Bird Flu :: H5N1-infected bird found in Hong Kong
Hong Kong government officials recently announced that a wild bird found dead near a busy shopping district on Dec_31 tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.
Virus
Norovirus :: Viral Outbreak in Criccieth – Update
Testing has identified Norovirus as the cause of illness in two care homes in the Criccieth area. In the Bryn Awelon home, 22 of the 30 residents and eight of the 22 staff have had the stomach bug. The first person fell ill on 22_December and the last case was reported on 29_December.
HIV :: Limited options for backup HIV treatment in some developing countries
Thai researchers have discovered that patients who fail treatment with a commonly used, inexpensive, first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) are also usually resistant to other, similar drugs, leaving progressively fewer options for replacement therapies. Since catching treatment failure early is key to preventing further resistance, this research, published in the February 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases also argues for greater access in the developing world to tests that detect when the amount of virus in a patient’s blood is increasing.
Alzheimer’s Disease :: Genetic variation may reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk
Adults with a genetic variation enabling them to express higher levels of fetal hemoglobin may have a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say.
Bird Flu :: Indonesia bird flu case tested positive
The Indonesian Health Ministry confirms that a 14-year-old boy has tested positive for bird flu in Indonesia, the country’s first case of the virus in almost two months. The boy, from Tangerang in West Java, was hospitalised in Jakarta after he suffered from bird-flu-like symptoms on Jan_1.
HIV :: New HIV test may predict drug resistance
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed a highly sensitive test for identifying which drug-resistant strains of HIV are harbored in a patient’s bloodstream.
Rift Valley Fever :: More than 75 people die of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya
More than 75 people have died in Kenya of a hemorrhagic fever called Rift Valley Fever over the past three weeks and another 183 are infected with it. The diseases’ victims are residents of either the Northeastern or Coast Province, which received uncharacteristically heavy rain in December that caused flooding and created a large breading ground for mosquitoes, which spread the fever’s virus from livestock to humans.
Bird Flu :: NIH starts clinical trial of H5N1 DNA vaccine
US Federal officials have announced the launch of the first clinical trial of an H5N1 avian influenza vaccine made from a piece of the virus’s DNA rather than from the whole virus, an approach that may facilitate faster vaccine production.
Flu :: HHS awards $102 million for new flu drug
The US HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the Department has awarded a $102.6 million, four-year contract to BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for advanced development of their influenza antiviral drug, peramivir.
Bird Flu :: WHO Chan worries about bird flu pandemic
The new director-general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, warns the threat of an influenza pandemic has not receded. She urges countries around the world to prepare for a pandemic that has the potential to kill millions.