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Measles deaths decline worldwide by 78%, experts warn against complacency

Measles deaths fell from 733,000 in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008 - 78 percent - thanks, in part, to increased vaccination efforts that reached an estimated 700 million children, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S.-based Measles Initiative, Reuters reports.

4 Dec 2009

Foreign Policy examines 'philanthrocapitalism' trend

Foreign Policy examines "a revolutionary idea for how to remake charity in the 21st century [that] is taking off: philanthrocapitalism." The magazine writes: "Unlike their colleagues in government bureaucracies and tried-and-true NGOs, the philanthrocapitalists are a nimble, business-minded stock."

4 Dec 2009

New York Times examines HIV testing program in China

The New York Times examines an HIV prevention program in China aimed at promoting blood screening that has led "more than 110,000 people" to be tested so far: "On any given night, in 14 cities around the country, hundreds of people flock to makeshift blood collection centers in bars, bathhouses and apartments where workers test for syphilis and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."

4 Dec 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

Ahead of the U.N. Climate Change conference in Copenhagen next week, a Lancet comment examines the health consequences associated with climate change and the case for linking climate and health goals. "The issue now is not whether climate change is occurring, but how we can respond most effectively. ... Responding to climate change is not a distraction from the business of protecting health: it is part of the same agenda," the author writes (Chan, 12/5).

4 Dec 2009

Campaign for legislation to protect adult film industry performers

On Friday, a broad coalition of health groups will unveil a campaign to press for California legislation to protect adult film industry performers. The legislative push will be formally announced in conjunction with a strategy symposium for the effort being held Friday, December 4th at UCLA (Public Affairs Building, North Campus).

4 Dec 2009

Study shows herbal medicine is effective for treating acute rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory process involving one or more of the paranasal sinuses that typically follows a viral upper respiratory tract infection (RTI). The term ‘acute rhinosinusitis’ is used instead of ‘acute sinusitis’ because it is the currently internationally accepted terminology.

4 Dec 2009

New study shows seasonal flu vaccine awareness is high among Hispanics, but vaccination rates are lower

Although there is high awareness of the need for seasonal influenza vaccines, a new study of Hispanics in one California county shows low rates of actual vaccination, especially among men.

4 Dec 2009

Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss can increase the incidence of infectious diseases

The extinction of plant and animal species can be likened to emptying a museum of its collection, or dumping a cabinet full of potential medicines into the trash, or replacing every local cuisine with McDonald's burgers.

4 Dec 2009

GSK places a batch of AS03 adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine on hold

Following reports from Canada's Public Health Agency that six patients had suffered allergic reactions after receiving the shot, GlaxoSmithKline plc has voluntarily placed a hold on a single batch of the AS03 adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine Arepanrix in Canada as a precautionary measure.

4 Dec 2009

New SPC3649 drug found effective in treating HCV infections

In a dramatic finding, a new drug for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections that targets liver cells produced a substantial drop in blood levels of the virus in animals and continued to work up to several months after treatment, say scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in San Antonio.

4 Dec 2009

Santaris Pharma's LNA technology based microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise for HCV

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

4 Dec 2009

Adaptive vaccination strategies outperform seasonal influenza vaccination allocation strategies

Adaptive vaccination strategies, based on age patterns of hospitalizations and deaths monitored in real-time during the early stages of a pandemic, outperform seasonal influenza vaccination allocation strategies, according to findings reported Dec. 3 by researchers, including two from Arizona State University, in the online journal PLoS ONE.

4 Dec 2009

Integrative medicine and treatment strategies for the H1N1 infection discussed at the Buchang Forum

According to the World Health Organization, the human H1N1/09 Type A influenza ("Swine Flu") has reached a pandemic level. Over 500,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide with at least 6,500 fatalities. Since there is no longer a requirement to test and report individual cases, these numbers undoubtedly understate the real situation.

4 Dec 2009

Vaccination, social distancing and antiviral drugs may help lessen swine flu impact

The relatively low number of new cases created by a single case of H1N1 influenza indicates that mitigation strategies such as vaccination, social distancing and the use of antiviral drugs may help to lessen the final impact of the virus, suggests an epidemiological modelling study

4 Dec 2009

Two antimicrobial drug developing companies evaluate new approach for treating bacterial infections

Chaperone Technologies, Inc. and MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd., both privately-held companies developing new antimicrobial drugs, announced today that they are together evaluating a unique approach for the treatment of resistant and life-threatening bacterial infections.

4 Dec 2009

New medical-scientific article on A/H1N1 epidemic

A special issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International contains the first scientific presentation of clinical experience with the novel influenza A virus (H1N1/09) in the German-speaking countries since the start of the pandemic.

4 Dec 2009

Expert advice for organ transplant surgeons on clinical issues posed by swine flu pandemic

Surgeons and other healthcare professionals specialising in solid organ transplants have been issued with expert advice to guide them through the complex clinical issues posed by the global H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.

4 Dec 2009

Researchers discover new strategy against invasive parasite

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a possible strategy against an invasive parasite that infects more than a quarter of the world's population, including 50 million Americans.

4 Dec 2009

U.N.-backed report features recommendations to scale up fight against HIV/AIDS in Pacific

A report released Wednesday by the Commission on AIDS in the Pacific region outlines the challenges of preventing the spread of HIV in "22 geographically and culturally diverse countries" of the Pacific and recommends efforts to scale up the region's fight against HIV/AIDS, U.N. News Centre reports.

4 Dec 2009

WHO investigates Tamiflu resistance, updates antiviral recommendations for H1N1 patients with severely compromised immune systems

Following recent reports of clusters of Tamiflu resistance, the WHO on Wednesday recommended that patients with severely weakened immune systems who become infected with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus receive additional antiviral treatment as needed throughout the duration of their illness, Agence France-Presse reports. "

4 Dec 2009

Disease/Infection News

Measles deaths decline worldwide by 78%, experts warn against complacency

Foreign Policy examines 'philanthrocapitalism' trend

New York Times examines HIV testing program in China

Recent releases in Global Health

Campaign for legislation to protect adult film industry performers

Study shows herbal medicine is effective for treating acute rhinosinusitis

New study shows seasonal flu vaccine awareness is high among Hispanics, but vaccination rates are lower

Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss can increase the incidence of infectious diseases

GSK places a batch of AS03 adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine on hold

New SPC3649 drug found effective in treating HCV infections

Santaris Pharma's LNA technology based microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise for HCV

Adaptive vaccination strategies outperform seasonal influenza vaccination allocation strategies

Integrative medicine and treatment strategies for the H1N1 infection discussed at the Buchang Forum

Vaccination, social distancing and antiviral drugs may help lessen swine flu impact

Two antimicrobial drug developing companies evaluate new approach for treating bacterial infections

New medical-scientific article on A/H1N1 epidemic

Expert advice for organ transplant surgeons on clinical issues posed by swine flu pandemic

Researchers discover new strategy against invasive parasite

U.N.-backed report features recommendations to scale up fight against HIV/AIDS in Pacific

WHO investigates Tamiflu resistance, updates antiviral recommendations for H1N1 patients with severely compromised immune systems

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