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HIV superinfection may be more frequent among general population of Uganda

HIV superinfection, when a person with HIV could acquire a second, new strain of HIV, may occur as often as initial HIV infection in the general population in Uganda, a study suggests.

8 Jun 2012

Anti-TNFs increase risk of shingles in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor medications (anti-TNFs) have a 75% greater risk of developing herpes zoster, or shingles, than patients treated with traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a meta-analysis presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism.

8 Jun 2012

UNAIDS Executive Director calls on African leaders to reduce 'triple dependency' on external sources of HIV drugs, commodities, technologies

"Delivering a speech at Wednesday's opening session of the 16th Conference of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe congratulated leaders across the region for their personal commitment to the HIV response, specifically with regard to upholding human rights and protecting human capital," UNAIDS reports in an article on its website.

8 Jun 2012

WHO warns of drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea

"Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea have spread to countries across the world, the U.N. health agency said on Wednesday, and millions of patients may run out of treatment options unless doctors catch and treat cases earlier," Reuters reports.

7 Jun 2012

Dengue fever vaccine 'may be in sight,' Reuters reports

Reuters reports on efforts to develop a vaccine for dengue fever, writing that "victory over ... the intensely painful 'breakbone fever' ... may be in sight." Paris-based firm Sanofi "hopes for positive results in September from a key trial among children in Thailand that would set it on course to market a shot in 2015, which would prevent an estimated 100 million cases of dengue infection each year," the news service writes.

7 Jun 2012

Life expectancy gap narrows between blacks and whites

The life expectancy gap between blacks and whites has narrowed thanks to fewer black deaths due to AIDS and heart disease, a new study finds.

7 Jun 2012

U.N. Women becomes 11th member of UNAIDS partnership

"The U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N. Women) on Tuesday became the 11th member of the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partnership that focuses on achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 Jun 2012

WHO calls for greater vigilance on correct use of antibiotics against gonorrhoea

Millions of people with gonorrhoea may be at risk of running out of treatment options unless urgent action is taken, according to WHO. Already several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics - the last treatment option against gonorrhoea. Every year an estimated 106 million people are infected with gonorrhea, which is transmitted sexually.

7 Jun 2012

New strategy can effectively control malaria in Africa

Giving young children medicine once a month during the rainy season to protect them against malaria could prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year in some areas of Africa, according to new research.

7 Jun 2012

CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing

The HIV drugs known as CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggest in a preclinical study published in a recent issue of Cancer Research.

7 Jun 2012

Arrowhead initiates final IND-enabling steps for ARC-520 to treat HBV

Arrowhead Research Corporation, a targeted therapeutics company, today announced that its hepatitis B virus (HBV) program has completed all internal preclinical requirements and has named a clinical candidate.

7 Jun 2012

New technique accurately determines infants at risk for malaria

A new technique that accurately determines the risk of infants in endemic countries developing clinical malaria could provide a valuable tool for evaluating new malaria prevention strategies and vaccines.

6 Jun 2012

Scientists decode genome of main Chagas disease vector

"An international team of scientists has decoded the genome of one of the main vectors of Chagas disease, paving the way for more targeted vector control and new ways to prevent disease transmission," SciDev.Net reports.

6 Jun 2012

Daily bathing with antiseptic cloths effectively reduces MRSA incidence at Ontario geriatric facility

The introduction of daily bathing with disposable, germ-killing cloths resulted in a sustained, significant decrease in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) incidence at a Canadian geriatric facility, according to a poster presented at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

6 Jun 2012

Guardian examines high incidence of drowning deaths among children in Bangladesh

"Bangladesh, a country crisscrossed with rivers and canals, has one of the highest drowning rates in the world," the Guardian reports. "More than 17,000 Bangladeshi children drown every year -- nearly 50 a day, according to the Bangladesh health and injury survey, conducted in 2003," the news service writes.

6 Jun 2012

InVitria receives new SBIR grant from NIAID

Ventria Bioscience today announced that its non-therapeutic products division InVitria has been awarded a new Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

6 Jun 2012

Altapure, ITT Exelis to launch new model of disinfection system

ITT Exelis and Altapure, LLC are launching a new model of their state-of-the-art disinfection system at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology annual conference this week in San Antonio, Texas.

6 Jun 2012

BioMed Protect’s Sanotracin RTU rapidly and effectively kills C. difficile within 3 minutes

In the United States Clostridium difficile or "C. difficile" is now recognized as one of the most dangerous and fastest growing Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs) in existence. Now surpassing even Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), C. difficile infections tripled between 2000 and 2005.

6 Jun 2012

Family members of children with staph infections often harbor drug-resistant germs

Family members of children with a staph infection often harbor a drug-resistant form of the germ, although they don't show symptoms, a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found.

5 Jun 2012

Bangladesh may be facing HIV epidemic, Inter Press Service reports

"Bangladesh has shown low HIV prevalence rates so far but may be silently moving towards an epidemic, say experts pointing to underreporting and poor monitoring for the virus in the general population," Inter Press Service reports.

5 Jun 2012

Disease/Infection News

HIV superinfection may be more frequent among general population of Uganda

Anti-TNFs increase risk of shingles in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases

UNAIDS Executive Director calls on African leaders to reduce 'triple dependency' on external sources of HIV drugs, commodities, technologies

WHO warns of drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea

Dengue fever vaccine 'may be in sight,' Reuters reports

Life expectancy gap narrows between blacks and whites

U.N. Women becomes 11th member of UNAIDS partnership

WHO calls for greater vigilance on correct use of antibiotics against gonorrhoea

New strategy can effectively control malaria in Africa

CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing

Arrowhead initiates final IND-enabling steps for ARC-520 to treat HBV

New technique accurately determines infants at risk for malaria

Scientists decode genome of main Chagas disease vector

Daily bathing with antiseptic cloths effectively reduces MRSA incidence at Ontario geriatric facility

Guardian examines high incidence of drowning deaths among children in Bangladesh

InVitria receives new SBIR grant from NIAID

Altapure, ITT Exelis to launch new model of disinfection system

BioMed Protect’s Sanotracin RTU rapidly and effectively kills C. difficile within 3 minutes

Family members of children with staph infections often harbor drug-resistant germs

Bangladesh may be facing HIV epidemic, Inter Press Service reports

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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