Communicable Disease News and Research

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Communicable Disease is a disease capable of being transmitted from an infected person or species to a susceptible host.

Childhood obesity and the increasing burden of diabetes among young adults

Obesity is taking a hefty toll on the health of children and young adults, leaving more Americans facing the burden of a lifetime of diabetes care and management.

27 Nov 2007

More youth with diabetes hospitalized, costing billions

Obesity is taking a hefty toll on the health of children and young adults, leaving more Americans facing the burden of a lifetime of diabetes care and management.

27 Nov 2007

Measures that are needed to curb humanity's most fatal diseases

Several of the world's most eminent health scientists and organizations today publish a landmark global consensus on the 20 foremost measures needed to curb humanity's most fatal diseases, their study featured in Nature magazine.

21 Nov 2007

Lack of sleep makes children fat

A new study by researchers in the United States has found that children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight.

6 Nov 2007

U-M study finds shorter sleep duration for 9- to 12-year-old kids is associated with increased risk for being overweight

Diets high in fat and sugar may not be the only things contributing to American children's expanding waistlines. Research findings from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital suggest that kids who aren't getting enough sleep also may be at an increased risk for being overweight.

5 Nov 2007

Homelessness increases risk of infection for injecting drug users

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that around three-quarters of injecting drug users (IDUs) have been homeless at some point. In addition, those who have been homeless have higher levels of injecting risk and associated infections, primarily through the sharing of needles and low standards of hygiene.

29 Oct 2007

Malaria remains formidable challenge in the Americas

Malaria remains a formidable challenge for the countries of the Americas and more action is needed to improve national control programs to reduce the burden of the disease, health ministers from the Americas heard today.

8 Oct 2007

The cancer burden in the developing world

Only a few years ago cancer was considered to be a disease of westernised, developed countries, but now the burden is increasingly falling on less developed countries, a leading epidemiologist told ECCO 14, the European Cancer Conference.

25 Sep 2007

Radon - natural but nevertheless a health hazard

The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other Arms Length Bodies, the Department of Health and the Devolved Administrations.

18 Sep 2007

Campaign to fight chronic disease in the Caribbean

A major new campaign to fight chronic disease in the Caribbean is getting underway in an effort to stem "the worst epidemic of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease in the Americas," with the participation of heads of government.

18 Sep 2007

Lasers used to zap viruses out of blood

A father-son research team working from separate laboratory benches across the country has discovered a new use for lasers - zapping viruses out of blood.

5 Sep 2007

Global health community must act on mental health

The global public health community must take action to scale up services for mental disorders, especially in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries, according to a team of public health experts writing in the Lancet.

4 Sep 2007

Novel HIV vaccine set for clinical development

A promising new HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute has received funding for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials as soon as possible.

3 Sep 2007

New formula to gauge risk of disease clusters

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a mathematical formula to assess whether concentrated disease outbreaks can be ascribed to random-chance events or, instead, suggest a contagious or environmental effect that requires epidemiological investigation.

17 Aug 2007

Study supports value of social restrictions during influenza pandemics

Although physicians have imposed quarantine orders since at least 1374, when the Port of Venice officially isolated foreigners and shippers for 40 days to keep out infectious scourges, there has been no definitive evidence that public health measures like quarantining the sick and isolating people after exposure to ill people would save lives during an influenza pandemic.

8 Aug 2007

Indonesia reluctant when it comes to sharing bird flu samples

Indonesia, the country with the highest number of human deaths from the bird flu, remains reluctant to share samples of live bird flu virus for research.

7 Aug 2007

Psoriasis and eczema misconstrued as contagious could affect social lives of young adults

When it comes to being lucky in love, new research examining knowledge and attitudes about contagious diseases in Americans 18 to 25 years of age suggests that people with psoriasis and eczema may be at a distinct disadvantage.

2 Aug 2007

Elimination of Chagas disease by 2010

A new effort to eliminate Chagas disease by 2010 will be launched tomorrow at a WHO meeting of disease experts and partners.

3 Jul 2007

Four hours in ecomony class doubles the risk for deep vein thrombosis

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the chances of developing deep vein thrombosis ( DVT) double after traveling for four hours or more; this says WHO equates to one in 6,000 long-haul passengers at risk of potentially dangerous blood clots.

2 Jul 2007

40 percent of parents willing to have their child's DNA stored in a government biobank

Genetic testing holds great promise for the future. Information generated by genetic testing may provide information that leads to new treatments for common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

23 Jun 2007