Blood-Borne Diseases

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) cure when using direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected patients is lower in real-world settings than when patients are enrolled in clinical trials, a new study has found.

A long-held belief regarding the way in which vaccinations work to protect hosts from pathogens may be inaccurate.

The FDA recently granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Idylla Ebola Virus Triage Test, a diagnostic test which detects the presence of the virus in blood.

A recent study in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has shown that ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) combination therapy produces similar sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in clinical trial-based studies and real-world studies.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center discusses the impact direct-acting antivirals have had on patients’ adherence to their drug regimen when treating hepatitis C.

Contagion™ Editorial Board member, Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH breaks down the World Health Organization hepatitis C (HCV) guidelines update, and reminds healthcare professionals to build on these guidelines to advocate for the most effective and safest treatment options for our individual patients and all patients worldwide.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, Infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center explains how the treatment regimen for treating those with acute hepatitis C differs from chronic hepatitis C.

An ongoing malaria outbreak in Colombia has been linked to illegal mining practices in the South American country.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, Infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center explains the process for the evaluation of hepatitis C, leading up to treatment.

In a recent study, researchers explore and discuss the development and implementation of a new insecticide resistance management plan in Zambia between 2009 and 2014.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, discusses the current and upcoming methods to prevent hepatitis C.

The ongoing refugee crisis facing European countries as a result of conflicts in the Middle East presents a potential public health challenge to governments already struggling with the influx of hundreds of new migrants on a daily basis.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, explains why we see such a high incidence of HIV / HCV coinfection.

In a recent study of 1,812 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers found that none of these individuals had confirmed hepatitis C virus replication.

Global pharmaceutical company, AbbVie, announced the approval of a supplemental new drug application for VIEKIRA PAK® without ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1b (HCV-1b) and compensated cirrhosis.

Charitha Gowda, MD MPH, infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center discusses the recent decision from The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to supply hepatitis C (HCV) treatment to all veterans, regardless of disease stage.

Researchers from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report that there is a possibility of eliminating the transmission of both Hepatitis B and C in the United States.

Charitha Gowda, MD MPH, infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, explains the barriers to hepatitis C (HCV) treatment.

This article is the third in a 3-part series on parasitic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) and it highlights some of the treatment advances that are available for patients with these diseases, as well as disease control strategies that have been implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.

Charitha Gowda, MD MPH, infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center discusses the preferred treatment method for hepatitis C.

Charitha Gowda, MD MPH, infectious diseases physician at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center discusses the current treatment methods for hepatitis C.

A former health care worker has been linked to a recent outbreak of hepatitis C at two hospitals in Utah.

A recent case study adds to a small, but disturbing collection of reports describing the transmission of Ebola virus from mother to child through breastfeeding.

Recent Ebola-linked deaths in Guinea caused the World Health Organization (WHO) Guinea office to implement a “ring vaccination” strategy in which it administered an experimental Ebola vaccine on 800 of 1000 suspected cases, including 182 suspected at high-risk.

The Obama administration recently announced plans to shift nearly $600 million in funds designated to battle the Ebola epidemic toward the fight against Zika.

Hepatitis C has been referred to as a silent killer. As a result, Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, provides information on the newest diagnostic tests available for hepatitis C.

This article is the second in a 3-part series on parasitic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) and highlights some of the techniques that clinicians use for the diagnosis of parasitic diseases of the CNS.

The findings of a new study reinforce the value of making insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying of insecticides universally available—even in countries where the mosquitoes that transmit disease bite primarily outdoors.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH addresses concerns that hepatitis could be transmitted via mosquitoes.

Charitha Gowda, MD, MPH, explains the ways that hepatitis A, B, and C are transmitted and recent discoveries in the modes of transmission.