Hygiene News and Research

RSS

A mysterious illness in the Congo has experts scratching their heads

A mysterious illness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experts scratching their heads.

3 Sep 2007

Canadian dental hygiene celebrates independence

Dental hygienists have achieved independence after a 14-year campaign to remove the restrictions that tie dental hygiene to dentistry.

3 Sep 2007

Carbon nanotubes to fight E. coli

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can kill bacteria like the common pathogen E. coli by severely damaging their cell walls, according to a recent report from Yale researchers in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Langmuir.

30 Aug 2007

Report on access to cancer drugs across Europe flawed

A leading epidemiologist has attacked Swedish research that looked at inequalities in patients' access to cancer drugs across Europe and the world.

30 Aug 2007

Report describes 2004 Norwalk virus outbreak

A review of measures taken to address a 2004 outbreak of the highly infectious Norwalk virus at The Johns Hopkins Hospital has provided the first solid documentation of expenses and efforts in the United States to stop the infection from spreading among patients, staff and visitors.

30 Aug 2007

Natural antimicrobial agents for food safety

Two items high on the list of public concerns are the need for greater food safety and a growing demand for natural or organic food products.

22 Aug 2007

E.coli scare in UK now affects nine people

The E.coli outbreak in Paisley, Scotland has now affected nine people; one woman has died and three more remain in a serious condition while the other five are said to be recovering.

20 Aug 2007

New model to predict the spread of a 'super-bug' in L.A. county jail

Researchers at UCLA have developed a mathematical model that mimics a particularly nasty and ongoing outbreak in the Los Angeles County Jail (LACJ) of the flesh eating bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus.

17 Aug 2007

Special nasal cream will bust deadly superbugs

A special cream enriched with bacteria-busting viruses has been developed by scientists in Britain and it could eradicate deadly superbugs such as MRSA from hospitals.

13 Aug 2007

Hospital kitchens - a pretty dirty affair

With reports on a regular basis telling us that controlling superbugs such as MRSA in many hospitals is akin to fighting a losing battle, the last thing the public want to hear is that hospital kitchens are filthy.

13 Aug 2007

Link between stress and periodontal diseases

A literature review published in the August issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) saw a strong relationship between stress and periodontal diseases; 57% of the studies included in the review showed a positive relationship between periodontal diseases and psychological factors such as stress, distress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

9 Aug 2007

Medic to sue Gaddafi for holding him hostage

One of the six medics imprisoned by Libyan authorities for allegedly deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, plans to sue Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.

6 Aug 2007

Many Americans make bad decisions based on bad information about cancer

A new study from American Cancer Society researchers finds a surprising number of Americans believe scientifically unsubstantiated claims concerning cancer, and that population segments suffering the greatest burden of cancer are the most likely to be misinformed.

27 Jul 2007

Long-term herpes treatment may reduce HIV infectivity

Long-term anti-herpes treatment of women infected with both HIV and HSV2, the virus that causes genital herpes, may reduce the proportion of women with detectable HIV virus in their genital secretions according to the results of a trial in Tanzania presented the International AIDS Society Conference in Sydney.

26 Jul 2007

Latest MRSA bloodstream infections and Clostridium difficile figures

Latest figures for MRSA show there was a 6.4% fall in the number of cases of blood stream infection reported to the Health Protection Agency from January - March 2007.

26 Jul 2007

New report shows minimum income required by older people in UK

A University of London team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has just published a report in the International Journal of Epidemiology defining the minimum income required by older people to live healthy and decent lives.

26 Jul 2007

New Yorkers warned on mercury in fish

The results of a new survey have revealed that one in four New Yorkers have elevated levels of mercury in their blood which are higher than others both locally and nationally.

24 Jul 2007

Web site puts physicians and hospitals under microscope

As health consumers across the country demand better and more detailed information about their physicians and hospitals, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is stepping up to detail its own performance efforts ranging from the percentage of clinicians who clean their hands to the number of times physicians take the proper steps in treating heart attack patients.

19 Jul 2007

HIV-infected children may require repeat measles vaccination

The researchers found that only half of the HIV-infected children who survived without antiretroviral therapy maintained protective antibody levels 27 months after receiving measles vaccine.

18 Jul 2007

Norovirus infection on cruise ships

The Health Protection Agency working closely with the cruise industry through the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) and with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Association of Port Health Authorities today published Guidance for the Management of Norovirus Infection in Cruise Ships.

16 Jul 2007