New vaccine stops STDs

On March 31, 2009 the Federal Drug Administration approved a new vaccine that will stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly that of HIV, syphilis and herpes.

Oddly enough, physicians have found through numerous studies that the vaccine is 99.9999 percent effective in preventing the transfer of any STD when having sex.

http://uweekly.com/newsmag/04-01-2009/10718

Alabama mass grave may contain bodies from 1870s epidemic

(CNN) -- A mass grave unearthed Tuesday in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, is believed to contain bodies from an epidemic of yellow fever that swept the city in the 1870s, police said.

Two buildings from the 1940s were torn down at the site, and maintenance workers grading the land in preparation for the construction of a new building uncovered the remains, said Montgomery police spokesman Maj. Huey Thornton.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/alabama.mass.grave/

New test to search for MRSA launched

A new tactic is being added to the armoury of infection control to combat MRSA in local hospitals.

From Wednesday patients booked to go into hospital will have a swab test as part of the pre-operative checks, to find out if MRSA is present on their skin or in their nose.

If MRSA is found it can then be treated before the patient is admitted.

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4246594.New_test_to_search_for_MRSA_launched/

Tea Tree Oil And Silver Together Make More Effective Antiseptics

ScienceDaily (Mar. 29, 2009) — In the fight against infected skin wounds, mixing tea tree oil and silver or putting them in liposomes (small spheres made from natural lipids), greatly increases their antimicrobial activity and may minimise any side effects.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090329205453.htm

Tropical Cyclone May Develop Today Off Australia’s North Coast

March 30 (Bloomberg) -- A tropical cyclone may develop far off Australia’s north coast later today, bringing high seas as it moves west toward Timor, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The low-depression system, which may strengthen into a tropical cyclone in the next 12 to 24 hours, isn’t expected to threaten the north Australian coast during the next three days, the bureau said in a report on its Web site. The storm was about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north-northwest of Darwin at 4 a.m. today, according to a map on the site.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=acXHsQKfAlaM&refer=australia

Waging war on superbugs

An investigation into the evolution of disease and how genetics are helping in the war against infections from malaria to MRSA

As the Nobel laureate Paul Berg has said, all disease is genetic to some extent. Infectious diseases such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and flu are not caused by DNA damage, as are tumours, or by major Mendelian mutations, as is cystic fibrosis. But the genes of both pathogens and their human hosts are pivotal to the way that viruses, bacteria and parasites make us ill.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article5988642.ece

Mass. college closes after virus sickens 100

WELLESLEY, Mass. - A Massachusetts college is shutting down for several days after 100 students and staff were sickened by a virus that causes a type of stomach flu.

Students and faculty have been afflicted with severe nausea and vomiting at Babson College in Wellesley, just southwest of Boston.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29933995

Egyptian toddler contracts bird flu

CAIRO : A two-year-old Egyptian girl has contracted bird flu, the 60th reported case since the first outbreak of the disease in the country in 2006, a health ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

The toddler has been taken to hospital and is in stable condition, said ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/418461/1/.html

Meningitis epidemic strikes Nigeria, Niger

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- More than 200 people have died of meningitis in the past week alone in Niger and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease is an epidemic in 76 areas of the two countries, the health agency reported Wednesday.

A spokesman for W.H.O. in Nigeria, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said Saturday that the outbreak is bigger than usual and stretches across the African meningitis belt from east- to west-sub-Saharan Africa.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/03/28/africa.meningitis/

Lassa Fever

What is Lassa Fever?

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in Nigeria, West Africa. The cause of the illness was found to be Lassa virus, named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases originated. The virus, a member of the virus family Arenaviridae, is a single-stranded RNA virus and is zoonotic, or animal-borne.

In areas of Africa where the disease is endemic (that is, constantly present), Lassa fever is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. While Lassa fever is mild or has no observable symptoms in about 80% of people infected with the virus, the remaining 20% have a severe multisystem disease. Lassa fever is also associated with occasional epidemics, during which the case-fatality rate can reach 50%.

http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lassaf.htm

Northern Ireland scientists find a new weapon in MRSA war

A new weapon that could help wipe out the deadly MRSA virus has been developed by researchers from Northern Ireland.

Experts from Queen’s University have discovered new agents that can kill colonies of MRSA and other antiboitic resistant hospital-acquired infections.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/northern-ireland-scientists-find-a-new-weapon-in-mrsa-war-14241114.html

Cyclone hits coral trout

Queensland's $60 million live coral trout industry says it needs disaster relief funding following Tropical Cyclone Hamish.

Two weeks ago, the Category 5 storm ravaged the productive fishing areas where trout are caught for live export to Asia.

Coral trout move to deeper water to escape cyclones, and take up to a year to return.

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200903/s2525652.htm

Worm virus could brind down US power grid

The idea of hackers bringing down the entire US power grid is scary. Most people think that this scenario strictly belongs in sci-fi movies and that it couldn’t happen, but according to security analysts, the threat is real. The threat is a real possibility due to the use of smart grids involving two million devices, which are largely wireless, sending data back and forth between power stations and homes.

