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Chinese man dies of bird flu

A 39 year old Chinese bus driver tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus and died Saturday in a city bordering Hong Kong. According to health officials this is the country’s first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months.

2 Jan 2012

Mosquito borne Murray Valley Encephalitis warnings for NSW and North Victoria

The NSW Health authorities are warning residents and visitors in southern and western NSW to take extra precautions and protect themselves against mosquitoes following the detection of the Murray Valley Encephalitis (or MVE) virus in NSW. Residents and visitors to North Victoria are also similarly warned.

1 Jan 2012

Pioneer in infectious disease medicine shares his perspectives in new podcast series

Beginning this month, the journal Medicine launches a series of podcasts featuring pioneering infectious disease physician John Bartlett, MD. Medicine is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 Dec 2011

BBC News Magazine examines antiviral drug research

BBC News Magazine examines an antiviral drug called Draco, developed by Todd Rider, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "which has proven successful against all 15 viruses to which it has been applied in lab trials with human tissue and mice," including "the common cold, H1N1 or swine flu, a polio virus, dengue fever, and the notorious and fatal Ebola virus."

23 Dec 2011

Government, humanitarian agencies respond to flooding in Philippines, warn of disease threat

"Philippine authorities are warning of the spread of diseases in cramped evacuation centers, days after flash floods hit the southern Philippines and claimed more than a thousand lives," ABC/Asia Pacific News reports, noting that flooding also has affected the country's northern provinces, displacing at least 50,000 people.

22 Dec 2011

Study assesses evidence of immunosuppression in sepsis

An analysis of lung and spleen tissue from patients who died of sepsis revealed certain biochemical, cellular and histological findings that were consistent with immunosuppression, according to a study in the December 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Dec 2011

Yissum introduces novel technology for manufacturing an anti-malaria drug in tobacco

Combating malaria is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals described in the United Nations Millennium Declaration signed by all UN members at the year 2000. A key intervention to control malaria is prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies.

19 Dec 2011

Lab results change in consistent ways during the course of Kawasaki disease

Children with Kawasaki disease show a pattern of changing laboratory test results as the disease runs its course, according to a study in the December issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

15 Dec 2011

Researchers discover how bloodstream malaria infection manipulates immune system

University of Iowa researchers and colleagues have discovered how malaria manipulates the immune system to allow the parasite to persist in the bloodstream. By rescuing this immune system pathway, the research team was able to cure mice of bloodstream malaria infections.

13 Dec 2011

Ruxolinitib reduces spleen size by 35% in patients with myelofibrosis

In a major advance in treatment, a multicenter study found that ruxolinitib did a better job than off-label chemotherapy drugs reducing the terrible symptoms associated with myelofibrosis, including pain, enlarged spleen, anemia, fever, chills, fatigue, and weight loss.

13 Dec 2011

Breakthroughs in hematopoietic cell transplantation to be presented at 53rd ASH meeting

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), the transplantation of blood-forming stem cells from the bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood, is the primary option for treatment for many patients who suffer from various hematologic disorders, including blood cancers, sickle cell disease, bone marrow deficiencies, bleeding disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Research investigating breakthroughs in hematopoietic cell transplantation will be presented today at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

12 Dec 2011

Fatal snakebites 'vastly underreported,' researchers report at annual ASTMH meeting

"Fatal snakebites worldwide have been vastly underreported because many die before seeking or reaching medical care, researchers" from the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, reported on Monday at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's (ASTMH) annual meeting, UPI.com writes.

8 Dec 2011

Vaccine against Ebola developed

Ebola was first identified in 1976 in Sudan and Zaire, which is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ebola fever kills more than 90% of the people it infects. Ebola is among the most lethal diseases known to humans, according to the World Health Organization.

7 Dec 2011

Researchers discover new tick-borne infection

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy have discovered a brand new tick-borne infection. Since the discovery, eight cases have been described around the world, three of them in the Gothenburg area, Sweden.

7 Dec 2011

Measles raises its head again in Europe after years of suppression: Report

According to a new report last Thursday, measles incidence is on the rise in Europe following decades of decline. Up to October European health officials reported more than 26,000 measles cases this year and nine deaths.

5 Dec 2011

Baby boomers more likely to develop HCV

Experts at Montefiore Medical Center urge the general public to be tested for the Hepatitis C virus, especially baby boomers, adults born between 1946-1964, who could be most at risk for this disease. Baby boomers are more likely to have been exposed to dangerous risk factors decades ago, such as sharing a drug needle, being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools or receiving a tainted blood transfusion.

2 Dec 2011

Inviragen commences DENVax Phase 2 trial for dengue

Inviragen, Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of DENVax, the Company's investigational dengue vaccine.

28 Nov 2011

Suppressing mosquitoes - the only way of controlling dengue

There is no vaccine against dengue, an emerging tropical disease regularly also hitting tourists, so the only way of controlling it is by suppressing the mosquitoes transmitting the disease.

28 Nov 2011

Acetaminophen over-use can lead to serious liver damage

Common pain and fever Acetaminophen (best known by the brand name Tylenol) taken over a long time can cause liver failure and death, according to a new study.

24 Nov 2011

Two-drug combination may alleviate radiation sickness in people

A combination of two drugs may alleviate radiation sickness in people who have been exposed to high levels of radiation, even when the therapy is given a day after the exposure occurred, according to a study led by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston.

24 Nov 2011