There is an ongoing outbreak of enterovirus 71 (EV71) in a broad region of Asia, including China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Singapore. There have been 3606 cases in China, including 36 deaths. Infection with EV71 is common in Asia, where it causes hand-foot-and-mouth disease in children, a febrile syndrome accompanied by flat or raised red …
According to ProMED mail, Chikungunya is rapidly spreading in Sri Lanka. Chikungunya virus is a togavirus in the alphavirus genus. The infection is spread by mosquitos, mainly Aedes aegypti. The viral disease has been known for more than 50 years in the tropics and savannahs of developing countries of Asia and Africa, but never has …
I came across an article in Saukvalley.com about VHSV, or viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, which causes disease in fish. I have never worked on viruses of fish, but they’re fascinating, and economically very, very important. So let’s have a look at what this article is about. VHSV causes a very serious disease of fresh and …
MMWR reports on 6 April 2007 that measles has been eliminated from South Korea. The history of measles in South Korea provides a useful example of how immunization practices need to be flexible to achieve their goals. Measles vaccine was first introduced into South Korea in 1965, and was included in the national immunization program …
Poliovirus is the etiologic agent of the paralytic disease known as poliomyelitis. It’s also the virus I’ve worked on for most of my career. The World Health Organization is in the midst of a massive effort to eradicate the disease, an undertaking that has encountered a number of obstacles. In coming posts I’d like to …
In October 2003, the Vatican published a paper claiming that the HIV virus can pass through latex condoms and cause infection. I have not seen the original paper, but have read about some of its points in various online newsreports, such as this one from BBC News World Edition. In this report, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez …
