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OIE, WHO release new global framework to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies

In accordance with the consensus of the Global Conference held in Geneva on 10-11 December 2015, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organization are releasing their global framework for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and with the support of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.

16 Mar 2016

Conflicting expectations result in failure of young girls completing HPV vaccinations series

Conflicting expectations between parents and medical providers about who is responsible for scheduling follow-up appointments is resulting in a failure of young girls completing the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination series, according to a new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers.

16 Mar 2016

Study: 40% of U.S. infants from low-income families do not receive rotavirus vaccination

Rotavirus (RV) infection is the leading cause of diarrheal disease in young children worldwide, causing more than half a million deaths of children aged <5 years annually, according to the World Health Organization. There are two safe and effective RV vaccines, pentavalent Rotateq (Merck) and monovalent Rotarix (GSK), yet global coverage remains below 20% of children.

9 Mar 2016

State laws increase vaccination rates among health care workers

State laws mandating influenza immunization for people who work in health care increase their vaccination rates, according to new research led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

3 Mar 2016

Blueberry Therapeutics set to create safe, effective nanomedicines to tackle unmet healthcare needs

Blueberry Therapeutics Ltd, a leading pharmaceutical company focused on the major medical problems of inflammation and infection, are exploring the anti-microbial agenda through the development of new anti-fungal drugs and treatments to tackle this important unmet healthcare need.

2 Mar 2016

New WHO report highlights ways to prevent, mitigate hearing loss in children

Nearly 32 million children across the world live with disabling hearing loss. A new World Health Organization (WHO) report, Childhood hearing loss: act now, here’s how, suggests that 60% of this can be prevented.

2 Mar 2016

Experts available to discuss use of meningitis vaccine in childhood immunization programs

Global vaccine experts and officials from all 26 African "meningitis belt" countries will convene in Ethiopia next week in advance of the Ministerial Conference on Immunization to celebrate one of Africa's biggest public health achievements--the introduction of a vaccine that in five years of use has protected more than 235 million people in 16 countries, nearly eliminating meningitis A disease on the continent.

17 Feb 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

Vaccinations could have significant economic value

Vaccinations, long recognized as an excellent investment that saves lives and prevents illness, could have significant economic value that far exceeds their original cost, a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found.

9 Feb 2016

Early use of influenza drug in pregnant women with flu may reduce length of stay in hospital

Pregnant women are at higher risk for serious illness and complications, including death, from influenza. For expectant mothers hospitalized with flu, early treatment with the influenza antiviral drug oseltamivir may shorten their time in the hospital, especially in severe cases, suggests a new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and available online.

5 Feb 2016

UNICEF launches US $2.8 billion appeal to meet the needs of children in crisis

In the Pacific Islands, many children don’t have enough safe water to drink and their education has been interrupted as result of the severe, ongoing El Niño.

27 Jan 2016

Adding naturally-occurring protein to flu vaccine may offer protection to babies

According to the World Health Organization, influenza causes serious illness among millions of people each year, resulting in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. Those most at risk include infants younger than six months, because they cannot be vaccinated against the disease.

20 Jan 2016

New technique may accelerate development of novel vaccines

An interdisciplinary team of Oxford University researchers has devised a new technique to speed up the development of novel vaccines.

20 Jan 2016

Novartis announces FDA approval of Cosentyx for treatment of adult patients with AS and PsA

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Cosentyx (secukinumab) for two new indications - the treatment of adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

17 Jan 2016

Not all pediatricians recommend HPV vaccine for eleven- and twelve-year olds

In a society that has become increasingly suspicious of vaccines, it's not only parents who stand in the way of some children getting vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV). A new study published in Pediatrics shows not all pediatricians are recommending or even discussing the HPV virus for eleven- and twelve-year olds.

12 Jan 2016

Pacemaker Induced Transient Asynchrony could help slow down progression of heart failure

Johns Hopkins has demonstrated in animals that applying a pacemaker's mild electrical shocks to push the heart in and out of normal synchronized contraction for part of each day may be an effective way to slow down the progression of heart failure, a disorder that afflicts millions of Americans.

24 Dec 2015

NEJM publishes results of Cosentyx Phase III studies in ankylosing spondylitis

Novartis announced today that the results of the MEASURE 1 and MEASURE 2 Phase III studies for Cosentyx® (secukinumab) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). These pivotal studies demonstrated significant clinical improvements with Cosentyx versus placebo in reducing the signs and symptoms of active AS – a long-term, painful and debilitating inflammation of the spine.

24 Dec 2015

Roche announces availability of cobas HBVassay for use on cobas 4800 System

Roche announced today the commercial availability of the cobas HBVassay for use on the cobas 4800 System in countries accepting the CE mark. This new molecular diagnostic assay expands the available virology menu on the cobas 4800 System, improving system efficiency and providing testing flexibility that allows physicians to assess a patient's response to antiviral therapy.

22 Dec 2015

New study pinpoints five top risk factors responsible for undernutrition among children in India

In India, nearly 40% of all children are stunted--of extremely low height for their age--and nearly 30% are underweight. A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has now pinpointed the five top risk factors responsible for more than two-thirds of the problem.

18 Dec 2015

More effort needed to reduce risks of mosquito-transmitted epidemics in the U.S. and Mexico

Despite the increasing risks of mosquito-transmitted epidemics in the United States and Mexico, policymakers in both countries have made little effort to prevent future outbreaks, according to a new policy brief by tropical-disease and science policy experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.