Disease/Infection News

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Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene

Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene within the facilities and not of how sick patients were at the time of admission, according to three studies published on Monday in the American Journal of Medical Quality, the Washington Post reports.

23 Nov 2006

Reaction to UNAIDS/WHO report on HIV/AIDS

Health officials on Tuesday reacted to a report from UNAIDS and the World Health Organization showing that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS over the past two years has increased and that the worldwide total now stands at nearly 40 million, the New York Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 11/22).

23 Nov 2006

Number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in China increased 28% in 2006

The number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in China increased by 28% in the first 10 months of 2006, and the virus appears to be spreading to a broader population, China's Ministry of Health said Wednesday in a report posted on its Web site, Reuters reports.

23 Nov 2006

Call for safe access for polio vaccinators in Afghanistan's south

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, concerned about the health of all people in Afghanistan, especially the health of children, called for the safe access of local health workers and vaccinators during polio immunization campaigns and other health activities all over Afghanistan, but particularly in the Southern Region.

23 Nov 2006

HIV/AIDS on the up all over the world

According to figures released ahead of World Aids Day on December 1, the spread of HIV/AIDS continues unabated across the globe.

23 Nov 2006

US orders more bird flu vaccine for the stockpile

The U.S. government has ordered enough vaccine to protect another 2.7 million people against bird flu.

22 Nov 2006

Vatican study on condom use - will it make any difference?

A study by the Vatican on the use of condoms has finally been concluded and is currently being examined by the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog.

21 Nov 2006

Report card for HIV/AIDS a dismal one

According to the latest report the AIDS epidemic is in fact getting worse rather than better.

21 Nov 2006

New World Health Organization publication - "Fluoride in Drinking-water"

Millions of people are exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride through drinking water contaminated from natural geological sources. As a result, many suffer conditions ranging from mild dental fluorosis to crippling skeletal fluorosis.

21 Nov 2006

Global AIDS epidemic continues to grow

The global AIDS epidemic continues to grow and there is concerning evidence that some countries are seeing a resurgence in new HIV infection rates which were previously stable or declining. However, declines in infection rates are also being observed in some countries, as well as positive trends in young people's sexual behaviours.

21 Nov 2006

India told to wake up to AIDS catastrophe

India has been warned by the director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a senior official of the UN that it is on the brink of an AIDS catastrophe.

20 Nov 2006

HHS purchases more vaccines for an influenza pandemic

HHS has announced the purchase of additional vaccine that could be used in the event of a potential influenza pandemic.

20 Nov 2006

Africa's health problems are getting worse says the WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says regardless of promises of better healthcare by governments and donor countries, millions of mothers, newborn babies and children continue to die each year in Africa from preventable diseases.

20 Nov 2006

Experts say Britain vulnerable to bird flu pandemic

Experts in Britain believe the government should have stockpiled more than one antiviral drug in order to tackle a bird flu pandemic and say Britain has been left vulnerable because the stockpile of anti virus drugs is deficient.

20 Nov 2006

India's persistent polio problem could be solved with a new vaccine

Today Polio has been eradicated in much of the world and is now only found in a few countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

20 Nov 2006

Indian state to tackle workplace HIV discrimination

India's wealthiest state, Maharashtra is about to become the first state to introduce a policy which aims to attack the discrimination suffered by those infected with HIV in the workplace.

20 Nov 2006

Africa is developing solutions for fighting disease and improving health

The signs are everywhere, across the continent: Africa is finding African approaches to solving its health problems.

20 Nov 2006

Brookhaven target compounds to fight SARS

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have set the stage for the rapid identification of compounds to fight against severe acquired respiratory syndrome (SARS), the atypical pneumonia responsible for about 800 deaths worldwide since first recognized in late 2002.

20 Nov 2006

Scientists find key to mutations in bird flu virus

An international group of scientists say they have found two spots on the H5N1 bird flu virus that will need to mutate for the virus to infect people more easily.

16 Nov 2006

Migrants account for bulk of TB, HIV and malaria cases in the UK

According to a report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in Britain, migrants are far more likely to have HIV, TB or malaria than the rest of the population.

15 Nov 2006