• CDC warns of parasites-related illnesses in fifteen states

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday that the number of Cyclospora cases has risen to 373 in fifteen states. State and federal health officials have not named the food or water source responsible for to the outbreak, but fresh produce is the likely source.

  • Tick rover robot kills ticks dead

    The day may not be too far away when homeowners can schedule monthly tick clearing service, drastically reducing the risk of tick-borne illness in their pets and children. This is because the “tick rover” robot has just cleared a major hurdle. Testing last month indicated unequivocally that the device kills between 75 and 100 percent of the ticks in its path.

  • Natural pest control protein for fighting hookworm: billion to benefit

    Hookworms, and other intestinal parasites known as helminths infect more than one billion people in poverty-stricken, tropical nations, sucking the vitality from the body, and leaving hundreds of millions of children physically and mentally stunted. A benign crystal protein, produced naturally by bacteria and used as an organic pesticide, could be a safe, inexpensive treatment for parasitic worms.

  • Mass religious gatherings in Middle East increase risk of MERS coronavirus spreading globally

    Researchers say that the life-threatening MERS coronavirus which has emerged in the Middle East could spread faster and wider during two international mass gatherings involving millions of people in the next few months – the umrah pilgrimage and the hajj. The researchers describe the most likely pathways of international spread based upon worldwide patterns of air travel.

  • U.K. water industry: fracking may contaminate U.K. drinking water

    U.K. water companies have warned the shale gas industry that the quality of U.K. drinking water must be protected at all costs and fracking must not harm public health. Shale gas fracking could lead to contamination of the water supply with methane gas and harmful chemicals if not carefully planned and carried out.

  • New way found to battle mosquitoes carrying diseases

    In the global war against disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists have long believed that a single molecular door was the key target for insecticide. This door, however, is closing, giving mosquitoes the upper hand. In a study published this week, a team of researchers has discovered a second gateway that could turn the tide against the mosquitoes’ growing advantage.

  • Researchers highlight problem of legacy mercury in the environment

    Researchers have published evidence that significant reductions in mercury emissions will be necessary just to stabilize current levels of the toxic element in the environment. So much mercury persists in surface reservoirs (soil, air, and water) from past pollution, going back thousands of years, that it will continue to persist in the ocean and accumulate in fish for decades to centuries, they report.

  • Radiation dose passengers receive from airport scanners is low

    An independent task force examining X-ray backscatter scanners at LAX airport determines that that people absorb less radiation from airport X-ray backscatter scanner than they do while standing in line waiting for the scan.

  • FDA shuts down more than 1,500 online pharmacies

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Interpol have shutdown 1,677 online pharmacies for selling counterfeit or substandard medication and selling drugs without the necessary safeguards.

  • FDA warns about vulnerability of medical devices to hacking

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned manufactures of medical devices implanted into the human body, such as pacemakers and insulin pumps, to step up their cybersecurity efforts. The agency said it has discovered “cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents that could directly impact medical devices or hospital network operations.”

  • FDA-approved medications may stop deadly ebola

    Ebola infections carry fatality rates of up to 90 percent. It strikes both humans and other primates, and there are fears it could be used as a biological weapon. There is no cure. New research suggests that a class of drugs that includes treatments for breast cancer and infertility appears able to inhibit the deadly, incurable Ebola virus.

  • New microfluidic chip useful in counterterrorism, water and food safety

    A new process for making a three-dimensional microstructure that can be used in the analysis of cells could prove useful in counterterrorism measures and in water and food safety concerns. Researchers developed a new microfabrication technique to develop three-dimensional microfluidic devices in polymers. Microfluidics deals with the performance, control, and treatment of fluids that are constrained in some fashion.

  • Dangerous strains of E. coli may linger longer in water

    A toxin dangerous to humans may help E. coli fend off aquatic predators, enabling strains of E. coli that produce the toxin to survive longer in lake water than benign counterparts, a new study finds. The research may help explain why water quality tests do not always accurately capture water-related health risks.

  • Responding to public health emergencies

    Over the past decade, community engagement has become a central tenet of U.S. federal approach to public health emergency preparedness. Little is known, however, about how the vision of a ready, aware, and involved populace has translated into local practice.

  • Studying the deadly secrets of flu, Ebola, West Nile viruses

    In an effort to sort out why some viruses such as influenza, Ebola, and West Nile are so lethal, a team of U.S. researchers plans a comprehensive effort to model how humans respond to these viral pathogens. The goal of the study will be to provide a detailed molecular understanding of what occurs when these viruses infect their hosts, providing a foundation for the design and development of a new generation of drugs to thwart infection by some of the world’s most serious pathogens.