Meningitis News and Research

Latest Meningitis News and Research

Meningococcal vaccine now recommended for ages 11 to 18

Recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), that all young people aged 11 to 18 should get a shot that protects them from the most dangerous type of meningitis, has been applauded by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

28 Jun 2007

Hib vaccine could save hundreds of thousands of children in Asia

A new study from Bangladesh published online in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal shows that routinely vaccinating infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterium that causes deadly Hib pneumonia and meningitis, could save hundreds of thousands of children in Asia.

28 Jun 2007

New data on the performance of meningitis vaccine in West African children

The Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) today released new data on the performance of a meningitis vaccine in West African children, suggesting that the new vaccine,expected to sell initially for 40 US cents a dose,will be much more effective in protecting African children and their communities than any vaccine currently on the market in the region.

14 Jun 2007

New vaccine promises end of devastating meningitis epidemics in Africa

Scientists are optimistic that a new meningitis vaccine will end the risk of devastating major epidemics; the new vaccine protects against meningitis A, the deadliest form of the disease.

11 Jun 2007

Immune antibodies penetrate neurons to clear Alzheimer's-linked amyloid

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have gotten much closer to understanding how immune-based therapies can treat Alzheimer's disease -- by studying how antibodies go inside brain cells to reduce levels of Alzheimer's-linked amyloid peptides that form plaques between neurons.

24 May 2007

New understanding of how immune-based therapies can treat Alzheimer's disease

24 May 2007

West Nile virus case in court in Canada

Just as the first mosquitoes are appearing in parts of the United States carrying the West Nile virus, a court in Canada has ruled that an insurance company must pay a man compensation after he was bitten by a mosquito at work and developed the West Nile virus.

15 May 2007

Health workers to get mumps booster in battle against the spread of the disease

The outbreak of mumps which is currently rife in parts of Canada has prompted Health officials to make 40,000 doses of a mumps booster available to health workers across Nova Scotia.

14 May 2007

Mumps makes a comeback Canada

Health officials in Canada are concerned about an outbreak of mumps which appears to be spreading.

7 May 2007

Serious illness among children with sickle cell disease reduced with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

A vaccine introduced in 2000 has reduced by more than 90 percent the rate of a serious bacterial illness among young children with sickle cell disease (SCD), who are particularly susceptible to it, according to a new study that appears in the June 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and currently is available online.

2 May 2007

A need to assess risks involved with spinal manipulation in children

Researchers are calling for the creation of a collaborative registry to assess the risk of serious injuries when treating children using spinal manipulation.

27 Apr 2007

Increase in pneumococcal infections not covered by childhood vaccine

Alaskan native children are experiencing increased rates of serious infections caused by strains of pneumococcal bacteria that are not covered by the current childhood pneumococcal vaccine, indicating the importance of ongoing surveillance of vaccine effectiveness, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

25 Apr 2007

USAID provides assistance to Burkina Faso for outbreak of meningitis

The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide $450,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for vaccines urgently needed to maintain control of an outbreak of meningitis.

15 Apr 2007

India is poised to revolutionize biotechnology

India's health biotech firms are emerging as a major global player, with growing means and know-how to produce innovative as well as generic drugs and vaccines at costs small relative to those of giant Western firms, according to ground-breaking Canadian research.

10 Apr 2007

Need for a national database of epidural complications

Researchers have called for a national database to be set up to identify major complications arising from epidural pain relief after a small number of serious problems were identified during a six-year UK study, according to the April issue of Anaesthesia.

4 Apr 2007

Cochlear implants increase risk of bacterial infections that can cause meningitis

Confirming what physicians have long speculated, a new study published in the April edition of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery determines that the presence of cochlear implants increases the risk of bacterial infections that can cause meningitis in recipients.

3 Apr 2007

PCV7 vaccine reduces frequent ear infections in children

A vaccine has been shown to help reduce the number of infants and toddlers developing frequent ear infections, according to new research from Katherine A. Poehling, M.D., a pediatrician at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

2 Apr 2007

Scientists uncover bacterial cloaking

Scientists have uncovered the workings of a method bacteria responsible for diseases such as meningitis and blood disorders use to hide from the body's immune system.

2 Apr 2007

GlaxoSmithKline files European meningococcal conjugate vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline has announced the submission of a regulatory file to European Medicines Agency (EMEA) under Article 58 for the combination vaccine candidate Globorix (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningitides serogroups A and C).

1 Apr 2007

FDA clears Xpert EV test for meningitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing a test that uses molecular biology to quickly detect the presence of viral meningitis.

19 Mar 2007