Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Report shows alarming measles resurgence in Europe and US

A recent report shows cases of measles across the World Health Organization's European Region, which includes the UK, are the highest they've been for more than 25 years. At the same time, large outbreaks of measles in the US have led to the first measles deaths there since 2015.

26 Mar 2025

A safer and more affordable polio vaccine could soon be a reality

A more affordable, lower-risk polio vaccine is on the horizon, research led by the University of Leeds has found.

11 Mar 2025

WHO and KSRelief commit to expanded health initiatives at Riyadh Forum

The Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum on 24-25 February 2025 brought together global partners from the humanitarian sector to discuss urgent health and humanitarian issues.

8 Mar 2025

With RFK Jr. in charge, supplement makers see chance to cash in

Last fall, before being named the senior U.S. health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration would liberate Americans from the FDA's "aggressive suppression" of vitamins, dietary supplements, and other substances — ending the federal agency's "war on public health," as he put it.

25 Feb 2025

Africa faces growing cholera crisis amid underfunded control plans

Climate change and conflict are fuelling a resurgence of cholera in Africa, with progress toward elimination undermined by chronic underfunding, according to new analysis.

21 Feb 2025

Rare enterovirus strain in Spain raises alarms over potential outbreaks

Scientists in Spain detected Enterovirus C105 (EV-C105), a rare virus linked to respiratory and possible neurological illness in children, highlighting the emergence of a genetically distinct viral strain.

17 Feb 2025

Prozac's surprising immune-boosting effects could lead to new treatments for sepsis

Antidepressants like Prozac are commonly prescribed to treat mental health disorders, but new research suggests they could also protect against serious infections and life-threatening sepsis.

14 Feb 2025

Leinco Technologies awarded $1M grant to develop rapid test for intestinal immunity to polio

Leinco Technologies, a leader in antibody and protein development, is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $1 M grant from the Gates Foundation.

From Leinco Technologies 14 Feb 2025

Measles outbreak mounts among children in one of Texas’ least vaccinated counties

A measles outbreak is growing in a Texas county with dangerously low vaccination rates.

7 Feb 2025

Europe faces growing risk of polio despite ongoing vaccination efforts

An unusually high amount of poliovirus detections in several European countries in recent months has underscored the importance of keeping Europe polio-free, according to an editorial by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Director Pamela Rendi Wagner and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, which was published on Eurosurveillance. 'A future without polio remains our goal, but it is by no means a certainty', warn Rendi-Wagner and Kluge.

30 Jan 2025

What RFK Jr. might face in his nomination hearings this week

President Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer with no formal medical or public health expertise, as secretary of Health and Human Sciences.

28 Jan 2025

What a US exit from the WHO means for global health

For decades, the United States has held considerable power in determining the direction of global health policies and programs.

24 Jan 2025

Boosting BCL6 may counteract muscle loss from GLP-1 medications

About one in eight adults in the United States has tried or currently uses a GLP-1 medication, and a quarter of those users cite weight loss as their main goal.

23 Jan 2025

WHO regrets United States’ decision to withdraw from the organization

The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.

22 Jan 2025

Childhood vaccination rates, a rare health bright spot in struggling states, are slipping

Jen Fisher can do only so much to keep her son safe from the types of infections that children can encounter at school. The rest, she said, is up to other students and parents in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.

16 Jan 2025

PIN1 protein found to be a significant driver of bladder cancer

Like all cancers, bladder cancer develops when abnormal cells start to multiply out of control. But what if we could put a lid on their growth?

15 Jan 2025

Study reveals how bile acids impact immunotherapy in liver cancer

Immunotherapy is a modern approach to cancer treatment that uses a patient's own immune system to help fight tumors.

15 Jan 2025

Luxembourg signs historic partnership agreement with WHO to support global health

20 December 2024 was a crucial moment for Luxembourg in supporting WHO and strengthening global public health, to make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in 2025–2028.

24 Dec 2024

RSV vaccine acceptance grows amidst rising flu concerns

A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November 2024.

23 Dec 2024