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Study examines effects of partial dose of polio vaccine on immune response

"A partial dose of polio vaccine was as good as a full one in providing a basic level of immunity against the crippling disease, according to a study that may offer poor countries a cheap, effective way of ensuring the disease doesn't return after it's eradicated in an area," Bloomberg reports.

1 Feb 2013

Current recommendations for infection control among health care providers may not be adequate

Some people with the flu emit more of the air-borne virus than others, suggesting that the current recommendations for infection control among health care providers may not be adequate, according to a new study from researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

1 Feb 2013

On FDR's birthday, international community should honor his legacy by eradicating polio

In an opinion piece in the GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Oshinsky notes "January 30 mark[ed] the 131st birthday of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest-serving American president," and "reflects on the advances in the fight against polio, one of FDR's greatest legacies."

1 Feb 2013

News outlets continue coverage of Bill Gates' speech calling for 'detailed plan' to eradicate polio

Delivering the annual Richard Dimbleby lecture in London on Tuesday, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, called for a detailed plan to rid the world of polio by 2018.

1 Feb 2013

Over half of countries struggling to prevent and manage cancer

More than half of all countries worldwide are struggling to prevent cancer and provide treatment and chronic care to cancer patients, warns a recent World Health Organization (WHO) survey for World Cancer Day. This means, currently many of these countries do not have a functional cancer control plan that includes prevention, early detection, treatment and care. There is an urgent need to help countries to reduce cancer deaths and provide appropriate long-term treatment and care to avoid human suffering and protect countries’ social and economic development.

1 Feb 2013

HIV infection rate in MSM in England and Wales remains unchanged despite improved prevention measures

The rate of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and Wales has remained unchanged over the past decade despite an almost four-fold increase in HIV testing, rising treatment coverage, and a 20% shortening of time-to-diagnosis, according to new research published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

1 Feb 2013

Blog examines global malaria funding

In a post in his "Malaria Matters" blog, Bill Brieger, a professor in the health systems program of the department of international health at Johns Hopkins University, examines donor funding for global health and asks whether funding for malaria has hit a plateau.

1 Feb 2013

Moderate gum disease causes severe infection and inflammation in AIDS animal model

Texas Biomed scientists in San Antonio have found that moderate gum disease in an animal model exposed to an AIDS- like virus had more viral variants causing infection and greater inflammation. Both of these features have potential negative implications in long term disease progression, including other kinds of infections, the researchers say in a new report.

1 Feb 2013

Microbiologists discover new pathway to improve vaccines against tuberculosis

A new pathway for improving vaccines against tuberculosis has been discovered by microbiologists at the University at Buffalo in collaboration with researchers at other universities, according to a paper in the journal Mucosal Immunology, published by the Nature group.

1 Feb 2013

Condom use expectations less than 50% for all types of sexual encounters: Study

Researchers have found that African American women exhibit a higher risk for sexually transmitted infections including HIV/Aids. But what motivates this group of women to have sex? And when are they more likely to use protection?

31 Jan 2013

Positive results from PaxVax's Ad4-H5-Vtn vector vaccine Phase 1 trial on avian flu

PaxVax, Inc., which develops and commercializes innovative vaccines against infectious diseases in a socially responsible manner, today announced positive results in a Phase 1 clinical trial for its oral, replicating adenovirus serotype 4 (Ad4) vector vaccine for H5N1 (avian flu).

31 Jan 2013

TB test offers rapid detection of TB and drug-resistant strains according to new study

A diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) can accurately and quickly detect both TB and drug-resistant strains, according to a new study. The authors of a new systematic review assessing the diagnostic accuracy of the Xpert® MTB/RIF test published in The Cochrane Library say their study can provide timely advice for clinicians and policymakers in countries where TB is a major public health problem.

31 Jan 2013

CDC: Adult vaccination rates 'unacceptably low'

According to the CDC, a "substantial increase" in immunizations for adults is necessary.

31 Jan 2013

C. albicans capable of sexual reproduction

Like many fungi and one-celled organisms, Candida albicans, a normally harmless microbe that can turn deadly, has long been thought to reproduce without sexual mating. But a new study by Professor Judith Berman and colleagues at the University of Minnesota and Tel Aviv University shows that C. albicans is capable of sexual reproduction.

31 Jan 2013

Global Fund Observer reports on new funding model progress

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Tuesday published Issue 208 of its "Global Fund Observer." Among others, the issue contains two stories on the new funding model (NFM), which, according to the first article, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria expects to launch by the end of February.

31 Jan 2013

GSU associate professor receives federal grant to bolster flu vaccine research

Sang-Moo Kang, associate professor at Georgia State University's Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection, has received a federal five-year, $3.4 million grant to bolster research that will lead to better flu vaccines and vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease for which there is no immunization.

31 Jan 2013

Government mistrust and conspiracy fears deter older adults from getting tested for HIV

One out of every four people living with HIV/AIDS is 50 or older, yet these older individuals are far more likely to be diagnosed when they are already in the later stages of infection. Such late diagnoses put their health, and the health of others, at greater risk than would have been the case with earlier detection.

31 Jan 2013

Gunmen in Pakistan kill police officer escorting polio vaccination workers

In the latest round of violence affecting health workers in Pakistan, "gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot and killed a police officer protecting polio workers during a U.N.-backed vaccination campaign in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, the police said," the Associated Press reports.

31 Jan 2013

International community must continue to fund efforts to stop spread of infectious diseases

Writing in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog, Dirk Niebel, Germany's federal minister of economic cooperation and development, discusses "why Germany announced last week that it is committing one billion euros over five years to the Global Fund."

31 Jan 2013

Researchers identify mechanism by which vancomycin resistance spreads between bacteria

Worldwide, many strains of the bacterium Staphyloccocus aureus, commonly known as staph infections, are already resistant to all antibiotics except vancomycin. But as bacteria are becoming resistant to this once powerful antidote, S. aureus has moved one step closer to becoming an unstoppable killer.

31 Jan 2013

Disease/Infection News

Study examines effects of partial dose of polio vaccine on immune response

Current recommendations for infection control among health care providers may not be adequate

On FDR's birthday, international community should honor his legacy by eradicating polio

News outlets continue coverage of Bill Gates' speech calling for 'detailed plan' to eradicate polio

Over half of countries struggling to prevent and manage cancer

HIV infection rate in MSM in England and Wales remains unchanged despite improved prevention measures

Blog examines global malaria funding

Moderate gum disease causes severe infection and inflammation in AIDS animal model

Microbiologists discover new pathway to improve vaccines against tuberculosis

Condom use expectations less than 50% for all types of sexual encounters: Study

Positive results from PaxVax's Ad4-H5-Vtn vector vaccine Phase 1 trial on avian flu

TB test offers rapid detection of TB and drug-resistant strains according to new study

CDC: Adult vaccination rates 'unacceptably low'

C. albicans capable of sexual reproduction

Global Fund Observer reports on new funding model progress

GSU associate professor receives federal grant to bolster flu vaccine research

Government mistrust and conspiracy fears deter older adults from getting tested for HIV

Gunmen in Pakistan kill police officer escorting polio vaccination workers

International community must continue to fund efforts to stop spread of infectious diseases

Researchers identify mechanism by which vancomycin resistance spreads between bacteria

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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