Disease/Infection News

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New study to determine the effectiveness of a new pediatric screening method for Wilson's disease

Mayo Clinic seeks normal healthy children and young adults between the ages of 3 months and 18 years for a research study to determine the effectiveness of a new pediatric screening method for Wilson's disease.

7 Jun 2004

New advice to doctors on lowering diabetes-heart disease risks

Every year, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) issues Clinical Practice Recommendations, a series of updated recommendations, to help health care providers treat people with diabetes using the most current research available.

5 Jun 2004

Antibiotics given to entire household reduces risk of meningitis

Giving antibiotics to everyone living in the same household as a patient who has had meningitis can substantially reduce the risk of further cases, according to a study in this week's BMJ.

5 Jun 2004

Cardiovascular disease is Europe's largest cause of death

The Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU) has acknowledged that cardiovascular disease in Europe is 'the largest cause of death of men and women in the European Union' and 'unhealthy lifestyles, particularly tobacco consumption, as well as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity amongst European citizens are risk factors to be addressed in the development of national and European policy'.

3 Jun 2004

Cancer rates falling in the US

The nation's leading cancer organizations report that Americans' risk of getting and dying from cancer continues to decline and survival rates for many cancers continue to improve.

3 Jun 2004

Disease-causing microbes found in baby food

Enterobacter sakazakii has been found in powdered infant formula before, but a new UK study is the first to detect it in dried infant food.

3 Jun 2004

Terrence Higgins suggest one in four gay men living with HIV in the UK is unaware of their infection

A study published today in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections claims that as many as one in three gay men living with HIV in the UK is unaware of their infection. Researchers from the Royal Free and University College Medical School questioned more than 8,000 gay men in London's bars, clubs and saunas between 1996 and 2000. More recent research suggests that the figure is closer to one in four.

3 Jun 2004

Dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan. A significant increase in disease and death is inevitable without a rapid increase in external help.

3 Jun 2004

Ethiopia needs external help fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic

Ethiopia has taken crucial steps to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but the east African country urgently needs external assistance if its efforts are to meet with success, a senior United Nations official said today.

2 Jun 2004

West Nile virus found in Illinois crows

Dead crows found in Stephenson and Winnebago counties have tested positive for West Nile virus, Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today reported.

2 Jun 2004

Malaria, Africa's biggest killer

It's Africa's biggest killer, but it's not HIV. It causes economic losses of US$12 billion per year, but it's not a war. And it has slowed African economic growth by around 1.3 per cent per annum, but it’s not a famine.

2 Jun 2004

Myth of disease threat posed by dead bodies after natural disasters unfounded

Fears that dead bodies will spread infection and disease following natural disasters are largely baseless, and simply serve to prolong the suffering of surviving friends and family members, according a scientific article published today.

1 Jun 2004

Chronic diseases are the largest cause of death in the world

The rising global burden of chronic diseases needs a coordinated effort from policy makers, advocates and health professionals, according to a special communication in the June 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a theme issue on Global Health.

1 Jun 2004

West Nile set to explode in summer 2004

Experts predict the continued spread of West Nile virus this summer, with the potential for serious outbreaks in numerous states, including California.

1 Jun 2004

Gay men casual about HIV

One in three HIV positive gay men don't know they are infected with the virus, suggests a large community study in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

1 Jun 2004

New UK HIV infection data

In the first three months of 2004, 1389 new diagnoses of HIV infection in the UK were reported. This brought the cumulative total to 62,709 since surveillance began in 1982.

1 Jun 2004

Call for Bush Administration to remedy failures on mad cow disease

Carol Tucker Foreman, director of Consumer Federation of America's Food Policy Institute, joined Consumers Union, Public Citizen and R-CALF in calling on the Bush Administration to remedy failures and improve protection against BSE.

1 Jun 2004

Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body.

27 May 2004

The Health Protection Agency starts surveillance programme for human cases of West Nile virus infection

The Health Protection Agency is starting its annual enhanced surveillance programme for possible human cases of West Nile virus infection. The scheme, which has been used for the last three years, operates during the summer, when there is West Nile virus activity in other countries.

27 May 2004

Cigarette smoking linked to leukemia

Cigarette smoking has been linked to acute myelogenous leukemia, according to The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, released today.

27 May 2004