Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Influenza vaccine not associated with reduced hospitalizations among young children

Use of the influenza vaccine was not associated with preventing hospitalizations or reducing physician visits for the flu in children age 5 and younger during two recent seasons, perhaps because the strains of virus in the vaccine did not match circulating strains, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

6 Oct 2008

School vending machines dole out excess calories and added sugar beverages

Despite efforts to include more healthy choices at schools, standard offerings from vending machines - including fruit juices - are giving students more calories than they need.

6 Oct 2008

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

The CP/Yahoo! News on Tuesday examined the Positive Pregnancy Programme, a Canadian initiative created to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with care, resources and support.

5 Oct 2008

100 years of HIV in humans

HIV has existed among human populations for about 100 years, decades earlier than previously believed, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the Los Angeles Times reports (Engel, Los Angeles Times, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

Newspapers examine efforts, reaction to easing ban on HIV-positive visitors to U.S.

Some HIV/AIDS advocates are "being cautious with their optimism" regarding new immigration rules for HIV-positive visitors as well as HHS efforts to remove HIV from the list of diseases barring entry into the U.S., the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Fulbright, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

HIV cases increasing among women, MSM in rural China

The number of HIV/AIDS cases among men who have sex with men has increased eightfold during the past few years in areas of China, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature, Reuters reports.

5 Oct 2008

Studies examine ability of antiretroviral Maraviroc to control HIV viral loads

According to two studies sponsored by drugmaker Pfizer and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, the antiretroviral drug maraviroc, which is sold as Selzentry by Pfizer, might help control viral loads among HIV-positive people who have shown resistance to other treatments, Reuters reports.

5 Oct 2008

New York Times examines California HIV testing bill

The New York Times on Thursday examined a California bill (AB 1894) that requires health care plans operating in the state to pay for routine HIV testing. The bill was signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) (Cathcart, New York Times, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

CDC says 1.1 million people living with HIV

CDC on Friday in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released updated estimates of HIV prevalence in the U.S., saying that 1.1 million people were living with the virus at the end of 2006, Bloomberg reports.

5 Oct 2008

New test for rapid detection of influenza

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the development of a new test for influenza, which received 510(k) clearance today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

30 Sep 2008

A DNA-based vaccine shows promise against avian flu

Though it has fallen from the headlines, a global pandemic caused by bird flu still has the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high alert. Yet, to date, the only vaccines that have proven even semi-effective are produced in chicken eggs, take five to six months to prepare and act against a single variant of the H5N1 virus, which mutates incredibly quickly.

30 Sep 2008

Deadly virus scrumpox a threat to rugby players wrestlers

Rugby players and wrestlers may be at risk of a potentially serious skin disease called "scrumpox".

29 Sep 2008

Existing anti-obesity drugs may be effective against flu, hepatitis and HIV

Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

29 Sep 2008

Leaders of Kenya's Luo ethnic group embrace male circumcision after meeting with medical experts, lawmakers

An advisory board made up of Luo leaders from the Nyanza region of Kenya on Monday gave their support for a voluntary medical male circumcision program, a decision that Kenyan officials say is a significant step in the region's fight against HIV/AIDS, Kenya's Daily Nation reports.

29 Sep 2008

Prisons in North Carolina to begin testing all inmates for HIV

Prisons in North Carolina will start screening all inmates for HIV beginning in November, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

29 Sep 2008

Senate approves bill that would require HIV testing in federal prisons

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote a House-approved bill (HR 1943) that would require HIV/AIDS testing for inmates upon arrival in federal prisons, CQ Today reports.

29 Sep 2008

Scrumpox - deadly rugby virus spreads in sumo wrestlers

Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum - herpes virus can cause a skin disease called "scrumpox" and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of General Virology.

28 Sep 2008

New way to control protein activity could lead to cancer therapies

Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a way to quickly and reversibly fine-tune the activity of individual proteins in cells and living mammals, providing a powerful new laboratory tool for identifying - more precisely than ever before - the functions of different proteins.

28 Sep 2008

Catholic school refuses to allow girls to have cervical cancer vaccine on school grounds

A Catholic school in Britain has refused to allow girls attending the school to have the cervical cancer vaccination on its premises.

25 Sep 2008

HIV infection rates rising among self-injecting drug users

According to new research HIV infection rates amongst people who inject themselves with drugs appear to be on the rise and there are huge discrepancies worldwide.

24 Sep 2008