January 25, 2013
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
A new CDDEP study, published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, shows a troublesome rise in drug-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria nationwide. You can read the press release here.
Britain s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, warns that antibiotic resistance poses an apocalyptic threat and urges the UK government to add antibiotic resistance to the nation s national risk register of civil emergencies. [The Guardian]
As part of relaunching The Big Push campaign, an effort to eradicate AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis , Dr. Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, mentions several strategies the global health community should adopt to take full advantage of scientific advances while facing financial constraints. To read other posts on this campaign, please click here. [Huffington Post]
The Atlantic writes on the history and significance of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease report, which was published last month in The Lancet. [The Atlantic]
Writing for The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Herman Goossens, an international health expert and participant in the meeting of Indian medical societies that resulted in the Chennai declaration, urges the Indian government to formulate a policy incorporating the Chennai declaration recommendations. [The Hindu]
In an effort to combat antibiotic resistance, researchers from IBM and Singapore s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have developed a biodegradable, nontoxic, and biocompatible antimicrobial gel that can completely eradicate drug-resistant bacteria on contact. [Venture Beat]
A study published in the journal PLoS Medicine uses simulations to conclude that for most studies, a research claim is more likely to be false than true and that claimed research findings may often be simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias.
A commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine warns of increasing antibiotic resistance and the worsening of antibiotic research-and-development pipeline, and suggests that multifaceted novel approaches are needed for a long-term solution. [US News]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a handbook on ways to prevent the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in workplaces.
A recent CDC update reports on the emergence of a new strain of norovirus known as GII.4 Sydney, whose reported outbreaks have increased from 19 percent in September, 2012 to 58 percent by December, 2012. An article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases also discusses why norovirus is a successful human pathogen, and how to stem its spread. [Red Orbit]
Research published in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science finds presence of multidrug-resistant Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties sold in Malaysia. [Science Blog]
An article in Food Safety News discusses how different pathogens get into produce and eventually sicken and kill people. [Food Safety News]
Image via CDDEP: Carbapenem and 3rd. gen. cephalosporin resistance among K. pneumoniae highest along the East Coast, but present in all regions of the country
