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Political will, funding needed for successful polio eradication initiative

While there is "much to be proud of" in the progress in the fight against polio, "there's still more work to be done," former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin writes in a GlobalPost opinion piece. Martin, a polio survivor, notes that in 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched, 350,000 cases in more than 125 countries were recorded annually, but "so far this year, we've seen just 171 cases, and only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria have never stopped transmission."

1 Nov 2012

Novartis resumes distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. has announced it is resuming distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada, Fluad and Agriflu, following the announcement by Health Canada earlier today that it has completed its review of safety information for Agriflu and Fluad and is releasing the two vaccines for immediate use.

1 Nov 2012

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason wins Grand Challenges Explorations grant

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

1 Nov 2012

RUB-medical researchers receive $2.3M Gates Foundation grant for HIV vaccine research

To support their research for a vaccine against the HI-Virus, Prof. Dr. Klaus Überla of the Faculty for Medicine at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and his research team will receive $2.3 million in funding within the next three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The scientists are part of the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), which seeks to speed up the development of an HIV-vaccine through a rigorous exchange of information, methods and reagents.

29 Oct 2012

Flu shot might also prevent heart disease

Getting a flu shot may not only protect you from getting sick, it might also prevent heart disease.

29 Oct 2012

UNICEF calls for 'finishing' global polio eradication; Rotary International warns of funding shortfall in India

UNICEF on Wednesday "called for continued dedication in 'finishing the job' in eradicating polio, while also applauding India for being 'declared polio free' for the first time in history," Xinhua reports. "UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement released … on World Polio Day, which falls on Oct. 24, that 'fewer children than ever before suffer the debilitating effects of this cruel disease,'" the news service writes.

26 Oct 2012

CUMC researchers develop first true mouse model of typhoid infection

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have created the first true mouse model of typhoid infection. The development promises to advance the study of typhoid and the creation of new vaccines against the infection, which remains a major health threat in developing countries.

26 Oct 2012

Guidelines to help protect vulnerable populations from flu

While it is important to get vaccinated against the flu virus as early as possible, it is never too late to reap the benefits of this vaccine. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the peak months for the spread of the flu virus are January and February and the season can last into mid-May.

26 Oct 2012

New York Times blog features interview with Indian polio expert

To mark World Polio Day, the New York Times' "India Ink" blog features an interview with Naveen Thacker, a member of the team that led India's polio eradication efforts. The country has not recorded a new case of polio since January 2011 and is in line to be declared polio-free in January 2014 if no new cases occur, according to the blog.

25 Oct 2012

Fewer families refusing polio vaccination in Pakistan, but many still not immunized, officials say

Though Pakistani officials said Monday there has been a significant decline in the number of families refusing polio vaccination in the country, almost a half million children did not receive the immunization, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Oct 2012

India's maternal health care benefit excludes many women because of parity requirement, Women's eNews reports

Women's eNews examines India's Indira Gandhi Maternity Support Scheme, a health care benefit offering $80 cash assistance to pregnant women older than 18 years and who do not have more than two living children.

24 Oct 2012

Sanofi presents overview of Phase II and III trials for quadrivalent influenza vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, presented today an overview of Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for its investigational quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV).

23 Oct 2012

NPR series on polio examines efforts to fight disease in India

In its ongoing series examining efforts to eradicate polio, NPR's "All Things Considered" on Thursday examined India's continuing efforts to stamp out the disease, noting the country "marked a milestone when the World Health Organization struck it from the list of polio-endemic countries in February after no new cases were reported for more than a year."

20 Oct 2012

New data shows influenza-associated deaths among children, effectiveness of school vaccinations

New data being presented at IDWeek 2012TM shows the fatal risk that influenza poses even for children without underlying health conditions and the effectiveness of school-based vaccination programs in protecting student populations.

20 Oct 2012

Sanofi Pasteur files Fluzone sBLA with FDA for treatment of influenza

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that it has filed a Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a quadrivalent formulation of its Fluzone (Influenza Virus Vaccine).

20 Oct 2012

Link between norovirus outbreaks and excess hospitalization and mortality in nursing homes

In a study that included more than 300 Medicare-certified nursing homes, rates of hospitalization and death were substantially increased during outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis vs. non-outbreak periods, according to a study appearing in the October 24/31 issue of JAMA.

19 Oct 2012

Political will, humanitarian effort, funding all needed to eradicate polio

Though "conflict and insecurity problems in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria have presented challenges to polio immunization, ... these are surmountable obstacles," Siddharth Chatterjee, chief diplomat and head of strategic partnerships and international relations at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, writes in the International Peace Institute's Global Observatory.

19 Oct 2012

NPR examines efforts to eradicate polio in Nigeria

NPR's "Shots" blog reports on efforts to eradicate polio in Nigeria. "[N]orthern Nigeria is the only place in the world where polio cases are increasing," the blog writes, noting, "As of Sept. 1, it had recorded 90 polio cases in 2012 -- or nearly three times as many as in the same period last year."

18 Oct 2012

Roundup: Health care construction boom in Texas; Some Ga. schools, state authorities weigh leaving employee health plan

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is in the midst of an unprecedented health care building boom. You can see the most visible evidence in the Dallas medical district. There, several blocks apart, construction cranes signal more than $2 billion worth of new hospitals - the $1.27 billion replacement for Parkland Memorial Hospital and an $800 million replacement hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

16 Oct 2012

Therapeutic HPV16 and HPV18 vaccine ‘may eliminate infection’

A candidate vaccine against human papillomavirus serotypes 16 and 18 appears to induce robust immune responses to antigens, potentially leading to the elimination of virus-infected cells and regression of dysplasia, say US investigators.

15 Oct 2012

Immunization News and Research

Political will, funding needed for successful polio eradication initiative

Novartis resumes distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason wins Grand Challenges Explorations grant

RUB-medical researchers receive $2.3M Gates Foundation grant for HIV vaccine research

Flu shot might also prevent heart disease

UNICEF calls for 'finishing' global polio eradication; Rotary International warns of funding shortfall in India

CUMC researchers develop first true mouse model of typhoid infection

Guidelines to help protect vulnerable populations from flu

New York Times blog features interview with Indian polio expert

Fewer families refusing polio vaccination in Pakistan, but many still not immunized, officials say

India's maternal health care benefit excludes many women because of parity requirement, Women's eNews reports

Sanofi presents overview of Phase II and III trials for quadrivalent influenza vaccine

NPR series on polio examines efforts to fight disease in India

New data shows influenza-associated deaths among children, effectiveness of school vaccinations

Sanofi Pasteur files Fluzone sBLA with FDA for treatment of influenza

Link between norovirus outbreaks and excess hospitalization and mortality in nursing homes

Political will, humanitarian effort, funding all needed to eradicate polio

NPR examines efforts to eradicate polio in Nigeria

Roundup: Health care construction boom in Texas; Some Ga. schools, state authorities weigh leaving employee health plan

Therapeutic HPV16 and HPV18 vaccine ‘may eliminate infection’

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How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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