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By Category: Public Health

Fresh Outbreak of Lassa Fever

(AllAfrica) A Lassa fever outbreak in Lafia, Nasarawa State, caused the death of at least one out of three infected persons. According to the Chief Medical Director of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) in Lafia, Dr Ahmed Yakubu Ashiki, the status of the other victims confirmed the virus after diagnosis. All three victims were Read More »

February 8, 2013
| Filed under Africa, Agents & Toxins, and Public Health
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Senators Launch New Bid to Reauthorize Biodefense Initiatives

(GlobalSecurityNewswire) Senate lawmakers on Thursday launched their latest legislative attempt to renew several initiatives to increase the nation’s medical readiness for countering disease agents and other unconventional-weapon threats. The newly proposed Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act incorporates several semantic changes to language approved last month by the House of Representatives, and would need approval Read More »

February 8, 2013
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Scientists Find A Key Element Of Lupus, Suggesting Better Drug Targets

(MedicalNewsToday) A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has identified specific cellular events that appear key to lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease that afflicts tens of millions of people worldwide. The findings suggest that blocking this pathway in lupus-triggering cells could be a potent weapon against the disease.

February 7, 2013
| Filed under North America, Public Health, and Research
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Canadian Dairy Farm Biosecurity Standard Introduced

(Farms) The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) launched a biosecurity standard for all Canadian dairy farms. The new standard was developed over a two-year period in collaboration with the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and the CFIA.

February 7, 2013
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Rolling Back the War on Vaccines – Wall Street Journal

Rolling Back the War on VaccinesWall Street JournalThanks to a massive international vaccination effort, world-wide fatalities from smallpox fell from two million annually in 1967 to zero by 1980, when health authorities confirmed the complete eradication of the disease. The Salk and Sabin vaccines …