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Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Shots - Health News

Bites From Rabid Vampire Bats May Not Be A Death Sentence

Vampire bats are common in Central and South America, where they feed on livestock and sometimes people.

August 1, 2012 Challenging the view that rabies is always fatal, scientists have discoverd a group of Peruvians who show signs of surviving rabies from vampire bats, despite never being vaccinated for the virus. The findings suggest that some people may become resistant to rabies after they're exposed to it over time.

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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Shots - Health News

As Ebola Cases Rise In Uganda, Health Workers Seek To Contain Virus

The Ebola virus causes a deadly form of hemorrhagic fever.

July 31, 2012 Since the World Health Organization reported an Ebola outbreak in Uganda on Saturday, the number of cases has risen to 36 from 20. The cases remain limited to a small area in western Uganda. An international team is on the scene to identify the source and contain the outbreak.

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Shots - Health News

Ebola Outbreak Kills At Least 14 In Uganda

Although infections with the Ebola virus are rare, they can be deadly.

July 30, 2012 At least 20 people have been infected with the deadly Ebola virus in rural Uganda. The number of infections is expected to rise, as more patients are admitted to hospitals. An international team has been dispatched to the region to contain the outbreak.

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Shots - Health News

A Walk Through The AIDS Conference's Global Village

"You've been condomized!" said Joy Lynn Alegarbes, of The Condom Project, which promoted safe sex at the 19th International AIDS Conference. The group handed out more than 850,000 condoms this week.

July 27, 2012 The International AIDS Conference isn't only about medical research. People from around the world met at its Global Village to share their experiences with the AIDS epidemic through music, art and dance. This year's highlights included a condom campaign and lube tasting booth.

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Shots - Health News

How HIV Treatment Can Curb The Spread Of AIDS

July 19, 2012 Clinicians on the front lines say HIV treatment could help end the AIDS pandemic by curbing infections. Studies have found that HIV drugs make a person less likely to transmit the virus to others because they decrease the level of virus in the body.

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Shots - Health News

How HIV Hijacks The Immune System

A 3-D model of HIV peeled back to show its layers. HIV's genetic material sits inside a spherical shell (gray matrix) studded with spikes (dark gray and orange). The sphere pops open when a T cell tugs on a spike.

July 19, 2012 HIV is like a jack-in-the-box. When the viruses bump into particular cells in the immune system, the viruses' shells pop open and their genes enter the cells. Experimental therapies for HIV could stop the virus from getting in.

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Shots - Health News

HIV Prevention Drug Truvada No Quick Fix For Brazil's Epidemic

Researchers with HIV medication at a public research lab at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, or Fiocruz, in Rio de Janeiro.

July 17, 2012 Some Brazilian researchers say Truvada should only be given to very specific groups at risk of getting HIV, like young, gay men. Others are concerned that a drug that blocks the transmission of HIV could be a set-back for safe sex campaigns and might actually encourage unsafe sexual behavior.

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Shots - Health News

Cholera Vaccination Test Reached Targets In Haiti

A lone pig roots through trash dumped over the side of a sewage canal that runs from the center of Port au Prince through Cite de Dieu. During the rainy season, the canal overflows its banks and fills nearby houses with sewage, which can carry cholera.

July 17, 2012 Almost 90 percent of the target population – half in Port-au-Prince and the other half in a remote rural area – got fully protected against cholera. The results defy the forecasts of skeptics who said in advance of the campaign that it would be lucky to protect 60 percent of the target populations.

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Friday, July 13, 2012

Shots - Health News

Generic Drugs Make Dent In Global AIDS Pandemic

Generic antiretroviral drugs have made treatment widely available for people like Marie Lourdes Pierre (left), a patient with HIV/AIDS in Haiti.

July 13, 2012 Making generic drugs available through a U.S. AIDS relief fund has opened access to HIV treatment for millions of people around the world, a study finds.

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Monday, July 09, 2012

Shots - Health News

Virus Suspected In Mysterious Cambodian Outbreak

A Cambodian doctor examines a child at Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh.

July 9, 2012 Scientists have found enterovirus 71 in samples taken from children sickened in Cambodia. The virus can cause hand, foot and mouth disease. Symptoms of that illness are consistent with those reported in an outbreak that has been seen since April.

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Thursday, July 05, 2012

Shots - Health News

Mysterious Illness Claims Children's Lives In Cambodia

A map shows Cambodia.

July 5, 2012 Cambodian health authorities say the majority of the ailment's victims have been under 7. They suffered high fevers, followed by severe respiratory problems, and in some cases neurological symptoms.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Shots - Health News

Swine Flu May Have Killed Far More People Than Thought

Cambodian women wear masks as they walk in a market in Phnom Penh in Oct. 2009. That month a second Cambodian died from swine flu, health officials said.

June 26, 2012 The global death toll from the swine flu pandemic may have been 15 times larger than previous estimates. Researchers tried to fill in gaps in places around the world where statistics on the illness were harder to come by.

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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Shots - Health News

How To Spot A 'Neglected Tropical Disease'

A female mosquito acquires a blood meal. This species, Aedes aegypti, carries and transmits the dengue fever virus.

June 21, 2012 Here's a hint: Compare the number of scientific papers on a disease with the number of people affected by the illness. There's lots of research on diabetes and not so much on elephantiasis.

Summary

Friday, June 15, 2012

Shots - Health News

Know The Enemy: Scientists Use Genetics To Get Ahead Of Malaria

A micrograph shows red blood cells infected by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

June 15, 2012 An international team of researchers based in the U.K. say they've taken a big step forward in tracking the malaria parasite's evolution and predicting hotspots of potential resistance.

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Shots - Health News

Surgery Restores Sexual Function In Women With Genital Mutilation

French surgeon Pierre Foldes in his Paris office in 2004. Foldes performs reconstructive surgery on women who have undergone genital mutilation. He recently authored a study on the long-term effects of the surgery.

June 13, 2012 French researchers report in a new paper that a reconstructive surgery they used to try to repair the genitalia of women circumcised at a young age has helped many of them experience sexual pleasure one year after the surgery.

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