MERS vaccine protects camels, which is good for people

A vaccine that protects against the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has been shown to be effective in camels, a new study finds.

The vaccine, which was developed by German scientists, reduces the amount of the virus found in the camels infected with the disease, according to the study.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/12/18/mers-vaccine-protects-camels-which-is-good-for-people.html

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France widens bird flu restrictions to tackle outbreak in southwest

PARIS – France on Friday tightened sanitary measures and restricted movement of poultry across part of the southwest as it tries to contain its first bird flu outbreak in eight years that threatens to hit exports.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/12/18/france-widens-bird-flu-restrictions-to-tackle-outbreak-in-southwest.html

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Obama takes credit for 'stamping out' Ebola

In a remarkable show of chutzpah, President Obama has claimed credit for “stamping out” Ebola.

In his last press conference of 2015 held on Friday, Obama states that his leadership, his diplomacy, and most important his belief in climate change all helped craft the Paris climate agreement, and these same leadership qualities stamped out Ebola.

http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/obama-takes-credit-for-stamping-out-ebola/

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CDC Warns About Syringe Reuse in Workplace Influenza Shots

A notable disregard for basic vaccine safety that included reuse of syringes for influenza vaccinations given to employees at a New Jersey company sparked a massive, multiagency scramble to determine whether any of the vaccine recipients had been infected with HIV, hepatitis C virus, or hepatitis B virus as a result of possibly contaminated syringes, according to a report published in the December 18 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/856222

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Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' in UK

Bacteria that resist the antibiotic of last resort - colistin - have been discovered in the UK.

Officials say the threat to human health is low, but is under ongoing review.

Scientists warned the world was on the cusp of a post-antibiotic era when such resistance was discovered in China last month.

Now checks have discovered the same resistance on three farms and in samples of human infections.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35153795

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Thought this might fit in here:

http://www.activistpost.com/2015/12/the-basics-of-a-staged-bioterror-event.html?utm_source=Activist+Post+Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3b7bc257d6-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b0c7fb76bd-3b7bc257d6-387881593

[edit] Also want to add this to the above:

http://www.permanent.com/human-extinction-biotechnology-nano.html

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rOZZ
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Study reveals arms race between Ebola virus and bats, waged for millions of years

Ebola virus and bats have been waging a molecular battle for survival that may have started at least 25 million years ago, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) that published online today in the journal eLife. The findings shed light on the biological factors that determine which bat species may harbor the virus between outbreaks in humans and how bats may transmit the virus to people.

http://phys.org/news/2015-12-reveals-arms-ebola-virus-waged.html

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'Victorian' disease resurgence in England follows global pattern

LONDON, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Diseases that many developed countries thought they had relegated to history are seeing increased rates during the last several years, including tuberculosis, cholera, measles, whooping cough and scurvy.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2015/12/24/Victorian-disease-resurgence-in-England-follows-global-pattern/3411450977111/

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White House Releases Tuberculosis Action Plan

(CN) - Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise, prompting the Obama administration to publish a national action plan to combat the disease.
The White House announced the plan Tuesday, aiming to stem the increase in reported cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, or MDR-TB.
"The National Action Plan is an effort to articulate a comprehensive strategy, mobilize political will, and spur additional financial and in-kind commitments from bilateral and multilateral donor partners, the private sector, and the governments of all affected countries," the Obama administration said.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/12/24/white-house-releases-tuberculosis-action-plan.htm

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Californian People Should Brace Itself For Norovirus Or Winter Vomiting

A highly contagious virus, it is possible to pick up norovirus from others in crowded, enclosed environments like shopping malls, schools, concert halls, restaurants and so on. California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith confirmed that California should brace itself as it is experiencing an increase in norovirus cases, commonly referred to as gas stomach flu or winter vomiting.

http://insightticker.com/2015/12/27/2965/californian-people-should-brace-itself-for-norovirus-or-winter-vomiting/

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Ebola Virus and Bats: Evolved Resistance Doesn't Prevent Infection In Some Animals, Researchers Say

Ebola outbreaks are often triggered when humans come in contact with wild animals carrying the virus. Although previous studies target bats as possible viral reservoirs, new research sheds light on the biological factors that control which bat species harbor the virus between outbreaks and how it is transmitted to humans.