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/03/worm-virus-could-bring-down-us-power-grid/

Zimbabwe Farm Invasions Exacerbate Cholera Epidemic in Rural Areas

The cholera epidemic that has ravaged Zimbabwe since late last year is slowing significantly, a report issued by the World Health Organization says.

A weekly situation report dated March 20 said 2,076 new cases of cholera were reported in the week ending March 14, compared with 3,800 cases in the previous reporting week and some 8,000 new cases on a weekly basis in early February.

http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-03-23-voa59.cfm

Environmental cleaning intervention reduces transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in ICUs

San Diego, CA (March 20, 2009) –A rigorous environmental cleaning intervention can reduce the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multidrug-resistant organisms in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), according to a new study released today at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Researchers found that following an enhanced cleaning protocol reduced the spread of MRSA to patients exposed to rooms in which the prior occupant had been colonized or infected.

http://sciencemode.com/2009/03/23/environmental-cleaning-intervention-reduces-transmission-of-multidrug-resistant-organisms-in-icus/

SickCity

Realtime disease detection for your city from messages on Twitter.

Twitter has been great for tracking things like earthquakes, forest fires, and other natural disasters, but what about human health? SickCity, a new Twitter mashup is doing just that, by tracking people's tweets about being sick, having sore throats, and other physical maladies (like zombification). The tool lets you track these occurrences both by city and each specific ailment. And the stats go back to the last 31 days, which can show you if a certain type of sickness is trending.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10199195-2.html

http://sickcity.org/

Alaska volcano back on eruption watch

Researchers have raised the alert status at Mount Redoubt, a volcano in southern Alaska, after another increase in seismic activity. "Shallow earthquake activity under the volcano has been as high as 26 events per 10-minute period," officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Sunday in a statement announcing that the alert level was raised to "watch" status. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/03/22/alaska.volcano/

Willis Weds

Bruce Willis married his girlfriend, model Emma Heming, at his home on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean Saturday, the actor's rep told Usmagazine.com. Willis's daughters, Rumor, 20, Scout, 17, and Tallulah Belle, 14, and their mother, Willis' ex Demi Moore, were all present, as was Moore's current husband, Ashton Kutcher. The website said Madonna was also among the guests. "The couple will be having a civil ceremony when they return to California," Willis' rep told Us. It's the second marriage for Willis, 54, and the first for Heming, 30. Willis and Heming have been dating since last year, and she was with him in Boston during the filming of "Surrogates."

http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/more_names/blog/2009/03/willis_weds.html

Drug-resistant flu strains throwing doctors a curve

Not long ago, when infectious-disease specialist Connie Price saw a patient hospitalized with flu at Denver Health Medical Center, she had a powerful weapon at hand: a drug that could shorten the course of the illness and lessen its misery.

Now, the strength of that weapon, Tamiflu, has been undermined by a widely circulating flu strain, type A H1N1, that has developed the ability to resist the drug.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-22-flu-resistance_N.htm

Major Pacific earthquake prompts tsunami warning

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) — A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook the South Pacific nation of Tonga Friday, prompting a tsunami warning but causing no major damage, officials said.

The quake, which hit at 7.17 am (1817 GMT), was centred 210 kilometres (130 miles) south-southeast of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Volcano shatters Pacific calm around Tonga

An undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga – shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky – is to be studied by scientists. Officials said the eruption did not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected. Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea west of the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai in an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, geologists said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/volcano-shatters-pacific-calm-around-tonga-1649555.html

Epidural Hematoma

The brain is enclosed in the skull, which is a rigid, solid bone. Surrounding the brain is a tough, leathery outer covering called the dura (door-uh). The dura attaches to the brain, just beneath the skull bone. The dura normally protects the brain and keeps it nourished with blood and spinal fluid. When a person receives a severe blow to the head, the brain bounces within the cavity. This movement of the brain structures may cause shearing or tearing of the blood vessels surrounding the brain and dura. When the blood vessels tear, blood accumulates within the space between the dura and the skull. This is known as an epidural hematoma (epi-door-ul hem-a-to-ma), or blood clot at the covering of the brain.

http://www.muhealth.org/neuromed/epidural.shtml

2009 NCAA Men's Final Four

This post has nothing to do with what the WillisU is normally about. However, it's now time for March Madness. But I found this printable bracket if you need one.

http://d.yimg.com/j/r/ncaab/tourneybracket

5 Myths About Pandemic Panic

Winter is almost over, and it appears that we're going to make it through another flu season without a global disaster. That may seem like a miracle after the hysteria generated in recent years by SARS, avian flu and the World Health Organization's standing warning that it's "a matter of time" before the next influenza pandemic strikes. But the truth is that the threat is being hyped.

1. Infectious diseases are spreading faster than ever.

2.To learn how to prevent a pandemic, look to the past.

3.We should brace ourselves for another Spanish flu.

4. The annual flu season is nothing compared to a pandemic.

5.There's no such thing as being too prepared.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/12/AR2009031203113.html

HIV/AIDS Rate in D.C. Hits 3%

At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS, a total that far surpasses the 1 percent threshold that constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic, according to a report scheduled to be released by health officials tomorrow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402176.html?hpid=topnews

Vietnam-Bird Flu Virus.

VIET NAM - Viet Nam will manufacture a vaccine against the avian flu to meet 20-30 per cent of domestic demand, said Le Minh Sat, an official from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

This information was also confirmed by the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

http://www.farminguk.com/news/Vietnam-Bird-Flu-Virus.13157.asp

Volcanic eruption 350km off BoP coast

There has been a recent large volcanic eruption in the sea 350 kilometres off the Bay of Plenty coast.

Using underwater mapping devices, scientists have found evidence of the eruption by the Rumble III Volcano near the Kermadecs.

A map made in 2007 shows an 800 metre wide crater near the top of the underwater volcano and a new map shows the crater has been filled and the cone reduced in height by 100 metres. http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=154043

First, pork invades Washington, then superbugs invade pork

Evidently, pork isn’t just a problem when it shows up in stimulus package bills or because pigs smell. It may also land you in the hospital.That’s the message of a Nicholas Kristof column in today’s New York Times about the dawning realization that pigs around the world often harbor antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

The original “superbug,” these bacteria can cause painful, red welts in infected people, and infections kill over 18,000 Americans annually – more than AIDS, according to 2005 estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=first-pork-invades-washington-then-2009-03-12

Texas Borderwatch

In a controversial program aimed at enhancing border security, Texas sheriffs have erected a series of surveillance cameras along the Rio Grande and connected them to the Internet.

Thousands of people are now virtual Border Patrol agents — and they're on the lookout for drug smugglers and illegal immigrants.

Robert Fahrenkamp, a truck driver in South Texas, is one of them.

Links to camera's :http://www.texasborderwatch.com/

Obama Deception Video

Alex Jones’ latest edifying documentary, The Obama Deception, is without doubt his most timely work to date.

As we teeter on the brink of a full blown economic depression fueled by the excessive inflationary monetary policies of governments and the international banking cartels they operate under, the American people have turned to a man who has been masterfully presented to them as their last HOPE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2W7gFzChM

Sorce:http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=obama+deception

Chocolate should be taxed to control obesity epidemic, doctors are told

Dr David Walker said chocolate used to be a treat, but has become a harmful addiction, causing weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and back pain.

Consumers are often eating more than half a day's worth of calories when they polish off a bag of chocolates in front of the television, he claimed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4979132/Chocolate-should-be-taxed-to-control-obesity-epidemic-doctors-are-told.html

Chicago Sears Tower to be renamed as Willis

CHICAGO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Sears Tower, the Chicago icon and Western Hemisphere's tallest building, will have its new name of Willis Tower after Willis Group Holdings became the newest tenant, according to a statement released by the London-based international insurance broker on Thursday.

Willis Group didn't indicate when the new name would become effective, but said it got the naming rights as part of a deal with the building's owners.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/13/content_11002171.htm

City Cracking Down on Bed Bug Epidemic

There’s a growing bed bug epidemic in New York City. Complaints to the city hotline, 3-1-1, jumped 34% last year, as over 9000 people called asking for guidance in their battle against the insects. In response, the New York City Council is creating a Bud Bug Advisory Board that’ll develop a comprehensive strategy to rid the city of the pests.

http://blogs.wnyc.org/news/2009/03/11/city-cracking-down-on-bed-bug-epidemic/

Tigger virus targets online stock trades

SPRINGFIELD -- A new computer virus has a funny name but it's the same ol' game. Now the online crooks have spread a bug to steal your investments as you trade. It's called Tigger.A

You may remember Tigger the cartoon character singing, "The wonderful thing about Tiggers is, Tiggers are wonderful things!" Well, the new Tigger that's bouncing around isn't wonderful at all. It's a computer virus that targets stock trades.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/41048822.html

Morgellons: Terrifying New Disease Reaching Pandemic Status

(NaturalNews) It sounds like something from a bad sci-fi movie. People report the sensation of creatures crawling under their skin, mysterious moving fibers appear, and finally bugs and worms pop out. Unfortunately, these terrifying symptoms are all too true. The people having them are experiencing Morgellons, the latest and scariest in the series of bizarre diseases appearing in the last few years, seemingly from nowhere. Morgellons is now reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. and abroad.Morgellons is a multi-dimensional disease.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025757.html

Scientists Take Step in Search of 'Universal' Flu Vaccine

Evidence is increasing that common influenza viruses are becoming resistant to the main drug used to treat them. The drug is oseltamivir, also known as Tamiflu.

The most common seasonal flu virus found in the United States this year is type A(H1N1). During the last flu season, twelve percent of H1N1 viruses tested in the United States were resistant to Tamiflu. This year, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say resistance is close to one hundred percent. Still, they say early reports show that flu activity has been low so far this year.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2009-03-04-voa1.cfm