Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Widely used antimalarial drug exhibits antiviral activity against the SARS

Virologists from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium report that chloroquine, a widely used antimalarial drug, exhibits antiviral activity against the SARS coronavirus. Chloroquine is an inexpensive and safe drug available worldwide.

5 Sep 2004

New glycan arrays discover autoimmunogenic activities of SARS-CoV

Researchers in New York City and Guangzhou, China applied the rapidly-developing carbohydrate microarray technology to study an inactivated SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) vaccine and discovered autoimmunogenic activity of this newly identified human viral pathogen.

2 Aug 2004

World's first personal facemask for SARS protection

Triosyn Corp., a developer of products aimed at protecting against microbial threats, announced today that tests conducted by Health Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory show that Triosyn T-1000™ Series Respirators protect against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

21 Jul 2004

Human antibodies that thwart the SARS virus in mice can be mass-produced quickly

Human antibodies that thwart the SARS virus in mice can be mass-produced quickly using a new laboratory technique developed by an international research team collaborating with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2004

Findings into the source of the recent SARS outbreak in Beijing and Anhui Province

It has been more than two months since the Ministry of Health of China notified WHO and the world about an outbreak of SARS in Beijing and Anhui Province.

2 Jul 2004

Animal vaccine shows potential for the development of human SARS immunisation

The current issue of the LANCET provides evidence for the effectiveness of experimental SARS immunisation in animal studies. The preliminary results show the potential for the development of human SARS immunisation.

24 Jun 2004

Testing for the SARS coronavirus by using a patients tear drops

A team of ophthalmologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists from the National University Hospital, Singapore, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore General Hospital made their discovery working with teardrops taken from 36 patients in April last year. All of the 36 were suspected of having SARS.

22 Jun 2004

SARS siRNA studied further to help many respiratory diseases including lung cancer

Intradigm Corporation, has announced achievement of prophylactic and therapeutic effects of siRNA (small interfering RNA) inhibitors of SARS-CoV in non-human primate cells. The results are published in the June 2004 issue of Antiviral Therapy (International Medical Press).

15 Jun 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

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

Study has found the Sars virus in sweat glands and the intestine

Pathologists from the First Military Medical University in Guangzhou, southern China, warn that if further research proves that Sars can be transmitted by these unexpected routes, the implications for public health are major.

7 May 2004

Investigation to find the source of the current SARS outbreak

Investigation of the source of the current outbreak, first reported on 22 April, continues to focus on the National Institute of Virology in Beijing. The institute is known to have conducted experiments using the live SARS coronavirus during February and March.

5 May 2004

China, SARS ourbreak contained

Chinese authorities have today reported test results confirming that the 53-year-old woman who died in Anhui Province on 19 April was infected with the SARS coronavirus. The woman, a medical doctor, was the mother of a 26-year-old postgraduate student who had been conducting research at the National Institute of Virology in Beijing. The student remains hospitalized in Anhui.

30 Apr 2004

Chinese authorities announce 9th suspected SARS case

Chinese health authorities have announced that an additional case of SARS is under investigation. This brings the total number of cases in China, reported since 22 April, to nine. Of these, one has died.

29 Apr 2004

SARS experts head to China

At the request of the Chinese Ministry of Health, WHO is today sending the first members of an international team to help investigate the source of SARS cases recently reported in Beijing and the eastern province of Anhui. The team, which is expected to begin work on Wednesday, will include experts in epidemiology, virology, infection control, and laboratory biosafety.

26 Apr 2004

SARS antibody sent to China

Responding to a request from a Chinese biotechnology company working closely with officials in China, Medarex, Inc. and the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have shipped to Beijing a sample of the fully human antibody to SARS developed by Medarex and MBL/UMMS.

26 Apr 2004

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) overview

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is an atypical form of pneumonia that first appeared in November 2002 in Guangdong Province, China.

24 Apr 2004

4th reported SARS case in China

The Chinese Ministry of Health has today reported an additional three cases of SARS, including one death. This brings the current number of persons with a clinical illness compatible with SARS in China to four.

24 Apr 2004

First Chinese case of case of SARS since January 2004

On April 22, 2004, the Chinese Ministry of Health reported a possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in a 20-year-old woman who works as a nurse in a hospital in Beijing. If confirmed, this will be the first case of SARS since January 2004, when Chinese health authorities confirmed SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection in three persons in Guangdong Province.

23 Apr 2004