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Opinion pieces examine malaria fight in recognition of World Malaria Day

Wednesday, April 25, marked World Malaria Day, which this year had the theme "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria." The following opinion pieces address the fight against malaria.

27 Apr 2012

Senate committee questions federal officials about dual-use research of concern procedures

"Spurred by events surrounding two controversial H5N1 transmission studies, a U.S. Senate committee [on Thursday] questioned federal officials whose agencies have a stake in dual-use research of concern (DURC) about the procedures they use to spot possible bioterror threats," CIDRAP News reports.

27 Apr 2012

Malaria researchers discuss achievements, threats to progress at Capitol Hill event

"To commemorate World Malaria Day, top malaria researchers came together Wednesday to present their work at a research and development event on Capitol Hill, hosted by Malaria No More," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

27 Apr 2012

Drug-resistant malaria might be spreading in Africa, study suggests

A strain of malaria that is resistant to artemether, the main ingredient in Coartem, a widely used drug to treat the disease, may be spreading in Africa, according to a study published Thursday in Malaria Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

27 Apr 2012

Blog continues coverage of International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog continued its coverage of the 2nd International Treatment as Prevention Workshop in Vancouver.

27 Apr 2012

Nature outlook examines fight against malaria in Uganda

Nature Outlook examines the fight against malaria in Uganda. "Uganda's tragic failure to abate malaria has numerous political, geographic, economic and social factors -- and illustrates the reality that it takes more than scientific breakthroughs and cheap drugs to solve this persistent menace," according to the article. Nat

27 Apr 2012

Blogs examine malaria fight in recognition of World Malaria Day

Wednesday, April 25, marked World Malaria Day, which this year had the theme "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria."

27 Apr 2012

Researchers discover small molecules that kill HPV-infected cancer cells

Researchers at The Wistar Institute announce the discovery of small molecules that kill cancer cells caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Their results, in both cell and mouse models, demonstrate that the small molecule inhibitors protect a tumor-suppressing protein targeted by viral proteins, thus killing the infected tumor cells.

27 Apr 2012

Smarter purchasing of bednets could save $630M over 5 years, report suggests

"A new report from the Results for Development Institute," released to coincide with World Malaria Day on Wednesday, "suggests there are ways to save and reinvest badly needed funds, by getting better value for money out of the bednets distributed in endemic areas," Guardian Health Editor Sarah Boseley reports in her "Global Health Blog."

27 Apr 2012

U.S. government 'catalyzing' international community to end preventable child deaths

"When it comes to promoting global health, the American people have much to celebrate and be proud of. With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. government has not only committed many billions of dollars and saved many millions of lives, it has changed the way the world approaches foreign aid," former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul writes in an opinion piece in The Hill.

27 Apr 2012

USDA: Dairy cow in California tested positive for atypical BSE

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that a dairy cow in California tested positive for atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The USDA also confirmed the cow did not enter the animal feed or human food supply

27 Apr 2012

Kenyan AIDS activists protest over unspent PEPFAR funds

"More than 400 Kenyan AIDS activists have demonstrated in the capital, Nairobi, demanding that the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief release some $500 million for HIV programs in Kenya that is stuck in the pipeline," PlusNews reports.

27 Apr 2012

Southern African countries could improve GDPs through fiscal policies on HIV treatment

"Southern African governments could use public spending in their battle against the extremely high rates of HIV/AIDS in their countries and still achieve a positive economic impact, argues a new paper from the African Development Bank (AfDB)," an AfDB press release states.

27 Apr 2012

Blog posts report on International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

Two separate posts in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog report on the International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver. The first post recaps an update from Stephen Becker of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday "about the Foundation's treatment optimization activities," writing, "According to Becker, the Foundation acknowledges that treatment will be at the center of HIV prevention efforts, but 'no amount of treatment will obviate the need for primary prevention modalities.'"

27 Apr 2012

Reviewing changes at the Global Fund

"The newly appointed temporary General Manager Gabriel Jaramillo and his team has moved forward to 'transform' the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] with considerable speed and deftness, restoring confidence among bilateral donors such as Japan and several others and country recipients as well as improving morale among the Fund's staff," Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

27 Apr 2012

Funders should follow lead of U.S. in creating policies for scientific research oversight

"The controversy over the research into the genetic modification of the H5N1 flu virus, finally approved for publication, should offer a reminder of the importance of debate" over dual-use technology, a Nature editorial states.

27 Apr 2012

Guardian, Malaria Consortium hold experts' roundtable discussion on World Malaria Day

The Guardian, in association with Malaria Consortium, hosted a roundtable discussion on World Malaria Day, during which participants heard about progress in the fight against the disease in certain countries and discussed how "the burden of malaria is still high and spending on the disease is inadequate," the Guardian reports.

27 Apr 2012

Ghana launching childhood immunization campaign for rotavirus, pneumococcal disease

"Starting this week, Ghana will vaccinate the first babies in a new campaign against rotavirus -- a cause of severe diarrhea -- and pneumococcal disease, which causes pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis," Reuters reports.

27 Apr 2012

Handheld plasma-producing device can instantly kill bacteria

A group of Chinese and Australian scientists, including CSIRO, have developed a handheld, battery-powered plasma-producing device that can rid skin of bacteria in an instant. The handheld plasma flashlight could be used in ambulance emergency calls, natural disaster sites, military combat operations and many other instances where treatment is required in remote locations.

27 Apr 2012

Seabirds play an important role in dispersal and biodiversity of parasites

According to a scientific paper published in the journal Biology Letters, in which have taken part Jacob González-Solís, professor at the Department of Animal Biology and at the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio), due to their capacity to travel long distances, seabirds play an important role in the dispersal and biodiversity of parasites and of the infectious agents these may transmit.

27 Apr 2012

Disease/Infection News

Opinion pieces examine malaria fight in recognition of World Malaria Day

Senate committee questions federal officials about dual-use research of concern procedures

Malaria researchers discuss achievements, threats to progress at Capitol Hill event

Drug-resistant malaria might be spreading in Africa, study suggests

Blog continues coverage of International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

Nature outlook examines fight against malaria in Uganda

Blogs examine malaria fight in recognition of World Malaria Day

Researchers discover small molecules that kill HPV-infected cancer cells

Smarter purchasing of bednets could save $630M over 5 years, report suggests

U.S. government 'catalyzing' international community to end preventable child deaths

USDA: Dairy cow in California tested positive for atypical BSE

Kenyan AIDS activists protest over unspent PEPFAR funds

Southern African countries could improve GDPs through fiscal policies on HIV treatment

Blog posts report on International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

Reviewing changes at the Global Fund

Funders should follow lead of U.S. in creating policies for scientific research oversight

Guardian, Malaria Consortium hold experts' roundtable discussion on World Malaria Day

Ghana launching childhood immunization campaign for rotavirus, pneumococcal disease

Handheld plasma-producing device can instantly kill bacteria

Seabirds play an important role in dispersal and biodiversity of parasites

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