Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

For influenza experts, the question is not whether the world is going to have a new flu pandemic, but when

This isn't easy to communicate to the public. Bird flu and the potential for a human flu pandemic have been making headlines in recent weeks, but the subject presents more uncertainties than certainties.

19 Jul 2005

Ducks possibly the culprit in spreading bird flu

An international team, which included experts from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the US and Vietnam, say that domestic ducks possibly pose a major threat of spreading avian flu to animals and humans, as not only do they carry the virus with few visible signs, the virus is able to mutate in them, which means they could trigger a human pandemic.

19 Jul 2005

Fever might be a useful weapon in the fight against cancer

A therapeutic approach for battling cancer that is based on infection with a specially designed virus similar to the one that causes the common cold has shown promise in clinical trials. Now, new research suggests that fever might be a useful weapon in the fight as well.

18 Jul 2005

Tamiflu may treat avian flu virus

Experiments in mice show that an antiviral drug currently used against annual influenza strains also can suppress the deadly influenza virus that has spread from birds to humans, killing dozens of people in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand since early 2004.

18 Jul 2005

Some strains of monkeypox are more virulent than others, depending on where in Africa the virus came from

An outbreak of 72 cases of monkeypox in the United States during the summer of 2003 didn't produce a single fatality, even though the disease usually kills 10 percent of those infected.

17 Jul 2005

Scientists have identified the first reported case in Asia of primate-to-human transmission of simian foamy virus

...a retrovirus found in macaques and other primates that so far has not been shown to cause disease in humans.

13 Jul 2005

Biologists determine structure of a common-cold virus

Biologists at Purdue University have determined the combined structure of a common-cold virus attached to a molecule that enables the virus to infect its host, information that ultimately may help researchers develop methods for treating certain viral infections.

13 Jul 2005

ID Biomedical's flu vaccine granted fast track status

ID Biomedical Corporation announced today it has been advised by the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) that the Company's Influenza Virus Vaccine (Fluviral) has been granted a Fast Track designation.

13 Jul 2005

South Africa now 2nd only to India in HIV/AIDS cases

New figures from the South African Department of Health say more than 6.5 million of the country's 47 million people may now be HIV-positive.

12 Jul 2005

Sirna Therapeutics granted new UK patents

Sirna Therapeutics has announced that the United Kingdom (UK) Patent Office has granted the Company two additional short interfering RNA (siRNA) target patents. The first patent covers any siRNA with one or more chemical modifications targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF).

12 Jul 2005

Scientists discover how an HIV protein fragment shuts down an immune response

The HIV virus hides out in the very immune system cells that are meant to protect the body from viral infection. But how does it prevent these cells from mounting a full-scale attack against the invader?

11 Jul 2005

Bacteria linked to oral cancer

A new study has found that the most common form of oral cancer, is linked to three different types of mouth bacteria.

11 Jul 2005

Blood pressure enzyme linked to SARS virus, could help fight diseases that cause lung failure

Researchers in Austria say that an enzyme that regulates blood pressure is also involved in the SARS virus, and the discovery could lead to new ways of treating diseases that cause lung failure.

11 Jul 2005

Bird flu could be carried out of Asia by migrating geese

Scientists are warning that migrating geese and other birds at a wildlife refuge in China, means the birds could carry the devastating virus out of Asia and spread the avian flu virus further afield.

7 Jul 2005

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

New study strengthens the case for development of vaccine to prevent dengue fever

A new study of the disease burden of dengue fever in Malaysia strengthens the case for development of a vaccine against the mosquito-borne illness.

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

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