Latest and Breaking Infectious Diseases News

Malaria kills nearly twice as many people than previously thought, but deaths declining rapidly
2 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought -- 1.2 million -- but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. IHME researchers say that deaths from malaria have been missed by previous studies because of the assumption that the disease mainly kills children under age five.

A zap of cold plasma reduces harmful bacteria on raw chicken in Drexel study
2 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Drexel University) A new study by food safety researchers at Drexel University demonstrates that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The proof-of-concept study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

Potential new treatment identified for leishmaniasis
2 February 2012, 5:00 am
(University of Dundee) Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified fexinidazole as a possible, much-needed, new treatment for the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis.

NIAID scientists consider 200 years of infectious diseases
1 February 2012, 5:00 am
(NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) Unpredictable, ever-changing and with potentially far-reaching effects on the fates of nations, infectious diseases are compelling actors in the drama of human history, note scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

New map pinpoints areas of highest human risk for lyme disease in eastern United States
1 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Burness Communications) A new map pinpoints well-defined areas of the Eastern United States where humans have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease, one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases in North America, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

TGen-NAU professor leads national panel in precedent-setting policy published in Science and Nature
1 February 2012, 5:00 am
(The Translational Genomics Research Institute) The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity today published a precedent-setting policy statement warning about the "unusually high magnitude" risk from unrestricted publication of avian flu research.

2012 adult immunization schedule broadens recommendations for HPV and hepatitis B vaccinations
1 February 2012, 5:00 am
(American College of Physicians) The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommends routine HPV vaccination for males aged 11-12 years and catch-up vaccination for males aged 13-21. These are just two of the changes to the 2012 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule being published Feb. 1 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

IPM decreased pesticide use in University of Florida housing
1 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Entomological Society of America) A new study recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management shows that from 2003 to 2008, the use of insecticide active ingredients was reduced by about 90 percent in University of Florida housing buildings after an integrated pest management program was implemented.

NIH to join multi-center clinical trial of new tuberculosis vaccine
31 January 2012, 5:00 am
(Aeras) The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the United States National Institutes of Health, has joined as a partner for a Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial of a tuberculosis vaccine candidate jointly developed by Aeras and Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. This is thee first time that NIH is leveraging its HIV/AIDS clinical trial networks to advance a tuberculosis vaccine candidate.

Targeting malaria hotspots key to reducing transmission
31 January 2012, 5:00 am
(Public Library of Science) In this week's PLoS Medicine, Teun Bousema of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK and colleagues argue that targeting malaria "hotspots," small groups of households at a substantially increased risk of malaria transmission, is a highly efficient way to reduce malaria transmission at all levels of transmission intensity.