Brucellosis

A surge in malaria infections—with symptoms that can mimic Ebola—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) main Ebola hot spot prompted the launch today of a 4-day mass malaria drug administration campaign, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced. Meanwhile, the DRC's health ministry today reported 1 more illness, raising the overall total to 422 cases. Malaria campaign to reach 450,000 The malaria efforts are designed not only to treat widespread malaria illnesses and deaths, it is also geared toward relieving pressure on the medical clinics, given that 50% of people screened in Ebola treatment centers have been found to have malaria instead of Ebola, the WHO said. The campaign is similar to one launched in Sierra Leone during its outbreak in 2014 and is led by the DRC's malaria control program with support from the WHO, UNICEF, the Global Fund, and the US President's Malaria Initiative. The WHO said the malaria-control campaign has two parts: d...

Robert Davey, professor of microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine and researcher at Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), in collaboration with researchers at Nagasaki University, Tokushima Bunri University, Kagoshima University, and Texas Biomedical Research Institute, have discovered that certain derivatives of amodiaquine, a medication typically used to treat malaria, could provide a new therapeutic approach to treating patients infected with Ebola. From 2014-2016, an Ebola epidemic swept through West Africa, infecting more than 28,000 people and killing more than 11,000 in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alone. The outbreak attracted the attention of virologists from around the world, and several of them, including Robert Davey, noticed something intriguing: patients with Ebola who had been treated with amodiaquine were 31 percent less likely to die. "People were saying 'it's interesting'; I wondered ...

WHO Charts New Course on Malaria "There is no standing still with malaria. The latest world malaria report shows that further progress is not inevitable and that business as usual is no longer an option," said Dr. Kesete Admasu, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. "The new country-led response will jump-start aggressive new malaria control efforts in the highest burden countries and will be crucial to get back on track with fighting one of the most pressing health challenges we face." Nov 23, 2018 Warning that reductions in malaria cases have stalled after several years of decline globally, WHO announced Nov. 19 a new country-led response to scale up prevention and treatment, and increased investment to protect vulnerable people from the disease. The stagnation on progress was revealed in the new world malaria report 2018: In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria, compared to 217 million the year before. But in the years prior, the n...

The world pledged to end AIDS by 2030. While we have seen remarkable progress in the past decade among children aged 0-9 years, adolescents have been left behind in HIV prevention efforts. A staggering 360,000 adolescents are projected to die of AIDS-related diseases between 2018 and 2030 without additional investment in HIV prevention, testing and treatment programs. On World AIDS Day 2018, UNICEF is releasing global and regional snapshots of the world today and a new analysis of the situation for children and adolescents projected to 2030. The world today: Global and regional snapshots Click to access snapshots:  Global ,  Eastern and Southern Africa ,  West and Central Africa ,  South Asia ,  Latin America and the Caribbean ,  East Asia and the Pacific ,  Middle East and North Africa ,  Eastern Europe and Central Asia 3.0 million children and adolescents are living with HIV 430,000 children and adolescents became newly infected with...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will soon sign legislation to extend a 15-year-old HIV/AIDS program that has helped millions, primarily in Africa. HIV/AIDS advocates welcomed the news and immediately called on Trump to drop efforts to cut federal funding for the life-saving program. Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement Thursday at a White House event marking World AIDS Day on Saturday. The Senate late Wednesday passed legislation extending for five years the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, and advancing the bill to the White House for Trump’s signature. The House passed an identical measure in mid-November. Advertisement “We’re grateful for the strong and bipartisan support in the Congress for this extraordinary humanitarian effort by the American people,” Pence said at the event. “President Trump believes this reauthorization is a critical component of our administration’s commitment to combat AIDS.” Pence also announced that $100 milli...

A Labour MP has revealed that he has been HIV positive for nearly 10 years, as the Commons debated World Aids Day . Lloyd Russell-Moyle said: "I wanted to be able to stand here in this place and say to those living with HIV that our status doesn't define them. That we can be whoever we want to be." And appealing for people to overcome their fear of getting tested, the Brighton Kemptown MP said: "It is better to live in knowledge than to die in fear." https://ift.tt/2U0kNoa

[unable to retrieve full-text content] UK meets UN target in fight to end HIV epidemic    CNN The UK has exceeded UN targets for HIV diagnosis and treatment, proving efforts to control the epidemic can work. https://ift.tt/2AB8kym

