CIDRAP newsletters options
The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday recommended a specific H7N9 influenza strain for vaccine development, saying it "elicits antibodies that react well with all viruses tested."
In a statement, the WHO said it has selected an A/Anhui/1/2013-like virus for the development of H7N9 vaccines for pandemic preparedness. It notes that A/Shanghai/2/2013 is an A/Anhui/1/2013-like virus.
The CDC's final estimates for 2012-13 show a healthy bump in kids and a small gain in adults.
The court upheld an export rule, but virologist Fouchier said the decision won't apply to H7N9 research.
Note: This story was corrected on Sep 27. It originally incorrectly stated that the H3N2 strain was changed from the one used in the 2013-14 Northern Hemisphere vaccine. We apologize for the error.
Young kids and those with underlying conditions were at greatest risk for more severe infections.
Experts today reaffirmed their earlier finding that MERS is not a global health emergency.
Ten new polio cases have been confirmed in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, bringing to 25 the number of cases reported this year, Pakistan Today reported today.
Officials at the second International Conference on Mass Gathering Medicine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, called for "intensive global investigation" of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to help determine how it spreads and other factors, according to an Arab News report today.
Today's findings may help explain some features of MERS in humans, researchers say.
The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine dropped from 52% at 3.5 months after vaccination to 22% more than 4 months after vaccination during the 2011-12 season, according to a study out of Spain today in BMC Infectious Diseases whose power was limited by a small sample size.
Much is unknown: the animal source, how the virus jumps to or among people, clinical variables, etc.
The WHO notes that the disease pattern seems to be trending younger and female.
The US government will maintain its supply of anthrax antitoxin through 2018 under Project BioShield contracts issued by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the HHS said in a news release yesterday.
A study today indicates that MERS-CoV likely jumped from animals to humans multiple times.
CDC review finds that data for the benefit to patients of vaccinating health workers are limited.
Donald E. Low, MD, who became Canada's public face of SARS 10 years ago, died last night, according to media reports and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where he headed the microbiology department until recently.
Two young Cambodian girls have contracted H5N1 avian flu, one fatally, bringing the country's case total this year to 20, according to a report today from Xinhua, China's state news agency.
A 2-year-old girl from Kampot province died yesterday in a Phnom Penh hospital. The deputy director of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital said, "The little girl from Kampot was in very serious condition when she arrived at our hospital."
Clinical trials will test a candidate vaccine for H7N9 flu in varying doses, some with immune boosters.
Amid reports of 3 new cases, the WHO today posted revised recommendations on MERS lab testing.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today announced two emergency regional projects aimed at detecting and containing H7N9 avian flu in Southeast Asia, the agency said in a press release.
