Australia declared measles-free

The past few years, the rate of measles infections in Australia have been less than 1 case per 1 million people. Writing in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, immunologists at the University of Sydney have cited this criteria for declaring Australia free of measles. They expect the status to hold to 2012, with the best case estimate of 20 years (i.e. 2029). The few cases of measles occurring since 2005 have been due to foreign travelers. Measles kills approximately a million people worldwide each year, affecting mainly children under the age of 10. The virus can cause miscarriages in pregnant women and deadly encephalitis in one-tenth of those infected. Currently, the United States has been suffering outbreaks (April and August 2008) due to a decrease in vaccine coverage among school-aged children - 20% of measles patients in the United States are hospitalized because of the illness, 3 of every 1000 measles patients die. 90% of unimmunized individuals who are exposed to measles contract the respiratory disease. Measles is prevented by the MMR (measles - mumps - rubella) vaccine given to young children between 12 and 15 months of age, with a follow-up dose 4 weeks later or before beginning school. Parents have been concerned over misinformation (The original study by Wakefield that began the investigation has been found to be fraudulent with fabricated data) regarding the use of the preservative thimerosal, a mercury-based chemical, in the MMR vaccine. Scientific evidence supported by legal decisions have shown that there is no connection between the vaccine and autism, a developmental disorder diagnosed around the age of 2, the same age when the vaccine is given.

Genetic protections against HIV

Genetic similarities between individuals who are resistant to HIV infection or the progression to AIDS has been of interest to researchers because of the possibility for new therapies targeting these genes.

Many co-receptors for HIV binding to T cells and viral replication have been found in certain ethnic populations that tend to be less susceptible to infection.

Read more of the introduction to genetic protections against HIV...

First U.S. case of Marburg Fever

Marburg virus causes an hemorrhagic fever, an extremely serious illness that is similar to Ebola and Lassa Fever. It is carried by fruit bats and is indigenous to Africa.The virus was discovered in the 1960s during work in a Marburg, Germany laboratory that resulted in an outbreak among lab workers - work conducted by global health agencies on outbreaks of the newly discovered hemorrhagic fevers in Africa.

A Colorado resident sought medical help in January after returning from a trip to Uganda and feeling ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that he is the first U.S. case of Marburg.

The cave he visited, and where he presumably caught the virus, has been closed following the death of a tourist from the Netherlands, also due to Marburg fever.

The hospital followed containment procedures outlined for unknown infections and has stated that any staff members concerned over their potential exposure can be tested. The hospital does not believe there should be any public worry of exposure because it is spread via body fluids.

Marburg has an incubation time of 5-10 days with fever, chills, and headaches appearing as the first symptoms.

The Peanut Saga Continues

Salmonella-tainted peanut products from the Georgia plant of Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America has resulted in 575 illnesses in 43 states and 8 deaths.

Peanut Corp. found salmonella in its products 12 times in 2007 and 2008, but sold them anyway. The company has been implicated to have knowingly sent out tainted food to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which potentially affects those who needed help in Kentucky after the ice storms last month, and more than 30 truckloads of possibly contaminated peanut products were also sent to school lunch programs in California, Minnesota, and Idaho in late 2007.

As a result, the U.S. Dept of Agriculture (USDA) has dropped all contracts with the company and it is barred from federal contracts for the next year . The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation to determine what illegal actions, if any, were committed by Peanut Corp. of America. The company's chief executive has also been stripped of his role on a USDA advisory board on peanut quality standards. This has also opened up a debate on the role of the Food and Drug Administration and how the plant passed inspections.

Currently, more than 1000 products have been recalled because they might contain tainted peanut paste or peanut products from the Georgia plant. The FDA has a twitter feed for recalls, a health and human services blog reports peanut butter-specific recalls, and there's a widget plus full listing at the FDA website.

Epigenetics

Ever wonder what epigenetics means? what it does? who studies it?

I'm working on a continuous series to explain this relatively new field of genetics. The epigenome is a series of chemical changes affecting the genome without altering the DNA sequence itself. Read more about what epigenetics is...

One form of epigenetic change is DNA methylation. The enzyme DNA methyltransferase is responsible for adding a methyl group to the nucleotide cytosine, one of four in the DNA sequence. Read more about how DNA methylation affects gene expression...