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CDC report on new HIV cases among MSM shows need to continue prevention, treatment efforts

CDC's recently released HIV/AIDS data, which show an overall increase in new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men, is a "reminder that the work of keeping people HIV-negative and getting those who are HIV-positive into treatment is never done," a Washington Post editorial states.

2 Jul 2008

Draft G8 communique does not cite 2010 deadlines for development aid, universal access to HIV prevention, care

A draft communique scheduled to be issued at the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in July in Hokkaido, Japan, does not cite 2010 targets for universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment or for $25 billion in annual aid to Africa that were set at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the Financial Times reports.

2 Jul 2008

Potential new way to vaccinate against avian flu

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a potential new way to vaccinate against avian flu. By delivering vaccine via DNA constructed to build antigens against flu, along with a minute electric pulse, researchers have immunized experimental animals against various strains of the virus.

1 Jul 2008

Asthma risk increases in children treated for HIV

Children whose immune systems rebound after treatment with potent anti-viral drugs for HIV infection face an increased risk of developing asthma, said a federally funded consortium of researchers led by those from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

1 Jul 2008

Predicting tuberculosis outbreaks based on the first 2 cases

Outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB) may be able to be identified by looking at certain characteristics of the first two patients, according to new research. If the first two patients are diagnosed within three months of each other, live in urban areas, and if one or both are of sub-Saharan African origin, there is a 56 percent chance that the two cases will lead to a large outbreak of TB, whereas if the patients exhibit none of those characteristics, the odds are just one percent.

1 Jul 2008

USAID tackles HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $500,000 grant to the YMCA of the USA to combat HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.

1 Jul 2008

Taking action against hospital acquired infections

Patients enter hospitals every day for a variety of reasons but usually without the thought of developing a new health problem. Yet every year thousands of hospitalized Americans acquire infections during hospital stays, causing risk of complications, prolonged stays and an increased burden on the health-care system.

1 Jul 2008

Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. gives health officials the run around

An outbreak of salmonella poisoning in the U.S. appears to have health authorities running around in ever decreasing circles.

1 Jul 2008

New test quickly detects multi drug-resistant tuberculosis

Researchers have developed a new test which can quickly detect multi drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

1 Jul 2008

Travellers to China warned about dog bites

An estimated 600,000 foreign visitors and athletes, and as many as 2 million Chinese are expected to visit the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

1 Jul 2008

Antiretroviral therapy as an aid to HIV prevention

The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy may reduce the incidence of HIV in individuals and populations but has been overlooked by public health as a prevention strategy, write Dr. Julio Montaner and colleagues in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

30 Jun 2008

Scientists challenge the public to predict the best way to control disease epidemics

Scientists will be challenging the public this week to pit their powers of prediction against the latest computer simulations. A brand new interactive exhibit will be displayed at the Royal Society's summer science exhibition that showcases the value of mathematical models in the fight to prevent and control diseases such as bluetongue.

30 Jun 2008

Increasing number of severe bone infections, health complications in children linked to MRSA

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a major pathogen has led to more complications and longer hospital stays for children with acute bone infections, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report

30 Jun 2008

New rapid tests for drug-resistant TB for developing countries

People in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) will get a faster diagnosis -- in two days, not the standard two to three months -- and appropriate treatment thanks to two new initiatives unveiled today by WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, UNITAID and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).

30 Jun 2008

Jamaica will not decriminalize, regulate commercial sex work, Prime Minister says

Jamaica will not decriminalize and regulate commercial sex work in the country, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said recently in response to a suggestion from a Ministry of Health and Environment official, the Jamaica Observer reports.

26 Jun 2008

Sen. Reid says he will try to bring PEPFAR legislation to Senate floor on Wednesday

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said that he will attempt to bring legislation that would reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to the Senate floor on Wednesday, CQ Today reports (Graham-Silverman, CQ Today, 6/24).

26 Jun 2008

U.S. should lift HIV/AIDS-related travel restrictions, opinion piece says

Since 2003, the U.S. through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has "extended a helping hand to" HIV-positive people living outside the country, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) write in a Washington Times opinion piece.

26 Jun 2008

Workshop aims to help Muslim leaders in Yemen address HIV/AIDS, reduce stigma

The Interaction in Development Foundation and the United Kingdom-based nongovernmental organization Pogressio in coordination with a local religious council in Sana'a, Yemen, recently held a three-day workshop for 25 Muslim religious leaders and health guides aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS-associated stigma and discrimination, the Yemen Observer reports.

26 Jun 2008

Rising food prices in Ethiopia dangerous for people living with HIV/AIDS

Food prices in Ethiopia, which have risen by 40% in the past year as a result of drought and the global food crisis, are having a detrimental effect on HIV-positive people in the country -- who may be weak, unable to work and shunned by their communities -- IRIN/Plus News reports.

26 Jun 2008

Red Cross says African AIDS epidemic equates to a disaster

According to a new study by the Red Cross the AIDS epidemic in southern Africa is so severe that it should be classed as a disaster comparable to floods or famine.

26 Jun 2008