Your chances of having long-term effects as a result of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection are the same, regardless of whether your infection was mild or more serious, say researchers from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Science. The most common long-term effects are depression, tremors, fatigue, memory problems, extremity weakness, word-finding difficulty and headaches.

Since WNV arrived in North America in 1999, it has become the most common arboviral infection in the continent. Before this study, very little was known about the long term effects of WNV infection.

(Arboviral = Any virus transmitted by arthropods, such as mosquitoes and ticks, that can cause encephalitis, yellow fever and dengue)

You can read about this new study in Clinical Infectious Diseases, September 15 issue.

The researchers examined 49 patients who had been infected with WNV 13 months after they had been diagnosed. Some had had West Nile Virus fever (mild form) while others had developed encephalitis and meningitis.

The researchers tested the patients’ quality of life, functional ability, level of fatigue, level of depression, and cognitive function.

The researchers found that there appeared to be a substantial amount of ongoing symptoms, both among those who had been diagnosed with West Nile fever as well as those who had had more serious diseases.

24 (49%) of the patients went on to have long term effects, regardless of the severity of their disease, said the scientists. One quarter of them went on to have moderate to severe depression, over four fifths experienced fatigue, and one fifth had tremors.

Dr. Paul Carson, team leader, said he hoped the study may raise awereness that WNV poses a substantial public health threat.

Long-Term Clinical and Neuropsychological Outcomes of West Nile Virus Infection
Paul J. Carson, Patrick Konewko, Kimberly S. Wold, Paul Mariani, Sunil Goli, Paula Bergloff, and Ross D. Crosby
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2006;43:723-730
Click Here To View Abstract

Continue reading →

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes. The bacteria causing the illnesses are Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella.

The specific type and source of tomatoes are under investigation. However, preliminary data suggest that raw red plum, red Roma, or round red tomatoes are the cause. At this time, consumers in New Mexico and Texas should limit their tomato consumption to tomatoes that have not been implicated in the outbreak. These include cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses. Consumers in New Mexico and Texas who have recently eaten raw tomatoes or foods containing raw tomatoes and are experiencing any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider. All Salmonella infections should be reported to state or local health authorities.

From April 23 though June 1, 2008, there have been 57 reported cases of salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Saintpaul in New Mexico and Texas, including 17 hospitalizations. Approximately 30 reports of illness in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Utah are currently being investigated to determine whether they are also linked to tomatoes. There are no reported deaths.

FDA recognizes that the source of the contaminated tomatoes may be limited to a single grower or packer or tomatoes from a specific geographic area. FDA also recognizes that there are many tomato crops across the country and in foreign countries that are just becoming ready for harvest or will become ready in the coming months. In order to ensure that consumers can continue to enjoy tomatoes that are safe to eat, FDA is working diligently with the states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, and various food industry trade associations to quickly determine the source and type of the contaminated tomatoes. As more information becomes available, FDA will update this warning.

Last year FDA began a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative to reduce the incidence of tomato-related foodborne illness. The Initiative is a collaborative effort between FDA and the state health and agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, in cooperation with several universities and members of the produce industry.

A key element of the Food Protection Plan — a scientific and a risk-based approach to strengthen and protect the nation’s food supply-is prevention. FDA encourages producers to critically reexamine their operations and apply the scientific principles and regulations established decades ago to provide a safe product for the consumer.

Information on safe handling of produce can be found here.

Tomato consumer page can be found here.

Updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here.

fda Continue reading →

US Secretary Says Decision On Vaccine From Foreign Manufacturers Expected Soon – HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson
announced today that 17.2 million influenza vaccine doses have been shipped in the last six weeks to health providers serving
high-priority groups as part of the program to reallocate the vaccine to those areas and people who need it most. The
Secretary also said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has nearly completed its examination of vaccines from foreign
manufacturers.

“Working together, our public health community has done an outstanding job of directing the vaccine to those who need it
most,” Secretary Thompson said. “I commend those healthy individuals who are not in high priority groups for stepping aside
in a true spirit of cooperation to help keep vulnerable Americans healthy this year.”

