Recent News

By Region: Asia/Pacific

Link to African Ebola Found in Bats Suggests Virus Is More Widespread

(New York Times) For the first time, scientists have found evidence of the African Ebola virus in Asian fruit bats, suggesting that the virus is far more widespread around the world than had been previously known. That does not mean that outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever are inevitable, said Kevin J. Olival, leader of the bat-hunting Read More »

January 29, 2013
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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At least 1 in 5 were infected in flu pandemic, international study suggests

(EurekAlert) The highest rates of infection were in children, with 47 per cent of those aged five to 19 showing signs of having caught the virus. Older people were affected less, with only 11 per cent of people aged 65 or older becoming infected. The findings come from an international collaboration led by the World Read More »

January 28, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Public Health, and Research
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Study turns parasite invasion theory on its head

(EurekAlert) Current thinking on how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite invades its host is incorrect, according to a study published today in Nature Methods describing a new technique to knock out genes. The findings could have implications for other parasites from the same family, including malaria, and suggest that drugs that are currently being developed to Read More »

December 24, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Public Health, and Research
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New Lethal Bird Flu Strain Emerges in Indonesian Ducks

(Environment News Service) Indonesia has identified the bird flu virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of ducks over the past few weeks as a virulent type which is new to the country. More than 300,000 ducks in several provinces on the island of Java have died since November, a poultry breeders’ association reported to Read More »

December 21, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, Agriculture, International, and Public Health
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Pigs in southern China infected with avian flu

(EurekAlert) Researchers report for the first time the seroprevalence of three strains of avian influenza viruses in pigs in southern China, but not the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Their research, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, has implications for efforts to protect the public health from pandemics.