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/18979/20151228/ebola-virus-bats-evolved-resistance-doesnt-prevent-infection-animals-researchers.htm

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Yeah! :-)


Ebola outbreak ends in Guinea, says WHO


The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, two years after the epidemic began there.

Guineans are expected to celebrate the landmark with concerts and fireworks.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35191676

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Yeah! :-)


Ebola outbreak ends in Guinea, says WHO

Hope it's for good this time.

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rOZZ
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Yeah! :-)


Ebola outbreak ends in Guinea, says WHO

Hope it's for good this time.

Hope so also Julie.

Guinea is finally declared Ebola-free, but that does not mean the crisis is over

Two years after the Ebola outbreak began in Guinea and traveled around the world killing more than 11,300, the country was declared free of the virus on Tuesday.

Guinea's 42-day countdown, which is two times the incubation period of Ebola, began on Nov. 16 when a three-month-old baby named Nubia who was born with the disease and was the country's last remaining patient cleared the virus. Sierra Leone was declared free of the virus on Nov. 7, and Liberia, the third West African country where the epidemic was centered, is on track to be Ebola-free on Jan. 14.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/12/30/guinea-is-finally-declared-ebola-free-but-that-does-not-mean-the-crisis-is-over/

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New form of transmissible cancer found in Tasmanian devils

Almost 20 years ago, the first case of devil facial tumor disease - a form of contagious cancer among Tasmanian devils - was discovered, a cancer that is threatening to push the animals to the point of extinction. Now, a team of researchers has uncovered a second transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils, suggesting such a disease is more common than previously believed.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/304576.php

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Beyond Ebola: The virus hunters

In today's hyper connected world, viruses can spread faster than ever, but thanks to science some of the worst infectious, microscopic agents like smallpox have been eradicated. Some, like the measles, continue to plague us, and then there are newer ones like Avian bird flu, SARS and Ebola.

"Emerging viruses cause about two thirds of the newly-recognised diseases in the world," says Ronald Corley, the director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) where a select group of scientists study the deadliest pathogens on the planet to understand their evolution.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/techknow/2016/01/ebola-virus-hunters-160101140929402.html

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Chinese woman dies of H5N6 bird flu, another woman critical

Health authorities in southern China said Tuesday that a 26-year-old woman has died of a strain of bird flu, and another woman is reportedly in serious condition.

The two contracted H5N6, a strain of bird flu that has so far only been seen in people in China.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/05/chinese-woman-dies-h5n6-bird-flu-another-woman-critical.html

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Ebola Treatment Using Plasma From Survivors Is Not Effective, Study Says

A treatment once considered among the most promising for Ebola patients was not found to be effective in a study performed in Guinea, researchers reported Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The experimental treatment involved transfusions of blood plasma collected from Ebola survivors, whose immune systems develop antibodies to neutralize the virus. But the survival rate among the 84 patients in the study who received such transfusions last year was not significantly better than for previous patients who had not received transfusions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/health/ebola-treatment-using-plasma-from-survivors-is-not-effective-study-says.html

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Lassa fever: the rise of another Ebola outbreak in Nigeria?

Barely six days into the new year, there is a fresh outbreak of another hemorrhagic fever known as Lassa fever in some parts of the country specifically Taraba, Nassarawa and Rivers states.

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These are the Ebola, Marburg, Lassa and Yellow fever viruses. VHFs have common features: they affect many organs, damage the blood vessels and affect the body’s ability to regulate itself.

http://venturesafrica.com/lassa-fever-the-rise-of-another-ebola-outbreak-in-nigeria/

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Terrible news for tuberculosis today. :(

Oregon Zoo staff infected by tuberculosis after exposure to infected elephants

Seven staff at the Oregon Zoo were infected with tuberculosis following an outbreak starting in 2013 among three bull elephants – Packy, his son Rama and Tusko.

The seven people who developed a latent form of the disease without symptoms had close contact with the elephants, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An eighth person, a volunteer, also developed a mysterious case of tuberculosis.

Seven staff at the Oregon Zoo were infected with tuberculosis following an outbreak starting in 2013 among three bull elephants – Packy, his son Rama and Tusko.

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2016/01/officials_identify_tuberculosi.html

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