This week’s shipments are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)) and Aventis Pasteur’s plan to
ensure vaccine is getting shipped to groups serving high-priority populations. Those groups include the Department of
Defense, the Veteran’s Administration, long term and acute care hospitals, private physicians who care for high priority
populations, Vaccine for Children Program participants, and the Indian Health Service.

Early indications show the allocation plan is working, with vaccine going to those who need it most. An initial survey
conducted recently by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and CDC indicates a high demand for
vaccine still exists in some areas, but a few states report a small amount of vaccine in excess of their needs. Plans are
underway to reapportion this small amount of vaccine to other states. ASTHO and CDC plan on conducting a follow up survey to
further assess the situation in early December.

In addition, several million more doses of vaccine are scheduled to be shipped each week through early December. Influenza
usually peaks sometime between December and March so it’s not too late for those who need a vaccine to receive one. Although
influenza activity is difficult to predict, early reports indicate that this year’s season is off to a slower start compared
to last year. Thirty-two states have reported influenza activity to CDC thus far, which is well within the range of activity
that might be expected for this time of year.

Secretary Thompson also said FDA intends to make an announcement next week about the influenza vaccine it has identified from
foreign manufacturers that could potentially be available under investigational new drug applications. FDA has completed its
inspections of the sponsors’ manufacturing facilities and is currently evaluating the information from these inspections
together with other information submitted by the companies to determine if their products are appropriate for investigational
use.

The additional vaccine would be in addition to the existing supply of 61 million doses of influenza vaccine, which includes
about 58 million doses of Aventis injectible vaccine and 3 million doses of FluMist nasal spray.

Additionally, the federal government has purchased and stockpiled antiviral medicines to treat more than 7 million people.
Supplies of antiviral medicines also exist in the private sector and manufacturers indicate that they have the ability to
significantly ramp up production. All told, between existing stockpiles, private sector supplies and production capabilities,
the FDA estimates there could be enough medicine to treat tens of millions of people through the heart of flu season.

CDC encourages those in high-priority groups to continue to check with their local health official about availability of
vaccine. Individuals who are having difficulty finding vaccine or who want additional information on influenza can call CDC’s
hotline at 1-800-CDC-INFO. The high-priority groups include:

– All children aged 6-23 months.

– Adults aged 65 years and older.

– People aged 2-64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions.

– All women who will be pregnant during influenza season.

– Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

– Children 6 months to 18 years of age on chronic aspirin therapy.

– Health-care workers with direct patient care.

– Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children aged Continue reading →

Some of the worst threats to farm workers and farm animals such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and other emerging viruses could soon be quickly identified by using a simple screening chip developed by scientists from the Institute for Animal Health, scientists heard on 31 March 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

“The last major SARS outbreak – severe acute respiratory syndrome – which started on the border of China and Hong Kong was identified using a microarray chip. Fortunately, because of the rapid identification of the virus it was brought under control, and in spite of its seriousness caused relatively few deaths,” says Dr Paul Britton of the Institute for Animal Health in Compton, near Newbury, Berkshire. “We need a similar way of quickly identifying viruses that attack chickens, cattle, pigs, sheep and other farm animals.”

The scientists have developed a microarray, called a chip, which contains specific small regions of virus genes that react with any viruses in the samples being tested, showing up as coloured spots on glass slides. The method can also be used to see if a sample contains two or more viruses.

“At the moment the common methods for detecting viruses rely on some previous knowledge, such as recognising the clinical signs of a disease,” says Dr Paul Britton. “A system that can be used by almost anyone, and that can quickly and accurately be used to identify the particular virus early on is vital to control these diseases before they spread, and will have much wider applications.”

The new microarray can detect up to 300 different viruses that infect humans and animals including farm livestock, birds, fish and insects. The chip has already been successfully used to detect a coronavirus, similar to SARS, called infectious bronchitis virus, which infects chickens causing major problems for the poultry industry, and also foot-and-mouth disease virus.

