Infection :: Wash your hands to prevent the spread of infection, say doctors
As the cold and flu season approaches the BMA is calling on adults and children to follow basic hygiene rules to prevent the spread of infections.
Virus
Ebola :: Health teams on ground to allow for quicker diagnosis of disease in DR Congo
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners now have substantial teams in the field in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where nine cases of the deadly Ebola virus has been confirmed.
Stem Cell :: Penn Veterinary Medicine report new strategy to create genetically-modified animals
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have demonstrated the potential of a new strategy for genetic modification of large animals. The method employs a harmless gene therapy virus that transfers a genetic modification to male reproductive cells, which is then passed naturally on to offspring.
Flu :: Flu virus trots globe during off season
The influenza A virus does not lie dormant during summer but migrates globally and mixes with other viral strains before returning to the Northern Hemisphere as a genetically different virus, according to biologists who say the finding settles a key debate on what the virus does during the summer off season when it is not infecting people.
West Nile Virus :: UGA Odum School of Ecology professor receives grant to study West Nile Virus in NYC
When West Nile virus first struck New York City in 1999, news of the potentially fatal illness alarmed citizens and public health officials alike, showing that even affluent, urban societies are vulnerable to vector-borne diseases.
Cervical Cancer :: New cervical cancer vaccine to be evaluated in Rochester
Rochester has been chosen as one of four national sites to monitor the effectiveness of the new cervical cancer vaccine. The project, which is funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be jointly conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Department of Health.
Blood :: Test to screen for bacterial contamination in blood platelets
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the first rapid test to detect bacterial contamination in blood platelets prior to transfusion.
Flu :: FDA approves nasal influenza vaccine for use in younger children
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved expanding the population for use of the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist to include children between the ages of 2 and 5.
Vaccine :: Sanofi Pasteur’s H5N1 Influenza Vaccine achieves high immune response at low dosage
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis Group, announced data showing that its new investigational H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccine containing a proprietary adjuvant achieved a high immune response at the lowest dose of H5N1 antigen reported to date.
DNA :: Scientists reveal DNA-enzyme interaction with first ever real time footage
For the first time scientists have been able to film, in real time, the nanoscale interaction of an enzyme and a DNA strand from an attacking virus. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have used a revolutionary Scanning Atomic Force Microscope in Japan to produce amazing footage of a protective enzyme unravelling the DNA of a virus trying to infect a bacterial host.