Cholera News and Research

Latest Cholera News and Research

Cholera confirmed in Florida woman who traveled to Haiti

"The first known case of cholera in the United States linked to the outbreak in Haiti was confirmed Wednesday by health officials who said a southwest Florida woman contracted the disease while visiting family in a region at the heart of Haiti's epidemic," the New York Times reports.

19 Nov 2010

Cholera case confirmed in Dominican Republic; Haitian protestors blame U.N. peacekeeping troops for cholera outbreak

Officials on Tuesday said they had confirmed the first case of cholera in Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic, the Associated Press/Forbes reports

18 Nov 2010

Reuters reports on PLoS medicine series on water, sanitation

Nearly 20 percent of the world's population still defecates in the open, and action to improve hygiene, sanitation and water supply could prevent more than 2 million child deaths a year, health experts said" on Monday, following the release of a series of papers on water and sanitation published in the journal PLoS Medicine, Reuters reports.

16 Nov 2010

Cholera deaths in Haiti top 900; U.N. appeals for $164m to deal with outbreak that could affect 200,000

Haiti's Health Ministry on Sunday said 917 cholera deaths had been reported in the country as of Friday and more than 14,600 people had been hospitalized, according to an update on the ministry's website, Reuters reports.

15 Nov 2010

Cholera outbreak in PNG makes officials wary

Cholera has been confirmed as the cause of death of 16 persons on a remote island in Papua New Guinea which is close to Australia's maritime border. The first case was detected on Daru Island in Western Province three weeks ago. Since then 12 adults and 4 children have died, and 320 others have been treated for the infection.

10 Nov 2010

Regional workshop to discuss diarrheal disease solutions for Asia

Each year, diarrheal disease claims the lives of 1.3 million children under five worldwide and hospitalizes millions more. The vast majority of these deaths occur in developing countries of Asia and Africa, but fortunately, interventions exist that can greatly reduce deaths and save lives. To bring attention to the solutions available today for defeating diarrhea, the Vietnam Ministry of Health, the National Pediatric Hospital of Vietnam, and PATH are hosting a two-day regional workshop where they will present the evidence and lessons learned from initiatives currently underway.

10 Nov 2010

Cholera confirmed in Haiti's capital as health ministry says outbreak has killed 544 so far

Haiti's cholera outbreak appears to have spread to its capital, "imperiling nearly 3 million people living in Port-au-Prince, nearly half of them in unsanitary tent camps for the homeless from the Jan. 12 earthquake," the Associated Press/KIRO reports.

10 Nov 2010

Cholera cases continue to rise in Haitian capital

Officials have recorded more than 70 cholera cases in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and fear for a substantial rise in numbers if the epidemic continues. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Deputy Director Jon Kim Andrus said, “As of Monday, the Ministry of Health was reporting more than 9,100 hospitalized cases and some 583 deaths in some 240 communities… These include 73 cases reported in Port-au-Prince. We expect these numbers to continue to rise as more cases are detected.”

9 Nov 2010

FIP Annual Meeting to improve global health through advances in pharmaceutical sciences

Global health crises like the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti emphasize the need for new ways to prevent deadly diseases from becoming widespread in developing countries. International experts and scientists will present research ranging from developing a freeze-dried cholera vaccine to new methods of delivering medicines to underserved populations at the 2010 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC) in association with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, La., Nov. 13-18.

4 Nov 2010

Tests show Haitian cholera strains match ones from South Asia, CDC says

Tests have shown that the strain in Haiti's cholera outbreak is similar to cholera strains found in South Asia, the CDC said on Monday, Agence France-Presse reports (11/1).

3 Nov 2010

H. pylori infection reduces severity of Salmonella-induced colitis: Research

Helicobacter pylori, a common stomach bacterium, reduced the severity of inflammation of the colon caused by Salmonella in mice, according to research from U-M Medical School scientists.

2 Nov 2010

Progress update on Johnson & Johnson and Crucell's public offer

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 7 paragraph 1(a) of the Dutch Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit Openbare Biedingen Wft) requiring a public announcement within four weeks following the announcement of an intended public offer to provide a status update, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Crucell N.V. provide the following joint update.

30 Oct 2010

CNN reports on recent uptick in cholera cases worldwide

CNN's "the chart" blog examines the rising number of cholera cases around the world. In addition to the cholera outbreak in Haiti, "[a]s of this month, four African nations - Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger - have reported more than 40,000 cases of cholera and more than 2,000 deaths. And Pakistan, a country that is still suffering from the effects of horrific floods, also is reporting 100+ cases of cholera since last month."

29 Oct 2010

Opinions: Defense, diplomacy, development; PMTCT in Africa; perils of DIY aid; cholera in Haiti

In a Foreign Affairs essay, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton writes of the need to elevate diplomacy and development alongside defense a 'smart power' approach to solving global problems.

29 Oct 2010

Abbott provides $180,000 to support recent cholera outbreak in central Haiti

Abbott is providing $180,000 in support to help address the recent cholera outbreak in central Haiti. This includes a $25,000 grant from the Abbott Fund to Partners In Health, and $155,000 in donated Abbott rehydration solutions and antibiotics.

28 Oct 2010

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Nearly 300 people have died from cholera and 3,612 have been diagnosed with the disease in Haiti's week-old epidemic, Reuters reports, citing numbers from Haitian health authorities.

28 Oct 2010

Cholera epidemic and political violence dogs upcoming Haiti elections

With elections coming up in Haiti, major earthquakes, a cholera epidemic and fears of political violence rear their ugly heads in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. Electoral officials still say the presidential and legislative polls will go ahead as scheduled on November 28, despite the cholera outbreak. The epidemic has killed more than 290 people and sickened more than 4,000 since last week, triggering a major multinational treatment and prevention operation.

27 Oct 2010

Cholera epidemic in Haiti persists despite slow down in fatalities

"A multinational medical response has slowed deaths in a Haitian cholera epidemic that has killed more than 250 people so far, but the outbreak is likely to widen, a senior U.N. official said on Sunday," Reuters reports. The U.N., Haitian government and aid partners "have launched a major effort to try to contain the epidemic" of more than 3,000 cases in the country so far (Delva, 10/25). The New York Times reports that the death rate, according to the Haitian government, has "declined - from 10.6 percent of known cases three days earlier to 8.2 percent now."

26 Oct 2010

Haiti cholera epidemic abates

The rate of deaths in Haiti's cholera epidemic slowed on Monday. This followed a multinational medical operation scale up to limit the spread of an outbreak that has killed 259 people in the earthquake-hit country. However Haitian and international health authorities are still bracing for more cases before the epidemic is finally controlled. So far, the epidemic has mostly impacted two rural central Haitian provinces, Artibonite and Center, along with the few isolated cases in the capital Port-au-Prince. Suspected cases have also been reported in the Nord and Sud provinces.

25 Oct 2010

World Vision increases response in cholera affected Haiti

As the cholera outbreak continues to spread in the Artibonite region of Haiti, World Vision is increasing its response in affected areas, pre-positioning much-needed health supplies and preparing residents in its displacement camps in Port-au-Prince with critical, life-saving health and hygiene messages.

25 Oct 2010