Infectious diseases News

Africa slow in measles fight

Death rates from measles fell 74% between 2000 and 2010, missing an internationally agreed target for a 90% fall mainly because of low vaccine coverage in India and Africa.

US measles cases at 15-year high

Measles cases in the United States hit a 15-year high in 2011, with 90% of the cases traced to other countries with lower immunisation rates.

Fast, cheap test for hepatitis C

The American University in Cairo said a team of researchers has designed a faster and cheaper test for all types of hepatitis C, which it says affects about 10 million Egyptians.

Typhoid cases soar in Zimbabwe

Some 3,000 cases of typhoid have been reported in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare since the first case was detected in a working-class suburb state media reported.

US: hepatitis C kills more than HIV

Deaths from hepatitis C have increased steadily in the United States in recent years, in part because many people don't know they have disease, a new government report says.

Amateur tattoos carry hepatitis C

If you know someone who's likely to get a tattoo, tell him the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to make sure it's done by a professional and not a friend.

Virus strikes cruise ship

A stomach virus outbreak delayed the departure of the cruise ship "Voyager of the Seas" from New Orleans in one of three outbreaks of illness aboard US-based cruise ships.

Columbus voyage tied to syphilis?

A new examination of the origin of syphilis supports the theory that the disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from the New World.

E. coli outbreak from lettuce

Romaine lettuce from one farm was the likely source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened 60 people in 10 states between, says the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Blood poisoning: speed saves lives

Speed can save lives – especially in the case of blood poisoning. The more quickly and directly doctors recognise and treat sepsis, the greater the patient’s chances of survival.