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By Category: Agents & Toxins

Studies showing how bird flu viruses could adapt to humans offer surveillance and vaccine strategies

(EurekAlert) Bird flu viruses are potentially highly lethal and pose a global threat, but relatively little is known about why certain strains spread more easily to humans than others. Two studies published by Cell Press June 6th in the journal Cell identify mutations that increase the infectivity of H5N1 and H7N9 viruses through improved binding Read More »

June 7, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Public Health, and Research
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$18 million to study deadly secrets of flu, Ebola, West Nile viruses

(EurekAlert) 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 viral pathogens. The study will be led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine professor Read More »

June 7, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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London biomedical hub sets its research agenda

(Nature) Construction is well under way on the Francis Crick Institute. The £650-million (US$1-billion) biomedical super-laboratory, set to open in 2015, is already looming over St Pancras International railway station in central London. The institute is tasked with integrating the wishes of six founders: Britain’s three biggest biomedical funders, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Read More »

June 7, 2013
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Study: Most H7N9 patients have coexisting medical issues

(ShanghaiDaily) MOST people infected with the H7N9 virus have pre-existing medical problems and are at greater risk of getting acute respiratory distress syndrome, according to China’s first comprehensive study of the new bird flu virus. The analysis was led by scientists from Fudan University and was published in the latest issue of the New England Read More »

June 7, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Public Health, and Research
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Vaccination Programs In Schools Could Reduce Flu Cases and Deaths

(GlobalBiodefense) Offering flu vaccines at elementary schools could expand vaccination rates and reduce costs, according to a new study reported in the scientific journal Vaccine by researchers from UC Davis Health System; the Monroe County, New York, Department of Public Health; University of Rochester Medical Center; and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).