Varicella

Telemedicine linked to more appropriate antibiotic prescribing for UTIs

Telemedicine visits for urinary tract infections (UTIs) were associated with more appropriate antibiotic prescribing and decreased use of diagnostic and follow-up resources than virtual visits, according to the results of a primary care network study published yesterday in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

CDC: 41 more measles cases raise total to 1,022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 41 more measles cases in the past week, raising 2019's total number of cases to 1,022, a record for the post-elimination era.

"This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000," the CDC said today.

Study: Standard pasteurization kills Ebola virus in breast milk

A recent study in the Journal of Human Lactation showed that pasteurizing breast milk kills both Ebola and Marburg viruses. The research was done at the Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT), and was conducted in the wake of the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak.

18 buildings positive for Legionnaires' in NY, 11 of them in Bronx

Eighteen cooling tower sites have tested positive for Legionella in or near theSouth Bronx area rocked by an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that has sickened 113 people recently, according to a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) press release yesterday.

NIH permits MERS-CoV, some flu GOF studies to resume

In the latest gain-of-function (GOF) research news, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has allowed five such studies involving a mouse model for MERS-CoV and two influenza studies to continue after a 2-month moratorium, NPR reported today.

Study notes benefits of 2-dose varicella vaccination

Two doses of a combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine (MMRV) were more efficacious at preventing moderate to severe varicella infection (chickenpox) than one dose of monovalent varicella vaccine and markedly more effective against varicella of any severity, according to a study today in The Lancet.

GSK reports malaria vaccine follow-up, eyes regulatory application

At a malaria conference in South Africa today, researchers reported more promising findings for a vaccine that is furthest along in development, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) officials said they now intend to submit a regulatory application for it to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2014, according to a company press release.

WHO reports increasing flu activity in South America, southern Africa

Influenza activity is up "considerably" in South America and southern Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, while other scattered regions are also seeing some increase.