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By Category: Public Health

1379 Chinese Die from Infectious Diseases in August

(CRI English) More than 601,703 cases of infectious diseases were reported on the Chinese mainland in August, and they resulted in 1,379 deaths, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Monday. A total of 343,201 cases identified as Class B infectious diseases by the MOH were reported on the mainland in Read More »

September 11, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agriculture, International, and Public Health
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U.S. government takes threat of bird flu pandemic seriously; spends $25 billion for medical countermeasures

(Military & Aerospace Electronics) Evidently the U.S. government is taking the threat of a global bird flu pandemic very seriously, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded five contracts collectively worth as much as $25.36 billion for medical countermeasures to the H5N1 avian influenza virus. There is ample reason to Read More »

September 11, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
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Yosemite Hantavirus Outbreak Claims Third Victim

(Global Biodefense) Hantavirus came into the national spotlight this month after eight visitors of Yosemite National Park have contracted the rodent-borne disease. Three people have died as a result, most recently a West Virginian reported to have visited the park in June. An estimated 10,000 visitors may have been exposed to the virus through rat Read More »

September 11, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Public Health
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Research finds novel airborne germ-killing oral spray effective in fighting colds and flu

(EurekAlert) University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers will present findings about a one-two punch to prevent colds and flu in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) on Sept. 9. The research team is presenting data in two poster presentations that a new oral antiseptic spray is effective in Read More »

September 10, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Ebola outbreak kills 15 in eastern Congo

(CBS News) An outbreak of the Ebola virus has killed 15 people in northeastern Congo and the local communities are quickly learning how frighteningly deadly the disease is, and how to prevent its spread. “Ebola entered my house and I did not know what it was,” said Gabriel Libina Alandato, who survived the hemorrhagic fever. Read More »