West Nile Virus News and Research

Latest West Nile Virus News and Research

West Nile Virus - Ohio will spray mosquito breeding grounds

West Nile Virus (WNV), is proving to be more of a health worry than may have been initially thought especially in Lucas County - Ohio.

6 Jun 2005

West Nile virus more of a threat than previously thought

West Nile has traditionally only been considered a serious problem for the elderly and frail, and more of a nuisance illness for everyone else. But a surprising number of patients show the virus is more threatening than widely believed.

31 May 2005

Health officials out to zap mozzies before the peak season

Even though no cases of West Nile virus have been reported so far this year, area health officials at the Virginia Department of Health are getting a head start on mosquitoes carrying such diseases before the peak breeding season arrives.

30 May 2005

Mosquitoes in Missouri test positive for West Nile virus

Health officials in Missouri said yesterday that they have received the first report this year of mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus in the state.

29 May 2005

Arizona secures $800,000 to fight West Nile virus

Arizona has secured an additional $800,000 in federal funds to bolster the state’s effort to fight West Nile Virus this year, Arizona Department of Health Services Director Susan Gerard announced this week.

26 May 2005

Six deaths in transplant patients now linked to rodent virus

In the latest news on the subject, experts now believe they can link at least six deaths of organ transplant patients to a rodent virus, which raises questions about whether others may have gone undetected and whether the germ also could spread through blood transfusions.

24 May 2005

West Nile virus alert in California

The spotlight is on the Solano County Mosquito Abatement District right now as it is in the front line in the local fight against West Nile virus.

11 May 2005

More repellents recommended in the fight against West Nile Virus

In an attempt to fight the West Nile virus U.S. health officials have recommended two more mosquito repellent ingredients, one of them a plant oil.

1 May 2005

Promising new West Nile therapy cures disease in mice

West Nile virus alarmed Americans when it made its first U.S. appearance in New York City in 1999. It has since spread from coast to coast, sickened more than 16,000 Americans and killed more than 600.

27 Apr 2005

Australian researchers develop West Nile virus treatment

A University of Queensland researcher has developed the world's first specific immunotherapy product using monoclonal antibodies for the potentially lethal West Nile virus, which causes seasonal epidemics around the globe.

26 Apr 2005

GenoMed launches free trial against Marburg virus epidemic in Angola

GenoMed announced today that it has launched a free clinical trial to combat the current Marburg virus epidemic in Angola.

26 Apr 2005

Antibody for West Nile virus shows promise

Researchers have developed an antibody that can cure mice of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, a disease for which no specific treatment exists, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced.

25 Apr 2005

Experimental vaccine targeting West Nile virus

A small trial testing the safety of an experimental vaccine targeting West Nile virus (WNV) opened today at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.

19 Apr 2005

Weather forecasts may help predict West Nile virus

Weather forecasts could become barometers for predicting the potential threat of West Nile virus to humans and wildlife, according to scientists at two state agencies based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

29 Mar 2005

Miami baby possibly USA's 1st case of West Nile virus

West Nile Virus is a flavivirus commonly found in Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East and is related to the St. Louis encephalitis virus found in the United States. Preliminary tests suggest a 14-month-old baby hospitalized in Miami may be the nation's first case of West Nile virus this year.

22 Mar 2005

Study reveals how brain's immune system fights viral encephalitis

The findings, published as the cover study in the latest issue of Virology, show that proteins in neurons fight the virus at multiple stages - by preventing the formation of viral RNA and proteins, and blocking the virus' release, which could infect other cells in the brain.

16 Mar 2005

Diseases caused by the environment

While many infectious diseases are caused by human-to-human transmission, others are caused by microorganisms that exist in the outside environment.

6 Mar 2005

Medical Services International signs $25 mil Chinese contract

Medical Services International has announced that it has signed a $25,500,000 US contract to supply the VScan HIV test kit in the People's Republic of China.

1 Mar 2005

Studies reveal methods viruses use to sidestep immune system

A series of studies by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center sheds light on the mechanisms used by viruses to thwart a host's immune defenses and may aid in the development of more effective drugs to fight hepatitis C and West Nile viruses, as well as the flu and the common cold.

17 Feb 2005

Scientists answer the question, why do some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others?

Now scientists from the United Kingdom's Rothamsted Research Centre, the largest agricultural research centre in the United Kingdom are asking why some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others? These scientists believe they may have found the answer and their work could lead to the development of novel insect repellents.

24 Jan 2005