Meningitis News and Research

Latest Meningitis News and Research

150 top scientists debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research

More than 150 top scientists, researchers and public health experts from around the world will meet in Switzerland next week to present, debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research and development, as well as vaccine policy and implementation.

3 Jun 2004

The Health Protection Agency starts surveillance programme for human cases of West Nile virus infection

The Health Protection Agency is starting its annual enhanced surveillance programme for possible human cases of West Nile virus infection. The scheme, which has been used for the last three years, operates during the summer, when there is West Nile virus activity in other countries.

27 May 2004

Clusters of viral meningitis found in two Manhattan schools

Working closely with the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is investigating clusters of viral meningitis in two Manhattan schools (4 students at La Guardia High School, 2 students at Stuyvesant High School).

21 May 2004

The UK Health Protection Agency has issued symptom-based clinical action cards to all GPs in England to help them recognise unusual symptoms

The Health Protection Agency has this week issued symptom-based clinical action cards to all GPs in England to help them recognise unusual symptoms. The cards do not reflect any increased threat to the public, but have been developed in response to requests from the medical profession for more specific training in the recognition of unusual symptoms caused by emerging diseases and by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards.

18 May 2004

Baby food companies exposed as evidence presented to UK Parliament and Lancet study reinforces list of health risks of artificial feeding

The Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 2004 monitoring report analyses the promotional practices of 16 transnational baby food companies and 14 bottle and teat companies between January 2002 and April 2004. The benchmark standards used for measuring marketing practices are the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent, relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolutions.

14 May 2004

Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin warned of Giant African Snails

School superintendents and principals, pet store operators and the public are being warned of the potential health risks associated with exposure to giant African snails (Achatina fulica) that have been discovered in Illinois and at least three other states, Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today announced.

6 May 2004

West Nile Virus returns to United States for another season

The winter cold and flu season is barely over, and the new mosquito season won't really get rolling for a few more weeks, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already is reporting the presence of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes, birds and other animals in nine states.

5 May 2004

Canadian woman dies of flesh eating disease

A Canadian women has died and another patient is in a serious condition following an outbreak of so-called "flesh-eating disease" in Canada.

2 May 2004

Canada kicks off National Immunization Awareness Week

Marking National Immunization Awareness Week, Canada's health ministers today encouraged parents and care givers across the country to have their children immunized.

28 Apr 2004

New Australian report outlines the health benefits of breastfeeding

A new report released by the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition, Australia outlines the health benefits of breastfeeding, which is the foundation for a lifetime of good health.

25 Apr 2004

Los Angeles health officials urge public to take preventative measures against West Nile virus

Los Angeles health officials have issued a statement urging the public to take precautions against mosquitoes after crows in the county tested positive for the West Nile virus. "These findings are a clear warning that the virus is continuing to circulate and amplify in the environment. Now is the time to take precautions," said Steve West of the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.

24 Apr 2004

Overview of West Nile virus before season starts

West Nile virus is a newly emergent virus of the family Flaviviridae, found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is also the cause of a number of conditions in humans, horses, and some other mammals. It is transmitted by bites of infected mosquitoes.

24 Apr 2004

WHO calls for Sudan humanitarian assistance

Intensified and urgent action is needed in the Greater Darfur Region of western Sudan to address one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies today. Given the current situation, the humanitarian crisis will last several months.

23 Apr 2004

Third Melbourne hospital infected by Serratia bacteria

A spokeswoman for The Royal Women's Hospital says three babies so far have been isolated after they were found to be carrying the serratia bacteria.

22 Apr 2004

Jefferson scientists learn how HIV causes dementia

Ever since the AIDS epidemic began more than two decades ago, scientists have been trying to understand why as many as one-quarter of those infected with HIV develop dementia.

19 Apr 2004

Nurses to be given more prescribing powers

Patients needing medicines in an emergency will be treated more quickly under plans to expand nurse prescribing announced Health Minister, John Hutton, today.

14 Apr 2004

Meningitis vaccination campaign in northeast Chad to fight epidemic

This weekend Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will be launching a meningitis vaccination campaign to fight an epidemic of meningitis A that has broken out in northeast Chad. The vaccination effort, covering 200,000 people, will take place in the Iriba and Guéréda districts, already hosting tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the war-torn region of Darfur in Sudan.

9 Apr 2004

Rare Burkina Faso strain of meningitis under control

A rare strain of meningitis, which re-emerged recently in Burkina Faso, would have left health authorities helpless just two years ago. Now, thanks to two years of work orchestrated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the strain (known as W135) has been rapidly identified and a mass action campaign is now controlling the outbreak.

8 Apr 2004

Meningitis outbreaks As Africa enters the dry season

As Africa enters the dry season, meningitis outbreaks have reported. The so-called 'meningitis belt' is a massive strip of Africa, travelling east to west, parallel to the Sahara desert and covering sub-Saharan countries from Senegal to Ethiopia.

7 Apr 2004

Children with sickle cell disease are living longer, dying less often from their disease

Children with sickle cell disease, an inherited red blood-cell disorder, are living longer, dying less often from their disease and contracting fewer fatal infections than ever before, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas report. Their study, which will appear in the June edition of the scientific journal Blood, is the first to evaluate survival rates of children receiving the most modern treatments for sickle cell disease. It's also one of the largest published sickle cell studies to date. Researchers followed more than 700 Dallas-area children with the disease over two decades.

25 Mar 2004