UNAIDS reports a 52% reduction in new HIV infections among children and a combined 33% reduction among adults and children since 2001 – UNAIDS shows dramatic acceleration towards reaching 2015 global targets on HIV. New HIV infections among adults and children were estimated at 2.3 million in 2012, a 33% reduction since 2001. New HIV infections among children have been reduced to 260 000 in 2012, a reduction of 52% since 2001.
FDA Warns of Rare Acetaminophen Risk — Acetaminophen linked to three serious skin diseases – Acetaminophen, a fever and pain reliever that is one of the most widely used medicines in the U.S., can cause rare but serious skin reactions, warns the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Tamiflu Resistance Confirmed in H7N9 Flu Cases — Drug resistance in new China bird flu raises concern – Resistance easily develops when patients take antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (tamiflu) for treating h7n9 influenza infections. Researcher’s analysis, which includes 14 patients who were hospitalized in Shanghai within 2 days of starting therapy with Tamiflu, appears in The Lancet.
GlaxoSmithKline awarded up to $200 million by U.S. government to develop new antibiotics – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) have agreed to a first of its kind collaboration that will support the development of several antibiotics to fight antibiotic resistance and bioterrorism.
Early formula use helps some mothers breastfeed longer – Giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding, revealed by researchers at UC San Francisco, US.
New prostate cancer test improves risk assessment — Tool tested by UC San Francisco helps identify those best suited for active surveillance – A new genomic test for prostate cancer can help predict whether men are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according to a new UC San Francisco study. The test, which improves risk assessment when patients are first diagnosed, can also aid in determining which men are suitable for active surveillance – a way of managing the disease without direct treatment.
US Task Force Says Screen All Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women for HIV – New recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) urge physicians to screen all adults and adolescents aged 15 – 65 for HIV. In addition, all pregnant women should receive screening, even those who are in labor but have not yet been screened.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in China – update – Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. Both the patients are reported from Zhejiang province.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Statement on National Public Health Week – As US celebrate the start of National Public Health Week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius emphasised the benefits of the Affordable Care Act to advance the public’s health, which started 3 years ago in America under the leadership of US president Barack Obama.
More Parents Say They Won’t Vaccinate Daughters Against HPV, Researchers Find — Parents increasingly concerned about potential side effects, research shows – A rising percentage of parents say they won’t have their teen daughters vaccinated to protect against the human papilloma virus, even though physicians are increasingly recommending adolescent vaccinations. More than 2 in 5 parents surveyed believe the HPV vaccine is unnecessary, and a growing number worry about potential side effects.
Use of certain therapies for inflammatory diseases does not appear to increase risk of shingles – Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a disproportionately higher incidence of herpes zoster (shingles), an analysis that included nearly 60,000 patients with RA and other inflammatory diseases found that those who initiated anti-tumor necrosis factor therapies were not at higher risk of herpes zoster compared with patients who initiated nonbiologic treatment regimens.
Early detection of MS treatment complication may improve survival – The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The study suggests that early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels.
