Disease

U.N. General Assembly reviews international response to pandemic

22 May 2007 -- United Nations -- President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is proving effective, according to Alec Mally, counselor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

PEPFAR, now in its fourth year, is beginning to turn the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in some countries, Mally told the U.N. General Assembly May 21.    » read more »

Governor Remains Committed to Brucellosis Free Status and Solutions in MT

5/18/2007 -- (HELENA) – A cow shipped from Baker, MT tested positive for brucellosis last week reported Montana Governor Schweitzer and the Montana Department of Livestock today.

“We are concerned about our brucellosis free status,” said Governor Schweitzer. “Federal and State agencies are investigating the test results now and we will continue to work toward solutions to keep Montana’s brucellosis free status.”    » read more »

May 17, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Illinois state public health director, announced today a mosquito sample collected in Tazewell County has been confirmed as positive for West Nile virus.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) was notified by Tazewell County Health Department of the findings as part of its routine surveillance for West Nile virus. A positive mosquito sample each was collected May 11 from Creve Coeur.    » read more »

15 May 2007 -- Another African epidemic is taking the spotlight, cancer. Experts say aging and infectious diseases are increasing Africa's cancer burden. A new non-governmental group is trying to raise global awareness of the problem and held a meeting recently in London that brought together African health ministers and other interested participants.    » read more »

Increased reports of ticks this season

May 15, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Illinois state public health director, is warning residents to take precautions against ticks and the diseases they carry after an increased number of reports from the public to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).    » read more »

Bill to Help in Fight Against Lou Gehrig's Disease

May 14, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. - Working to increase understanding of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada reintroduced legislation today to establish a single, national ALS patient registry at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to collect data and study ALS.    » read more »

Vaccination recommended to protect horses from potentially deadly virus

May 11, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Agriculture is reminding horse owners to vaccinate their animals before the onset of mosquito season to protect against West Nile virus (WNV).    » read more »

May 11, 2007 -- State and local health officials are advising consumers to avoid eating raw oysters from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, better known as Rocky Point, following the identification of 13 cases of hepatitis A associated with raw oyster consumption.    » read more »

May 10, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A Mayo Clinic research team led by neurologist David Knopman, M.D. will join a nationwide consortium of leading Alzheimer's disease researchers in a large-scale clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.    » read more »

10 May 2007 -- German conglomerate Siemens signed an agreement with a Catholic organization to lower the costs of lab tests for HIV patients in Africa. These tests aim to establish whether HIV patients are becoming resistant to drug therapies they are undergoing. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome

The agreement between the well-established Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, and Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics was signed at the end of the fifth international conference of the DREAM project titled "Long life to Africa: Fighting Aids and Malnutrition".    » read more »

5/9/2007 - WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -- The Defense Department is teaming with other federal agencies to prepare the nation to deal with a potential pandemic outbreak of influenza, a senior official said May 8 here.

"Right now, we're as ready as we can be at this point," said Richard Chavez, director of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear preparedness and response at the department.    » read more »

Bill Increases Ability to Engage in Education and Diabetes Management

May 9, 2007 -- Washington, DC - Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today joined with Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Vito Fossella (R-NY) to introduce the Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Control Act, which increases our nation's ability to address the growing epidemic of diabetes.    » read more »

May. 09, 2007 -- "For too long cancer has destroyed not only the lives of those who develop this insidious and often incurable disease, but also the lives of family and friends who bear witness to the debilitating effects of cancer. The action taken by the House today holds hope for millions of cancer sufferers that some day – perhaps over the next decade – the cure for cancer will be found by researchers working in Texas.    » read more »

May. 08, 2007 -- "Good afternoon. In early February I initiated a national debate by ordering the widespread use of the HPV vaccine, which protects women from the deadly human papillomavirus that serves as the most common cause of cervical cancer.

Since then, the legislature has countered that order with the passage of House Bill 1098; a bill which awaits my action by today.

During that timeframe, a debate which affects real lives has been hijacked by politics and posturing.    » read more »

Product removed from store shelves; customers asked to return or destroy it

May 8, 2007 -- State health and agriculture officials are investigating seven cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in Minnesota residents associated with eating ground beef purchased from Lunds or Byerly’s stores since mid-April.    » read more »