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Despite vaccine, public should not get complacent about pneumococcal disease

Although the childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been a boon in reducing the incidence invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), the public and the medical community must not get complacent, as non-vaccine strains, some resistant to antibiotics, are on the rise, say scientists at a meeting today in Boston.

3 Jun 2008

Antimicrobial wipes can spread pathogens after first use

A new study by a team of researchers at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Wales, UK, has found that antimicrobial-containing wipes currently used to decontaminate surfaces in hospitals can spread pathogens after first use.

3 Jun 2008

Clostridium difficile killed on exposure to surfaces made of copper and its alloys, brass and bronze

Scientists in the Environmental Healthcare Unit at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have found that infectious bacterium Clostridium difficile is killed when exposed to surfaces made of copper and its alloys, brass and bronze. The results of the study have been published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Hospital Infection.

3 Jun 2008

Gender-based violence contributing to spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International report says

Violence against women is contributing to the spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International said in its recent annual report, the Australian Associated Press reports.

2 Jun 2008

Delegates agree to focus on HIV/AIDS, other issues hindering African development at close of Tokyo conference

Delegates at the close of the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday agreed to focus on health issues, including HIV/AIDS, on the continent, the Kyodo News/TMCnet reports. In the Yokohama declaration, delegates also pledged to pay "special attention" to issues -- such as health, poverty and food insecurity -- that are hindering African development.

2 Jun 2008

Uganda should address HIVAIDS-related stigma, discrimination to fight apread of disease, report says

Social stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in Uganda is undermining efforts to fight the spread of the disease and should be addressed, according to a report released Wednesday by the Open Society Institute East Africa Initiative, the New Vision/AllAfrica.com reports.

2 Jun 2008

3 million now receiving anti-retroviral therapy HIV drugs

The close of 2007 marks an important step in the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Nearly 3 million people are now receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new report jointly launched today by WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF.

2 Jun 2008

New Imperial College centre to tackle respiratory infections

Think that colds and flu are easy to catch, hard to avoid and impossible to treat? That nobody ever dies of a cold? That's all wrong, say the medics and scientists at a new research centre which launches today (Monday 2 June).

1 Jun 2008

New research into superbug Clostridium difficile

New research into the toxins, virulence, spread and prevention of the superbug Clostridium difficile is reported in the June special issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology. These findings will play a crucial role in providing us with ammunition in the fight against a sometimes deadly pathogen.

1 Jun 2008

International Narcotics Control Board 'out of step' with HIV/AIDS control efforts, opinion piece says

The International Narcotics Control Board "remains out of step" with the rest of the United Nations' efforts to fight the spread of HIV, especially among injection drug users, and its practices should be open for review, Joanne Csete of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Daniel Wolfe, deputy director of Open Society Institute's International Harm Reduction Development program, write in a Lancet opinion piece.

30 May 2008

Barbados steps up fight against HIV/AIDS

The Barbados Parliament on Tuesday approved a plan to spend 180 million Barbados dollars, or about $90 million, over the next five years to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, Barbados' Nation News reports.

30 May 2008

Researcher addresses calls for increased focus on male circumcision, partner reduction programs as part of HIV prevention in Africa

NPR's "News & Notes" on Tuesday included a discussion with Daniel Halperin, a senior research scientist in the Department of Population and International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, about a recent study that recommended a shift in HIV prevention strategies in Africa toward the promotion of male circumcision and partner reduction programs.

30 May 2008

Delegates at Tokyo conference discuss ways to address health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in Africa

About 2,500 delegates from 52 African countries, United Nations agencies and aid groups met Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, for the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development to discuss strategies aimed at solving health issues, including HIV/AIDS, and other challenges on the continent, the Kyodo News reports (Tang, Kyodo News, 5/27).

30 May 2008

UNICEF project uses children, youth as peer educators to increase HIV/AIDS awareness in India

About 400 children from eight Indian states gathered Wednesday at a workshop to discuss their experiences as peer educators in a joint UNICEF-National AIDS Control Organization pilot project that aims to increase HIV awareness among children and youth, the Times of India reports.

30 May 2008

Japan awards new prize for HIV/AIDS, malaria work in Africa

Japan recently awarded the first Hideo Noguchi Prize to two recipients for their work on HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa, AFP/Google.com reports.

30 May 2008

Washington, D.C., council member recommends eliminating HIV, syphilis test requirements for marriage licenses

Washington, D.C., council member Phil Mendelson (D), head of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, recently recommended eliminating a provision from a marriage bill that would require couples applying for marriage licenses to be tested for HIV/AIDS and syphilis, the Washington Post reports.

30 May 2008

South Carolina House approves bill that would modify regulations concerning HIV-positive students

The South Carolina House on Wednesday voted 97-0 to approve a compromise bill that would require school nurses to inform the Department of Health and Environmental Control when any student in grades kindergarten through 12 has contact with another person's blood in order to determine if the student has been exposed to bloodborne diseases such as HIV, the Columbia State reports.

30 May 2008

Sri Lanka vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic

Sri Lanka is vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic despite the country's relatively low HIV/AIDS prevalence, according to a recent study conducted by the Centre for Policy Studies in London, Colombo's Daily Mirror reports.

30 May 2008

Is shipping spreading disease?

Ships are inadvertently carrying trillions of stowaways in the water held in their ballast tanks. When the water is pumped out, invasive species could be released into new environments. Disease-causing microbes could also be released, posing a risk to public health, according to an article in the May issue of Microbiology Today.

28 May 2008

Toronto Star examines efforts of Stephen Lewis Foundation's grandmother to grandmother campaign in Africa

The Toronto Star on Monday examined the efforts of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign in Africa, particularly Swaziland.

28 May 2008

Disease/Infection News

Despite vaccine, public should not get complacent about pneumococcal disease

Antimicrobial wipes can spread pathogens after first use

Clostridium difficile killed on exposure to surfaces made of copper and its alloys, brass and bronze

Gender-based violence contributing to spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International report says

Delegates agree to focus on HIV/AIDS, other issues hindering African development at close of Tokyo conference

Uganda should address HIVAIDS-related stigma, discrimination to fight apread of disease, report says

3 million now receiving anti-retroviral therapy HIV drugs

New Imperial College centre to tackle respiratory infections

New research into superbug Clostridium difficile

International Narcotics Control Board 'out of step' with HIV/AIDS control efforts, opinion piece says

Barbados steps up fight against HIV/AIDS

Researcher addresses calls for increased focus on male circumcision, partner reduction programs as part of HIV prevention in Africa

Delegates at Tokyo conference discuss ways to address health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in Africa

UNICEF project uses children, youth as peer educators to increase HIV/AIDS awareness in India

Japan awards new prize for HIV/AIDS, malaria work in Africa

Washington, D.C., council member recommends eliminating HIV, syphilis test requirements for marriage licenses

South Carolina House approves bill that would modify regulations concerning HIV-positive students

Sri Lanka vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic

Is shipping spreading disease?

Toronto Star examines efforts of Stephen Lewis Foundation's grandmother to grandmother campaign in Africa

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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