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Online courses boost infection control skills that could prove vital in a pandemic

Online courses are helping staff to develop the skills they need to tackle hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA and C.difficile, and this expertise could also prove vital in a pandemic, according to a study published in the latest issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

10 Jul 2008

Hendra virus puts the horse world on high alert again

An outbreak of Hendra virus in Queensland is causing concern among the equine community.

10 Jul 2008

Breakthrough findings point to targets for Ebola virus drugs and vaccines

Described in the July 10, 2008 issue of the journal Nature, the research reveals the shape of the Ebola virus spike protein, which is necessary for viral entry into human cells, bound to an immune system antibody acting to neutralize the virus. The structure provides a major step forward in understanding how the deadly virus works, and may be useful in the development of potential Ebola virus vaccines, or treatments for those infected.

10 Jul 2008

Slowing the biological processes of aging is way to prevent and fight diseases

A group of aging experts from the United States and the United Kingdom suggest that the best strategy for preventing and fighting a multitude of diseases is to focus on slowing the biological processes of aging.

9 Jul 2008

Enzymes are the way to a virus' 'heart'

The arrival of bluetongue virus (BTV) in the UK last year posed a major threat to the economy and the increasing temperatures of our changing climate mean it is here to stay.

9 Jul 2008

Study shows H5N1 virus is adapting each time it infects a human

Scientists have discovered how bird flu adapts in patients, offering a new way to monitor the disease and prevent a pandemic, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of General Virology.

8 Jul 2008

New understanding of how malaria parasite survives in and totally changes red blood cells

A new study-done on a scale an order of magnitude greater than anything previously attempted in the field of malaria-has uncovered an arsenal of proteins produced by the malaria parasite that allows it to hijack and remodel human red blood cells, leaving the oxygen-carrying cells stiff and sticky.

8 Jul 2008

Lost viruses may contribute to AIDS

Weak HIV viruses piggyback onto stronger ones, raising the possibility that the human body may harbor many more HIV viruses capable of replicating and contributing to the development of AIDS than previously thought, according to research published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Retrovirology.

8 Jul 2008

Japanese encephalitis damages the brain in two ways

Japanese encephalitis (JE), commonly known as brain fever, is one of the prevalent mosquito-borne encephalitis in India and entire South East (SE) Asia.

8 Jul 2008

Experts say superbugs all set to overwhelm Australia's health system

Experts around the world are concerned about the threat to hospitals from 'superbugs' such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) which have developed resistance to most of the antibiotics used to treat them.

8 Jul 2008

The paradox of anti-HIV vaginal microbicides

With no HIV/AIDS vaccine or cure in sight, vaginal microbicides now in clinical trials are one of the most promising weapons that will protect women against HIV infection. Yet these microbicides could be of more benefit to men than to women, according to a new study co-authored by the University of New South Wales' National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) and UCLA.

7 Jul 2008

Streamlined consent increases HIV testing among high-risk

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today lauded a recent San Francisco study which documented a significant increase in HIV testing rates among high-risk groups who have not had to undergo written consent for the procedure, a study finding which supports a change in testing protocol that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) first recommended in its revised 2006 guidelines for HIV testing, but a change that has not been widely adopted nationwide.

7 Jul 2008

Sex during adolescence doesn't predict future HPV infection

Predicting a child's future is a near impossible task - today's straight-A student may not become tomorrow's doctor, and the school-yard bully may actually grow up to become a member of the Peace Corps.

7 Jul 2008

Complacency combined with risky behaviour could lead to HIV superinfection

Experts say almost every country in the developed world, including Australia, is experiencing significant and consistent rises in the rate of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM).

7 Jul 2008

Bush calls on congress to reauthorize PEPFAR ahead of G8 summit

President Bush on Wednesday called on Congress to quickly reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ahead of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit next week in Hokkaido, Japan, Reuters reports.

4 Jul 2008

NGO leader in Angola seeks to mobilize country's youth for HIV prevention

Young people in Angola have a poor record of participation in HIV prevention efforts, including voluntary testing and condom use, according to Antonio Coelho, executive secretary of the Angolan Network of AIDS Service Organisations, Angola Press Agency/AllAfrica.com reports.

4 Jul 2008

Number of abortions decreasing among HIV-positive women in Belarus

The number of HIV-positive women in Belarus who are forgoing abortions is increasing, Svyatlana Shylava, chief ob-gyn for the country's Ministry of Health, said on Tuesday, BelaPAN reports.

4 Jul 2008

Scientists discover way to protect against death following plague infection

Bacteria that cause pneumonic plague can evade our first-line defences, making it difficult for the body to fight infection. In fact, a signature of the plague is the lack of an inflammatory response.

3 Jul 2008

New target for the potential treatment of tuberculosis

Scientists have uncovered a new target for the potential treatment of tuberculosis (TB), finally resolving a long-running debate about how the bacterial cell wall is built.

3 Jul 2008

Cases of malaria increasing in UK

A huge rise in the numbers of UK residents travelling to malaria endemic areas, combined with a failure to use prevention measures, has significantly increased cases of imported falciparum malaria in the UK over the past 20 years, according to a study published on BMJ.com.

3 Jul 2008