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WHO/PAHO statement on Zika virus and the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recognize that athletes and visitors are seeking more information on the risks of Zika and ways to prevent infection while attending the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games (5 August to 18 September 2016).

16 May 2016

Altered coagulation caused by HIV virus linked to increased risk of non-AIDS diseases

With more than 36.9 million people infected globally, HIV continues to be a major public health issue. Those living with the virus are at an increased risk for other non-AIDS diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and though it's not entirely clear why, this has been associated with inflammation and abnormal blood clotting.

13 May 2016

New optimised PCR tests for reliable diagnosis of Zika virus

DZIF scientists from the University of Bonn have shown that not all conventional Zika virus molecular diagnostic tests for are sufficiently reliable. They developed optimised assays and a control for quantifying viruses in blood and urine.

13 May 2016

Rotavirus vaccine program reduces hospitalization rates by more than 70% in Ontario

Hospitalization for rotavirus infections decreased by > 70% following the introduction of a vaccine program in Ontario, Canada, according to a study published May 11, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sarah Wilson from Public Health Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Canada, and colleagues.

13 May 2016

Sexual abstinence, marital fidelity programs not effective in reducing HIV risk

The U.S. government has invested $1.4 billion in HIV prevention programs that promote sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, but there is no evidence that these programs have been effective at changing sexual behavior and reducing HIV risk, according to a new Stanford University School of Medicine study.

13 May 2016

Mosquito larvae carries Sindbis virus that can cause Ockelbo disease

After an outbreak of Ockelbo disease in northern Sweden in 2013, researchers at Umeå University were able to trace the virus to mosquitos in an area of Lövånger. In a new study, researchers have shown that mosquito larvae in the Västerbotten region also carry virus that can cause infectious disease. These include the Sindbis virus, which causes Ockelbo disease, which is associated with fever, rashes and prolonged joint pain.

13 May 2016

Potential vaccine that resembles sugar structures may help fight against gut bacterium C. difficile

A vaccine against one of the most dangerous hospital germs may soon be available. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the Freie Universität Berlin have developed a substance that elicits an immune response against the gut bacterium Clostridium difficile.

13 May 2016

Drug-repositioning strategy could help combat Chikungunya virus

Since 2013, the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus has spread rapidly through South America and the Caribbean, and is now threatening Southern Europe and the southern US.

13 May 2016

Same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients may lead to better health outcomes

A clinical trial of same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV patients in South Africa led to a higher proportion of people starting treatment and to better health outcomes, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher.

12 May 2016

Novel rapid diagnostic test and shorter treatment with better outcomes may benefit MDR-TB patients

New WHO recommendations aim to speed up detection and improve treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) through use of a novel rapid diagnostic test and a shorter, cheaper treatment regimen.

12 May 2016

Scientists prove effectiveness of gene editing system in eliminating HIV from DNA of CD4+ T-cells

In 2014, a team of researchers in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University became the first to successfully eliminate the HIV-1 virus from cultured human cells.

12 May 2016

Mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy provide basis to develop vaccines, treatments

Two mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy have been developed by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In them, the virus migrated from the pregnant mouse's bloodstream into the placenta, where it multiplied, then spread into the fetal circulation and infected the brains of the developing pups.

12 May 2016

Early infection screening programs may lead to lower rates of HIV transmission

Detecting HIV earlier, through screening programs that can identify the virus shortly after infection, may lead to lower rates of HIV transmission in local epidemics, suggest findings from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online.

12 May 2016

Point-of-care test could help detect TB in HIV-positive individuals

An international review team has prepared a Cochrane systematic review to assess the accuracy of a point-of-care urine test for diagnosing and screening tuberculosis (TB) in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

12 May 2016

High-throughput screening can help detect multiple compounds with potent antimicrobial activity

A new study in which researchers rapidly screened more than 11,000 bioactive molecules for activity against an antibiotic-resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria identified multiple compounds with potent antimicrobial activity.

12 May 2016

Scientists identify new hots pots of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria most often are associated with hospitals and other health-care settings, but a new study indicates that chicken coops and sewage treatment plants also are hot spots of antibiotic resistance.

12 May 2016

Brazilian strain of Zika virus can cause severe birth defects

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Brazil and Senegal, have described the first "direct experimental proof" that the Brazilian strain of Zika virus can actually cause severe birth defects. The findings are published in the May 11 online issue of Nature.

12 May 2016

Cloud-based data from EHRs can help track influenza in real time

Early detection and prediction of influenza outbreaks is critical to minimizing their impact. Currently, flu-like illnesses are tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but with a time lag of one to two weeks.

11 May 2016

Better education for patients, doctors on disease symptoms may help reduce leprosy in Brazil

Better education for both patients and doctors on how to spot the early symptoms of leprosy would help to reduce cases of the disease in Brazil, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

11 May 2016

UCLA, Danish research yields proof that treatment-as-prevention strategy could eliminate HIV

Worldwide, about 35 million people are living with HIV. The World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS plan to use an approach called "treatment as prevention" to eliminate the global pandemic, which the WHO says will have occurred when only one person out of 1,000 becomes infected each year.

11 May 2016

Disease/Infection News

WHO/PAHO statement on Zika virus and the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games

Altered coagulation caused by HIV virus linked to increased risk of non-AIDS diseases

New optimised PCR tests for reliable diagnosis of Zika virus

Rotavirus vaccine program reduces hospitalization rates by more than 70% in Ontario

Sexual abstinence, marital fidelity programs not effective in reducing HIV risk

Mosquito larvae carries Sindbis virus that can cause Ockelbo disease

Potential vaccine that resembles sugar structures may help fight against gut bacterium C. difficile

Drug-repositioning strategy could help combat Chikungunya virus

Same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients may lead to better health outcomes

Novel rapid diagnostic test and shorter treatment with better outcomes may benefit MDR-TB patients

Scientists prove effectiveness of gene editing system in eliminating HIV from DNA of CD4+ T-cells

Mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy provide basis to develop vaccines, treatments

Early infection screening programs may lead to lower rates of HIV transmission

Point-of-care test could help detect TB in HIV-positive individuals

High-throughput screening can help detect multiple compounds with potent antimicrobial activity

Scientists identify new hots pots of antibiotic resistance

Brazilian strain of Zika virus can cause severe birth defects

Cloud-based data from EHRs can help track influenza in real time

Better education for patients, doctors on disease symptoms may help reduce leprosy in Brazil

UCLA, Danish research yields proof that treatment-as-prevention strategy could eliminate HIV

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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