VIDEO
Science Speaks blog 09 May 2011
The following Q & A with Kenyan Ob/Gyn Dr. Elizabeth Anne Bukusi, chief research officer and deputy director of research and training at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, covers topics from microbicide trials and challenges to roll-out and medical male circumcision to condom stock-outs and PEPFAR funding.
CANADA
B.C.: Bedbugs with drug-resistant bacteria found
CBC May 11, 2011
CBC May 11, 2011
Residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside were infested with bedbugs carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria, say researchers who warn doctors to watch out for the potential problem.
CTV.ca May 10, 2011
Experts at the University of Toronto say Canada should join the U.S., the U.K. and other nations in developing a fund to compensate those who have been injured by vaccinations.
Globe and Mail Editorial May 11, 2011
Vancouver's supervised drug-injection clinic, Insite, saves lives and prevents human misery. Providing addicts with a safe, sterile place to inject heroin and other drugs is a pragmatic and effective way to curb the spread of infectious disease, including HIV/AIDs and hepatitis B and C, and to reduce substance abuse and overdoses.
The Canadian Press May 9, 2011
More and more researchers have cast their microscopes on the mysteries of HPV-caused oral cancers, including McGill University, which received a big fundraising boost last week with the help of Douglas.
CBC News Posted: May 10, 2011
The new tests are known as liquid-based cytology. While the method is more expensive than pap tests, it has advantages. It is easier to read and it can be used to test for human papillomarvirus as well, a sexually-transmitted disease known to cause up to 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
INTERNATIONAL
Opinion: Progress toward an HIV/AIDS vaccine
The Scientist May 11, 2011
A week from today (May 18) marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, an occasion designed to salute individuals on the front lines of efforts to develop a preventative vaccine against HIV. The drive to eradicate global AIDS is facing unprecedented challenges, with a report in The New York Times last year describing it as a war we are losing due to financial and technical roadblocks.
The Scientist May 11, 2011
A week from today (May 18) marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, an occasion designed to salute individuals on the front lines of efforts to develop a preventative vaccine against HIV. The drive to eradicate global AIDS is facing unprecedented challenges, with a report in The New York Times last year describing it as a war we are losing due to financial and technical roadblocks.
Reuters May 10, 2011
No biotech company is too big to be bought, at least according to one veteran healthcare executive. David Snow, chief executive of Medco Health Solutions sees major drugmakers needing the growth potential of biotech more than ever. So expect more large deals like Sanofi's $20.1 billion purchase of Genzyme, he says.
AIDSMap, May 10, 2011
HIV testing rates in rural areas of resource-limited countries can be substantially increased using an intervention that involves community-based testing, mobilising targeted communities, and the provision of post-testing support, investigators report in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
UPI May 9, 2011
It may not buy much, but the $1 bill is forging friendships, reigniting romances and scouting the spread of infectious disease. More than $800 billion of U.S. currency is in circulation. The vast majority of these bills go untraced as they travel from person to person, but a select $189 billion are being followed at WheresGeorge.com (the Canadian version is Where’s Willy)
Huffington Post (blog) May 8, 2011
At the time of Simon's death, no one -- really, no one, including the highly competent University of Chicago health care providers -- knew why Simon had died. We learned only after an autopsy that Simon had contracted an antibiotic-resistant bacterium called, MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
IRIN Plus News May 9, 2011
Multiple factors caused cholera outbreak in Haiti
CMAJ May 10, 2011
CMAJ May 10, 2011
A “confluence of circumstances,” rather than the deliberate actions of an individual or group, caused the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti which has killed over 4500 people and sickened nearly 300 000 others, a United Nations expert panel has concluded.
Forbes India May 9, 2011
Big pharma is looking for immunity from a fall in revenues as blockbuster drugs go off patent. They are finding it in Indian vaccine makers.
CIDRAP News May 5, 2011
Calling for more effort to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that untold millions of people suffer from them every year, with the burden falling most heavily on developing countries.
The Guardian May 7, 2011
In the wake of major outbreaks of diseases like cholera and Aids comes violent mistrust of scientists and politicians. Historian Richard Evans looks at possible lessons for the future
BBC News 4 May 2011
A mobile phone application could help monitor the way infectious diseases such as flu are spread.
SciDev.net 4 May 2011
An Africa-wide forum for parliamentarians which aims to give science, technology and innovation a more central role in the policy-making process was launched this week.
