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Doctors underestimate worldwide burden of CPA, says public health expert

Researchers have discovered that over a million people worldwide diagnosed with TB go on to develop an incurable but manageable fungal infection which is usually left untreated because it is mistaken for a recurrence of the disease.

2 Dec 2011

Uncertainty about HIV pushes young Malawians to start families

People in Malawi who are uncertain about their HIV status are more eager to start families than those who are certain of their HIV status, according to researchers.

2 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Bush, Bono and others reflect on World AIDS Day; Coburn and Burr on Medicare savings

On this Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, the promise of progress against the disease has never been more vivid - or more fragile. ... In lean budget times, the U.S. and the developing world must prioritize. But there can be no higher priority than saving lives. And there is no better way to save lives than to support and expand effective, proven programs such as Pepfar.

2 Dec 2011

HIV physicians launch CALIBER of Care initiative

Today, on World AIDS Day, an expert panel of physicians from HIV clinics across the country announced the launch of the CALIBER (Clinic Activation to Lead and Implement Best practices for Enhancing Response to HIV) of Care© initiative, a partnership with Merck that is designed to help improve HIV patient care through physician-patient communication resources.

2 Dec 2011

Two studies uncover limitations in screening for hepatocellular carcinoma

Two studies available in the December issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, have uncovered limitations in screening for primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma.

2 Dec 2011

Cheaper test as effective as a more sophisticated test in guiding anti-retroviral drug treatment

A cheaper laboratory test that helps guide anti-retroviral drug treatment for people with HIV/AIDS may be just as effective as a more sophisticated test, a group of international researchers has found - a discovery that could be particularly important in rural Africa.

2 Dec 2011

Radioimmunotherapy shows promise against fungal diseases

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are a major threat to individuals with cancer, transplants, HIV, and other conditions that weaken their immune system. New research has shown that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) could be a promising avenue for development of new types of treatment of fungal diseases, according to a paper published by scientists of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with other researchers.

2 Dec 2011

EGCG may prevent HCV reinfection after liver transplantation

German researchers have determined that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)—a flavonoid found in green tea—inhibits the hepatitis C virus (HCV) from entering liver cells.

1 Dec 2011

Even those with egg allergies should receive the flu vaccine

With the coughing, sneezing and achy flu season upon us, new recommendations say that even those with egg allergies should receive the flu vaccine.

1 Dec 2011

Supreme Court hears arguments regarding privacy laws and HIV

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a case testing whether the federal government is liable for damages when it violates the Privacy Act by disclosing that an individual is HIV-positive.

1 Dec 2011

Fatal prion diseases have a hidden signature

Medical researchers in Canada and the United States recently published their joint findings that fatal prion diseases, which include BSE or "mad cow disease," have a hidden signature.

1 Dec 2011

South Africa 'witnessing first steps of AIDS-free generation'

In this Business Day opinion piece, Donald Gips, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, examines progress made in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, writing that, through the coordination of governments, civil society, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), educational institutions, and researchers from around the world, "we now have the tools that allow us for the first time to set the goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation -- when virtually no children are born with the virus; we have effective and comprehensive education and prevention strategies that help to reduce risk; and those who are infected with HIV have access to treatment that helps prevent them from developing AIDS and transmitting the virus."

1 Dec 2011

NIAID director Fauci discusses moving forward in AIDS fight

In this interview with GlobalPost's John Donnelly, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, discusses "his perspective of the fight against AIDS at this moment, and how discoveries by scientists can now be best used."

1 Dec 2011

Inadequate mask and respirator use put health care workers at risk of 2009 H1N1 infection

Inadequate use of masks or respirators put health care workers at risk of 2009 H1N1 infection during the earliest stages of the 2009 pandemic in the U.S., according to a study published in the December issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

1 Dec 2011

TB Research Movement formed to drive progress

Christian Lienhardt of the Stop TB Partnership and colleagues examine the research necessary to stop tuberculosis (TB) and introduce the TB Research Movement, which aims to "boost TB research and accelerate progress in TB control towards international targets," in this PLoS Medicine article.

1 Dec 2011

Xinhua examines HIV/AIDS in China

Xinhua posted several articles examining HIV/AIDS in China. The first looks at HIV/AIDS among the general population. The article notes that 346,000 people are living with HIV in China, and the "number is predicted to hit 780,000 by the end of 2011, according to an expert panel ... consisting of members from China's Ministry of Health (MOH), the World Health Organization and UNAIDS," the MOH reported in a statement released on Tuesday.

1 Dec 2011

Prioritizing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

In his ForeignPolicy.com column, Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and a Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation, writes that despite an "abundance of tools to fight the global AIDS epidemic," including male circumcision and treatment as prevention, "the breakthroughs don't amount to a global reprieve."

1 Dec 2011

Study to explore food safety practices in domestic kitchens across UK

Researchers at the Universities of Hertfordshire and Newcastle have been commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to look at food safety practices in UK kitchens.

1 Dec 2011

AIDS 'tipping points' could prompt discussion on effectiveness, efficiency

In this post on the Center for Global Development's "Global Health Policy" blog, Jenny Ottenhoff, policy outreach associate at the Center, examines the prospects for U.S. spending on global AIDS programs.

1 Dec 2011

NTD awareness during the 2012 elections

Peter Hotez of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Karen Goraleski of the Sabin Vaccine Institute write in this PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) editorial, "In the next year leading up to the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, the global NTD community has an important opportunity to present the case for NTD funding to remain as an essential component of U.S. international development assistance."

1 Dec 2011