Infectious Disease News

New Single Pill for AIDS

The first complete treatment for AIDS that is taken once a day as a single pill is expected to be available soon.

The pill, which combines three drugs made by two companies, would be a milestone in improving the simplicity of treatment for the disease, experts say. It should make it easier for people to take their medicine regularly, which is important for keeping the virus that causes the disease in check. (nytimes.com)

Bird Flu in Spain

Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria. (seattlepi.com)

New Drug For HIV Approved by FDA

A new drug to treat HIV won federal approval Friday. The Food and Drug Administration said it approved Prezista for the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus. The drug is the first approved HIV medication for its maker, Johnson & Johnson. (JNJ) It's also the first new HIV drug approved since June 22, 2005. (excite.com)

Bird Flu Virus Mutation

The World Health Organization has detailed the first evidence that a person likely caught the bird flu virus from a human, then passed a slightly mutated version to another person. But experts said Friday the genetic change does not increase the threat of a pandemic. (excite.com)

Malaria Outbreak in Bahamas

Authorities in the Bahamas said Monday they would spray areas around the island chain's capital and in a southern island in a bid to contain a malaria outbreak that has sickened 16 people, including an American visitor and a Canadian tourist, officials said. (USATODAY.com)

Bird Flu in Canada

A case of H5 avian flu has been detected in a gosling from a small backyard flock in the western end of Prince Edward Island.

Further testing on the bird will be conducted over the weekend to determine the exact strain and virulency of the virus. (canada.com)

Another Bird Flu Death in Indonesia

The death of a 38th person from avian flu in Indonesia was confirmed yesterday by the World Health Organization and the situation in that country continued to worsen. (nytimes.com)

More Bird Flu Deaths From Human Transmission

In the wake of a cluster of avian flu cases that killed seven members of a rural Indonesian family, it appears likely that there have been many more human-to-human infections than the authorities have previously acknowledged. (SFGate.com)

New Shingles Vaccine Approved by FDA

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine for shingles called Zostavax. It is made by Merck & Co. Inc, and is only for adults who previously have had chickenpox. Shingles, also called herpes zoster, strikes when the chickenpox virus reactivates and resumes reproducing after lying dormant for decades in nerve cells in the body. (MSNBC)

Possible Human to Human Bird Flu in Indonesia

All seven people infected with bird flu in a cluster of Indonesian cases can be linked to other patients, according to disease trackers investigating possible human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus. (Bloomberg.com)

New Antibiotic for Resistant Germs

Using a novel screening technique, scientists from Merck & Co. have found a chemical compound that is effective against germs that have developed resistance to existing antibiotics. The discovery could provide a vital weapon in the ongoing battle against infectious bacteria, which are constantly evolving defenses to the drugs used against them. (MSNBC)

Bird Flu in Ivory Coast

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) had announced in Paris last week that two outbreaks of bird flu had occurred in Abidjan, making Ivory Coast the seventh country in Africa to report the disease. (NEWS24.com)

Doorknobs Not a Big Germ Threat

Experts say people that we should worry less about touching doorknobs and more about our keyboards and telephones when it comes to avoiding germs.

"Doorknobs are usually on the low side," said Gerba, who has conducted dozens of surveys of bacteria and viruses in workplaces and homes. "I guess they are not moist. Never fear a doorknob." ... Two computer keyboards, for example, carried far more bacteria than an elevator button, the handles and button on the communal microwave oven or the office water fountain, an analysis by Gerba's lab found. (CNN.com)

Mild Form of Bird Flu in New Jersey

Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state's agriculture department said. (REUTERS)

Bird Flu May Enter U.S. Via Smuggled Pets

U.S. officials are worried that birdflu may enter the United States via smuggled pets and animals.

"We're very concerned about it coming into the U.S. by whatever means," Assistant Secretary of State Claudia McMurray said.
The deadly H5N1 virus that has spread through Asia, Europe and Africa but has not arrived in the U.S. Scientists fear the virus could evolve into a form that would pass easily from person to person, sparking a global epidemic. (Washington Post)