Here is a look at some interesting infectious disease and health news, opinion and research reported across the globe:
Measles in Europe: record number of both sick and immunized
More children in the WHO European Region are being vaccinated against measles than ever before; but progress has been uneven between and within countries, leaving increasing clusters of susceptible individuals unprotected, and resulting in a record number of people affected by the virus in 2018. In light of measles data for the year 2018 released today, WHO urges European countries to target their interventions to those places and groups where immunization gaps persist.
XDR typhoid emerging from Pakistan is becoming global health challenge
An outbreak of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in Sindh, including Karachi, is rapidly getting out of control, as over a dozen deaths have been reported from different parts of the province at the hands of the superbug that is resistant to most known antibiotics.
Scientists discover genes that help harmful bacteria thwart treatment
A Rutgers-led team has discovered two genes that make some strains of harmful Staphyloccocus bacteria resistant to treatment by copper, a potent and frequently used antibacterial agent.
Self-Propelling Pills Could Mean The End of Needle Vaccines
A new type of tiny motor can help shuttle life-saving vaccines to where they need to go. For infants or those of us who are squeamish around needles, that could mean a future with fewer shots and more effective medicine.
Study: Dengue immunity may have offered protection against Zika in Brazil
A new study published today in Science shows that prior dengue infection may have protected some Brazilians from severe Zika infections during the 2015-2016 epidemic in the Americas. The study findings could have major implications for both Zika and dengue vaccine developments.
- Ukraine reports 15,000 measles cases in January
- Flea-borne typhus in Los Angeles County: 107 cases since last year
- Philippines: Anne Curtis appointed as UNICEF national goodwill ambassador, Vaccinations a priority
- Babesia assay for blood donor screening receives FDA approval
- Antibiotics: FDA accepts review regulatory filings for Merck investigational combo drug and ZERBAXA®
- Philippines: Measles outbreak declaration expanded to other regions
- The Parasitology interviews, Part 4
