Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Coronavirus could be dangerous for vulnerable populations, says UGA epidemiologist

Wearing a surgical mask is unlikely to protect healthy people from the novel coronavirus that originated in China, and influenza likely poses a much greater threat to Americans, according to José Cordero, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of Georgia's College of Public Health.

4 Feb 2020

First responders need to take special precautions to protect themselves from coronavirus

Healthcare personnel working on the front lines to contain and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus that originated in China need to take special, yet common, precautions to keep themselves and others safe.

3 Feb 2020

Many older people in Australia are missing out on shingles vaccination

Many older Australians are missing out on the chance to get vaccinated against shingles, according to the latest edition of Australian Prescriber.

3 Feb 2020

Coronavirus could spread explosively, tight control needed

The coronavirus may be taking a higher toll of life than we thought, say scientists, in a new study published on January 30, 2020, in The Lancet. But another startling new study based on mathematical modeling, published in the same journal, predicts that almost 76,000 people may have acquired the infection in Wuhan city, and that multiple epidemics in major connected cities inside and outside China may already be brewing. Yet the death rate is markedly low, in this case.

3 Feb 2020

Researchers develop novel therapeutic approach to cure chronic hepatitis B

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Center for Infection Research have developed a novel therapeutic approach to cure chronic hepatitis B.

3 Feb 2020

HIV antibody therapy improves immune function

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine in February 2020 reports that the administration of neutralizing antibodies against HIV improve the recipient’s specific T cell responses against the virus.

3 Feb 2020

Experimental vaccine prevents infection of lung and nasal cavity

Researchers have found that viruses causing human respiratory infections called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have a special ability to hide itself from the body’s immune system. This prevents the body from fighting the infection off. This very strategy has been used in development of a vaccine against HMPV say the researchers.

3 Feb 2020

Experimental vaccine could be effective against both Zika and Dengue

Walter Reed army institute of research has shown that a new vaccine against the Zika virus could be effective against both Zika and dengue virus. The study titled, “Potent Zika and dengue cross-neutralizing antibodies induced by Zika vaccination in a dengue experienced donor,” in the latest issue of the journal Nature Medicine.

3 Feb 2020

Institut Pasteur's scientists isolate strains of coronavirus 2019-nCoV detected in France

As well as sequencing the whole genome of coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Institut Pasteur continued to work on the samples taken from the first confirmed cases. The quality of these initial samples enabled rapid cell-culture isolation of the new virus.

3 Feb 2020

Public health officials offer scant details on U.S. coronavirus patients

Disclosure this week of a sixth case in the United States of a new viral infection emerging from China — and the first confirmed case of the virus passing from person to person in this country — is fueling public concerns about how easily the deadly virus can spread.

3 Feb 2020

Coronavirus taking an economic toll on China

The novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV outbreak has negatively impacted the economy of China and other countries worldwide. With China’s isolation from other countries and travel bans imposed, the economic toll is rippling across the world.

3 Feb 2020

China reports H5N1 bird flu in Hunan amid coronavirus crisis

China has reported an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in Hunan, which borders the province of Hubei, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

3 Feb 2020

New, highly potent HIV antibody restricts development of viral resistance

Antiretroviral drugs are the gold standard for the treatment of HIV infection. They are highly effective in suppressing replication of the virus but require lifelong daily application and can be associated with side effects.

31 Jan 2020

GENOMICA is developing new Wuhan coronavirus diagnostic kit

GENOMICA, a wholly owned company of PharmaMar Group, is developing a kit to reliably detect and identify the new virus known as "Wuhan pneumonia" (coronavirus 2019-nCoV).

31 Jan 2020

No masking the best way to avoid the scary coronavirus: Wash your hands

Americans are watching with alarm as a new coronavirus spreads in China and cases pop up in the United States. They are barraged with information about what kinds of masks are best to prevent viral spread. Students are handing out masks in Seattle. Masks have run out in Brazos County, Texas.

31 Jan 2020

First exposure to influenza virus dictates our lifelong ability to fight flu

Were you born in an H1N1 year or an H3N2 year? The first type of influenza virus we are exposed to in early childhood dictates our ability to fight the flu for the rest of our lives, according to a new study from a team of infectious disease researchers at McMaster University and Université de Montréal.

30 Jan 2020

Coronavirus outbreak now a global health emergency says WHO

The Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV outbreak continues to spread in mainland China and in more than a dozen countries. In the last 24 hours, 42 had succumbed to the infection, making the death toll hit 213, with 9,692 confirmed cases, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency.

30 Jan 2020

State-purchased insurance plans improve HIV outcomes, save healthcare costs

Health insurance purchased by state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs for people living with HIV in states that did not expand Medicaid are improving outcomes and have the potential to save millions in healthcare costs, a new study suggests.

30 Jan 2020

Research uncovers how HIV develops resistance to key drugs

The mechanism behind how HIV can develop resistance to a widely-prescribed group of drugs has been uncovered by new research from the Crick and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with the findings opening the door to the development of more effective treatments.

30 Jan 2020

Masks signal cultural disconnect as L.A.’s Chinese community braces for coronavirus

Several staff members of a small community health clinic in L.A.'s historic Chinatown spoke on the phone with patients Tuesday while wearing face masks that muffled their voices.

30 Jan 2020