Disease/Infection News

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South African mines must have HIV, TB, workplace safety policies to receive license, Minister says

Speaking at an event where South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe urged the mining industry to take greater steps to address tuberculosis (TB) and HIV among its employees, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu "announced that mining companies, whose HIV, TB and workplace safety policies are being audited by her department, will have to submit their policies as a prerequisite for renewing their mining licenses," PlusNews reports.

28 Mar 2012

Inadequate government TB program, lax drug sale regulations contributing to MDR-TB cases in India, health groups say

"India's inadequate government-run tuberculosis [TB] treatment programs and a lack of regulation of the sale of drugs that fight the disease are responsible for the increasing number of drug-resistant cases that are difficult to treat," health advocacy organizations said in India last week, the Associated Press/Huffington Post reports.

28 Mar 2012

Study: 20.1M individuals infected with HEV across 9 world regions

New research funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20.1 million individuals were infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 across 9 world regions in 2005.

28 Mar 2012

United Nations Foundation launches Nothing But Nets campaign

Since last June, more than 130,000 refugees—and counting—have entered South Sudan and neighboring countries to escape fighting on the border of Sudan. As the situation worsens, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is providing food, water, and shelter. Living in a country where malaria is the leading cause of death among children under five, the refugee families in South Sudan need another life-saving tool: insecticide-treated bed nets.

28 Mar 2012

New microfluidic chip more effective in detecting flu outbreaks

The H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 underscored weaknesses in methods widely used to diagnose the flu, from frequent false negatives to long wait times for results. Now Boston University researchers have developed a prototype of a rapid, low-cost, accurate, point-of-care device that promises to provide clinicians with an effective tool to quickly diagnose both seasonal and pandemic strains of influenza, and thus limit the spread of infection.

28 Mar 2012

Improvement in collaboration between TB and HIV services saves 910 000 lives

An estimated 910 000 lives were saved globally over six years by improving collaboration between TB and HIV services that protect people living with HIV from TB, according to global health impact figures released today.

27 Mar 2012

National biosecurity panel to hold closed-door meeting on bird flu research

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) is scheduled this week to hold "a closed-door meeting to once again look at unpublished manuscripts describing" two studies that showed how H5N1 bird flu virus could be manipulated to become transmissible among ferrets, a model for humans, NPR's health blog "Shots" reports, noting that the meeting "will include a classified briefing from the intelligence community."

27 Mar 2012

MedImmune receives FDA approval for FluMist Quadrivalent vaccine

FluMist Quadrivalent, a vaccine to prevent seasonal influenza in people ages 2 years through 49 years, has been approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FluMist Quadrivalent is the first influenza vaccine to contain four strains of the influenza virus, two influenza A strains and two influenza B strains.

27 Mar 2012

BRICS countries increasing global health, development aid, report says

As their economies grow, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- known collectively as BRICS -- "are injecting new resources, innovation and momentum into efforts to improve health in the world's poorest countries, according to a report by Global Health Strategies initiatives [GHSi]" released on Monday, Business Live reports.

27 Mar 2012

U.N. SG Ban calls for global effort to fight TB on World TB Day

Speaking on Saturday at a World Tuberculosis (TB) Day event, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "called for a global effort to diagnose and treat tuberculosis," United Press International reports.

27 Mar 2012

White House nominates global health expert Jim Yong Kim to head World Bank

"The White House on Friday named Jim Yong Kim, the president of Dartmouth College and a global health expert, as its nominee to lead the World Bank" beginning "on June 30, when its current president, Robert B. Zoellick, will step down at the end of his five-year term," the New York Times reports.

27 Mar 2012

Promotion and education of female condom prevent HIV and save medical care costs

A new economic analysis, conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and featured in the current issue of Springer's journal AIDS and Behavior, showed that the DC Female Condom program, a public-private partnership to provide and promote female condoms, prevented enough HIV infections in the first year alone to save over $8 million in future medical care costs.

27 Mar 2012

Chevron recognized as first 'Global Fund Corporate Champion,' VOA News reports

VOA News reports on a March 20 panel meeting in Washington, D.C., that highlighted the contributions of corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

27 Mar 2012

Pharmaplan, Moberg Derma to distribute Nalox/Emtrix in South Africa

Moberg Derma AB has entered into a distribution agreement with Pharmaplan (Pty) Ltd. for Nalox//Emtrix - for discolored and damaged nails caused by nail fungus (onychomycosis) or nail psoriasis.

27 Mar 2012

South African government plan aims to eliminate new HIV, TB infections within 20 years

The South African "government plans to bring down new HIV infection rates to zero in the next 20 years, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Saturday" at a World Tuberculosis (TB) Day event at the Goldfields mine in Carletonville, Gauteng, SAPA/Independent Online reports.

27 Mar 2012

Opinion pieces, editorials, blog posts recognize World TB Day

Saturday, March 24, was World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. The following is a summary of several editorials, opinion pieces, and blog posts published in recognition of the day.

27 Mar 2012

IU biologist to genetically modify variants of chlamydia

An Indiana University biologist has been awarded over $2.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to genetically modify variants of the human pathogen chlamydia in hopes of finding a vaccine for the most commonly reported bacterial infectious disease in the United States.

27 Mar 2012

Tips to prevent tick-borne diseases

Spring has only just arrived, but tick season is well under way. Physicians are seeing new cases of tick-borne illness several weeks earlier than usual, likely because a mild winter in much of the country made life easier for ticks and their offspring. That means it's time for gardeners, hikers, pet owners and others who spend time outdoors to take steps to protect themselves -- and to watch for symptoms of tick-borne illness if they do come in contact with the tiny bloodsuckers.

27 Mar 2012

Study reveals how HSV-1 virus overcomes intrinsic host defenses

New biological research reveals how an invading virus hijacks a cell's workings by imitating a signaling marker to defeat the body's defenses. By manipulating cell signals, the virus destroys a defensive protein designed to inhibit it. This finding, from studies in human cell cultures, may represent a broader targeting strategy used by other viruses, and may lay the scientific groundwork for developing more effective treatments for infectious diseases.

27 Mar 2012

Researchers launch major aspirin trial to eradicate H. pylori

Researchers have launched a major clinical trial to investigate whether eliminating a common stomach bug could help to make taking aspirin safer in some patients.

27 Mar 2012