Diphtheria News and Research

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Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, that usually affects the tonsils, throat, nose and/or skin. It is passed from person to person by droplet transmission, usually by breathing in diphtheria bacteria after an infected person has coughed or sneezed. Although diphtheria disease is rare in the U.S., it appears that C diphtheriae continues to circulate in areas of the country with previously endemic diphtheria. Diphtheria also occurs in many other parts of the world.

Pre-travel consultation can help international travelers to prepare for trip

International tourism exceeds 1.2 billion persons each year, with more than 20 percent of travelers reporting some type of illness.

31 Aug 2016

Industrial chemicals exceed safety levels in public drinking water supplies for 6 million Americans

Levels of a widely used class of industrial chemicals linked with cancer and other health problems--polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)--exceed federally recommended safety levels in public drinking water supplies for six million people in the U.S., according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

10 Aug 2016

Researchers develop new hybrid method to study HIV protein involved in disease progression

More than 36 million people worldwide, including 1.2 million in the U.S., are living with an HIV infection. Today's anti-retroviral cocktails block how HIV replicates, matures and gets into uninfected cells, but they can't eradicate the virus.

3 Aug 2016

Tdap vaccine safe for mothers and infants

Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women in the U.S. as the key medical intervention to protect newborn infants from pertussis (whooping cough).

12 May 2016

Doctor’s access to vaccination data can improve pediatric immunization coverage

Exchange of immunization data between a centralized city immunization registry and provider electronic health records led to significant improvements in pediatric immunization coverage, a reduction in over-immunization for adolescents, and increased completeness of immunization records, according to a study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Citywide Immunization Registry.

6 May 2016

WHO outlines steps to close immunization gap across countries during World Immunization Week 2016

During World Immunization Week 2016, held 24-30 April, the World Health Organization highlights recent gains in immunization coverage, and outlines further steps countries can take to “Close the Immunization Gap” and meet global vaccination targets by 2020.

21 Apr 2016

Abstracts on colistin resistance and migrant health part of 300 late-breaker sessions for ECCMID 2016

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) – an organization that explores risks, knowledge sharing and best practices in the fight against infectious disease – has received more than 300 late-breaker abstract submissions for its annual congress, ECCMID 2016 in Amsterdam.

31 Mar 2016

Alternatives exist to eliminate nonmedical exemptions for childhood vaccination

For more than 30 years, Mississippi and West Virginia were the only states in the country that disallowed nonmedical exemptions to mandatory school vaccination laws for religious or philosophical reasons, until they were joined by California last year. These exemption laws have provoked debate over the rights of parents versus the responsibility of government to protect public health.

9 Feb 2016

Discoveries could lead to development of novel therapies to prevent C. diff infection

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have obtained the crystal structure of a toxin from the bacterium Clostridium difficile ("C. diff") -- the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the United States.

12 Jan 2016

ACP awarded $1,002,884 Cooperative Agreement to increase adult immunization rates in US

The American College of Physicians (ACP) was awarded a $1,002,884 Cooperative Agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase immunization rates in the United States.

16 Sep 2015

Oxis Biotech executes worldwide license agreement to develop, commercialize novel cancer therapy

Oxis Biotech, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxis International, Inc., announced today the execution of an exclusive worldwide license agreement to further develop and commercialize DT2219ARL, a novel therapy for the treatment of various human B cell cancers, leukemias and lymphomas.

8 Sep 2015

New combination vaccine may reduce number of injections for young children

A new combination vaccine may reduce the number of injections required to keep infants and toddlers up to date with the United States infant immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a phase III trial reported in the August 2015 issue of Pediatrics, the vaccine was determined to be effective, safe and well-tolerated. Gary S. Marshall, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville, was the principal investigator of the multi-center trial and first author of the report.

13 Aug 2015

Pennsylvania physicians examine back-to-school health, offer tips for parents and students

As students start heading back to classes for the upcoming academic year, Pennsylvania physicians take a close look at back-to-school health and offer some tips for parents and students who strive to stay in class and not home in bed sick.

7 Aug 2015

Cincinnati Children's doctors remind parents about the importance of immunizing kids before sending them to school

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to remind parents about the importance of immunizing their children when preparing to send their children back to school.

28 Jul 2015

Study analyzes attitudes and practices of general physicians in different vaccination scenarios

At population level, vaccines contribute to reducing mortality associated with infectious diseases such as measles, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B or bacterial meningitis.

9 Jul 2015

National Immunization Awareness Week launched by the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health

Today, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, launched National Immunization Awareness Week, which runs from April 25 to May 2. They encouraged Canadians to stay healthy by making sure their vaccinations are up to date.

27 Apr 2015

Actor Stephen McGann explains how issues of medical accuracy were addressed in Call the Midwife drama

Actor Stephen McGann, who plays GP Dr Patrick Turner in the hit BBC period drama Call the Midwife, has described the steps taken by the writers, production team and actors to ensure the series has sufficient medical accuracy and authenticity. In an essay published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, McGann writes of the unique insight that the role of Dr Turner has given him into questions regarding the way popular culture portrays medics and medicine.

24 Apr 2015

WHO: Progress towards global vaccination targets 'far off track'

Progress towards global vaccination targets for 2015 is far off track with 1 in 5 children still missing out on routine life-saving immunizations that could avert 1.5 million deaths each year from preventable diseases. In the lead-up to World Immunization Week 2015 (24 -30 April), the World Health Organization is calling for renewed efforts to get progress back on course.

24 Apr 2015

New text message alert system helps parents remember child's vaccination appointments

Nearly a third of all children nationwide and in Kentucky aren't up-to-date with the vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but not because their parents are refusing vaccines. Evidence suggests parents tend to forget appointments when children are scheduled to receive immunizations.

16 Apr 2015

Researchers reveal molecular structure of cytotoxin from Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Researchers from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio today revealed the molecular structure of the cytotoxin from Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a widespread, highly contagious bacterium that infects the lungs.

8 Apr 2015