Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Tropical Diseases News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/tropical_diseases/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106750.php The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has clamped down on a homeopathic remedy intended to be viewed as a treatment or preventive for malaria sold by the cosmetic chain, Neal's Yard Remedies. The MHRA has received confirmation from the company that the remedy, Malaria Officinalis 30c, will be removed from sale immediately. All homeopathic remedies are classed as medicines and require prior authorisation by the MHRA before being placed on the market. Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106542.php The chikungunya virus rarely harms the infants of mothers who areinfected early in pregnancy, but frequently causes serious issuesincluding persistent brain injury to babies born to mothers who getthe virus near the time of delivery. This was released on March, 17,2008 in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine. Wed, 07 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106573.php 35% of antimalarial drugs sold in six major African cities failed basic quality tests according to Plos ONE, a peer-reviewed open-access journal. The study further found that artemisinin monotherapies, which the World Health Organisation explicitly rejects as substandard, remain common in Africa. Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106173.php Continuing its 15-year tradition of recognizing extraordinary accomplishments and groundbreaking research in the field of vaccinology, Sabin Vaccine Institute (SVI) has announced Dr. Ruth S. Nussenzweig as the recipient of the 2008 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal for her outstanding malaria-focused initiatives. SVI has also named Dr. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105859.php The senior doctors from Association of British Hujjaj (UK) have expressed their great concerns about the widespread ignorance amongst British overseas travellers of the necessity of taking health precautions before and during their visit abroad. They are risking their health by not taking the proper preventative measures against the potentially life-threatening diseases. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105695.php Scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have unveiled some of the evolutionary intricacies of rickettsial pathogens by analyzing over a decade's worth of genomic data. Some species of Rickettsia are known to cause harmful diseases in humans, such as epidemic typhus (R. prowazekii) and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (R. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105524.php Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Coventry have developed the first new technique for diagnosing malaria able to challenge the rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) currently used in the field. Early results, now published in the Biophysical Journal, suggest that the technique could be as effective as RDTs but far faster and cheaper, making it a potentially viable alternative. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105405.php Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) takes the battle against malaria to three continents in commemoration of the first-ever World Malaria Day on April 25. This follows ExxonMobil's announcement it will donate $10 million to anti-malaria efforts through the "Idol Gives Back" episode of the FOX-TV show American Idol, earlier this month. "Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds and more than 1 million people a year," said Rex W. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105364.php The IFPMA is publishing its 2008 "Partnerships to Build Healthier Societies in the Developing World". The new edition documents a total of 155 long-term programs for specific diseases in the developing world with the help of R&D-based pharmaceutical companies, compared to 135 in the 2007 edition. The number of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs has increased from 78 to 82, while those for child and maternal health, plus chronic diseases, have grown from 28 to 43. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105239.php Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have identified Heme Detoxification Protein (HDP), a unique protein encoded in the malaria genome that represents a potential target for developing new malaria drugs. The team has also demonstrated that HDP plays a major role in protecting Plasmodium as the pathogen pursues infection of its host. The findings were published April 25th in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105179.php Novartis has announced a 20% average reduction in the price of Coartem® tablets (artemether/lumefantrine 20 mg/120 mg), the state-of-the-art artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) for malaria. Starting this Friday, which is World Malaria Day, this price reduction will increase access to Coartem for millions of malaria patients, especially children in low income regions of Africa. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105136.php April 25 is World Malaria Day 2008 and despite the grim statistics out of Africa there's cause for celebration. Florida State University biologists have discovered an autoimmune-like response in blood drawn from malaria-infected African children that helps to explain why existing DNA-based anti-malaria vaccines have repeatedly failed to protect them. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105024.php As we consider the disastrous affects of malaria and how far we have come in battling the disease, the world health community is now looking beyond country borders, building on innovations and organizing global attention to this disease by establishing World Malaria Day 2008.As unbelievable as it is, approximately 40% of the world's population, mostly those living in low-resource settings, are at risk of malaria. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104965.php Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) is a highly effective method of malaria control recommended by the World Health Organization, but it is underutilized and under-funded. Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM) maintains that all methods of malaria control must be scaled up - not just insecticide-treated nets - in order to reduce the 1 million deaths caused by deadly mosquitoes annually. For World Malaria Day 2008 (April 25th), Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105003.php In a study taking place in an urban slum setting in Salvador, Brazil,it has been found that open sewers, refuse accumulation, and inadequatefloodwater drainage are sources for the transmission of the diseaseleptospirosis. This study was published on April 23, 2008 in the opensource inthe open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104932.php New research suggests that not everyone who is bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito develops life threatening health problems according to scientists at the University of Toronto.Malaria causes an estimated 500 million clinical cases worldwide with symptoms ranging from headache, high fevers and nausea to more than 1 million deaths annually."Malaria has had a major effect on the evolution of our species. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104853.php Philanthropy just got easier and a lot more accessible to the public thanks to the social networking power of the Internet and a ground-breaking partnership between a young British entrepreneur, a global health think tank and an African medical research institute.Debuted April 20 to offer individuals a meaningful way to mark World Malaria Day (Friday, April 25), its creators hope www.MalariaEngage. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104850.php Chagas' disease is a tropical parasitic sickness that currently affects more than 16 million people, with a staggering 100 million at risk, largely in the tropical areas of South and Central America. And yet the main drug used to treat the disease is highly toxic and causes serious side effects. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104757.php Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) welcomes the launch in Brazil of a new drug against P. Falciparum, the most dangerous type of malaria. Developed by DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative) in partnership with Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz, ASMQ is the first drug against malaria that combines artesunate (AS) and mefloquine (MQ) in one fixed dose. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104543.php Scientists may have found a promising new drug target on the parasite that causes malaria -- P. falciparum. To survive, the parasite creates a tiny pore called an anion channel, through which it takes in nutrients from outside the host cell's membrane and excretes its waste. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104229.php Professor David Molyneux in his presidential address to the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene challenges international health policymakers to radically reassess global health priorities to focus on neglected tropical diseases. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104098.php The Healthcare group at Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its second quarter analyst briefing on East African Infectious Disease Diagnostics Markets on 23 April 2008 at 2pm BST / 3pm CAT. East African governments are scaling up their voluntary counselling and testing and antiretroviral treatment programs. In addition, they are introducing rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for the screening and diagnosis of Malaria in primary health facilities. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104049.php A week-long campaign to vaccinate 5.7 million people across the southern half of Mali begins Saturday in the country and, for the first time ever, a mass vaccination campaign will be undertaken thanks to "south-south" vaccine supply: South America's only manufacturer of Yellow Fever vaccine, Bio Manguinhos of Brazil, will be supplying half of the vaccine necessary. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104031.php Sleeping sickness creates a metabolic 'fingerprint' in the blood and urine, which could enable a new test to be developed to diagnose the disease, according to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis, is usually fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated in time. The disease is newly detected in around 30,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa every year. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103832.php A new study in the April issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, asks the question "With more than $220 million dollars dedicated to malaria treatment and prevention, why is the annual mortality rate from malaria on the rise? The study, entitled "Malaria Vector Mana