Tag: Virus

‘Zika epidemic is not over,’ says Brazilian specialist

by Carola SOLÉ Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANIERO, Brazil (AFP) — Concern about the zika virus may have waned since the disease spiked in the months before the 2016 Rio Olympics, but the epidemic is not over, a Brazilian expert told AFP. Gustavo Correa Matta said government spending cuts in Brazil could hamper the ability to control the virus that caused panic, and a small number of deaths, after an outbreak starting in 2015. “Zika […]

25 people dead due to Ebola in DR Congo as disease spreads

  The number of suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 45, with 25 people dead, the World Health Organization said Friday. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic, who gave the figures to reporters in Geneva, said that 14 of the cases had been confirmed as the deadly Ebola virus following laboratory tests. This came about after WHO warned Friday that the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the […]

DOH reports gov’t vaccination programs suffering after dengue vaccine scare

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Widespread fears over a controversial dengue vaccine that some blame for child deaths are wreaking havoc on the Philippines’ war on preventable diseases, with many parents refusing to get their children immunized, a senior health official said Friday. Immunization rates for polio, chicken pox, tetanus and other diseases are significantly down from previous years since the government suspended the sale and distribution of the Dengvaxia vaccine in December, Health Undersecretary […]

Human genome decoded with pocket-sized device

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists used a portable device no bigger than a cellphone to sequence the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology, according to a study published Monday. The breakthrough, detailed in the journal Nature Biotechnology, brings us closer to the day when family doctors will order up genome scans during a regular check-up along with blood work, the authors suggested. “We are definitely approaching […]

Sanofi to reimburse Philippines for unused dengue vaccine

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is to reimburse the Philippine government for leftover doses of an anti-dengue vaccine whose use was suspended due to health concerns, the two parties said Monday. The manufacturer said the refund had nothing to do with safety issues and was meant to improve ties with the Philippine health department, which is investigating the deaths of more than a dozen children injected with Dengvaxia. Philippine regulators stopped […]

Ingestible ‘mini pillbox’ releases weekly dose of HIV meds

by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — An ingestible “mini pillbox” which releases a cocktail of HIV drugs in the stomach over several days is a potential step towards reducing the burden of daily pill-taking, scientists reported on Tuesday. Tested only in pigs so far, the tiny device is the latest attempt to make it easier for people on medication for chronic illnesses, including those infected with the AIDS-causing virus, to stick […]

10-year lifespan gain for some HIV patients: study

PARIS , France (AFP) — The life expectancy of HIV-infected people in Europe and the United States has been boosted by a decade since anti-AIDS drugs became available in the mid-1990s, researchers said Thursday. In fact, a 20-year-old who began treatment any time since 2008, now has an expected lifespan, about 78 years, approaching that of an uninfected person, said a study in The Lancet HIV. Life expectancy in the “general population,” excluding people infected […]

Japan culls 280,000 more birds for avian flu

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan deployed hundreds of soldiers to help cull more than 280,000 chickens on Friday, officials said as they try to contain further outbreaks of a highly contagious strain of avian flu. The latest slaughter means more than 1.67 million birds will have been killed in a dozen mass culls at several farms across the country since November when the virus was detected in the northern Aomori prefecture. Troops have been sent […]

Chikungunya outbreak, naitala sa Poblacion, North Cotabato

(Eagle News) — Idineklara ng rural health unit ng barangay Poblacion, North Cotabato ang Chikungunya outbreak kasunod ng pag-taas ng bilang ng mga pasyente sa iba’t ibang ospital dahil sa nasabing virus. Ayon sa Municipal Health Officer, nasa limampung residente na ang nahawa ng virus mula nitong nakaraang linggo. Kinumpirma rin ito ng Regional Institute of Tropical Medicine mula sa blood samples ng mga pasyente. Kabilang sa mga sintomas ng mga pasyente ang lagnat at […]

Japan culling 230,000 more birds over avian flu

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has mobilized its military to help with a second mass cull of 230,000 chickens amid a spreading outbreak of a highly contagious strain of avian flu, officials said. The highly virulent H5 strain was found in chickens at a farm in Joetsu city in Niigata prefecture, the local government said in a statement late Wednesday. It said that 2,100 people, including 1,020 members of the military, were being mobilized in […]

Bolivia reports first 3 Zika-linked microcephaly cases

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP) — Bolivia has detected its first three cases of microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, local media reported Wednesday, citing health authorities. Two babies were born with the birth defect in September and a third in October, said the director of the public health service for the department of Santa Cruz, Aida Aguilera, quoted by local newspaper El Dia de Santa Cruz. She said the eastern region had registered 127 cases […]