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By Category: Agents & Toxins

NTU designs social media and web system that can predict dengue hotspots

(EurekAlert) When it comes to stopping dengue, social media posts, tweets and a web system may be just what the doctor ordered. Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a social media-based system called Mo-Buzz that can predict where and when dengue might occur. It combines a web system that taps into historical data Read More »

June 12, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, International, Public Health, and Research
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Townsend Farms Hepatitis A Outbreak Hits 87

(FoodSafetyNews) At least 87 people in eight states are now known to have been sickened with hepatitis A in the outbreak connected to Townsend Farms frozen berries sold at Costco stores, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 36 people have been hospitalized. Based on known information, roughly 66 percent Read More »

June 11, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Agriculture, and Public Health
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NIH Awards $18M to Study Deadly Secrets of Viral Pathogens

(GlobalBiodefense) In an effort to sort out why some viruses such as influenza, Ebola and West Nile are so lethal, a team of U.S. researchers plans a comprehensive effort to model how humans respond to these biological threats. The study will be led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine professor Read More »

June 11, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
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Simple Mutations Could Make Flu Viruses More Deadly

(USNews) Genetic mutations in two emerging “bird” flu viruses could turn them into potential sources of pandemics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers report. One expert who was not involved with the new studies, however, said virus changes that may take place in the lab don’t necessarily translate to a real-world threat. These two emerging flu Read More »

June 10, 2013
| Filed under Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Thailand expecting record number of dengue fever deaths

(TheSacramentoBee) Thailand is heading for a record-breaking number of dengue fever cases in 2013, having lost 44 people to the mosquito-transmitted virus already, officials warned Saturday. The health ministry predicts Thailand this year will see at least 100,000 dengue cases and more than 100 deaths, a three-fold increase from last year and a record-high for Read More »