The US Senate today overwhelmingly confirmed Robert Califf, MD, as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner after nominal opposition faltered, media outlets reported.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported a new MERS-CoV infection in a man who had contact with camels, the second case in 3 days, and agriculture officials said 85% of camels recently tested at a market in Jeddah harbored the virus.
Saudi Arabia today reported a new MERS-CoV case after a 5-day lull, and a new study shows effectiveness of a monoclonal antibody treatment in monkeys.
The new MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) case involves 43-year-old foreign man in Riyadh who is not a healthcare worker, the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) reported. He is in stable condition, and probable sources of infection are under investigation.
Canada can now be added to the growing list of countries that have detected MCR-1, the recently identified worrisome gene that disables the last-line antibiotic colistin, after it was detected in a patient and in ground beef sold in 2010, the Toronto Star reported today.
After being identified for the first time in China in November, the gene has now been confirmed in samples from at least 11 countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that Ebola virus infection in West Africa continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), largely due to the potential for transmission of the virus from survivors and convalescent populations, according to a Dec 18 statement.
The NIH sees its biggest boost in 12 years, and other public health initiatives benefit, too.
A live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) candidate for H7N9 avian flu produced a good immune response and was shown safe in a phase 1 human trial, researchers from Russia and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Experts recommend a separate entity within the WHO to handle outbreaks and emergencies.
The group of 28 experts continues to offer Ebola vaccine guidance and says its concept could be used in other outbreaks.
NewLink Genetics today announced that the federal government has exercised an $18 million option to ramp up the production of its experimental Ebola vaccine VSV-EBOV, according to a statement from the company. The company has licensed the vaccine from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the developer of the vaccine, which is furthest along in clinical studies in the West African outbreak region.
