Yellow Fever News and Research

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Yellow fever virus, a flavivirus, is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Illness ranges in severity from a self-limited febrile illness to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. Yellow fever disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings, laboratory testing, and the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever; care is based on symptoms. Steps to prevent yellow fever include use of insect repellent, protective clothing, and vaccination. Yellow fever occurs in tropical regions of Africa and in parts of South America. Yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers. The last epidemic of yellow fever in North America occurred in New Orleans in 1905.

Purdue biologists visualize protein interaction that may initiate viral infection

Biologists at Purdue University have taken a "snapshot" of a Velcro-like protein on a cell's surface just after it attached to the dengue virus, a linkup thought to initiate the early stages of infection.

16 Feb 2006

New web resource provides easy access to global health data

GlobalHealthFacts.org - a new and freely available website with the latest country and region-specific data on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other key health indicators - was launched today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit, private operating foundation focused on health care issues.

10 Jan 2006

Passenger and crew lists on demand will protect America from disease say US health officials

U.S. health officials, using the excuse that they need to protect Americans from bird flu and other diseases, are proposing regulations that will require airlines and shipping firms to hand over passenger and crew lists on demand and expand how they report serious illnesses.

24 Nov 2005

Harvard study finds vaccines boost economies of poor countries

Immunization programs in impoverished countries not only save lives, they boost economies, finds a study by researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) published in the current edition of World Economics.

16 Oct 2005

Flaviviruses immune system defenses in different ways depending on whether they are transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks

"Flaviviruses exact an enormous toll in terms of illness and death worldwide," notes NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Because this is a relatively new field of study, everything we learn about how these viruses operate is significant.

28 Sep 2005

Vaccine against Lassa fever works in monkeys

Scientists say that a genetically engineered virus may possibly offer the first effective vaccine against Lassa fever.

28 Jun 2005

Findings may help scientists improve the existing vaccine for yellow fever

In one of the first molecular studies of the human antibody response to yellow fever, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers and their colleagues have found the crucial bit of virus that people's immune systems need to spot and quash this often-fatal re-emerging disease.

16 Jun 2005

New WHO rules mean countries could face quarantine in bid to beat killer epidemics

Under new rules agreed by the World Health Organisation yesterday (WHO), serious outbreaks of deadly diseases such as bird flu and SARS could mean travel and trade restrictions could be placed on many countries.

24 May 2005

New regulations to tackle disease outbreaks given the red light by the WHO

The recent outbreaks of communicable diseases such as SARS and avian flu in particular, have prompted the United Nations health agency’s policy-making body to adopt a new set of regulations concerning responses from Governments and international bodies when new diseases emerge and old ones reappear.

23 May 2005

New set of International Health Regulations to manage public health emergencies of international concern

Today, the World Health Assembly approved a new set of International Health Regulations to manage public health emergencies of international concern. The new rules will "prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease."

23 May 2005

Experimental vaccine targeting West Nile virus

A small trial testing the safety of an experimental vaccine targeting West Nile virus (WNV) opened today at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.

19 Apr 2005

PAHO vaccines books wins major award

The Pan American Health Organization’s publication, Vaccines: Preventing Disease and Protecting Health, has won an award from the Association of American Publishers in the medical science category.

9 Feb 2005

Scientists answer the question, why do some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others?

Now scientists from the United Kingdom's Rothamsted Research Centre, the largest agricultural research centre in the United Kingdom are asking why some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others? These scientists believe they may have found the answer and their work could lead to the development of novel insect repellents.

24 Jan 2005

$73 million to tackle infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and influenza

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded 14 contracts totaling more than $73 million to fund the Large-Scale Antibody and T Cell Epitope Discovery Program, an initiative aimed at quickly identifying the regions of selected infectious agents that elicit immune reactions.

1 Nov 2004

A naturally occurring chemical that may repel yellow fever mosquitoes can now be made in the laboratory

Gaur acid is a natural skin secretion of the gaur, an Asian wild ox. Preliminary evidence suggests that this chemical discourages the landing and feeding of Aedes aegypti, a common mosquito that carries and transmits the yellow fever virus in some parts of the world.

23 Sep 2004

Researchers make discoveries on West Nile virus, monkeypox, and yellow fever

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston present significant new discoveries on West Nile virus, monkeypox, and yellow fever

4 Sep 2004

Cinnamon oil may be an environmentally friendly pesticide, with the ability to kill mosquito larvae

A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, shows that cinnamon oil may be an environmentally friendly pesticide, with the ability to kill mosquito larvae.

19 Jul 2004

The best way to avoid infection from mosquito bites is to flick not squash

An article published in this month's New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the best way to avoid infection from mosquito bites is to actually flick them away rather than squashing them into the skin.

19 Jul 2004

As humans alter land, infectious diseases follow

As people remake the world's landscapes, cutting forests, draining wetlands, building roads and dams, and pushing the margins of cities ever outward, infectious diseases are gaining new toeholds, cropping up in new places and new hosts, and posing an ever-increasing risk to human and animal health.

5 Jul 2004

Vaccination Week in the Americas in full swing

Reports from the countries say that the immunization campaign has reached some of the most remote areas, including border regions and indigenous communities. The reports also show that the vaccination efforts, which began April 24, are reaching the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

29 Apr 2004