CDC Director Recommends Receiving Flu Shot Before End of October
September 30th 2016At this year’s annual National Foundation for Infectious Diseases news conference on influenza and pneumococcal disease, the message was clear as health experts issued a resounding call for all Americans 6 months of age and older to get their flu shot.
US Hospitals Show No Reduction of Antibiotic Use in New 7-Year Study
September 30th 2016As individual nations attempt to make meaningful progress on stemming antibiotic use, a troubling new study shows that hospitals in the United States have continued to dispense antibiotics at a steady rate in recent years.
New CDC Report Gives Insight Into Effectiveness of This Season's Flu Vaccine
September 27th 2016A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows influenza viruses currently in circulation in the United States are the same as anticipated by vaccine makers, hopefully signaling effectiveness ahead for 2016-2017 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccines.
Antimicrobial Resistance Study Finds No mcr-1 Gene Presence in France
September 26th 2016When researchers recently discovered a strain of Escherichia coli resistant to the final resort antibiotics colistin and carbapenem in the United States, it marked an increasing pattern of pan–drug-resistant bacteria appearing worldwide. A new report from France, though, may indicate that identifying and isolating these deadly superbug strains may help us control their spread.
World Leaders Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance at UN General Assembly Meeting
September 26th 2016On September 21, 2016, delegates at the 71st meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly gathered to discuss the shared danger of antimicrobial resistance, signaling the global scale of this urgent public health crisis while pledging to collectively tackle the problem of superbugs.
Dengue and Chikungunya Outbreaks Severely Impacting Hong Kong, Pakistan, and India
September 24th 2016With so much of the world focusing on Zika virus in the Americas and Southeast Asia, it’s easy to forget that there are other mosquito-borne viruses causing serious public health problems globally—namely, Dengue fever and Chikungunya.
Progesterone May Protect Women Against Dangerous Effects of Influenza
September 23rd 2016The World Health Organization credits contraception with preventing pregnancy-related health risks in women, reducing adolescent pregnancies, and lowering infant mortality rates. What researchers are now discovering is that hormonal contraceptives containing progesterone may also protect women against influenza infections and repair lung damage caused by inflammation.