June 20, 2014
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
In this op-ed, CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan discusses how fighting antimicrobial resistance fits into the post-2015 global development agenda. [The Mark News ]
In this new blog post, CDDEP Research Analyst Saba Danawala discusses her recent visit to Karachi, Pakistan, which is home to the country’s first community-based MDR-TB surveillance program. [CDDEP]
Brazil has the world’s highest incidence of dengue fever. With 600,000 foreign visitors expected to enter the country for the World Cup this summer, the Ministry of Health has launched a massive public health campaign with the aim of encouraging locals to clean up areas around to reduce mosquito breeding grounds and, hopefully, the spread of the disease. [CNN]
In a study published in Nature this week, researchers at the University of East Anglia claim to have found the Achilles heel of Gram-negative bacteria, potentially paving the way for a new class of antibiotics. [The Independent]
Health officials are struggling to contain an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. With more than 500 cases identified and 337 dead since February, this is the deadliest outbreak since the virus was first detected in 1976. [NPR]
The use of a DNA bar code consisting of 23 short snips from the genes of malaria parasites enables scientists to quickly identify the region in which the parasites originated, according to a study published in the journal Nature. This technique could improve the monitoring of outbreaks, which can spread across national and regional borders through infected travelers. [New York Times]
A new study conducted by Eastern Research Group has developed an analytical framework that can be used to assess the impacts of different possible market incentives on the returns to the development of new antibacterial products. [US Department of Health and Human Services]
Photo via Kate_Lokteva/Flickr.