MOVIES 11:00 AM PST 11/29/2018 by Bill Higgins Hollywood's previous attempts to portray HIV/AIDS hadn't gone well, but this time was different: "It had to be a movie about the human spirit, a survival movie." Director Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia had some major forces going both for and against it a quarter-century ago. On the downside, the TriStar production was about a gay man with HIV/AIDS. On the plus side, Tom Hanks starred as that man. The Hollywood Reporter was impressed by the film that opened Dec. 23, 1993, but said "it will take an exceptionally inspired marketing campaign to bring Philadelphia home everywhere." Hollywood's previous attempts to tackle AIDS hadn't gone well. (The first was NBC's 1985 movie An Early Frost , which had been a critical success and the most-watched broadcast of the night — but lost $600,000 in ad revenue from skittish sponsors. It then lost another $1 million with a second airing.) "We co...

“Treatment scale-down ahead? Rationing the HIV response in the shadow of success” outlines examples of gaps MSF teams observe in a subset of countries where we work (Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic and Guinea). National HIV programmes are facing critical challenges to sustain and scale up lifesaving services amid the threat of declining international funding. The briefing note reflects on the trend of stagnating international funding coupled with rising and often unrealistic expectations on countries with large unmet needs and limited capacity to fund their response. Unless these trends are reversed the common image of people leading healthy lives with HIV might quickly be replaced by severely ill patients, on the verge of death. With low ARV coverage and breakdown of prevention measures, transmission and AIDS-related deaths will continue unchecked. https://ift.tt/2AvK0y2

New London — Lorena De Leon, 18, a first-year student at Connecticut College, examines each panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in the Tansill Theater on the Conn College Campus on Wednesday. The full AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was started in the late 1980s, comprises 5,956, 12-foot-by-12-foot sections and includes the names of more than 96,000 people who have died of AIDS. Three large sections of the quilt are on display in the theater as part of World AIDS Week, with an Alliance for Living-sponsored event commemorating World AIDS Day happening at the theater at 1 p.m. Saturday. The quilt is on display in the Tansill Theater from 9 a.m to 7 p.m. through Sunday. https://ift.tt/2Rq4Dmw

NASHVILLE (WSMV) - The Metro Public Health Department has confirmed one case of tuberculosis has been reported at a Nashville high school. A letter has been sent out to parents and students at Cane Ridge High School. An informational meeting will be held at Cane Ridge High School at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Brian Todd of the Metro Public Health Department said during treatment, the child diagnosed with TB is being held out of school. "We're working closely with metro schools to determine who are the closest contacts over a prolonged period of time," he said. Those contacts are getting free screenings at the health department. TB is somewhat rare in the US today. According to the CDC, there were 128 cases in Tennessee in 2017. That makes Tennessee 23rd in the country for the most cases. Todd said there's a very low likelihood the case at Cane Ridge High has spread. Todd said over two decades, they've never responded to a case of TB in a school tha...

Patients with diabetes diagnosed with tuberculosis are more likely to present with advanced disease and cavitation in the lungs vs. those with TB who do not have diabetes, according to findings from a cross-sectional study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Several large-scale studies have demonstrated a higher TB incidence rate in patients with diabetes vs. those without diabetes, whereas the radiographic presentation of TB has been shown to be more severe in patients with diabetes, Charles F. Kreisel, MD, of the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University, and colleagues wrote in the study background. However, due to the larger TB burden abroad, most studies examining TB and diabetes have been conducted internationally, they added. “As a result, there is need for further studying the relationships between tuberculosis and diabetes clinically in the United States,” the researchers wrote. “Of primary concern is that the relationship between tuberculosis and dia...

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Students, faculty and staff at Southwestern College may have been exposed to tuberculosis, county health officials warned Wednesday. A person who was on campus between August 20 and Nov. 8, 2018, tested positive for the highly infectious respiratory disease. College officials are working with college staff to notify as many people as possible who might have been in contact with the infected person. The college will provide tuberculosis testing at no cost to people who may have been exposed at the school. The testing will be available from December 3 to 14 at the Southwestern College Student Health Services, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Student Center, Room 601F in Chula Vista. “The initial infection usually has no symptoms, so we recommend testing for all those exposed to assure they are not infected,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “For any infected individuals, early diagnosis and prompt treatment can prevent the infectious form of th...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - A post spreading on social media prompts a THV11 viewer to ask us to verify whether it's true. Katrina Zachary sent us a screenshot of a health alert she saw on Facebook. It warns hunters that if they see bubbles like this and white spots in deer meat, do not eat it, it's tuberculosis. The news station that wrote and published the story is out of Michigan. The station reports that wildlife officials in Michigan are warning hunters to inspect their deer for a serious disease. Is this true? We asked Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Trey Reid. “There has been tuberculosis identified in both cattle and white-tailed deer in Michigan,” said Reid. Last month, we reported Arkansas hunters have nothing to worry about here when it comes to what's called bovine tuberculosis. But since the photo is circulating on social media, and because there are thousands of Arkansas hunters in the woods this season. We asked Reid again, "Is this a con...

