| BREAKING
NEWS & COMMENTARY |
| Faster, more accurate tuberculosis test developed |
December 2006: New test takes an average of seven days to complete and is cheaper and more sensitive than standard culture-based tests. |
| 2006 year in review |
December 2006 |
| ACIP recommends herpes zoster vaccine for adults aged 60 and older |
November 2006: Vaccine can help prevent herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in this age group. |
| IDSA updates Lyme disease recommendations |
November 2006: The new recommendations are the first updates since 2000. |
| CDC
expects 100 million doses of flu vaccine |
October 2006: First batches of injectable flu vaccine this year in
the United States have been shipped. |
| FDA warns of
E. coli outbreak due to spinach |
October 2006: Epidemiological and laboratory evidence helped to
trace the outbreak to a company in California. |
| IDSA, SHEA
push for strengthened effort for pandemic vaccines |
September 2006: The two organizations applaud the White
House for its efforts but say not enough is being done. |
| Topical
microbicides may be useful in preventing HIV transmission |
September 2006: Microbicides may be beneficial while
researchers continue to work on developing an effective vaccine. |
| Rapid
HIV-test distribution program expands HIV testing in United States |
August 2006: The Advancing HIV Prevention program
distributed tests that provide results in 30 minutes. |
| Risk-benefit of screening blood
supply for malaria unknown |
August 2006: The FDA convened expert panelists to
discuss both sides of the issue. |
| Measles
outbreak stems from Boston's tallest skyscraper |
July 2006: Fourteen cases of measles are ties to an
employee at the John Hancock Tower, which houses about 5,000 workers. |
| Unsanitary
tattooing linked with CA-MRSA skin infections, CDC says |
July 2006: CDC reports 44 outbreaks of CA-MRSA in Ohio,
Kentucky and Vermont associated with 13 unlicensed tattoo artists. |
| FDA gives
herpes zoster vaccine the OK |
June 2006: The new vaccine will prevent shingles cases
among the older population. |
| New
KS-associated herpesvirus receptor facilitates infectivity and
dissemination |
June 2006: KSHV becomes more infectious after inducing a
physiological state that results in increased numbers of its xCT, a receptor
molecule. |
| CDC
develops guidelines for managing tickborne rickettsial diseases |
May 2006: Antimicrobial therapy is effective, but early
diagnosis is difficult. |
| Feds release
implementation plan for pandemic flu |
May 2006 |
| FDA
advisory committee recommends new indication for IV daptomycin |
April 2006: Phase-3 data show efficacy of daptomycin to
treat patients with S. aureus bacteremia. Committee split on its
usefulness to treat infective endocarditis. |
| HIV
subtyping may be useful for management |
April 2006: People with HIV viral subtype D are more
likely to progress to AIDS and die more rapidly compared with people with
subtype A. |
| IDSA calls
for more antimicrobial research, development |
March 2006: IDSA officials identify a target list of six
microbes that are in desperate need of new antibiotics. |
| Mandatory flu shots boost
health care worker immunization rate at Virginia Mason |
March 2006: The CDC recommended universal influenza
vaccination for health care workers that suggested signed declination. |
| FDA
announces revisions to prescription drug package inserts |
February 2006: The FDA adds new selections and updates
others while creating new electronic resources for physicians and
patients. |
| FDA cracks
down on condom labels |
February 2006: Label would read: “latex condoms
greatly reduce, but do not eliminate the risk of pregnancy and the risk of
catching or spreading HIV.” |
| FDA supports
the efficacy and safety of Zostavax |
January 2006: The vaccine reduced the incidence of
postherpetic neuralgia by 66.5%. |
| HCV population
undercounted by 1 million |
January 2006: The current estimate does not include the
incarcerated, homeless, hospitalized, residents of nursing homes and active
military. |
| New HBV
treatment shows continued clinical benefit compared with
lamivudine |
January 2006: Thirty percent of entecavir-treated
patients came off the drug in the second year of treatment vs. 25% of
lamivudine-treated patients. |
| HIV/AIDS & STDS |
| Gates grants go a long way |
December 2006: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on innovations in health and education and provides funding for research efforts. |
| Gene therapy vector shows promise in fight against HIV |
December 2006: Lentiviral vectors may be effective for gene transfer to humans, according to phase-1 study results. |
