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Clusters of viral meningitis found in two Manhattan schools

Working closely with the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is investigating clusters of viral meningitis in two Manhattan schools (4 students at La Guardia High School, 2 students at Stuyvesant High School).

21 May 2004

WHO reports likely Ebola case in Sudan

As of 10 May, WHO reported cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever syndrome in Hai-Cuba, Yambio, Western Equatoria Region, south Sudan. A rapid assessment team is in the field to investigate the situation. Clinical samples have been collected and preliminary results are expected soon.

21 May 2004

Are we as crazy as mad cows?

When proteins in our body work properly, we can see, smell, consume and digest food, grow muscle and brain cells. But when these infinitely useful biological building blocks fail, the most pernicious diseases arise. Susan Lindquist has scrutinized the complex origami-like shapes of proteins and come to understand how structural mistakes can lead to a frightening class of neurodegenerative disorders, including “Mad Cow Disease.”

20 May 2004

Antioxidant vitamins A, C and E are unlikely to prevent heart disease and other diseases such as cancer

The study found that individuals who have diets rich in these vitamins are people who are less likely to have ever lived in deprived social circumstances, less likely to have ever smoked, more likely to be physically active and less likely to be obese. It is these factors rather than the vitamins that protect individuals from disease.

20 May 2004

In the wake of the latest SARS outbreak CDC has implemented new system to guide travelers about potential health hazards

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today implemented a new system for providing travelers with guidance about potential health hazards and the steps they can take to protect themselves when traveling abroad. The new system makes it easier for the public to understand what their risks may be during an emerging public health crisis and what they can do to protect themselves.

20 May 2004

UK pet owners who take their animals on holiday to Europe could bring back tropical diseases

UK pet owners who take their animals on holiday to Europe are being alerted to the fact that their pets could bring back some unwelcome souvenirs in the form of diseases more often associated with the tropics.

20 May 2004

Watching for West Nile virus, dead bird and mosquito monitoring resumes

Warmer spring weather and the coming mosquito season has the Department of Health on the lookout for West Nile virus again, working with local health departments to identify mosquitoes, track dead birds and monitor any human illness across Washington. This season brings mosquito-breeding weather and the threat of mosquito-borne disease, including West Nile virus.

20 May 2004

Network formed to tackle potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), launched the Atopic Dermatitis and Vaccinia Network (ADVN), a nationwide research group that seeks to reduce the risk of eczema vaccinatum (EV), a severe and potentially deadly complication of smallpox immunization.

19 May 2004

$20.7 million to make smallpox vaccine safer

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year, $20.7 million grant to National Jewish Medical and Research Center to lead a consortium of academic medical centers trying to make smallpox vaccines safer for millions of people with atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema.

19 May 2004

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease, meaning they have a greater than 20 percent chance of developing heart disease within 10 years, and about one in six has a 10-year risk that is greater than 10 percent, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Britain's youth complacent about HIV/AIDS

New data from surveys across the UK reveal a decline in 12-15 year olds’ knowledge about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Figures from 1995-2001, (see tables), using a sample of 142,281 young people, show a declining trend of youngsters who think that HIV can be passed on by:

19 May 2004

WHO experts and the Chinese authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of the recent SARS outbreak

The investigation has centred primarily on the National Institute of Virology in Beijing where experiments using live and inactivated SARS coronavirus have been carried out. Two researchers at the Institute developed SARS in late March and mid-April. The outbreak was reported on April 22 and the Institute was closed a day later.

19 May 2004

Canadian Statement to the World Health Assembly focuses on AIDS

The WHO's leadership is particularly important in the fight to combat HIV/AIDS. Last week, Canada bolstered its financial commitment to this effort with contributions of $100 million for WHO's '3 by 5 initiative', and $70 million to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Canada and Canadians are proud to take these actions against HIV/AIDS.

19 May 2004

New generation of programmable chips set to revolutionise medical industry

The MI-3 project is focussing on developing and exploiting a new generation of programmable chips that will produce images that can be transformed even before they leave the camera. Active Pixel Sensors exploit the capabilities of Complimentary Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor (CMOS) Chips by allowing intelligent imaging that can focus right down to individual pixels.

19 May 2004

New method for treating the digestive disease, ulcerative colitis (UC)

Research from Bristol University on a new method for treating the digestive disease, ulcerative colitis (UC) will be presented at an international conference of experts in New Orleans on Tuesday, 18 May as part of Digestive Disease Week 2004.

19 May 2004

Latest SARS outbreak contained, but biosafety concerns remain

It has been more than three weeks since the last case was placed in isolation in China's latest SARS outbreak, prompting the World Health Organization to declare that the chain of human-to- human transmission appears to have been broken.

18 May 2004

1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are projected to increase more than six-fold among Hispanics in the U.S. during the first half of the 21st century, according to a new report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association. This increase means that 1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, compared to fewer than 200,000 currently living with the disease.

17 May 2004

UN round table looks at rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in prisons

The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in prisons, and practical measures to curb the spread of the disease in this section of society was the subject of a round table organized today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and attended by high-level international experts.

17 May 2004

Research suggests that weanling pigs are susceptible to West Nile virus infection

Since the emergence of West Nile virus in the Western Hemisphere in 1999, health care personnel have been on the lookout for signs of infection in people and animals. Recent research suggests that food processing personnel should beware of the presence of the virus in swine and a potential health risk to employees in pork processing plants.

17 May 2004

The federal government should expand its role in the financing of HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans

The federal government should expand its role in the financing of HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans to ensure that the thousands of HIV-infected people currently not receiving care through existing programs gain access to the services they need, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

16 May 2004