Disease/Infection News

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Winning the battle against deadly Ebola

The latest reports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) say health workers are slowly winning the battle against the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

2 Oct 2007

Another bird flu victim in Indonesia takes the death toll to 86

Though experts are investigating how the man contracted the virus, it is unclear how he could have come into contact with sick poultry as keeping backyard poultry has been banned by the Jakarta government since February.

2 Oct 2007

Million of pounds of frozen ground beef contaminated with E.coli

The latest recall of food products in the United States has left consumers alarmed and also at a loss when it comes to the safety and reliability of many foods offered for sale in stores.

2 Oct 2007

New way to fight hepatitis B

One in four people who are chronically infected with hepatitis B will die from its impact if untreated, but a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified the most cost-effective way of fighting this treacherous infection.

2 Oct 2007

Factor MIF a potential target for West Nile virus

Infection with West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause lethal encephalitis and there are currently no vaccines or specific therapeutics for use in humans.

2 Oct 2007

Majority of Europeans with hepatitis C remain undiagnosed

A report by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN highlights the significant inconsistencies that exist in hepatitis C (HCV) diagnosis and treatment across Europe and beyond. In recognition of World Hepatitis Awareness Day, patient groups around the globe are united in their call for action.

1 Oct 2007

H5N1 able to pass through placenta to fetus and infect organs other than lungs in adults

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus can pass through the placenta of pregnant women to the unborn fetus, and can infect organs other than the lungs in adults. These are the conclusions of authors of an Article in The Lancet.

1 Oct 2007

Infectious Diseases Society of America strongly supports the STAAR Act

With extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, life-threatening drug-resistant respiratory and skin infections, and other "bad bugs" routinely making headlines, infectious diseases physicians are applauding Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-NJ) for introducing H.R. 3697, the Strategies To Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act.

29 Sep 2007

How H5N1 virus works

H5N1 influenza, also known as avian influenza, is considered a major global threat to human health, with high fatality rates.

27 Sep 2007

CDC awards $35 million to increase HIV testing opportunities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $35 million in funding to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans.

27 Sep 2007

Smallpox evolved earlier than believed

Smallpox is older than thought, according to results of a new technique reported in the Sept. 24 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

27 Sep 2007

Clostridium difficile infection is four times more likely to kill patients with inflammatory bowel disease

C difficile is an important cause of diarrhoea among inpatients, and the numbers of new cases of the infection have been steadily increasing in recent years.

27 Sep 2007

British farmers dealt a blue tongue blow

The farming industry in Britain has been dealt another blow with the confirmation of another case of blue tongue disease.

26 Sep 2007

U.S. hospitals report infections increasing in frequency and cost

A new review of inpatient data from US hospitals shows that the number of infections caused by a common bacterium increased by over 7 percent each year from 1998 to 2003.

26 Sep 2007

Ebola outbreak in Congo.. 8 more cases of the deadly disease

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) another 8 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

25 Sep 2007

War on infection takes on a new challenger - the Infection Prevention Society

Severe infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile may be reduced radically in the future as a new forum for infection prevention and control professionals is launched next week on 26 September 2007 at the 37th annual Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) conference in Brighton.

25 Sep 2007