Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Swine flu vaccination programme a success in Scotland

The H1N1 (“Swine flu”) vaccination programme introduced in Scotland in October 2009 had a positive effect in reducing the number of hospital admissions and deaths as a result of H1N1 infection, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

26 Jun 2012

“Swine flu” deaths may be fifteen times higher than previously reported

The number of deaths from the 2009 H1N1 (“swine flu”) pandemic may be fifteen times higher than the number of laboratory-confirmed deaths previously reported by countries to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. While estimates of 2009 H1N1-associated deaths have been derived for some countries such as the United States, these are the first estimates of the worldwide number of deaths caused by the pandemic.

26 Jun 2012

Sinovac provides update on EV71 vaccine Phase III trial on HFMD

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, today provided an update on its Phase III clinical trial progress and commercialization preparation for its proprietary inactivated Enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine against hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).

26 Jun 2012

Zimbabwean lawmakers take public HIV tests in campaign to fight stigma

"Zimbabwean lawmakers started taking public HIV tests on Wednesday in a campaign seeking to raise awareness and fight the stigma associated with AIDS," VOA News reports.

23 Jun 2012

Censoring 'dual-use' scientific research not an effective strategy to mitigate security risks

"It's easy to get the impression that recent controversy over research into mutated versions of the H5N1 flu virus has created a clear split between a scientific community that wants the research to proceed and the results to be published and a biosecurity community that doesn't," biological-weapons expert Tim Trevan writes in this Nature opinion piece.

23 Jun 2012

No definitive link between hormonal contraceptives and increased risk of HIV infection among women, CDC says

"There is no clear link between the use of contraceptives such as the birth control pill or Depo-Provera shots and an increased risk that a woman will contract HIV, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday," Reuters reports, noting that the WHO came to the same conclusion in February.

23 Jun 2012

Researchers identify new virus alert signal that triggers the human immune system

Researchers from Aarhus University have now located the place in the human body where the earliest virus alert signal triggers the human immune system. They have also discovered a new alarm signal, which is activated at the very first sign of a virus attack.

23 Jun 2012

U.S. journal Science publishes controversial H5N1 research

The U.S. journal Science on Thursday published the results of a controversial study in which researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands "identified five mutations apparently necessary to make the [H5N1] bird flu virus spread easily among ferrets, which catch the same flus that humans do," the New York Times reports (McNeil, 6/21).

22 Jun 2012

Violence is a disease that has to be treated

The Windy City is now The Wounded City, thanks to a spate of carnage that has Chicago ranked tops nationally in violence for several weeks in a row. Violent crime costs Chicago about $5.3 billion a year, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress. Homicides have risen about 35 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

22 Jun 2012

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to Medgenics’ INFRADURE Biopump

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of Biopump, a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that its INFRADURE Biopump has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) for the treatment of hepatitis D.

21 Jun 2012

FDA approves CDC DENV-1-4 Real Time RT PCR Assay to treat dengue

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a new diagnostic test to detect the presence of dengue virus in people with symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever. The test, called the CDC DENV-1-4 Real Time RT PCR Assay, has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and can be performed using equipment and supplies many public health laboratories already use to diagnose influenza.

21 Jun 2012

Roseola virus behind one-third of febrile seizures in young children

Researchers have discovered that infection with two of the roseola viruses, which are responsible for a common childhood rash, appear to increase a child’s risk for prolonged seizures and fever and may increase future temporal lobe epilepsy risk.

20 Jun 2012

FDA provides Orphan Drug Designation to Alnylam’s ALN-TTR02

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has provided Orphan Drug Designation to ALN-TTR02 as a therapeutic for the treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), one of the predominant clinical manifestations of transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR).

20 Jun 2012

NCOA spearheads new initiative to help protect older adults from influenza

The National Council on Aging announced today it is spearheading a new initiative to help protect older adults from influenza this upcoming flu season. The educational program, Flu + You, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur, aims to educate older adults and their caregivers about the seriousness of influenza, the importance of annual influenza immunization, and available vaccine options.

20 Jun 2012

HCV suppression reduces liver damage

Profound suppression of the hepatitis C virus reduces long-term hepatic inflammation and fibrosis even in patients who do not achieve a sustained virologic response, research demonstrates.

19 Jun 2012

New, comprehensive approach to treating underserved South Florida patients living with HIV/AIDS

Ushering in a new, comprehensive approach to treating underserved South Florida patients living with HIV/AIDS, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has announced a partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises and Clear Health Alliance, a Medicaid specialty plan offered by Simply Healthcare Plans, a minority owned and operated managed care plan.

19 Jun 2012

Gilead's elvitegravir MAA for HIV-1 infection receives EMA validation

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today that its Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for elvitegravir, an integrase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-experienced patients, has been validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

19 Jun 2012

Commensal bacteria essential to fight off viral infections

Healthy humans harbor an enormous and diverse group of bacteria and other bugs that live within their intestines. These microbial partners provide beneficial aid in multiple ways - from helping digest food to the development of a healthy immune system.

19 Jun 2012

Militants ban polio vaccination in northwest Pakistan in response to U.S. drone strikes in region

"A Pakistani militant group threatened action on Saturday against anyone conducting polio vaccinations in the region where it is based, saying the health care drive was a cover for U.S. spies," Reuters reports, adding, "The group, based in North Waziristan and led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, said it had banned vaccinations for as long as U.S. drone aircraft continued to make missile strikes in Pakistan" (Mujtaba, 6/16).

19 Jun 2012

Single-dose vaccine for treatment of cocaine addiction

A single-dose vaccine capable of providing immunity against the effects of cocaine offers a novel and groundbreaking strategy for treating cocaine addiction is described in an article published Instant Online in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

19 Jun 2012