Mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus have been found in Clayton County, health officials announced today. The Clayton County Board of Health declined to identify where the sample was collected, other then saying it was found in the central part of the county.

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The story: Health crisis as three million people went down last winter with Norovirus - winter vomiting disease. The flaw: The authorities don't know how many had it. They don't even know how many went to the doctor with it. All they know is the 2,000 cases in the peak months that were confirmed in the lab.

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University of Texas researchers announced on Thursday that they have discovered a key biochemical link in the process by which the Ebola Zaire virus infects cells -- a critical step to finding a way to treat the deadly disease produced by the virus.
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Some parents unwittingly pass on the human herpes virus-6 to their children because it is integrated with their chromosomes. This is the first time that a study by University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC) has shown the virus to become part of the human DNA and then get transferred to future generations.

via newkerala.com

West Nile virus is spreading in California, having infected 78 people so far this year, health officials said on Wednesday. A record number of 195 mosquito samples taken this week tested positive for the virus, compared to the previousRead the rest of this entry »

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The secret of how the cold sore virus manages to persist for a lifetime in the human body may have been cracked by US scientists. The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can lie dormant in facial nerves, emerging periodically to cause sores. A Duke University Medical Center team may have uncovered how it can reactivate itself from a dormant state.
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A research group supported by the US' National Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked HIV infection in the test tube by inactivating a human protein expressed in key immune cells - a process that may offer a way to circumvent problems with drug resistance. In the new study, Pamela Schwartzberg, M.D., Ph.D., a senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH; Andrew J. Henderson, Ph.D., of Boston University; and their colleagues used a chemical inhibitor and a type of genetic inhibitor, called RNA interference, to inactivate a human protein called interleukin-2-inducible T cell kinase (ITK) in key human immune cells called T cells.

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Kim Chang-sup, an official for South Korea’s Agriculture Ministry, confirmed the fourth outbreak of the deadly bird flu virus strain H5N1 so far this year. This latest outbreak occurred on a farm in Yeoungam, about 236 miles southwest of Seoul, and resulted in the preventive slaughter of about 470,000 chickens and ducks farmed within a roughly 2-mile radius from the farm. The current slaughter brings the number of birds eliminated to about 1.3 million so far this year. The first outbreak this year was reported earlier this month, with three other outbreaks soon following. There are an additional six suspected outbreaks of the virus and tests to identify the strain of the virus are under way.

via medheadlines.com

"This just means we've got West Nile in that area, and likely it's in other areas of the state, too," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Mary Currier. Although a March case of West Nile virus is atypical, as the season for the virus extends from mid-summer through fall, Currier said cases have been reported as early as January and as late as December. "It can happen at any time of the year," she said. "Mosquitoes can be around at any time of the year, and we all need to take precautions." Four people died as a result of the virus in 2007, with 136 total reported infections. Currier said the number of infections reported last year, and possibly this year.

via zwire.com

The state Department of Health confirmed today Mississippi’s first human case of West Nile virus for the year in Lincoln County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the second reported human case in the United States for 2008. Mississippi’s total number of human cases for 2007 was 136 with four resulting in death. Although these numbers are lower than the previous year, it is no indicator for the coming year. The MSDH reports both confirmed and probable cases to the public. “Although WNV is most prevalent in mid- to late summer it can occur throughout the year because mosquitoes may be active any time of the year in Mississippi,” said Dr. Mary Currier, state epidemiologist . “Mississippians should take precautions year round to.

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Researchers in the US and Canada have made a breakthrough in the fight against Ebola haemorrhagic fever, one of the world's deadliest diseases caused by the Ebola virus, by successfully testing several Ebola vaccines in primates. Dr Anthony Sanchez, from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia and colleagues are looking to adapt the vaccines for human use. "The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism", said Dr Sanchez.

via newkerala.com

Public health officials said four Massachusetts children have died of the flu this month. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the first two influenza deaths occurred in a 6-year-old and a 14-year-old who had significant underlying medical problems. The most recent deaths, however, were children who were healthy before coming down with the flu. Officials said a 15-year-old boy died of bacterial pneumonia related to the flu last Friday and a 12-year-old girl died Sunday, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

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Rates of HIV testing in the United States have remained constant since 2000, with some one-third of all Americans ever having been screened for the virus that causes AIDS.But less than 25 percent of those at high risk of infection -- such as people who have unprotected sex or are intravenous drug users -- have been tested within the past year, making it tougher to contain the epidemic,Read the rest of this entry »

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An international team of scientists says they've documented the genetic sequence of one of the world's most debilitating human parasites.

Microscopic Brugia malayi worms can live for years inside the human body. The parasite can be transmitted through the bites of infected insects or spiders, noted researchers reporting in the Sept. 21 issue of the journal Science.

Infection with B. malayi can lead to a disfiguring disease called elephantiasis, which features an excessive buildup of lymphatic fluid in the body and extreme swelling in the limbs, trunk or head. It's estimated that B. malayi has seriously incapacitated and disfigured more than 40 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.Read the rest of this entry »

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The H5N1 bird flu virus can pass through a pregnant woman's placenta to infect the fetus, researchers reported on Thursday.

They also found evidence of what doctors had long suspected -- that the virus not only affects the lungs but passes throughout the body into the gastrointestinal tract, the brain, liver and blood cells. Read the rest of this entry »

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