Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New clues about virulence of 1918 influenza virus

The first comprehensive analysis of an animal's immune response to the 1918 influenza virus provides new insights into the killer flu, report federally supported scientists in an article appearing online in the journal Nature.

28 Sep 2006

Bird flu strikes again in Thailand

The death of a 59-year-old farmer in northeastern Thailand last month has taken the countries death toll from bird-flu to 17 since late 2003 and is the third death this year.

27 Sep 2006

Michigan Senate approves bills that would require girls to receive HPV vaccine before entering sixth grade

The Michigan Senate on Wednesday voted 36-1 to approve two bills (SB 1416, SB 1417) that would require girls in the state entering the sixth grade in the 2007-2008 school year and beyond to have received Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, the AP/Detroit Free Press reports (AP/Detroit Free Press, 9/20).

26 Sep 2006

HPV vaccine Gardasil approved for sale in EU

The European Commission on Friday approved Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for sale and marketing in the European Union, London's Guardian reports (Batty, Guardian, 9/22).

26 Sep 2006

Washington DC's HIV prevalence more than twice national average

Initial results from a Washington, D.C., campaign to have all residents tested for HIV show that HIV prevalence in the city is more than twice the nation's average, according to results released Tuesday during a meeting of the Mayor's Task Force on HIV and AIDS, the Washington Post reports.

26 Sep 2006

Kashmir faces unique challenges in HIV/AIDS fight

Kashmir, which is controlled by India in the south and Pakistan in the north, faces many unique challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS, IANS/DailyIndia.com reports. According to IANS/DailyIndia.com, there are 745 reported HIV cases in Kashmir; however, unofficial estimates put the number at 25,000.

26 Sep 2006

New CDC HIV testing recommendations could compromise patients' civil rights

CDC's revised recommendations on HIV testing in the U.S. -- that say HIV tests should become a routine part of medical care for residents ages 13 to 64 and that requirements for written consent and pretest counseling should be dropped -- could harm the health and civil rights of people who receive the tests, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a release on Thursday, CQ HealthBeat reports.

26 Sep 2006

Indonesia's death toll from bird flu now at 51

Indonesia's death toll from bird flu has now reached 51 with the death last week of a young child from South Jakarta.

25 Sep 2006

Tests confirm low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in in Pennsylvania ducks

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior has announced final test results, which confirm that low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus was found in samples collected last month from wild mallard ducks in Pennsylvania.

25 Sep 2006

USAID Administrator Randall Tobias on bird flu spread

In the past year, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus moved rapidly outside of Southeast Asia and spread into Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.

21 Sep 2006

Montana wild bird samples undergo additional avian influenza tests

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana.

21 Sep 2006

Leptin could combat type 2 diabetes

University of Florida researchers have discovered the appetite-controlling hormone leptin could also combat type 2 diabetes, a disease that has become a growing problem in the United States as more Americans pack on extra pounds.

21 Sep 2006

Countries urged to prepare for a worst-case scenario such as an influenza pandemic

The increasing threat from emerging infectious diseases makes it imperative that countries prepare for rapid response and containment activities and for a worst-case scenario such as an influenza pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised.

21 Sep 2006

Jamaica launches ad campaign against discrimination of HIV-positive people

Jamaica has launched an advertising campaign that aims to curb HIV/AIDS-related stigma, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports.

20 Sep 2006

Iraq confirms third bird flu case

The Ministry of Health in Iraq has retrospectively confirmed the country’s third case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

19 Sep 2006

Michigan Bills introduced that would require girls to receive HPV vaccine before sixth grade

Michigan Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom (R) last Tuesday introduced two bills (SB 1416, SB 1417) that would require girls in the state entering the sixth grade in the 2007-2008 school year and beyond to have received Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, the Detroit News reports.

18 Sep 2006

Vietnam launches first HIV prevention campaign aimed at young people

Vietnam has launched its first HIV prevention campaign aimed at controlling the spread of the virus among young people in the country, Viet Nam News reports.

18 Sep 2006

Women in Government back cervical cancer vaccine for sixth graders

Girls in Michigan as young as eleven years could be the first required to be vaccinated against cervical cancer under proposed mandatory legislation.

18 Sep 2006

Businesses, Government, NGOs launch alliance to address HIV, TB in China

The Global Health Initiative of the World Economic Forum on Monday launched a public-private partnership that aims to address tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in China, China Daily reports.

14 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu vaccines show promise

When tested in mice and ferrets, experimental vaccines based on live, weakened versions of different strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were well-tolerated and protected the animals from a deadly infection with naturally occurring H5N1 flu viruses.

13 Sep 2006