Disease/Infection News

RSS

70,000 new HIV infections occurring in China last year

China's AIDS epidemic shows no signs of abating with an estimated 70,000 new HIV infections occurring in 2005, according to a report released by the Chinese Ministry of Health, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization.

25 Jan 2006

Avian influenza could have disastrous effects on countries' economies, infrastructures, populations, public health and stability

In the past, when government leaders, policymakers and scholars have turned their attention to peace and security issues, the talk invariably has focused on war, arms control or anti-terrorism strategies. But Julian Palmore believes it's time to expand the scope of the conversation.

25 Jan 2006

Bactrim could help HIV-infected children in poor countries

A new systematic review highlights strong results from a single study at the center of mounting support for worldwide use of the low-cost drug Bactrim to help HIV-infected children in poor countries.

25 Jan 2006

WHO says Asian states too slow in reporting bird flu

The regional director for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Western Pacific has complained that Asian countries take too long to report some human cases of bird flu and this could hamper any efforts to contain a possible pandemic.

24 Jan 2006

Health economics study questions recent policy on screening of US blood donations for West Nile Virus

A recent mandate to screen blood donations in all US states for West Nile virus (WNV) makes little sense from a public health point of view, say researchers from Columbia University and Harvard School of Public Health.

24 Jan 2006

WHO accused of exaggerating bird flu pandemic threat

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disputed claims that it has exaggerated the risk of a human influenza pandemic.

23 Jan 2006

WHO update on avian influenza in Indonesia

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional 2 cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Both cases were fatal.

23 Jan 2006

Symposium on celiac disease

A scientific symposium on celiac disease, "Genetic and Immune Mechanisms in Celiac Disease," will be held at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine on Friday, February 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The symposium, hosted by UCSD’s newly established William K. Warren Medical Research Center for Celiac Disease, will be held at the university’s Center for Molecular Genetics conference room.

23 Jan 2006

Mad cow found in Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an approximately six-year-old cross-bred cow born and raised in Alberta. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems.

23 Jan 2006

Malaria parasite plasmodium shown to develop in lymph nodes

In the first quantitative, real-time imaging study of the travels of the malaria parasite Plasmodium through mammalian tissue, researchers at the Pasteur Institute in Paris found the parasites developing in an unexpected place: the lymph nodes.

22 Jan 2006

French woman has suspected bird flu

A Frenchwoman, recently returned from a visit to Turkey is suspected of having bird flu.

22 Jan 2006

Indonesians deaths bring bird toll to 82

According to a senior official at the Indonesian Health Ministry, a Hong Kong laboratory has confirmed that two children from the same Indonesian family have died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu this month.

22 Jan 2006

Tamiflu alone won't work in bird flu pandemic

In a review published this week a warning has been issued against the apparent reliance by most countries on the drug Tamiflu to combat a bird flu pandemic.

19 Jan 2006

$2 billion to fight bird flu

At an international conference in Beijing almost $2 billion has been pledged to stop the spread of bird flu.

18 Jan 2006

Village in China under quarantine following outbreak of foot and mouth disease

According to officials in China strict quarantine measures are being imposed in a village in east China's Jiangsu Province, which has experienced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

18 Jan 2006

Experts demand more funds to stop the spread of bird flu

At a meeting in Beijing to whip up funds for the global fight against bird flu, the European Union has raised its contribution to the fund by $20 million taking their total commitment to $120 million, but other contributions appear to be thin on the ground.

18 Jan 2006

Preparing for bird flu

When a new strain of flu infects people, the infection can spread around the world quickly. This is what could potentially happen with some new human flu viruses that come from bird flu viruses.

18 Jan 2006

New treatment for brucellosis

Concepcion Lecaroz, a researcher from the University of Navarra, has developed a new therapy against brucellosis. This zoonosis - a disease or infection of animals which can be transmitted to humans under natural conditions - annually affects 500,000 people worldwide.

18 Jan 2006

EU pumps $120 million into fight against bird flu

The European Union has promised to increase it's budget in the fight against bird flu to 100 million euros ($120.9 million), the figure includes an extra 20 million euros for research funds into avian and pandemic influenza.

17 Jan 2006

More deaths in Turkey and Indonesia from bird flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed Turkish health officials tests that show a fourth person, a young girl, has died from the H5N1 virus.

17 Jan 2006