Who really knows Anyone... or anything?!....A Measure of Protection!: Disease/Infection News Update from News-Medical.Net

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The Asthma Drug Facility brings down cost of drugs

El Salvador, Benin and other low- and middle-income countries have a special reason to celebrate World Asthma Day on Tuesday, 5 May, this year. A purchasing mechanism run by the Paris-based International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is making it possible for these countries to obtain quality-assured essential asthma medicines at affordable prices for the first time... Continue

Latest News

New Jersey should continue efforts to provide no-cost HIV testing, editorial says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49291
No-cost HIV testing "should continue to be available and easily accessible" in Bergen County, New Jersey, a NorthJersey.com editorial says, adding, "Anyone who is worried about whether he or she has been infected with [HIV] should be able to learn the truth as soon as possible and as discretely as possible. The uninsured, in particular, should have access to free testing."

Obama's $63 billion global health initiative 'will sustain' PEPFAR, editorial says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49290
"President Obama's push to reenergize the fight against the AIDS epidemic in the United States led to concern that he was going to allow U.S. global leadership in fighting the disease to languish," a Washington Post editorial says, adding, "Those fears ought to be calmed after Mr. Obama's announcement Tuesday of an initiative that will sustain" the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Africa prepares for possible H1N1 flu outbreak amid concerns about HIV/AIDS, other diseases
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49289
African countries are preparing for the possibility that the H1N1 flu virus could expand in the continent, which already is experiencing epidemics of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

$10.4 billion increase in NIH funding could increase HIV/AIDS research
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49287
Bloomberg on Wednesday examined how the $10.4 billion increase in NIH funding that is part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan could boost funding for HIV/AIDS research.

New research nets the true economic costs of dengue fever
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49278
Researchers at Brandeis, in collaboration with several other institutions worldwide, have pinpointed for the first time the multi-country economic costs of dengue fever, the endemic and epidemic mosquito-borne illness that is a rapidly growing public health problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries.

Transmission of MRSA and Clostridium difficile through dogs
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49274
In a letter to the Editor of the Journal of Hospital Infection, published by Elsevier, S. Lefebvre and J.S. Weese from the University of Guelph in Canada describe a study that investigated whether MRSA and C.difficile could be passed between pet therapy dogs and patients.

Pandemic influenza preparedness in Latin America: analysis of national strategic plans, health policy and planning
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49268
An analysis of pandemic preparedness plans from Latin American countries has indicated that although most now have national strategic plans in place, it is the wealthiest countries that tend to have the most complete plans.

Ghana's Justice Minster calls for workplace HIV, tuberculosis policies
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49245
Ghana's minister of justice and attorney general, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, recently called on private and public employers to create policies that would provide comprehensive care to employees living with HIV or tuberculosis, as well as their families, GNA/GhanaWeb.com reports.

Stigma preventing some HIV-positive women in Kenya from following recommended infant feeding practices
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49243
Some HIV-positive women in Kenya are following cultural infant feeding practices, such as starting solid foods at an early age, instead of World Health Organization recommendations that infants born to HIV-positive women be exclusively breastfed for the first six months to improve their chances of survival, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

Lesotho, UNICEF, European Union launch pilot program to provide financial support to AIDS orphans
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49242
The Lesotho government in partnership with the European Union and UNICEF has begun a pilot project to provide monetary assistance to children whose parents have died of AIDS-related causes, Inter Press Service reports. The pilot project -- called the Lesotho Child Grants Program -- will be rolled out in 1,200 households in the Mafeteng, Maseru and Qacha's Nek districts.

Countries move toward more sustainable ways to roll back malaria
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49221
The United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organization, in partnership with the Global Environment Facility, today announced a rejuvenated international effort to combat malaria with an incremental reduction of reliance on the synthetic pesticide DDT.

Swine flu: Action and response from the Cochrane Library
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49217
Fears about Swine Flu and notions of the best methods of preventing the spread are sweeping over the world like wild fire, with everyone voicing a different opinion. Is stocking Tamiflu the best option? Do facemasks work? Should we be constantly washing our hands, or never leaving the house?

