Vaccine :: UGA vet school receives $1.18 million NIH grant for rabies vaccine investigations

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine a $1.18 million grant to develop rabies virus vaccines. This award is the continuation of a previous four-year $837,000 grant issued by NIAID in 2002 to initiate the study.

Influenza :: Tamiflu survives sewage treatment

Swedish researchers have discovered that oseltamivir (Tamiflu); an antiviral drug used to prevent and mitigate influenza infections is not removed or degraded during normal sewage treatment. Consequently, in countries where Tamiflu is used at a high frequency, there is a risk that its concentration in natural waters can reach levels where influenza viruses in nature will develop resistance to it.

Bird Flu :: New research shows how H5N1 virus causes disease

H5N1 influenza, also known as avian influenza, is considered a major global threat to human health, with high fatality rates. While little had been known about the specific effects of H5N1 on organs and cells targeted by the virus, researchers at Beijing University, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and SUNY Downstate report in the September 29, 2007 issue of the Lancet detailed studies of human H5N1 victims that shed light on the anatomic distribution of the virus and its pathogenesis.

HPV :: Paediatricians stand behind HPV vaccine for Canadian girls

All Canadian girls between 9 and 13 years old should receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to a new statement by the Canadian Paediatric Society. The CPS also recommends that girls at higher risk of early sexual activity-those who are street-involved, or under the care of child welfare—be targeted.

Onychomycosis :: New topical therapy safely treats nail fungus without systemic side effects

A new topical lotion that penetrates the skin deeply enough to target and eliminate serious skin infections, but without being systemically absorbed, has shown a high degree of safety and tolerability in patients with onychomycosis, or toenail fungus, a new study has shown.