Migrants who came with the caravan are suffering from respiratory infections, tuberculosis, chickenpox and other serious health issues, Tijuana’s Health Department warned on Thursday morning. The spokesman told Fox News that out of 6,000 migrants currently residing in the city, over a third of them (2,267) are being treated for health-related issues. Advertisement There are three confirmed cases of tuberculosis, four cases of HIV/AIDS and four separate cases of chickenpox, the spokesman said. At least 101 migrants have lice and multiple instances of skin infections, the department’s data shows. There’s also a threat of Hepatitis outbreak due to unsanitary conditions, the spokesman said. The thousands of migrants are being sheltered at the Benito Juarez Sports Complex near the San Ysidro U.S.-Mexico Port of Entry, even though the place is capable of providing for 1,000 people. The location also has only 35 portable bathrooms. A sign reading “No Spitting” was put up, as coughi...

The French government said Tuesday it would take the rare step of reimbursing prescription-bought condoms to combat the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The measure, which covers French-made Eden condoms obtained on prescription from a doctor or midwife, was announced ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday. Produced by Majorelle laboratories and sold only in pharmacies, Eden condoms cost a fraction of leading brands such as Durex or Manix at 2.60 euros ($2.95) for a box of 12. They are the first to be approved for reimbursement by France's national health authority, one of the few in Europe to do so. In a statement the company hailed the announcement as "sending a strong signal that it [a condom] is not a sex toy but a real and indispensable prevention tool" in the fight against sexually transmitted infections. In July, a health department study showed cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea -- two common STIs -- tripling in France between 2012 and 201...

The microorganisms that cause malaria, leishmaniasis and a variety of other illnesses today can be traced back at least to the time of dinosaurs, a study of amber-preserved blood-sucking insects and ticks show. In addition to demonstrating the antiquity of vectors and their long-term association with parasitic microorganisms, the findings are remarkable for several reasons. First, bloodsuckers like mosquitoes, fleas, sand flies, ticks and biting midges aren't frequently found in amber, and rarer yet is evidence of any microorganisms they might have been carrying. But a review by entomologist George Poinar of Oregon State University showed that amber from five regions around the world contained hematophagous arthropods carrying preserved, identifiable pathogens and parasites. "Feeding on vertebrate blood evolved as an efficient way for certain insects and acarines to get protein for growth and reproduction," said Poinar, professor emeritus in the College of Science an...

28 November 2018 | BENI: A spike in malaria cases is threatening the health of people in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where health workers are also battling an Ebola outbreak.  In response, a four-day mass drug administration (MDA) campaign was launched today in the Northern Kivu province town of Beni, with a target to reach up to 450 000 people with anti-malarial drugs combined with the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The malaria control campaign is being led by the DRC National Malaria Control Programme, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the Global Fund and the United States President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). The campaign is modelled after the campaign implemented in Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which was instrumental in lowering illness and deaths from malaria in the areas reached. “Controlling malaria is critical in areas like North Kivu, as it causes widespread d...

Follow CBSPHILLY  Facebook   Twitter PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – New research shows a dog’s sense of smell could become a powerful weapon in the battle against malaria. Dogs at Penn Vet in Philadelphia have been doing research on smelling cancer. Now, British scientists say sniffer dogs there have been trained to detect the deadly disease malaria. Two-year-old Freya is on the hunt and keeps sniffing until she smells her target. The springer spaniel is detecting malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that infects more than 200 million people around the world every year. “What we found was that dogs are able to detect a difference in the socks that have been worn by children who are infected with the malaria parasite and children who are malaria-free,” said Dr. Claire Guest. British researchers collected socks from Gambia, in West Africa, some worn by children carrying the malaria parasite. People More Likely To Get Sick During Holiday Shopping Season, Doctors Warn In trials,...

