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Arizona has three confirmed cases of West Nile in horses

A third case of West Nile Virus has been discovered in a horse near Lavine, Arizona.

7 Jul 2005

$100m needed to stop spread of birdflu

In an effort to contain the spread of bird flu, one of the UN agencies' focuses is live food markets, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a reform of farming and food production methods to contain the spread of the virus.

7 Jul 2005

Ten million Africans treated by international disease treatment

A disease treatment programme started three years ago by Imperial College London has now treated over ten million African children and adults for schistosomiasis and intestinal worm infections in six sub-Saharan countries.

6 Jul 2005

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical and requires more attention by affected countries and the international community, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

6 Jul 2005

Plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza

International animal and human health experts today unveiled a multi-point plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus spreading from poultry to humans, and appealed to the international community to come forward with funds to make it work and help stave off the risk of an influenza pandemic.

6 Jul 2005

Changes to the BCG vaccination programme announced

Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) the current universal BCG vaccination programme delivered through schools will be replaced with an improved programme of targeted vaccination for those individuals who are at greatest risk.

6 Jul 2005

Polio cases up to 111 in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier this week that another 11 cases of polio have been confirmed in Indonesia bringing the total number of cases in the country to date to 111.

6 Jul 2005

HIV testing of all pregnant women recommended

In an update of its 1996 guidelines for HIV screening, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending that all pregnant women be tested for the virus.

5 Jul 2005

HIV epidemic in Moscow needs urgent measures

U.S. researchers say that HIV infection rates in vulnerable groups in Moscow could be between 30-120 times higher than those found in the general population.

4 Jul 2005

Mass vaccination of poultry needed to prevent bird flu pandemic

At the start of a three-day UN conference in Kuala Lumpur on the bird flu virus, health and animal experts have called for mass vaccination of poultry to prevent bird flu from becoming a human pandemic

4 Jul 2005

After four years, Angola reports its first case of polio

After four years, Angola has reported its first case of polio. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that the crippling disease polio has also spread within Indonesia to Sumatra island.

4 Jul 2005

New law will take away vital medications from AIDS sufferers in Mississippi

Medicaid beneficiaries living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi are about to be denied access to medications they need to stay alive.

1 Jul 2005

Report highlights importance of research into diseases in developing countries

Better drugs and vaccines are needed to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria and other tropical diseases. Pharmaceutical research has typically focussed on developing drugs, vaccines and other interventions for diseases prevalent in developed countries, where people can afford to buy treatments; it has tended to overlook those disorders that predominantly affect developing countries.

30 Jun 2005

Threat from Avian Influenza remains

At the request of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) sent a team of international experts to Viet Nam last week to assess laboratory and epidemiological data on recent cases and determine whether the present level of pandemic alert should be increased.

30 Jun 2005

Bird flu pandemic no longer imminent

In the best news yet in the bird flu scenario, international scientists have now downgraded the risk of an imminent pandemic, saying the indications are that the virus has not mutated.

30 Jun 2005

California reports first case of West Nile virus this year

The first human case of West Nile virus infection in California this year has been reported in a 47-year-old Tulare County man.

30 Jun 2005

Conservatives and sexual abstinence groups battle with FDA over condoms - they offer little protection against STD's

Although condoms are an effective method of contraception and stop the spread of AIDS, evidence that they protect against other sexually transmitted diseases is scant.

30 Jun 2005

Another death takes Vietnam's bird flu toll to 39

The death of a 73-year-old Vietnamese from bird flu, has taken the country's death toll from the epidemic to 39.

30 Jun 2005

Another 10 children with polio in Indonesia

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says another ten children have contracted polio in Indonesia, which brings the number affected by the outbreak of the paralysing disease to 65.

30 Jun 2005

Routine immunization virtually eliminates major killer of young children in the Gambia

The Lancet has today published online new research from a team led by the UK Medical Research Council's Richard Adegbola showing that routinely vaccinating infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib) - a bacterium that causes deadly diseases including pneumonia and meningitis - has virtually eliminated Hib meningitis in The Gambia.

29 Jun 2005