Disease/Infection News

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UAB receives NIDCR grant to create national dental practice-based research network

Oral health has been called the window to one's overall health, and a new national research effort led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry aims to provide people on the frontline of oral health care - community dentists in private practice - the opportunity to be on the forefront of research that addresses day-to-day issues they face with patients. The effort not only could improve the nation's dental health but its overall health as well.

16 Apr 2012

Cholera vaccination pilot project begins in Haiti

"A year and a half after cholera first struck Haiti, a tiny portion of the population on Thursday began getting vaccinated against the waterborne disease that has infected more than 530,000 Haitians and killed more than 7,040," the New York Times reports.

16 Apr 2012

Next five years important for S. Africa to show it can effectively respond to HIV, TB

South Africa's recently released "National Strategic Plan on HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Tuberculosis (TB) 2012-2016" "marked an important milestone" in the nation's fight against infectious diseases, a Lancet editorial states.

16 Apr 2012

As world's first polio vaccine turns 57, scientists working to develop better alternatives

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Oshinsky examines the development of the world's first polio vaccine, noting that the vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh, turned 57 on Thursday.

16 Apr 2012

Politico Pro examines reaction to Melinda Gates's TEDxChange speech on family planning

Politico Pro examines the reaction to a speech delivered by Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at a TEDxChange conference in Berlin on April 5.

16 Apr 2012

UTMDACC to offer free head and neck cancer screening exams on April 27

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will offer free head and neck cancer screening exams to the public on Fri., April 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Cancer Prevention Center at the Cancer Prevention Building, 1155 Pressler Street, Floor 2.

16 Apr 2012

Study finds feasible and impactful solutions for Nigeria's immunization program

A study released today by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has identified the most feasible and impactful solutions for Nigeria's immunization program that could offer the best hope yet for scaling up vaccine access to the nation's most rural areas and taking aim at the country's precipitous number of child deaths.

16 Apr 2012

HPA urges routine vaccination after surge of whooping cough cases

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there have been 665 confirmed cases already this year, compared with 1,040 in the whole of 2011. Cases have been reported across all regions in England with some areas reporting clusters in schools, universities and healthcare settings.

15 Apr 2012

Bat on a plane gives rise to rabies exposure risk: CDC report

On 5th August 2011, a bat flew through the cabin of a commercial airliner minutes after takeoff during an early morning flight from Wisconsin to Georgia. This potentially exposed the passengers and flight crew to rabies virus. Three days later, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health (WDPH) requested assistance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a rabies risk assessment for those on board and the ground crew.

15 Apr 2012

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

All Care Inala Medical Centre doctor Michael Ho said flu shots were becoming more popular each year. “Flu seasons tends to begin in late March early April to June,” he said. “More and more people are opting to get vaccinations because they are promoted well within the community.” He added, “It is particularly important for elderly people to be immunized because their immune system is already not at its best…This is also the case for people who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, severe asthma, or heart disease. With their current condition, if they catch the flu they can end up with a worse outcome.”

12 Apr 2012

Sri Lankan health officials report increase in number of dengue cases in first quarter compared to 2011

Sri Lankan health authorities "have reported a three-fold increase in the number of recorded dengue fever cases in the first quarter of this year," IRIN reports.

12 Apr 2012

IPS examines how HIV/AIDS affects women in western Nepal

Inter Press Service examines how HIV/AIDS is affecting women in western Nepal, where life in the poor region "is getting worse thanks to HIV infection brought back by men who go to neighboring India for seasonal work."

12 Apr 2012

Guardian examines Swaziland's HIV epidemic

The Guardian examines the HIV epidemic in Swaziland, writing, "While neighboring countries have made inroads against the disease, the mountain kingdom of one million people continues to suffer setbacks, partly due to cultural norms around sexuality being exacerbated by a financial crisis." According to the news service, Swaziland has "the highest HIV rate in the world, with more than one in four adults estimated to be carrying the virus."

12 Apr 2012

Dubai Cares makes $1M donation for deworming program in Angola

The philanthropic organization Dubai Cares has announced a $1 million donation to partner with The END Fund in the establishment "of a school-based deworming program that will treat children in Angola," according to the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' (NTD) "End the Neglect" blog.

12 Apr 2012

DNDi, AstraZeneca enter collaboration on drug-compound screening for NTDs

AstraZeneca and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) today announce an agreement to collaborate on drug-compound screening for leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness, three neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which together affect nearly 10 million people worldwide.

12 Apr 2012

VOA health report examines health needs in Burma amid recent political changes

This VOA Special English Health Report examines health needs in Burma, where "[h]ealth workers are warning about the spread of a form of drug-resistant malaria."

12 Apr 2012

Discontinuing antibiotic used to prevent opportunistic infections among HIV patients could increase risk of malaria, diarrhea

"Abruptly discontinuing co-trimoxazole -- an antibiotic used to prevent opportunistic infections in HIV-positive people -- can lead to a higher incidence of malaria and diarrhea compared with patients who keep on taking the drug," according to a study conducted by the CDC in eastern Uganda and published by the Oxford Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases in March, PlusNews reports.

12 Apr 2012

New preoperative prepping kit to address surgical site infection risk

3M's Infection Prevention Division and Sage Products are working together to offer surgical staff and patients a new preoperative prepping kit to help address surgical site infection (SSI) risk within three main reservoirs of bacteria in the body: the nares, the oral cavity and the skin.

12 Apr 2012

Financial Times analysis examines efforts to address dual risk research

A Financial Times analysis examines how the international community is working "to ensure scientific work can proceed without falling prey to accidental leaks or malevolent intent," following controversy surrounding two studies on the H5N1 bird flu virus.

12 Apr 2012

Genocea to highlight progress in malaria vaccine development at World Vaccine Congress

Genocea Biosciences today announced that it will highlight new progress it is making toward the development of an effective vaccine for malaria during a presentation today at the World Vaccine Congress by Jessica Baker Flechtner, Ph.D., Vice President of Research.

12 Apr 2012