| HIV positive youth reach out to peers |
December 2006: NIAID challenges youth to be the generation that ends the AIDS epidemic. |
| Long road to the development of an effective HIV vaccine |
November 2006: Vaccine development will require overcoming scientific challenges and attaining basic research in immunology and pathogenesis of the virus. |
| Multi-drug resistant bacteria increases in hospital settings |
November 2006: Acinetobacter infections increased from 4.5% in 1995 to 17% in 2004, according to the CDC. |
| New CDC guidelines for HIV testing will change health care |
November 2006: New guidelines recommend HIV tests as a regular part of visits to health care providers as well as increased testing in pregnant women. |
| Pre-exposure prophylaxis a promising HIV prevention tool |
November 2006: Alternative prevention methods, like PREP, should be further evaluated to help reduce HIV among at-risk groups. |
| CDC: Test
patients for HIV at regular doctor visits |
October 2006: New recommendations reduce the stigma of HIV testing
and increase early HIV diagnosis. |
| Condoms:
the most critical component of the ABC HIV prevention method |
October 2006: Experts stress that more than catchy slogans are
needed to create effective HIV prevention messages. |
| Decrease
in sexual behavior seen among high school students |
October 2006: Ethnicity plays a role in decline of students engaging
in risky sexual behavior. |
| For
patients with AIDS, depression increases with age |
October 2006: Health care providers should treat patients’
comorbid physical and mental health conditions. |
| Increasing
rates of CA-MRSA occurring among HIV patients |
October 2006: Risk factors for CA-MRSA in people living with HIV
include history of syphilis infection and recent use of beta-lactam
antibiotics. |
| Malnutrition worsens the
HIV/AIDS epidemic |
October 2006: Poor nutrition is associated with significantly poorer
survival among HIV/AIDS patients. |
| Prevention
method not as clear as ABC for some |
September 2006: ABC prevention messages should be
clearly defined, consistent and noncontradictory and be combined with other
interventions to address barriers in communities. |
| FDA
approves first once-daily, single tablet regimen for HIV |
August 2006: HIV drug cocktails have reduced the AIDS
death rate by 70% in the United States. |
| Two less
frequently recognized STDs common among women |
August 2006 |
| Risk
factors identified for lesser-known STD in MSM |
July 2006: The CDC has developed a new, accurate, rapid diagnostic
test for lymphogranuloma venereum. |
| Syphilis
disproportionately affects MSM |
June 2006: CDC says syphilis elimination will require new
interventions, partnerships and innovations to reach those at risk. |
| Well-received Internet site warns:
‘you may have contracted HIV or STD’ |
June 2006: Partner notification system provides MSM with an easy,
anonymous way to tell their partners that they may have been exposed. |
| HIV rates
increasing in Tijuana, Mexico |
May 2006 |
| ARV studied
as nPEP and PREP agents to protect against HIV |
April 2006: Researcher highlights the safety, efficacy and proper
administration of post- and pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention. |
| Methamphetamine use increases risk
of acquiring HIV, STDs and MRSA |
April 2006: Methamphetamine use is 10% to 20% higher among MSM than
in the general population, and 20% to 25% use the drug at least weekly. |
| AAP
provides revised recommendations to reduce adolescent HIV caused by illicit
drugs |
March 2006: Clean needle exchange programs are a proven way to
reduce HIV transmission, report says. |
| Combined
chemical and physical barrier methods may reduce HIV transmission |
March 2006 |
| Length of
genital herpes outbreaks decreases with shortened treatment cycle |
February 2006: Single–day treatment with famciclovir reduced
lesions by two days compared with placebo. |
| NIH ceases
enrollment in international HIV/AIDS trial |
February 2006: SMART trial find that continuous ART is superior to
episodic therapy. Risk of disease progression doubled with episodic therapy.
|
| CDC data show
stepped up testing and treatment efforts are needed to fight STDs |
January 2006: Syphilis is increasing in men. Gonorrhea is at an all
time low, and chlamydia increased and remains the most commonly reported
STD. |
| Nearly
$30 million allocated to microbicide development |
January 2006: HIV prevention efforts receive support from four
European nations. |
![[*]](http://www.infectiousdiseasenews.com/art/bullet.gif){kind=small}
Get
Adobe Acrobat now