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Swine flu risk to pregnant women uncovered in landmark study

A study to be published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today has found 11 percent of pregnant women admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with 2009 A/H1N1 (swine flu) died, with 12 percent of babies born to them dying from complications. None of the mothers had been immunised against seasonal flu.

22 Mar 2010

Influenza pandemic policies: WHO denies being improperly influenced by pharmaceutical industry

Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

20 Mar 2010

Bleach solution effective in reducing hospital-acquired infections

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the one of the leading pathogens causing hospital-acquired infection in the United States. It may cause diarrhea, colitis, sepsis and lead to prolonged hospitalization and death.

20 Mar 2010

Inexpensive lab tests can help protect people from chronic kidney disease

No matter what Washington does on health reform, there's a lot you can do to reform your own health -- and two of the best places to start are your kidneys.

20 Mar 2010

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

A new study linking funding increases in the global fight against malaria to a drop in deaths from the disease also shows that resources from donor governments still fall short of those needed for maximum impact against the world's fourth-biggest killer of children, according to a global health policy analyst at international aid agency World Vision.

20 Mar 2010

New device detects bacterial and fungal contamination

Microorganisms are everywhere and most of them are harmless, but they can do a lot of damage in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals or in tissue transplants. With the aid of a new device, germs can be detected in artificial cartilage within a few hours.

20 Mar 2010

SHEA, APIC awarded first Partnership in Prevention Award to National Guard Health Affairs in Saudi Arabia

During the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology awarded their first Partnership in Prevention Award to the National Guard Health Affairs in Saudi Arabia.

20 Mar 2010

New WHO report estimates 440,000 MDR-TB cases worldwide in 2008

There were an estimated 440,000 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) around the world in 2008 - one-third of which were fatal, according to a new WHO report on drug-resistant TB, the Los Angeles Times reports (Maugh, 3/19).

20 Mar 2010

Effective defense against HIV: Acne drug minocycline

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a safe and inexpensive antibiotic in use since the 1970s for treating acne effectively targets infected immune cells in which HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating.

20 Mar 2010

ITDS can be effective for screening fever during H1N1 influenza pandemic: UNMC researchers

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found an Infrared Thermal Detection System to be a fast and effective fever screening tool in clinical settings during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. The ITDS detected fever in patients through split-second, non-contact skin temperature measurements.

20 Mar 2010

LiftSeat to distribute Hygie Hygienic Cover Systems in the U.S.

LiftSeat Corporation, a leading healthcare toileting solutions company, is now the exclusive distributor in the United States of the Hygie Hygienic Cover System, which is proven to help prevent the spread of potentially fatal healthcare-associated infections. The joint announcement was made today at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections 2010.

20 Mar 2010

Report highlights gains in malaria fight, documents need for more funding

Global funding for efforts to fight malaria, which stood at $2 billion at the end of 2009, have "helped to contain the disease," but is "far short of the estimated $6 billion required annually to expand" efforts to fight it, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership said on Thursday, Reuters reports. The statements came as the partnership released a report (.pdf) that examined a decade's worth of global funding for malaria and its impact on fighting the disease (Hardach, 3/18).

20 Mar 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study performed a systematic review of HIV prevention and treatment services targeting injecting drug users (IDUs) globally based on the availability of "core interventions for IDUs: needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), opioid substitution therapy (OST) and other drug treatment, HIV testing and counselling, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and condom programmes." The authors conclude, "although the number of countries with core HIV prevention services is growing … worldwide, there are few countries in which the level of intervention coverage is sufficient to prevent HIV transmission" (Mathers et al., 3/20).

20 Mar 2010

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: NIAID Director issues statement

Following is a statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health on National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, March 20, 2010:

19 Mar 2010

Activeion Cleaning Solutions announces new European subsidiary, Activeion GmbH

Activeion Cleaning Solutions LLC, Rogers, MN USA is proud to announce its new European subsidiary, Activeion (Europe) GmbH. Activeion (Europe) GmbH will distribute and market the ionator EXP™ throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Activeion's ionator EXP™ is a handheld, on-demand, completely chemical-free cleaning tool that activates and converts tap water into ionised water, a powerful dirt-removing and bacteria-killing product.

19 Mar 2010

Trauma patients with undiagnosed Helicobacter infections: Some drugs may not be effective

A Kansas State University study aimed at alleviating intestinal damage in trauma patients digressed to an important finding that could affect medication given to the individuals.

19 Mar 2010

Global initiative for reducing time taken to introduce new combination TB treatments

Ahead of World TB Day, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg helped public and private sector partners launch a new collaboration to significantly accelerate the development of combination treatments for tuberculosis — and replace an almost 50-year-old drug regimen. Created by the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, the Critical Path Institute, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the initiative could potentially reduce the time it takes to introduce new combination TB treatments from as much as a quarter century to as few as six years.

19 Mar 2010

Bactericidal antibiotic with activity against MRSA for treatment of cSSSIs would earn 25% patient share: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that a therapy's effect on overall clinical success is the attribute that most influences surveyed infectious disease specialists' prescribing decisions in the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSIs).

19 Mar 2010

Genes role in protecting intestinal tract from colitis may lead to potential targets for treatment

Scientists report a protein made by a gene already associated with a handful of human inflammatory immune diseases plays a pivotal role in protecting the intestinal tract from colitis.

19 Mar 2010

Implementation of evidenced-based practices reduces all healthcare-associated MRSA infections

Scientists at The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center found that an emphasis on compliance with non-pathogen specific infection control practices such as hand hygiene, efforts to reduce device-related infections and chlorhexidine bathing (a daily bath with the same antibacterial agent used by surgeons to "scrub in" before an operation), is successful in reducing rates of healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

19 Mar 2010

Disease/Infection News

Swine flu risk to pregnant women uncovered in landmark study

Influenza pandemic policies: WHO denies being improperly influenced by pharmaceutical industry

Bleach solution effective in reducing hospital-acquired infections

Inexpensive lab tests can help protect people from chronic kidney disease

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

New device detects bacterial and fungal contamination

SHEA, APIC awarded first Partnership in Prevention Award to National Guard Health Affairs in Saudi Arabia

New WHO report estimates 440,000 MDR-TB cases worldwide in 2008

Effective defense against HIV: Acne drug minocycline

ITDS can be effective for screening fever during H1N1 influenza pandemic: UNMC researchers

LiftSeat to distribute Hygie Hygienic Cover Systems in the U.S.

Report highlights gains in malaria fight, documents need for more funding

Recent releases in Global Health

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: NIAID Director issues statement

Activeion Cleaning Solutions announces new European subsidiary, Activeion GmbH

Trauma patients with undiagnosed Helicobacter infections: Some drugs may not be effective

Global initiative for reducing time taken to introduce new combination TB treatments

Bactericidal antibiotic with activity against MRSA for treatment of cSSSIs would earn 25% patient share: Report

Genes role in protecting intestinal tract from colitis may lead to potential targets for treatment

Implementation of evidenced-based practices reduces all healthcare-associated MRSA infections

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Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

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