“The great advantage of this microarray-based diagnosis is that you don’t even have to know which virus you are looking for. It can be used in the early stages of a disease outbreak to quickly identify the threat to people or animals, and can be used on samples either from clinics or isolated from the environment”, says Dr Paul Britton. “The chip we’ve developed consists of over 2,800 stretches of genes from over 300 viruses from 36 different virus families.”

“At the moment, the cost of the chip is quite high because it is a research tool. However, we hope to make some chips available soon to European members of the Epizone project, a virtual institute that aims to improve research and control epizootic diseases more effectively.”

###

Source: Lucy Goodchild

Society for General Microbiology Continue reading →

Zimbabwe-based Girl Child Network, which organizes girls’ clubs in towns and villages, is focusing on combating poverty in the country to empower girls, reduce the incidence of rape and fight the spread of HIV, Reuters reports. GCN founder Betty Makoni said poverty is a main reason for the spread of HIV in Zimbabwe. “Many girls don’t have anything to eat or drink,” she said, adding, “Then a sugar daddy comes and says, ‘If you have sex with me, I will give you money,’ and they are likely to take the money” and contract HIV.

According to Reuters, less than 25% of Zimbabwean citizens have jobs, and the inflation rate is the world’s highest — hitting 7,600% in July (Gardner, Reuters, 9/11). A shortage of foreign currency has increased poverty levels and raised inflation. More than 3,000 people die of AIDS-related illnesses weekly in the country, and 70% of hospital admissions in Zimbabwe are HIV/AIDS-related (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 9/12).

“At the beginning, we were not trying to fight poverty,” Makoni said, adding that GNC “thought there was a problem with attitudes, beliefs and practices, but poverty can worsen AIDS.” According to Makoni, education can help girls defend themselves against rape, early marriages and religious sects that perform illegal virginity testing. GCN supplies girls with food, drink, school uniforms and supplies, Makoni said. The group also works to dispel the myth that the “blood of virgins mixed with herbs” can cure HIV/AIDS, according to Reuters.

GNC runs programs in the majority of Zimbabwe’s rural districts with 450 clubs assisting 30,000 girls. The group has started to expand its programs to neighboring countries, according to Reuters. Makoni founded GNC in 1998 and is featured in the new book “Women Who Light the Dark” (Reuters, 9/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

UNAIDS, UNICEF and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) today expressed strong concern about the South African Medicine Control Council’s decision to discontinue use of single-dose nevirapine for prevention of mother to child transmission.

The three organisations also reiterated strong support for new WHO guidelines issued earlier this month on prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) of HIV that include single-dose nevirapine.

There is considerable data showing the efficacy and safety of single-dose nevirapine therapy for preventing vertical transmission. Resistance to nevirapine, when used for both treatment and preventive therapy, has also been documented. However, the impact of this resistance remains unclear and new data is emerging on how this resistance might be reduced.

The new WHO guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child transmission recommend the use of a wide range of options depending on the mother’s clinical situation. These include combination antiretroviral treatment for advanced disease, and dual combination treatment of AZT boosted by singledose nevirapine for women who do not qualify for triple therapy.

Where the infrastructure does not allow for long-term and more complex treatment, the recommended public health approach is single-dose nevirapine. UNAIDS, UNICEF and EGPAF recognise that there is a changing body of evidence and that there is need for more data on the clinical implications of nevirapine resistance in treating mothers and children beyond PMTCT.

The withdrawal of nevirapine without immediately available alternatives leaves HIV-positive women without any means of preventing HIV transmission to their infants. UNAIDS, UNICEF and EGPAF strongly support WHO’s public health recommendation of continuing use of nevirapine in settings where there are no other options.

For more information, please contact Dominique De Santis, UNAIDS, Bangkok, mobile (+41 79) 254 6803 or (+661) 2500 882, Abby Spring, UNAIDS, Bangkok, mobile (+41 79) 308 9861 or (+661) 2500 874, or Liza Barrie, UNICEF, Bangkok, mobile: (+66) 7902 9944, or Lisa Guiterman, EGPAF, Bangkok, mobile (+661) 2500 064. For more information on UNAIDS, please visit our website, unaids Continue reading →

African American men could be putting their health at risk by avoiding disease screening, in the belief that the results might threaten their masculinity. Because they prove their masculinity through their sexuality and sexual performance, seeking medical advice including HIV/AIDS testing goes against their notion of masculinity. Waverly Duck, a Post Doctoral Associate from the Department of Sociology at Yale University in the US, argues that current leading theories of gender and masculinity and health behavior models are not relevant enough to African American men and their distinctive notion of masculinity. His results1 are published online in Springer’s Journal of African American Studies.

