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Friday, November 09, 2012

Shots - Health News

Stakes Rise In Malaria Battle As Cracks Appear In Drug's Armor

This 5-year-old boy was carried to a Thai malaria clinic by his mother from deep inside Myanmar. If the mother had waited even a day longer, doctors say, the child probably would have died.

November 9, 2012 At health clinics along the Thai-Myanmar border, malaria is getting tougher to treat as resistance to medication grows. Doctors say it may be time to focus on eradicating malaria before the drugs lose potency.

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Thursday, November 08, 2012

Shots - Health News

Polio Hides Out In A Few 'Sanctuaries' In Nigeria

Ado Ibrahim carries his son Aminu through a village in northern Nigeria. Aminu, 4, was paralyzed by polio in August.

November 8, 2012 Despite intensified efforts to vaccinate kids in Nigeria, polio cases are on the rise there. It's one of the last places in the world where polio is endemic. Most cases are popping up in a few communities that are now the prime targets for public health workers.

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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Shots - Health News

Drug-Resistant Malaria On The Rise In Southeast Asia

Daw Khin Twon, an undocumented immigrant from Burma, rests at home after receiving malaria treatment at the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand.

November 6, 2012 Southeast Asia has been a hot spot for drug-resistant malaria in the past. Now researchers in Thailand worry that a superstrain resistant to the last, best malaria treatments could undermine progress made against the mosquito-borne disease.

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Thursday, November 01, 2012

Shots - Health News

Researchers Say Drug Subsidies Led To Overtreatment Of Malaria In Africa

Blood samples dry during malaria screening. Public health workers call for more malaria testing in Africa to stop costly drugs from being handed out to kids with pneumonia.

November 1, 2012 This month the Global Fund board will decides whether to continue or scrap a $225 million program that subsidizes malaria drugs in Africa. A new analysis bolsters a major criticism of the project. In some places, most of the subsidized drugs have been going to people without malaria.

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Shots - Health News

How An Antibody Found In Monkeys Could Help Make An Ebola Vaccine

A microbiologist runs an experiment to count hemorrhagic fever viruses at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

November 1, 2012 Although there's no cure for Ebola, scientists have been experimenting with a vaccine for years. But there's been no easy way to test it in people. A study in monkeys offers a way around this obstacle and sheds light on how the immune systems fights off the deadly virus.

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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Shots - Health News

Before Sandy Hit U.S., Storm Was A Killer In Haiti

Hurricane Sandy's tear across the Caribbean left at least 54 dead in Haiti, where many people still live in tents because of damage from the 2010 earthquake.

October 31, 2012 Haiti had documented 54 deaths caused by Sandy — most in the nation's southern peninsula, which points toward Jamaica. Another 21 Haitians were still counted as missing, and many fear the death toll will rise as officials reach affected areas isolated by impassable roads and ruined bridges.

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Shots - Health News

Malaria Drug Subsidies: Good Idea Or Wrong Path?

Dr. Esther Dalizu holds a pack of Coartem Malaria drugs in a pharmacy in Nairobi, Kenya, last year.

October 31, 2012 A test of subsidies in Africa for the most effective malaria drug treatment is drawing fire. Supporters say the subsidies helped improve access and drive out less effective drugs. But critics say the approach is risky and a distraction from other efforts to fight the disease.

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Shots - Health News

Museum Teaches Anatomy And Disease With Ghoulish Body Part Bake-Off

STD cupcakes: From Two Little Cats Bakery in Cambridge & Hertfordshire, these chocolate cupcakes feature symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea, syphilis, genital warts, chlamydia and HIV.

October 28, 2012 Get an anatomical education through cakes, cookies, and cocktails. A British museum is hosting an anatomy-themed bake sale this weekend.

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Friday, October 26, 2012

Shots - Health News

Malaria Creeps Back Into Greece Amid Health Budget Cuts

Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. But people play a big role in spreading the disease.

October 26, 2012 After decades of being malaria-free, Greece is seeing a spike in malaria cases. And it's showing up in communities where the disease has never been seen before. Fewer resources for mosquito control and medications are fueling the reappearance of the forgotten disease, health workers say.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Shots - Health News

How Does The Polio Vaccine Reach A Remote Corner Of The World?

Health workers transport the polio vaccine by donkey in southeastern Pakistan.

October 24, 2012 We're right on the verge of wiping out polio globally. But to do that, children in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan must be inoculated with the heat-sensitive vaccine — not once, but multiple times. Time to call in the donkeys.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Shots - Health News

'Addictive' Cigarette Smoking Games On Smartphones Target Kids

In this iPhone app, players pretend to smoke a cigarette and then pass it to their friends.

October 23, 2012 Researchers have found dozens of free apps on iPhones and Androids that promote and glamorize smoking. Many of the apps target children and teens by using cartoons, celebrities and games. Health experts say these apps, downloaded by millions of people, violate bans on tobacco advertising.

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Monday, October 22, 2012

Shots - Health News

HIV Finding Opens New Path For Vaccine Research

The HIV-1 virus cultivated with human lymphocytes.

October 22, 2012 Researchers in South Africa tracked how the evolution of the virus in two infected woman shaped the antibodies they produced to fight it. Several months after infection, the researchers saw that the patients had developed more "broadly neutralizing antibodies," which target different versions of the virus.

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Friday, October 19, 2012

Shots - Health News

Tweet Chat: Chasing Down Polio, Eradication In Sight

Ado Ibrahim carries his son Aminu through a village in northern Nigeria. Aminu was paralyzed by polio in August.

October 19, 2012 Thanks to vigorous efforts to eradicate the poliovirus through vaccination, there are only three countries on the face of the earth where polio is still endemic. NPR reporters and editors hosted a chat on Twitter: #chasingpolio.

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