December 12, 2014
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
The KQED Forum radio show interviewed CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan as one of four experts on a panel this week, for an episode titled “The Global Impact of Superbugs”. The hour-long show is now available online. [KQED]
Six large US school districts decided to serve only antibiotic-free chicken in school lunches in a policy change made this week. The districts—in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and two Florida counties—served a combined 2.6 million meals last year. [Reuters]
US Pharmaceutical company Merck has acquired antibiotic maker Cubist Pharmaceuticals. The $8.4 billion business deal seems to signal significant interest from Merck in competing to develop new antibiotics. [The New York Times]
Correcting flu vaccine myths may not help increase vaccine coverage, found a study published in Vaccine—concerningly, the paper also noted that 43 percent of Americans incorrectly believe flu shots can make people sick. In more positive flu vaccination news this week, other studies found that vaccinating school-aged children led to decreased community flu risk and that seasonal vaccines improve immunity to several classes of viruses. [Vaccine, PLOS, mBio]
International efforts for Ebola containment should be focused on Sierra Leone and Guinea, according to UN Special Envoy on Ebola Dr. David Nbarro. He also commended the response of numerous African countries to contain the outbreak, which has so far seen over 17,000 cases. [UN News Centre]
People are far more likely to utilize a zero cost health product than a very inexpensive one, according to findings from the World Bank’s 2015 World Development Report. The authors of the behavioral economics-focused report think that the trend may have to do with more than financial costs; the report states that “When prices fall toward zero, free may convey a social norm: We all should be doing this.” [The Atlantic]
Drug resistance could one day be responsible for up to 10 million deaths worldwide in a potential worst-case scenario, according to a newly-released review of resistance commissioned by UK Prime Minister David Cameron. The report combined resistance data for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and three bacterial infections. [Review on Microbial Resistance]
Researchers have identified a gene in the malaria parasite that causes resistance to frequently-used drugs for the disease in Southeast Asia in a paper published in Science. The study found a direct link between mutations of the parasite’s K13 gene and artemisinin resistance; its authors hope the research could aid future identification of and treatments for drug-resistant malaria. [Science]
Scientists at North Carolina State University have mapped the incidence of pathogens across the globe to identify “global biogeographic regions”. The project analyzed patterns of 301 diseases, dividing the world map into disease regions, with one set of regions for vector-borne diseases and one for non-vector borne diseases. [Ecosphere]
Finally, TIME Magazine chose the Ebola fighters as its Person of the Year this week. TIME’s statement on the choice praised their dedication to controlling the disease: “The rest of the world can sleep at night because a group of men and women are willing to stand and fight. For tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world time to boost its defenses, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving, the Ebola fighters are TIME’s 2014 Person of the Year.” [TIME]
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