Recent News

By Region: North America

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) Program — 1999–2013

(CDC) In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was established through a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, CDC, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). By 2012, the annual incidence of polio had decreased by >99%, compared with 1988, and the number of countries in which wild poliovirus (WPV) circulation Read More »

June 21, 2013
| Filed under Africa, Middle East, North America, Countermeasures, International, and Public Health
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US, S. Korea holding joint bioterrorism exercise

(StarsAndStripes) U.S. and South Korean officials will hold their third annual joint anti-bioterrorism exercise this week in Seoul, a sprawling mega-city of more than 10 million residents that some fear could someday become a target of an attack. “Seoul is the capital of South Korea, and there are so many people in this city, so Read More »

June 21, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Bioterrorism, and International
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Flu Virus Attacks Like a Pirate With a Grappling Hook

(GlobalBiodefense) Viruses are biological pirates, invading cells and hijacking their machinery to reproduce and infect again. Research at Harvard Medical School is shedding new light on the battle line where viral and cell membranes meet, and the key role of a protein grappling hook with which the influenza virus commandeers its prize—your cells. An influenza Read More »

June 21, 2013
| Filed under North America, Biotechnology, and Research
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Ongoing Dengue Epidemic — Angola, June 2013

(CDC) On April 1, 2013, the Public Health Directorate of Angola announced that six cases of dengue had been reported to the Ministry of Health of Angola (MHA). As of May 31, a total of 517 suspected dengue cases had been reported and tested for dengue with a rapid diagnostic test (RDT). A total of Read More »

June 20, 2013
| Filed under Africa, North America, International, and Public Health
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The Elusive H7N9 Virus: Chinese Researchers Predict Future Pandemic

(Science2.0) Since February 2013, China experienced an outbreak of the novel H7N9 avian flu, causing 131 cases of infection, and a death toll of 39. This particular H7N9 strain is considered to be one of the most worrisome pathogens since the H5N1 pandemic in 1997; a reputation based on the virus’ ability to spread easily Read More »