Disease/Infection News

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Predicting the next pandemic

In planning for a future influenza pandemic, most experts agree that two things are known for certain, there will be another pandemic someday, and nobody can predict when.

9 May 2007

Hydrogel to tackle H5N1

Influenza virus H5N1, which caused the recent outbreak of avian flu, may have a new enemy.

9 May 2007

Spring has sprung and so has West Nile virus!

Its Springtime time again and the mosquito season is upon us and health officials are warning that the West Nile virus is out and about.

8 May 2007

Bird flu death toll climbs to 75 in Indonesia

Bird flu has claimed it's 75th victim in Indonesia with the death of a woman from the deadly virus on May 3rd.

7 May 2007

Face masks offer little protection from bird flu

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the mass wearing of surgical face masks would do little to reduce the rate of infection in the event of an influenza pandemic.

7 May 2007

Mumps makes a comeback Canada

Health officials in Canada are concerned about an outbreak of mumps which appears to be spreading.

7 May 2007

Oral vaccine prevents prion disease in mice

An oral vaccine can prevent mice from developing a brain disease similar to mad cow disease, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston.

4 May 2007

US control strategies may make flu epidemics worse

Regular as clockwork, the flu arrives every year. And, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population on average will come down with it. About 36,000 people will die.

4 May 2007

MRSA treated with maggots

University of Manchester researchers are ridding diabetic patients of the superbug MRSA - by treating their foot ulcers with maggots.

From The University of Manchester 4 May 2007

Study on cerebral malaria in children living in an endemic region

Scientists at CNRS and the Pasteur Institute, collaborating with physicians in Gabon, have just undertaken a study on cerebral malaria in children living in an endemic region.

4 May 2007

Study looks at how religious organizations respond to HIV/AIDS within their communities

After a University of Cincinnati study revealed that people living with the HIV virus felt alienated by their churches following diagnosis, researchers began to explore the feelings of religious leaders and congregations about the illness.

4 May 2007

New strains of TB could be a devastating weapon in the hands of terrorists

It sounds crazy at first, but Dr. Kanti Daya, a credentialed, respected infectious disease specialist, believes that new strains of tuberculosis (TB) could be a devastating weapon in the hands of suicide terrorists.

4 May 2007

Alcohol-based handrubs can improve hygiene in hospitals

Giving health care workers easy access to alcohol-based handrubs can improve hygiene in hospitals, a study published in the Online Open Access journal Critical Care suggests.

4 May 2007

Newer flu vaccines may have been less effective than vaccines used in previous years

A new Harris Poll suggests that the flu vaccine used before last winter may have been less effective than the vaccines used in some previous years.

4 May 2007

Bird flu hits Ghana

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported the first outbreak of bird flu in Ghana.

3 May 2007

Another cow found with Mad Cow disease in Canada

Canadian officials say another case of Mad Cow disease has been found in a dairy cow in British Columbia.

3 May 2007

Australian Health Minister approves plan to genetically track HIV cases

Australian Health Minister Tony Abbott earlier this month approved a plan to develop a genetic profile of HIV in people living with the virus nationwide, Australia's The Age reports.

2 May 2007

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria aims to triple spending

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Friday announced that it will need to triple its annual spending to between $6 billion and $8 billion by 2010 to meet the needs of developing countries, Reuters AlertNet reports.

2 May 2007

Illinois House considers bill to remove written consent requirement for HIV tests

The Illinois House is considering a bill (HB 980) that would remove a state requirement that people receiving HIV tests provide written consent prior to undergoing the test, the Chicago Tribune reports.

2 May 2007

1758 cases of malaria reported in UK travellers in 2006

1386 of the cases were due to the potentially fatal Plasmodium falciparum which is a major international health risk and which kills more than a million people a year in Africa. 219 were due to Plasmodium vivax which causes a debilitating disease, but is rarely fatal.

2 May 2007