Malaria remains the deadliest disease on the continent, claiming the highest number of victims than any other every year. Enter University of Cape Town Professor, Kelly Chibale. The Zambian chemist has discovered a new drug that can combat the disease at contact, thus killing it before it kills its victim. https://ift.tt/2P7n2CF

Mr Peter Courtney, Head of Trade at the British High Commission, has urged Ghanaians to uphold malaria prevention measures. He noted that a malaria control method that targeted mosquito larvae as they matured in stagnant water could be an effective measure in the fight against the disease. He said improper disposal of empty plastic bottles and coconut shells also provided breeding place for mosquitoes, which later transmitted the plasmodium parasites, which causes malaria; hence there was the need for attitudinal change in fighting head-on the menace. Mr Courtney made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sideline of launch of ‘Protec Active Mosquito Repellent Spray’, manufactured by ACP Solutions Limited and distributed by Frontedge Healthcare Ventures. ACP Solutions Ltd and Frontedge Healthcare supports the World Health Organisation (WHO) message, that protection against malaria, rather than treatment of the disease, was the key to reducing the impact ...

LANSING, Mich. (WTHR) - Wildlife officials in Michigan are warning hunters to inspect their deer for a serious disease. The state's Department of Natural Resources says bovine tuberculosis was reported in 10 counties last year and managers are trying to eradicate the disease from white-tail deer in the state. So far in the 2018 hunting season, Michigan DNR has reported five cases in four counties. The DNR shared a photo of an infected deer's rib cage, showing white, bubble-shaped sores on the flesh. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that attack the respiratory system of animals and humans. Bovine tuberculosis can infect the widest variety of animals, 25News in Flint, Mich. reports . The bacteria is spread by coughing, sneezing and exchanging saliva. Food that has been contaminated by the saliva of an infected animal can spread it, as well. Michigan is reportedly the only state in the nation that has bovine tuberculosis in wild deer. Hunters in 16 counties are being urg...

Most infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in children and adolescents are asymptomatic. After exposure to a source case (a person with active tuberculosis), some people will become infected and others will not. Initially, the two groups cannot be distinguished. By 10 weeks after exposure, people who become infected will demonstrate a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) or a positive interferon gamma release assay (IGRA). Among exposed people who are not infected, the TST or IGRA will remain negative. Tuberculosis infection (in contrast to tuberculosis disease) is defined as infection in a person with a positive IGRA or TST but no physical findings of disease and a chest radiograph that is normal or reveals evidence of an old, healed infection. Which of the following statements are correct? a) A TST or IGRA should be performed before initiation of a prolonged course of systemic corticosteroid or use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonists or blockers. b) A posit...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that causes nerve cells to die. As the disease progresses, patients have difficulty  moving, feeding, dressing, and completing many other tasks. Patients can work with physical and occupational therapists to maintain their quality of life and mobility for as long as possible. Therapists may prescribe adaptive devices to assist patients and their caregivers, and ensure they are being used most effectively. Mobility devices There are various types of assistive devices that can make walking safer. A cane may be the most useful tool when one leg is weaker than the other, or when a patient has mild balance deficits. A walker also can be used if patients need more support to walk. Orthotic bracing (such as on an ankle) can help stabilize a weak limb, making it easier for patients to rise from a sitting position. For patients who have difficulty holding their head straight, a neck brace may increase comfort. Some patien...

France is to fully reimburse condoms, if prescribed by a doctor, to combat the spread of AIDS and HIV, the country's minister of health announced on Tuesday. From December 10, France's social security system will reimburse boxes of condoms bought at pharmacies if they have been prescribed by a doctor or a midwife — effectively rendering condoms free. Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn hailed the measure as a "new step for the prevention [of HIV] and protection" of French people. "Nowadays, we discover some 6,000 new (HIV-positive) cases every year, especially among young people — between 800 and 1,000 new cases among those under 25 — who often use condoms for their first sexual experience but not the following ones," Buzyn told France Inter radio station. The announcement, which comes just days before World AIDS Day on December 1, will "strengthen the fight against sexually-transmitted diseases," the ministry said in a statement. Only one br...

