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New York Times examines efforts underway to prevent spread of H1N1 during Hajj

The New York Times examines how Saudi Arabia is preparing for the upcoming annual pilgrimage of some "2.5 million people from 160 countries" to Mecca, some who "will be bringing the swine flu. The Saudi authorities, fearing that the hajj could turn their holy city into a petri dish for viral mutations and a hub for spreading a new pandemic wave around the world, are working hard to head that off," the newspaper writes.

31 Oct 2009

Grenadian Prime Minister calls for continued investment in Caribbean HIV/AIDS programs

During the 9th annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) - which kicked off this week in St. George's, Grenada - Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas called on leaders in the Caribbean to maintain their commitment to HIV/AIDS in the face of the global recession, CMC/Jamaica Observer reports.

31 Oct 2009

Research suggests the possibility of an effective treatment for Hendra virus infections in humans

A scientific team from CSIRO and the US has demonstrated that administering human monoclonal antibodies after exposure to Nipah virus, which is closely related to Hendra virus, protected animals from challenge in a disease model.

31 Oct 2009

Public concern can undermine flu vaccination campaigns

The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.

31 Oct 2009

Administration officially ends HIV travel ban

The Washington Post reports: "President Obama called the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals a decision 'rooted in fear rather than fact' and announced the end of the rule-making process lifting the ban.

31 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"Action always leads to reaction, a fundamental law of nature," write the authors of an introduction appearing in a Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) supplemental issue that focuses on global health systems.

30 Oct 2009

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

The New York Times examines the "debate over whether the United States and other rich nations spend too much on AIDS, which requires lifelong medications, compared with diarrhea and the other leading killer of children, pneumonia, both of which can be treated inexpensively."

30 Oct 2009

Researchers report an epidemic of sexually-transmitted HCV infection among HIV-infected men in NY City

Researchers in New York City are reporting their work uncovering a new epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) who have HIV infection.

30 Oct 2009

130 million children to be immunised against pneumonia

Marking the first international World Pneumonia Day on 2 November, the GAVI Alliance plans to immunise 130 million children in poor countries against pneumonia, the world's leading child killer.

30 Oct 2009

CDC study finds swine flu may have infected as many as 5.7 million Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new swine flue estimates that suggest the number of people affected by the disease is much greater than the 43,677 cases confirmed earlier.

30 Oct 2009

Avicenna's work on respiratory diseases highlighted in SAGE journal

For pulmonary ailments, certain mediaeval physicians had a useful medical textbook on hand offering detailed information remarkably similar to those a modern doctor might use today. One of the fathers of medicine, the great Persian scholar Avicenna left a wealth of information in his many works. Iranian academics dust off one of these in an article published today in the SAGE journal Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, sharing in English details of Avicenna's work that still fascinate both physicians and historians of medicine alike.

30 Oct 2009

Bacterial or viral skin infections continue to grow among high school and college athletes, survey reveals

A recent survey of nearly 650 athletic trainers across the U.S. revealed that in the past 12 months nearly 76 percent of the respondents' athletic programs, mostly high school- and college-based, bacterial or viral skin infections have developed.

30 Oct 2009

Idenix Pharmaceuticals reports phase I study results of IDX184 for treating HCV

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced presentations of data on IDX184, a once-daily novel liver-targeted nucleotide prodrug of 2'-methyl guanosine (2'MeG) for the treatment of HCV, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) currently being held in Boston, Massachusetts.

30 Oct 2009

Patients on immunosuppressant medication can receive H1N1 vaccine in the form of shots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified all children, 6-months to 24-years, one of the high risk groups for contracting the H1N1 (swine) flu, and recommend this population receive the H1N1 vaccine for immunity against the disease.

30 Oct 2009

Scientists present new perspective on antigenic drift of flu viruses

Influenza viruses evade infection-fighting antibodies by constantly changing the shape of their major surface protein. This shape-shifting, called antigenic drift, is why influenza vaccines-which are designed to elicit antibodies matched to each year's circulating virus strains-must be reformulated annually.

30 Oct 2009

Most children visit hospitals with mild flu-like symptoms and fever

The CHU Sainte-Justine and The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre are currently seeing a significant increase in patients in their Emergency Departments. Children are arriving with mild flu-like symptoms and fever.

30 Oct 2009

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, according to an extensive review of published research and data from previous flu seasons.

30 Oct 2009

Leading gynecologist recommends flu shots for pregnant women

Randy A. Fink, MD says pregnant women ought to be shot – with a flu vaccination needle. “A flu shot offers double protection to both mother and baby,” says Dr. Fink, a Miami board certified specialist who was recently named one of “America's Top Obstetrician/Gynecologists” by the Consumer Research Council.

30 Oct 2009

Antioxidants may hold the key in preventing severe flu-related lung damage

As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu-antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) they show that antioxidants-the same substances found in plant-based foods-might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs.

30 Oct 2009

Case Western Reserve awarded $14.7M to lead study on effects of lowering systolic blood pressure

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $14.7 million, nine-year contract from the National Institutes of Health to be one of five institutions to lead a trial to determine if lowering systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients, without diabetes, to below the currently recommended level can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and kidney disease and slow cognitive decline.

30 Oct 2009