Treatment for MERS May Be Discovered Through Alpacas
June 10th 2016An international team of researchers may have identified a potential animal model for use in the laboratory as part of efforts to better understand the pathogenesis of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and, hopefully, find an effective treatment for it: alpacas.
CDC Advises State Departments of Health on Zika Control Efforts
June 10th 2016In an effort to contain the Zika virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is holding a series of teleconferences regarding concerns that were raised during the Zap Zika conference held in early April. The fifth conference in the series discusses Zika epidemiology.
CDC Reports: Recent Legionnaires' Disease Outbreaks Could Have Been Prevented
June 9th 2016A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that many of the reported outbreaks involving Legionella bacteria since 2000 could have been prevented with better testing protocols and infrastructure management.
Integrity is Basis of Public Health Work
June 8th 2016Public health demands integrity, said Margaret Hamburg, MD, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 65th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Studies Highlight Worldwide Economic Burden of Norovirus Gastroenteritis
June 6th 2016Each year, norovirus infection is responsible for an estimated 684 million episodes of diarrhea and 212,000 deaths worldwide, and results in approximately $4.2 billion in healthcare costs and $60.3 billion in societal costs, a new report has highlighted.
International Report States Global Collaboration Needed to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance
June 6th 2016With reports in the mainstream media prophesizing doom with regard to the issue of antimicrobial resistance, a committee formed by the British government has released a report designed to properly contextualize the crisis and develop recommendations for addressing it.
Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Rare Disease with Fatal Consequences
June 4th 2016A recent report describing the development of “flesh-eating bacteria” in a Louisiana woman has the public concerned. The infection developed after the woman injured her foot, resulting in bleeding, while surf fishing in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this May.
Zika Threat Prompts Health Experts to Urge WHO to Move Rio 2016 Games
June 3rd 2016In an open letter copied to the International Olympic Committee, 150 health experts from around the world urged the WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, to either postpone or move both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, for the sake of public health.
Zika Virus Vaccine Development Stalled by Concerns Over Marketability
June 3rd 2016Efforts to bring to market a vaccine for the fight against Zika virus, at least via the private sector, have been stalled over concerns regarding the “marketability” of these products, according to multiple reports in the business press.
New Vaccine Development Strategy for Leishmaniasis Shows Promise
June 3rd 2016Management of visceral leishmaniasis poses a daunting challenge, in part due to the side effects associated with the use of the traditional treatment. However, one vaccine development strategy has recently shown promising results.
Thousands in India Claimed to be Infected with HIV through Blood Transfusions
June 2nd 2016A recently published article in an Indian newspaper claims that thousands of civilians living across the country have contracted HIV through blood transfusions, in less than two years; however, a national AIDS organization is refuting these claims.
Zika-Related Microcephaly Case Confirmed at New Jersey Hospital
June 2nd 2016In an attempt to provide the best possible care for her unborn child, a Honduras woman with suspected Zika infection traveled to the United States where she then gave birth to a baby with microcephaly at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir for 8 Weeks: Effective and Cost-effective Against HCV
June 1st 2016A recent study in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has shown that ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) combination therapy produces similar sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in clinical trial-based studies and real-world studies.
Influenza Vaccine During Pregnancy May Protect Newborn Infants
May 31st 2016The number of expecting mothers who opt for annual vaccination for influenza during pregnancy remains relatively low; however, the results of a new study suggest this may be changing—and that there are obvious benefits for immunization for newborns.
CDC Releases Updated Guidelines on HIV Nonoccupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
May 27th 2016The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidelines for the use of nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) in persons in the United States, after exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outside the health care setting.
Global Influenza Surveillance Program Shows Promising Results
May 27th 2016A program designed to improve the quality of influenza surveillance capabilities in 39 countries from around the globe through partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seems to have resulted in remarkable progress on all six of the assessed metrics, and even led to improvements in the surveillance of other pathogens, according to the results of a recent study.