New influenza A (H1N1) having powerful impact on us
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49215
The new influenza A (H1N1), known as the swine flu, demonstrates the power of people's perceptions of risk. Sales of face masks are breaking all records not only in Mexico but also in Sweden. Hotel guests are being isolated at a hotel in Hong Kong, and people with the sniffles are being isolated in airports around the world. But before the outbreak of the flu, this was a risk that extremely few Swedes perceived as a serious threat to themselves.

Dengue fever may be more of a worry to Australians than swine flu
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49210
For the last week or so much of the world's media has been gripped by the new influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) virus which has dominated the headlines everywhere.

A vaccine for swine flu will depend on what happens next
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49208
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says as of the 5th of May 2009, 21 countries have now officially reported 1,490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection (swine flu).

Swine flu fear now a pandemic
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49205
The number of confirmed cases of Swine Flu Fear (SFF) in the United States may have surpassed 100 million amid increasing global anxiety over a menace that authorities around the world are struggling to contain. The increase is not surprising. SFF is highly contagious, and even a brief exposure to someone afflicted can produce the condition.

International community should ensure access to diagnostic, treatment services to control tuberculosis in Africa, blog entry says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49198
Tuberculosis "remains the most common cause of adult death in some countries" even though the global health community knows "what causes" the disease, "how it spreads" and "how to treat it," Ruth McNerney of the TARGETS Consortium at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine writes in the Guardian's "Katine Chronicles" blog.

AP/Miami Herald examines potential use of H1N1 vaccine
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49194
A strain-specific vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus, also known as the swine flu, that potentially could be developed by researchers might not be as beneficial as some might hope because uninsured U.S. residents are unlikely to purchase the vaccine, the AP/Miami Herald reports.

Senate HELP Committee moves up FDA Commissioner-Designate Hamburg's confirmation hearing due to H1N1 outbreak
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49190
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has moved to Thursday the confirmation hearing for Margaret Hamburg, President Obama's pick for FDA commissioner, citing the need to address the H1N1 influenza outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Eliminating Rhode Island's HIV test signature requirement would boost prevention, treatment efforts
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49187
Rhode Island's legislature currently is considering a bill (H.B. 5415) that would eliminate a requirement that a person sign his or her name before undergoing an HIV test, which "would essentially make getting an HIV test more like getting any other medical test," Brian Alverson, assistant pediatrics professor at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and head of the Section of Pediatric Hospitalists at Hasbro Children's Hospital, writes in a Providence Journal opinion piece.

Recent criticism of Washington, D.C.'s Whitman-Walker could 'undermine' clinic, editorial says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49186
Washington, D.C., Council Member David Catania's recent criticism of the Whitman-Walker Clinic could "undermine the very institution he says he's trying to save," a Washington Post editorial says.

HIV-positive people worldwide at increased risk of the H1N1 flu
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49184
HIV-positive people worldwide are at an increased risk of the H1N1 flu strain, the World Health Organization said on Saturday in guidelines for health workers published on its Web site, Reuters India reports.

Iran reports on new HIV cases
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49185
At least 19,435 HIV cases have been reported in Iran, with more than 1,000 cases recorded since December 2008, according to a report recently released by the country's Ministry of Health, AFP/Google.com reports.

New Jersey lawmakers lobby against plan to close no-cost HIV testing clinic
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49183
Three New Jersey lawmakers last week sent a letter to Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney and the county's Board of Freeholders urging them to reconsider plans to close the Bergen County Counseling Center in Hackensack, which is the only clinic in the county that provides no-cost HIV testing, NorthJersey.com reports.

Advocates express concern over Brazilian State's proposed law requiring identification of HIV-positive people
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49157
Recent draft legislation that would require the state government in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to publish an online list of HIV-positive people has spurred concern among some HIV/AIDS advocates in the country, who contend that such action could be detrimental and discriminatory, London's Guardian reports.

