Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Polio vaccination campaign targeting 72M children in 15 African countries announced; Ugandan health authorities declare polio outbreak

The WHO on Tuesday announced a mass polio immunization campaign in 15 African countries targeting a total of 72 million children, Agence France-Presse reports. "Polio has spread again in recent years with cases imported from some of the four endemic nations in Asia and Africa, mainly Nigeria, in a setback to global attempts to eradicate the crippling and sometimes lethal disease," the news service writes (10/26).

28 Oct 2010

Bivalent oral polio vaccine produces better immune response than more commonly used trivalent vaccine, study says

The bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) was found to induce a significantly higher immune response than the existing trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV), according to a study published on Tuesday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports.

27 Oct 2010

72 million children to be immunized against polio across 15 African countries

This week, Africa seizes an unprecedented chance to drive out polio when 15 countries across the continent launch a synchronized mass immunization campaign to reach 72 million children, capitalizing on gains made this year. A total of some 290 000 vaccinators have been mobilized to go door-to-door to deliver two drops of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to every child under five in areas considered at "highest risk" of polio transmission.

26 Oct 2010

Salk discovers potential new target for MS

Scientists are closer to solving one of the many mysteries of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases, thanks to a recent study conducted at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The research revealed a previously unknown connection between two ion channels, which, when misaligned, can cause the many bizarre symptoms that characterize the condition.

26 Oct 2010

In India, major reduction seen in polio since 2009, WHO says on World Polio Day

There has been a significant reduction in the number of polio cases diagnosed in India this year compared with the same time last year, the WHO said on World Polio Day Sunday, IANS/Sify News reports.

26 Oct 2010

Seven million people in Pakistan still without shelter since flooding, U.N. says

Nearly three months after major floods hit large portions of Pakistan, at least seven million people are still without shelter, Stacey Winston, a U.N. spokesperson, said at a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

21 Oct 2010

Opinions: Mdgs in Africa; development maintenance; U.S. efforts to eradicate polio; Global Fund commitment

Addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa will not only require extra spending, but also better spending, as well as the improvement of social services and priority setting, Kingsley Alu writes in a Leadership column.

20 Oct 2010

Reuters examines experts' concerns about global polio eradication effort

Reuters examines the global effort to eradicate polio and how failure to eliminate the disease could affect future global health undertakings.

15 Oct 2010

Pharmalink's Nefecon for IgA nephropathy receives FDA orphan drug designation

Pharmalink AB, a privately held Swedish pharmaceutical company, has received orphan drug designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its product candidate Nefecon (PL-56) for patients with IgA nephropathy, also referred to as Berger's Disease. This program is presently in clinical development phase II.

13 Oct 2010

Mammography, vaccines still raise questions in consumers' minds

NPR reports on two preventive measures that, despite years of research, still have consumers wondering what to do.

12 Oct 2010

WHO Eastern Mediterranean meeting opens in Cairo

The 57th WHO Eastern Mediterranean regional meeting opened Sunday in Cairo, Egypt, the Emirates News Agency reports.

6 Oct 2010

WHO says polio outbreak in Angola must be stopped to avoid 'international consequences'

A polio outbreak in Angola, which started in 2007, could have "international consequences" if it is not stopped, Sona Bari, the WHO's spokesperson on polio eradication, said on Friday, Reuters reports.

4 Oct 2010

Cell aging is associated with reduced histone level

Like cats, human cells have a finite number of lives-once they divide a certain number of times they change shape, slow their pace, and eventually stop dividing, a phenomenon called cellular senescence.

4 Oct 2010

Outbreak of whooping cough mirrors challenges in developing world, global health official says

The outbreak of whooping cough in Texas, California, and other states this year underscores the critical importance of widespread vaccination coverage, both locally as well as around the world, said a leading global health official attending conferences on world affairs and immunization in Fort Worth this week.

29 Sep 2010

Objective of WHO and health partners in Pakistan is to reduce avoidable death and illness

In a massive health relief effort underway in the flood-affected parts of Pakistan, nearly six million people have been treated for health conditions since the floods began in late July; but there are urgent needs to prevent further health crises or food insecurity caused by large-scale damage to crops and agricultural land.

24 Sep 2010

World leaders address country ownership, accountability, women at MDG summit

At the U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Tuesday African leaders said "they could do more to meet U.N. goals to slash extreme poverty and urged stronger leadership among developing countries to tackle hunger and disease and attract investment," Reuters reports in an article that examines the leaders' call for African nations to take greater ownership over their development.

23 Sep 2010

Oxygen Biotherapeutics announces CRADA Agreement amendment

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. today announced it has amended an existing Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) to include preclinical trials using swine models to assess the safety and efficacy of Oxygen Biotherapeutics' proprietary Oxycyte perfluorocarbon emulsion (PFCE) for spinal cord injury (SCI) due to decompression sickness (DCS), and for hemorrhagic shock.

20 Sep 2010

Reuters examines conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America

Reuters examines a program providing cash incentives to "more than 2.6 million Colombians, mostly women with young children living in extreme poverty" in exchange for their participation in "health workshops" and their commitment to ensuring their children receive "regular medical check-ups," receive immunizations and "attend school at least 80 percent of the time."

16 Sep 2010

U.N. General Assembly opens 65th session with a look ahead to next week's MDG Summit

The U.N. General Assembly opened its 65th session on Tuesday in New York with the incoming Assembly President Joseph Deiss, former Swiss foreign minister, calling for the focus of the upcoming year to be prioritizing efforts to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reaffirming the role of the U.N. in global governance and promoting sustainable development, Xinhua reports (9/15).

16 Sep 2010

Doctors demonstrate the true impact of vaccination

With Children Back in School, Doctors Clear up Confusion and Demonstrate the True Impact of Vaccination

16 Sep 2010

Polio News and Research

Further Reading

Polio vaccination campaign targeting 72M children in 15 African countries announced; Ugandan health authorities declare polio outbreak

Bivalent oral polio vaccine produces better immune response than more commonly used trivalent vaccine, study says

72 million children to be immunized against polio across 15 African countries

Salk discovers potential new target for MS

In India, major reduction seen in polio since 2009, WHO says on World Polio Day

Seven million people in Pakistan still without shelter since flooding, U.N. says

Opinions: Mdgs in Africa; development maintenance; U.S. efforts to eradicate polio; Global Fund commitment

Reuters examines experts' concerns about global polio eradication effort

Pharmalink's Nefecon for IgA nephropathy receives FDA orphan drug designation

Mammography, vaccines still raise questions in consumers' minds

WHO Eastern Mediterranean meeting opens in Cairo

WHO says polio outbreak in Angola must be stopped to avoid 'international consequences'

Cell aging is associated with reduced histone level

Outbreak of whooping cough mirrors challenges in developing world, global health official says

Objective of WHO and health partners in Pakistan is to reduce avoidable death and illness

World leaders address country ownership, accountability, women at MDG summit

Oxygen Biotherapeutics announces CRADA Agreement amendment

Reuters examines conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America

U.N. General Assembly opens 65th session with a look ahead to next week's MDG Summit

Doctors demonstrate the true impact of vaccination

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