Disease/Infection News

RSS

WHO, UNICEF launch 6-year $39B plan to prevent, treat pneumonia; World Pneumonia Day coverage

To mark the first World Pneumonia Day on Monday, the WHO and UNICEF launched a $39 billion Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP) aimed at preventing 5.3 million child deaths from the disease by 2015, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 11/1).

3 Nov 2009

Opinions: Obstetric fistula; malaria and climate change

In a New York Times opinion piece, columnist Nicholas Kristof examines a new plan to tackle obstetric fistula, "a childbirth injury, often suffered by a teenager in Africa or Asia whose pelvis is not fully grown." According to Kristof, "Just about the happiest thing that can happen to such a woman is an encounter with Dr. Lewis Wall, an ob-gyn at Washington University in St. Louis.

3 Nov 2009

Swine flu vaccine supply expected to increase 'in short order'

A senior adviser to President Barack Obama says the government "overpromised" with the swine flu vaccine but that the vaccine supply would catch up with the demand within a week. Meanwhile, a health group established to monitor the vaccine's safety will begin work this week.

3 Nov 2009

Malaria conference begins in Nairobi, will highlight outlook for RTS,S experimental malaria vaccine

The 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference "kicked off in Nairobi late Sunday with a call for substantial and sustained support for research to guide evidence-based policies and the development of new malaria tools, which together could save countless lives," Xinhua reports (11/2).

2 Nov 2009

U.S. officially ends HIV travel ban

The White House on Friday announced an end to a 22-year-old travel ban on HIV-positive foreigners visiting the U.S. or seeking residency, the New York Times reports. The newspaper writes that President Barack "Obama announced that a rule canceling the ban would be published on Monday and would take effect after a routine 60-day waiting period" (Preston, 10/30).

2 Nov 2009

Deaths from H1N1 rise by 700 in one week, WHO reports

The number of deaths from H1N1 (swine flu) rose by 700 in a week, to top 5,700 since the virus was first identified in April, the WHO reported Friday, Agence France-Presse reports (10/30).

2 Nov 2009

Washington Post examines role of USAID's Richard Greene

As part of its ongoing "Federal Player of the Week" series with the Partnership for Public Service, the Washington Post examines the role of Richard Greene, the head of USAID's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition in the Bureau of Global Health.

2 Nov 2009

Zuma calls for renewed effort in fight against HIV/AIDS

South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday called for a renewed effort in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, the Star/Independent Online reports. During a speech to South Africa's National Council of Provinces, which also addressed the country's economy, Zuma pointed to what he called "chilling statistics" reflective of the "devastating impact HIV and AIDS" is having on the country (du Plessis, 10/30).

2 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: Undernutrition in Afghanistan; Namibia's HIV clinics, outreach programs

A Lancet World Report examines the deadly toll undernutrition is having on the people of Afghanistan, where the "issues of poverty and undernutrition have received curiously little attention: about a third of the population, more than 7 million people, are food insecure, according the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP).

2 Nov 2009

A look at the odds associated with the influenza virus

What are the odds you will be one of the unlucky ones who gets the flu this year? Book of Odds has launched "Flu Week," a fascinating look at the odds associated with the influenza virus.

2 Nov 2009

Juvaris BioTherapeutics commences enrollment in its JVRS-100 influenza vaccine adjuvant study

Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing adjuvanted vaccines for infectious diseases, today announced that it has begun enrolling patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead compound, JVRS-100, as an adjuvant for seasonal influenza vaccines in the elderly population.

2 Nov 2009

Avila Therapeutics presents preclinical study data of its AVL-181 HCV protease inhibitor

Avila Therapeutics™, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing, presented results of preclinical studies on its highly selective, small molecule Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, AVL-181. Avila showed that AVL-181 promoted complete viral clearance in vitro when used at clinically-relevant concentrations in combination with other HCV therapies.

2 Nov 2009

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data from its transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis program

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it presented new pre-clinical research findings from its transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR) program at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (“The Liver Meeting”).

2 Nov 2009

Historic agreement sets national standard for containing the spread of H1N1

In a dramatic settlement seen as a novel pattern for the nation, the nation's largest nurses union and professional association, and one of the country's biggest hospital systems today announced a landmark agreement that sets a national standard on containing the spread of pandemics such as H1N1 "swine flu."

2 Nov 2009

NIAID awards Pulmatrix $2.2M grant for developing novel influenza therapeutics

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the treatment and prevention of infectious and progressive respiratory diseases, today announced that it has been awarded a grant for $2.2 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aimed at advancing the development of novel influenza therapeutics for the treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza.

2 Nov 2009

Canadian programs underscore evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in treating HCV infection

Results from two significant Canadian studies underscore the growing scientific evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Canadian investigators across the country collaborated to generate and analyze clinical data from the Canadian PEGETRON POWeR (Prospective Optimal Weight-based Dosing Response) and REDIPEN programs, which were presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting in Boston on November 1, 2009.

2 Nov 2009

Methacetin breath test predicts long-term survival in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

A methacetin breath test (MBT) that can be performed quickly and noninvasively has been proven to accurately predict survival in patients with viral hepatitis and may be used as an adjunctive tool to MELD.

2 Nov 2009

Rap video teaches kids how to avoid getting swine flu

"Blah, blah, H1N1 blah," is what many kids hear when their parents try to teach them how to avoid getting H1N1, or the swine flu. To cut through the blahs let DocRock and his H1N1 Rap teach your kids how to avoid catching H1N1 or the regular seasonal flu.

2 Nov 2009

AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival

As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar.

2 Nov 2009

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced 48-week data from an ongoing study (ETV-048) of chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated cirrhosis, in which BARACLUDE demonstrated greater viral suppression compared to adefovir. The new BARACLUDE data were presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

2 Nov 2009

Disease/Infection News

WHO, UNICEF launch 6-year $39B plan to prevent, treat pneumonia; World Pneumonia Day coverage

Opinions: Obstetric fistula; malaria and climate change

Swine flu vaccine supply expected to increase 'in short order'

Malaria conference begins in Nairobi, will highlight outlook for RTS,S experimental malaria vaccine

U.S. officially ends HIV travel ban

Deaths from H1N1 rise by 700 in one week, WHO reports

Washington Post examines role of USAID's Richard Greene

Zuma calls for renewed effort in fight against HIV/AIDS

Also in Global Health News: Undernutrition in Afghanistan; Namibia's HIV clinics, outreach programs

A look at the odds associated with the influenza virus

Juvaris BioTherapeutics commences enrollment in its JVRS-100 influenza vaccine adjuvant study

Avila Therapeutics presents preclinical study data of its AVL-181 HCV protease inhibitor

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data from its transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis program

Historic agreement sets national standard for containing the spread of H1N1

NIAID awards Pulmatrix $2.2M grant for developing novel influenza therapeutics

Canadian programs underscore evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in treating HCV infection

Methacetin breath test predicts long-term survival in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

Rap video teaches kids how to avoid getting swine flu

AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

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

Latest News