutrition; East Africa flooding

Japanese data suggests a protocol for schools to follow during H1N! pandemic

SafetyTies and SafetyScarves of SafeSmart help reduce the spread of H1N1

Appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy reduces mortality in patients with septic shock

Researchers find link between cholera outbreaks and seasonal low river flow and floods in Bengal

Phadia offers ImmunoCAP, a reliable test to accurately diagnose the severity of egg allergy

Poor housing conditions can lead to chronic disease and premature death

Online self-assessment tool on MayoClinic.com helps assess flu symptoms

Imagenetix awarded U.S. patent for its 1-TDC drug candidate to treat periodontal disease

NIAID funds CCHI and IMVC programs to help identify new vaccines for emerging infectious diseases

Healthcare unions in Nova Scotia to suspend all collective activities till New Year in response to H1N1 flu

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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