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Scientists identify which T. gondii strains are linked with severe illness in U.S. infants

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States.

16 Apr 2012

Cholera vaccination pilot project begins in Haiti

"A year and a half after cholera first struck Haiti, a tiny portion of the population on Thursday began getting vaccinated against the waterborne disease that has infected more than 530,000 Haitians and killed more than 7,040," the New York Times reports.

16 Apr 2012

UVA engineer and biologist named recipients of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

University of Virginia engineer Silvia Salinas Blemker and biologist Christopher Deppmann have been named recipients of 2011 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards, which provide $100,000 in annual research support for three years to each awardee.

16 Apr 2012

As world's first polio vaccine turns 57, scientists working to develop better alternatives

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Oshinsky examines the development of the world's first polio vaccine, noting that the vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh, turned 57 on Thursday.

16 Apr 2012

Politico Pro examines reaction to Melinda Gates's TEDxChange speech on family planning

Politico Pro examines the reaction to a speech delivered by Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at a TEDxChange conference in Berlin on April 5.

16 Apr 2012

Tips for parents to prevent children from sexual abuse

Parents generally teach their children about "stranger danger" from an early age, telling them not to talk to, walk with or take gifts or candy from strangers. But statistics show danger often lurks closer to home. According to numbers provided by the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, the vast majority of children who are sexually abused are abused by someone they know - most often a family member, an adult the family trusts or, in some instances, another child.

16 Apr 2012

ACAAI to conduct 16th annual Nationwide Asthma Screening Program

The unseasonably warm weather is making this spring season difficult for millions of Americans who suffer from asthma and allergies. To help adults and children who have symptoms find out if they are at risk, allergists will conduct the 16th annual Nationwide Asthma Screening Program, expanding the program this year to include screening for nasal allergies.

16 Apr 2012

Study: Even toddlers have a tendency to follow the crowd

A study published online on April 12 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology offers some news for parents: even toddlers have a tendency to follow the crowd. That sensitivity isn't unique to humans either; chimpanzees also appear more likely to pick up habits if "everyone else is doing it."

16 Apr 2012

New genes may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence

In the world's largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain's resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Apr 2012

Study finds feasible and impactful solutions for Nigeria's immunization program

A study released today by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has identified the most feasible and impactful solutions for Nigeria's immunization program that could offer the best hope yet for scaling up vaccine access to the nation's most rural areas and taking aim at the country's precipitous number of child deaths.

16 Apr 2012

New findings on out-of-hand nut consumption and health

In a study published in Nutrition Research, researchers looked at the association of out-of-hand nut (OOHN) consumption with nutrient intake, diet quality and the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in both children and adults.

16 Apr 2012

Lung cancer rates continue to rise among UK women

Lung cancer cases continue to rise in women with more than 18,000 UK women diagnosed with the disease in 2009 according to the latest Cancer Research UK figures released today.

16 Apr 2012

HPA urges routine vaccination after surge of whooping cough cases

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there have been 665 confirmed cases already this year, compared with 1,040 in the whole of 2011. Cases have been reported across all regions in England with some areas reporting clusters in schools, universities and healthcare settings.

15 Apr 2012

Around a quarter of all babies born to unwed couples: CDC study

According to health officials nearly a quarter of all babies born are born to unmarried couples who are living together. The rise is significant from a decade ago. The increase came even as the picture for U.S. births and parenthood remained largely unchanged from the 2002 data, the report said.

15 Apr 2012

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

All Care Inala Medical Centre doctor Michael Ho said flu shots were becoming more popular each year. “Flu seasons tends to begin in late March early April to June,” he said. “More and more people are opting to get vaccinations because they are promoted well within the community.” He added, “It is particularly important for elderly people to be immunized because their immune system is already not at its best…This is also the case for people who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, severe asthma, or heart disease. With their current condition, if they catch the flu they can end up with a worse outcome.”

12 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Diagnosing autism in minutes; Finding new uses for old drugs; Cancer war victories

Autism is an extremely complex diagnosis. Parental insight, physician observations and hours of data can factor into determining whether a child actually has the condition or is just a little on the quirky side. Now a Harvard researcher, Dennis P. Wall, has published research about a Web-based tool he developed that promises to diagnose autism in minutes, not hours -

12 Apr 2012

Roundup: No new policies from cross-border insurance law; Dental Medicaid abuse in Texas?

Proponents said these out-of-state policies, stripped of Georgia's mandates, would have lower premiums – and allow more people to afford individual health insurance coverage. ... But a year later, nothing has happened. No insurer here has started selling a non-Georgia health plan.

12 Apr 2012

U.N. Secretary-General taps U.K. PM Cameron to chair committee to develop new set of MDGs

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been asked by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to chair a "U.N. committee tasked with establishing a new set of U.N. millennium development goals [MDGs] to follow the present goals, which expire in 2015," the Guardian reports.

12 Apr 2012

Dubai Cares makes $1M donation for deworming program in Angola

The philanthropic organization Dubai Cares has announced a $1 million donation to partner with The END Fund in the establishment "of a school-based deworming program that will treat children in Angola," according to the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' (NTD) "End the Neglect" blog.

12 Apr 2012

VOA health report examines health needs in Burma amid recent political changes

This VOA Special English Health Report examines health needs in Burma, where "[h]ealth workers are warning about the spread of a form of drug-resistant malaria."

12 Apr 2012