Duck studied how African American men conceptualize masculinity and how it relates to their health behaviors. Through a combination of focus groups and in-depth interviews, he asked African American men about their own understanding of their gender identity and examined how that identity, as well as how it is achieved and maintained, relates to their health.

The study found that being sexually active is an important component of African American men’s notion of masculinity. Two-thirds of the participants described masculinity based on patriarchy, heterosexuality, subordination of others, economic security and physical dominance – also known as hegemonic masculinity – as the standard. However, when they are economically marginalized, sexuality and sexual performance become the means by which they prove their masculinity. Health seeking behaviors, including going to the doctor and HIV/AIDS testing, go against their notion of masculinity by potentially interfering with the freedom of their sexual activities. However, they considered it acceptable to get screened for health conditions they perceived as curable, if the cure allowed them to resume normal sexual relations.

Dr. Waverly Duck’s work challenges conventional approaches to black masculinity and attempts to lay the foundation for a more nuanced way of looking at it. He argues that a new health behavior model for Black men should be developed – one that explores the link between their history and how it affects health promoting and health avoidance behaviors.

He concludes: “If men use avoiding going to the doctor to exhibit masculinity, then new strategies of health intervention should be promoted to this population. Voluntary health screening procedures for conditions such as prostate cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS tests should be available and conducted in hospital emergency rooms, settings where African American men frequently have contact with the medical profession.”

Reference

Duck W (2009). Black male sexual politics: avoidance of HIV/AIDS testing as a masculine health practice. Journal of African American Studies DOI 10.1007/s12111-009-9097-2

Source:
Joan Robinson

Springer Continue reading →

Biotechnology company Viral Genetics (Other OTC:VRAL) is pursuing a promising new therapy for Lyme Disease with a $116,000 grant from Time for Lyme, Inc.

“This grant is the second we have received in a month for our work in Lyme disease,” said Haig Keledjian, CEO of Viral Genetics. “Obviously we could not be happier that the research is moving forward very rapidly and showing great promise.”

Viral Genetics scientist Dr. Karen Newell’s discovery of a potential mechanism of Targeted Peptide Therapy in AIDS unveiled promise in a host of other autoimmune diseases, including Lyme Disease. The grant will allow Viral Genetics to move forward on research with a similar Targeted Peptide Therapy that is already showing promise in animal studies being done with Borrelia Burgdorferi.

“This second grant will allow us to move to the next level of Lyme Disease research very rapidly, which brings us closer to work in humans,” said Monica Ord, Viral Genetics’ senior vice president, corporate Development and communications. “We could not be more thankful to the Time for Lyme organization and their amazing fund raising efforts for Lyme research.”

Viral Genetics announced the early results of its Lyme Disease research in October, 2008, at the ILADS Annual Conference, demonstrating that its Peptide Therapy reduced the number of cells responding to the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease-Borrelia burgdorferi.

The company’s thymus nuclear protein or “TNP” drug compound is a mixture of peptides that can bind to antigen-presenting cells and is showing the ability to redirect the immune response. A study team at Viral Genetics has already identified and synthesized key peptides that are predicted to have high binding affinity to immune cells in people with Lyme Disease.

Moving toward human clinical trials, the team has tested the newly identified peptides in mouse models. Viral Genetics’ scientists have shown that the targeted peptides significantly reduce the number, and activation state, of cells responding to Borrelia proteins.

