Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

China confirms human case of H5N1 infection dating back to November 2003

The Ministry of Health in China has today retrospectively confirmed a human case of H5N1 infection dating back to November 2003. The case occurred in a 24-year-old member of the military service based in Beijing.

8 Aug 2006

Scientists find new lead in hunt for a SARS vaccine

SARS coronavirus protein called "nsp1" causes the breakdown of biochemical messages that normally prompt the production of a protein critical to defending the body against viruses.

8 Aug 2006

Researchers develop new technique using the abdominal cavity to deliver oxygen to assist ailing lungs

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have helped develop a technique in animal models for using the abdominal cavity to exchange gas, supplementing the function normally performed by the lungs.

8 Aug 2006

Darunavir - first molecule to treat drug-resistant HIV

Doctors have their first FDA-approved tool to treat drug-resistant HIV thanks to a new molecule created by a Purdue University researcher.

2 Aug 2006

Which came first, nucleic acids or proteins?

Which came first, nucleic acids or proteins? This question is molecular biology's version of the "chicken-or-the-egg" riddle.

24 Jul 2006

Global early warning system for zoonoses launched

A global early warning system for animal diseases transmissible to humans (zoonoses) was formally launched this week by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

24 Jul 2006

Latest sequencing targets for NHGRI

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has announced several new sequencing targets including the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys).

19 Jul 2006

Secrets of cells revealed

With the advancement of technology we are managing to see ever smaller and smaller pieces of the puzzle that is life.

17 Jul 2006

Being a whistle-blower in China could mean going to jail

According to Chinese media sources a farmer who reported bird flu outbreaks to the central government has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for fraud and blackmail.

12 Jul 2006

More birds with H5N1 found in China but details are guesswork!

According to Chinese officials another outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus in birds has been found in the northwestern region of the country.

3 Jul 2006

Stopping SARS viruses from reproducing

In times of the "bird flu" SARS seems to be no threat anymore. This notion is deceptive.

29 Jun 2006

Where bird flu began is a Chinese puzzle

A surprising revelation by a group of Chinese researchers has led to a formal request from the World Health Organization (WHO) for a meeting with officials of the Chinese Ministry of Health.

26 Jun 2006

China and bird flu - the plot thickens

The plot has thickened when it comes to China and bird flu.

26 Jun 2006

Scientists unlock more secrets of HIV and SARS

UK scientists have cracked one of the key biological processes used by viruses such as HIV and SARS when they replicate according to a paper published in the journal Nature tomorrow (11 May). Viruses are able to interfere with the host cell processes that our bodies use to replicate cells, and protein synthesis is often one of their targets.

10 May 2006

Restricting air travel as good as useless when it comes to stopping bird flu

According to British researchers attempts to halt a flu pandemic by restricting air travel will have little effect and even in the best case scenario the speediest action will serve to delay it by only a few months.

3 May 2006

South East Asia could be the epicentre of the next human influenza pandemic

The Asia-Pacific region faces a number of challenges in preparing for an influenza pandemic, yet gaps and inconsistencies in plans across the continent could hinder an effective response to a pandemic, according to a new report presented at the Lancet Asia Medical Forum 2006, Singapore.

3 May 2006