In a speech at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society on Apr 27, philanthropist and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates announced the launch of a $12 million Grand Challenge to speed the development of a universal flu vaccine.
On World Malaria Day, global health leaders aired concerns about stalled progress in some regions and recommitted to the battle against the disease.
Researchers described tactics and tools for use in conflict and humanitarian zones and showed threats from cominated blood bank supplies.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals yesterday announced a partnership to support Inovio's development of candidate vaccines against Lassa fever and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Nearly 57% of short-stay nursing home residents harbor multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) near the time of admission and at discharge, according to University of Michigan researchers.
The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped again this week to 2.5%, down from 2.7% in the previous week, and influenza B continues to cause an increasing percentage of flu cases, according to the latest influenza surveillance data reported today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is the 18th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline, which is 2.2%.
Strains with key drug-resistance genes grew from 16% of samples in 2008 to 68% in 2013.
A new report from Brazil's Ministry of Health showed a steady rise in the number of yellow fever cases confirmed and suspected since an update posted last week. There are now 213 confirmed cases, 83 more than last week, and 1,080 suspected cases, an increase of 479 since the previous report.
Recent gains in preventing the disease in pregnancy may be lost as resistance to prophylactic treatment rises.
Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), resigned today after a report that she bought tobacco stocks while leading the agency.
Anne Schuchat, MD, the CDC's principal deputy director who served as interim CDC director before Fitzgerald began her tenure last year, will resume that role, the Wall Street Journal and other news sources reported.