“We are so pleased and excited to have received grant funding from the Time for Lyme Foundation,” said Dr. M. Karen Newell, PhD, who developed the technology to apply TNP therapies to autoimmune diseases. “We will use the funding to research the possibilities of using targeted peptides as novel therapies to dampen the long term inflammation characteristic of Chronic Lyme disease. Because infection with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease has a very different outcome between individuals exposed to the bacteria (Borrelia) that causes the disease, we plan to perform experiments aimed at understanding how an individual’s immune response `genes’ influence both the likelihood of developing chronic disease and how we might optimize a peptide therapy to work for each individual.”

Diane Blanchard, co-chair of Time for Lyme, states, “We are so grateful to the Viral Genetics management team to have persevered on behalf of all the chronic sufferers with AIDS and Lyme Disease around the globe. Great strides are possible when researchers think outside of the four corners of a given hypothesis. Results can be far-reaching. Dr. Karen Newell’s work gives us hope.”

Approximately 19,000 new cases of Lyme Disease are reported to the National Center for Infectious Diseases each year, but industry advocates believe due to misdiagnosis the true number may be closer to 200,000.

Founded in 1998, Time For Lyme, Inc., is a non-profit research, education and advocacy network. The organization promotes education about tick-borne illness, including detection, prevention, and advocacy for students and families. Efforts include educational programs delivered at community seminars, health fairs and professionally recorded programs made available for use throughout the country and beyond. For more information, see: timeforlyme.

Viral Genetics, Inc. is a biotechnology company that discovers and develops immune-based therapies for HIV, AIDS and other autoimmune diseases using its thymus nuclear protein compound (TNP). The company recently entered into an Exclusive License Agreement with the University of Colorado and V-Clip Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of the Company) to license technology developed by M. Karen Newell, PhD, that appears to explain TNP and provide a means to optimize therapies based on TNP for future clinical trials. Viral Genetics believes that its investigational HIV/AIDS drug based on TNP, called VGV-1, represents a unique approach to treating HIV due to the apparently novel mechanism, low toxicity profile, simple dosing regimen, and short-course of treatment. As a type of immune-based therapy, it focuses on boosting the immune system to allow the body to fight HIV more efficiently. VGV-1 has been studied in five human clinical trials for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Online at viralgenetics

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with financial projections, budgets, milestone timelines, clinical development, regulatory approvals, and other risks described by Viral Genetics, Inc. from time to time in its periodic reports filed with the SEC. VGV-1 is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world. While Viral Genetics believes that the forward-looking statements and underlying assumptions contained therein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, including, but not limited to, the ability of Viral Genetics to establish the efficacy of VGV-1 in the treatment of any disease or health condition, the development of studies and strategies leading to commercialization of VGV-1 in the United States, the obtaining of funding required to carry out the development plan, the completion of studies and tests on time or at all, and the successful outcome of such studies or tests. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Viral Genetics or any other person that the objectives and plans of Viral Genetics will be achieved.

Source
Viral Genetics, Inc. Continue reading →

Two new cases of poliomyelitis have been reported from two new regions: Lower Juba, southern Somalia and Mudug region, northeastern Somalia. These regions, with security-related restrictions, present a risk to neighbouring countries.

The cases also threaten the progress made in Mogadishu, formerly the epicentre of the outbreak which has affected a total of 199 children to date, but which appears to be on the decline in the city.

A nation-wide polio vaccination campaign is to be launched on 26 March and aims to vaccine 1.4 million children in an effort to halt further spread of the virus and protect the gains made in Mogadishu.

Global Polio Eradication Initiative Continue reading →

The combination of new antiretroviral treatment programs in Southern Africa, increased efforts by some African governments to fight HIV/AIDS, and more funding from the United States and other countries to pay for treatment have created an “archipelago of hope” amid “the ocean of despair” in the region,… New York Times columnist David Brooks writes in a Times opinion piece. The three factors have given health care workers in Southern Africa “the means to offer life” after years of “watching people die,” which has boosted their morale and helped them to increase HIV testing, Brooks says. Although the region has a “long way to go” in fighting the epidemic, efforts should be “redoubl[ed] … out of a sense of opportunity,” Brooks writes, concluding, “We could be on the verge of a recovery boom” (Brooks, New York Times, 6/9).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork/dailyreports/hiv.. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →