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Reports of bird flu in the Bahamas are exaggerated

Preliminary field reports on the investigation of unexplained death of birds on the island of Inagua in the Southern Bahamas were exaggerated.

6 Mar 2006

Mosquito virus kills 78 in a month - Indian ocean fears epidemic

While the rest of the world panics about bird flu, the islands of Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean are in the grip of a mosquito-borne epidemic that has infected thousands and killed at least 78 in a month.

6 Mar 2006

Poland latest on bird flu hit list

The first Polish case of H5 bird flu has been found in two swans found dead on the banks of the River Vistula in the northern city of Torun.

6 Mar 2006

Bird flu comes round again as another dies in China

Chinese health officials have reported that a man in southern China has died from bird flu.

6 Mar 2006

Germans panic and dump their cats as Serbia joins the bird flu list

According to an animal welfare society in Germany, hundreds of cats are being left at animal shelters following the disclosure earlier in the week that a cat on the island of Ruegen had died from the deadly bird flu.

5 Mar 2006

Brits issued with travel advice following cats death from bird flu

Veterinary experts in northern Germany have confirmed that a cat found dead on the island of Ruegen died from the highly pathogenic Asian strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

5 Mar 2006

Fighting the battle against disease - Leeds researchers take on the world

The five-year project will help ensure that the best treatments reach those in most need as quickly as possible, and that effective healthcare systems are established to prevent the spread of disease.

1 Mar 2006

Scientists show how MRSA sidesteps hospital protection measures

The MRSA 'superbug' evades many of the measures introduced to combat its spread by infecting a common single-celled organism found almost everywhere in hospital wards, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Microbiology.

1 Mar 2006

The incidence, distribution, and control of tuberculosis

A reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence, prevalence and death rate can be achieved by 2015 in most parts of the world, with the greatest challenges occurring in Africa and Eastern Europe, according to a projection by the Stop TB Department of the World Health Organization.

1 Mar 2006

Franco-British partnership to combat AIDS

France and the UK have announced a much greater level of cooperation on innovative ways to raise money to fight disease and support basic education in poor countries.

1 Mar 2006

West Nile virus epidemics in North America are driven by shifts in mosquito feeding behavior

Since its introduction to the United States in 1999, West Nile virus has become the major vector-borne disease in the U.S., with 770 reported deaths, 20,000 reported illnesses, and perhaps around a million people infected.

1 Mar 2006

Bird flu will soon be worldwide

Reports that bird flu has now been found in a cat in Germany has served to further fuel the panic spreading across Europe regarding the deadly virus.

1 Mar 2006

Russia sets up HQ to fight bird flu

The Russian government say it will set up a headquarters to combat the bird flu epidemic.

28 Feb 2006

As far as bird flu goes we are in danger - but only of overreacting!

According to an official from the World Animal Health Organisation (WHO), banning imports of poultry from bird flu-affected areas is overreacting to the bird flu situation.

28 Feb 2006

Is persistent bacterial infection good for your health?

Bacteria are bad. Mothers and doctors, not to mention the cleaning product industry, repeatedly warn of their dangers. But a Stanford University School of Medicine microbiologist is raising the intriguing idea that persistent bacterial and viral infections have benefits.

27 Feb 2006

Why people of African descent are more vulnerable to tuberculosis infection

A team of scientists has identified a cellular mechanism that may help explain the puzzle of why people of African descent are more susceptible to tuberculosis infection and why, once infected, they develop more severe states of the disease than whites.

27 Feb 2006

French vaccinate millions of free range birds as farm becomes first victim of bird flu

A farm in eastern France has become the first domestic victim of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the European Union.

27 Feb 2006

Bangladesh launches measles vaccination campaign

The Bangladesh measles vaccination campaign to be held for three weeks between February 25 and March 16 will mark the Measles Initiative's expansion into Asia after recently celebrating the success of the Initiative's original goal of reducing measles deaths by vaccinating 200 million children in more than 40 African countries

24 Feb 2006

Trial of intermittent malaria treatment in children leads to 86% reduction in cases

A team of researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, working in partnership with colleagues from Senegal, has found that intermittent preventive malaria treatment of children under five has a dramatic impact on malaria frequency.

24 Feb 2006

Research points to a novel approach to treating serious Strep infections

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered that so-called flesh-eating "Strep" bacteria use a specific enzyme to break free of the body's immune system, a finding which could potentially lead to new treatments for serious infections in human patients.

24 Feb 2006