Bloomberg
11/14/2012
Serum of India’s Meningitis Drug Cleared for Warm Storage
A meningitis vaccine developed by billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India Ltd. remains effective at high temperatures, allowing it to be used in locations that lack refrigeration, researchers said.
Der Spiegel
11/14/2012
Selbstversuch: Medikament macht Bettwanzen den Garaus
Bed bugs are in hotels around the globe a plague - and who has just introduced the parasite into their own bedrooms, they will not let go so quickly. But a previously known drug could be a weapon against the bloodsuckers. (Translated with Google Translate
The Canadian Press
11/13/2012
Despite struggle to vaccinate, polio campaign sees signs of progress in Pakistan
After months of negative news about the state of polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, there appears to be a sign of progress, new data suggest. One of the two types of polio viruses circulating there may be on the verge of petering out, Dr. Steven Wassilak, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, reported Tuesday at a medical conference in Atlanta, Ga.
AllAfrica.com
11/13/2012
East Africa: U.S. to Send Medics to Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda
Dr. Vanessa Kerry, CEO of the non-profit Global Health Service Corps and the daughter of U.S. Democratic Senator John F. Kerry, spoke with AllAfrica's Cindy Shiner on the sidelines of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's 61st annual meeting being held in Atlanta.
AAAS Science
10/05/2012
Vipers Go Viral
Every year as the days grow warmer, the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) reemerges along the eastern coast of the United States, where it causes devastating disease in horses and, more rarely, humans. Scientists have long wondered how the virus, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, survives the cold, mosquito-killing North American winters. Now, a new study suggests that snakes harbor the virus through the winter, but experts disagree on whether the finding clinches the question for good.
NBC News
10/01/2012
Snakes may harbor deadly virus
Snakes may provide a winter hiding place for a virus that’s causing an unusually severe outbreak in the U.S. northeast this year, and this could be good news for control efforts, researchers said on Monday. They found eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE for short) in cottonmouths and copperhead snakes and said it’s likely the reptiles incubate the virus while they hibernate over the winter. When they come out in spring, mosquitos feast on the snakes and then pass it to birds.
Wired Science
08/02/2012
Bats Incredible: The Mystery of Rabies Survivorship Deepens
No other disease kills every single human it afflicts ... And studies in dogs and bats have shown that those rabies carriers, who almost always die from the infection, nevertheless will occasionally survive. Now a new study provides more ammunition for the idea that humans might survive rabies on their own.
Agence France Presse
08/02/2012
Amazon people 'resistant to rabies'
Scientists said that a rare group of people in the Peruvian Amazon appears to have some natural resistance to rabies, which is widely considered fatal if not immediately treated.
Fox News
08/02/2012
CDC uncovers small population with natural resistance to rabies
If left untreated, the rabies virus is considered to be fatal 100 percent of the time – with less than 10 known cases of survival among people who did not receive the vaccine. However, new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is challenging that established theory by unveiling a small population in South America that may have natural protection against the disease.
Los Angeles Times
08/01/2012
Not all rabies infections lead to death; some may have resistance
Rabies is generally thought to be universally fatal, but new evidence suggests that is not always the case. A study in Peru suggests that some people -- admittedly a very small percentage of the population -- may have a natural resistance to the rabies virus that protects them from serious illness when they become infected. The results suggest that it may be possible to develop new ways to prevent and treat rabies.