U.S. 'investing every resource necessary' to address H1N1 flu emergency, Obama says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49150
President Obama on Saturday during his weekly radio and Internet address said that his administration is working to address the recent public health emergency involving the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, The Hill reports.

World Bank HIV/AIDS programs less effective than its other health programs, report finds
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49145
World Bank programs aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, are less effective overall than World Bank programs aimed at addressing other health and development issues, according to a report released Thursday by the organization's Independent Evaluation Group, the New York Times reports.

Some HIV-positive people in Wales denied treatment for common conditions, physician says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49144
Some HIV-positive people in Wales are being denied medical treatment for common illnesses, Olwen Williams, a physician specializing in sexually transmitted infections, said recently, BBC News reports. Williams noted that primary care physicians often refer HIV-positive people to hospitals or HIV specialists for common conditions, such as colds.

Advocates express concern over Brazilian state's proposed law requiring identification of HIV-positive people
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49143
Recent draft legislation that would require the state government in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to publish an online list of HIV-positive people has spurred concern among some HIV/AIDS advocates in the country, who contend that such action could be detrimental and discriminatory, London's Guardian reports.

New Jersey free HIV clinic to close, Federal funding at risk
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49142
New Jersey's Bergen County Department of Health Services plans to close the county's Counseling Center in Hackensack, which has operated for 20 years and is the only clinic in the county that provides no-cost HIV testing, NorthJersey.com reports.

Sustainability of ongoing interventions key to successful schistosomiasis control
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49139
A decade after the conclusion of a schistosomiasis control program in Mali, prevalence of the disease had regressed to pre-intervention levels, according to a study published May 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Australia's Dengue risk driven by human adaptation to climate change
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49138
'Drought-proofing' Australia's urban regions by installing large domestic water tanks may enable the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti to regain its foothold across the country and expand its range of possible infections, according to a new study published May 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Helping children and teens cope with fear and uncertainty of swine flu
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49113
Children and teens need their parents help in coping with fear and uncertainty as 2009 H1NI virus (swine influenza A) spreads amid intense media coverage and school closings.

Influenza A (H1N1) swine flu update
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49105
As of 16:00 GMT, 3 May 2009, 18 countries have officially reported 900 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Mexico has reported 506 confirmed human cases of infection, including 19 deaths.

Caribbean success story - drop in HIV infections in the Dominican Republic
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49102
The last decade has seen a sharp drop in HIV infections in the Dominican Republic, resulting largely from reductions in risky sexual behavior, according to a paper in a supplement to the May 1 issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

World Health Organisation says wash your hands and sing 'Happy Birthday' twice to avoid swine flu
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49095
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as of the 2nd May 2009, 16 countries have now officially reported cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection (swine flu).

Australians warned to remain on guard against 'swine flu'
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49094
Even though 91 people have been tested for swine flu in Australia, to date there have been no confirmed cases but health officials are warning Australians not to become complacent and to remain on guard against a possible influenza A(H1N1) - swine-flu - epidemic.

Social isolation the way to stop flu spreading
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49093
Australian researchers say isolation would slow down the spread of outbreaks of influenza.

HIV/AIDS expert urges routine HIV testing
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49079
Two influential medical organizations, along with researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), have announced they strongly recommend universal and routine testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to help curb the AIDS epidemic. HIV infects more than 30 million globally; during last year alone, more than 2 million worldwide died from AIDS, which is caused by HIV.

Southampton scientists race to deliver DNA swine flu test
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49075
A team of genetics experts in Southampton is working against the clock to produce the world's first DNA test for the Mexican strain of swine flu.

New name for swine flu
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49072
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says as from now the new influenza virus, currently tagged 'swine flu' will be known as influenza A(H1N1).

Research model shows best way to deal with a flu pandemic
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=49071
According to the latest available research, should a global influenza pandemic become a reality, small stockpiles of a secondary flu medication, provided they are used early enough in local outbreaks, could extend the effectiveness of large primary stockpiles of drugs such as Tamiflu.

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