Dayo Ojerinde The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS, Mr Gbenga Alabi, has said that a collective effort from key stakeholders in various settlements across the country will make the fight against HIV/AIDS easier. Alabi said this on Monday in Lagos during a press conference organised to commemorate 2018 World AIDS Day. He described the 2018 World AIDS Day as a significant event that demands the attention and support of all key stakeholders in the health sector to make it easy to stamp out HIV/AIDS in the country. “As the voice of the private sector’s response to HIV/AIDS and other associated health issues, the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS is bringing stakeholders together to address pertinent issues including HIV prevalence rate in the country, provision of HIV Testing Services and promotion of healthy behaviours. “This decision is the propeller of activities on our schedule to communicate the essence of the day, while aligning with global e...

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 28 Nov) – The city government is pushing for the establishment of two more treatment hubs here for people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Dr. Mely Lastimoso, coordinator of the City Health Office’s (CHO) Social Hygiene Clinic, said the move was aimed to complement with the rising cases of the disease in the city and neighboring areas. She said Region 12 presently has two HIV/AIDS treatment hubs being supported by the Department of Health (DOH). These are the HIV/AIDS Core Team Clinic operated by the South Cotabato Integrated Provincial Health Office in Koronadal City and the CHO’s satellite treatment hub here. “We proposed for the opening by next year of two more treatment hubs, one at a private hospital and another at the city hospital,” she said in an interview over a local television show. CHO records showed that HIV cases in the city already reached around 600 as of the third quar...

WORLD Aids Day is celebrated around the globe on December 1 to raise awareness about the HIV/Aids pandemic. On this day, people around the world unite in remembering those who have died from HIV/Aids. It is an opportunity to show support, care, patience and love to those living with HIV with the aim of empowering people with the knowledge that HIV/Aids can be beaten. Those who are living with it can live a full productive life and those without it can remain negative. World Aids Day is commemorated to restore hope to the victims of HIV/Aids and to pay tribute to those who have succumbed to the disease. Local organisations and NGO’s that deliver health services to the people have a responsibility to educate and give hope and support to the victims of HIV/Aids. Umvoti Aids Centre in Greytown delivers all aspects of healthcare and support to the people infected and affected by HIV/Aids. General manager Sithuthukile Mchunu told Greytown Gazette : “We recently have graduated 160 grade...

The AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibit opens Tuesday in Asheville with an educational twist tied to a message delivered in a movie. (Photo credit: WLOS staff) ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) —  The AIDS Memorial Quilt includes a rock icon and a lesson to be learned from his life. The exhibit personalizes a public health issue in America -- HIV/AIDS -- and how it's on the rise among young people. The AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibit opens Tuesday in Asheville with an educational twist tied to a message delivered in a movie. "Bohemian Rhapsody" tells the story of Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant frontman for the legendary rock band Queen. "I hope that they see that HIV doesn't discriminate," Michael Poandl, of the Western North Carolina AIDS Project, said. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, an artistic tribute to those who have died of HIV/AIDS, is on display at the Asheville Masonic Temple. The quilt contains 20 blocks of eight panels each. Look closely and you w...

HIV may no longer be a death sentence, but the health sector is still urgently trying to locate those with the condition so they can be treated and not pass it onto others. During AIDS Awareness Week in the lead-up to World AIDS Day on Saturday, Orange Sexual Health Clinic in Kite Street is offering HIV tests. Western NSW Local Health District HIV-related programs manager Ann Ryan said the target was to eliminate HIV transmission in NSW by 2020, but while the number of people recently infected with the disease had dropped, the number of sufferers who had been infected for some time before seeking a test was rising. One in five patients are heterosexual. Ms Ryan said some were afraid of the test result. “You’ve also got people who come from overseas, particularly some of the Asian countries, who might not practise safe sex in the way we do,” she said. “A portion of men who have sex with men don’t identify with the gay scene, so if they have sex with men and come home to a fema...

Anna Gorman Contributor If patients return to Dr. Crystal Bowe soon after taking medication for a sexually transmitted infection, she usually knows the reason: Their partners have re-infected them. “While you tell people not to have sex until both folks are treated, they just don’t wait,” she said. “So they are passing the infection back and forth.” That’s when Bowe, who practices on both sides of the North and South Carolina border, does something doctors are often reluctant to do: She prescribes the partners antibiotics without meeting them. Federal health officials have recommended this practice, known as expedited partner therapy, for chlamydia and gonorrhea since 2006. It allows doctors to prescribe medication to their patients’ partners without examining them. The idea is to prevent the kind of reinfections described by Bowe — and stop the transmission of STDs to others. However, many physicians aren’t taking the federal government’s advice because of entrenched ethical and...