In a 13-month period in the UK there were six deaths and 112 cases of severe complications among children. Vaccinating all children is the only way to prevent severe illness and death from chickenpox.
The endangered red squirrel population of Angleseys Newborough Forest is facing a new killer virus. One animal is known to have died from the deadly red squirrel adenovirus.
More than 3000 people who volunteered to receive an experimental AIDS vaccine are being told to come back and get extra tests because the jab may raise the risk of infection.
South Africa is in danger of losing the battle against HIV/AIDS, Unicef has warned. If present trends continue there could be five million orphans in South Africa by 2015 and the country is one of just nine countries worldwide where infant mortality is ri
The UK bluetongue outbreak has jumped species, having been found in sheep after first infecting cattle. The virus has infected at least 60 sheep and cattle, spreading to 36 farms in Suffolk and neighboring Essex.
DEFRA has confirmed that foot and mouth disease movement restrictions will be lifted outside the Risk Area on Wednesday 15 October in parallel with the lifting of the foot and mouth protection zone in Surrey.
Defra today announced that the existing Bluetongue Control and Protection Zones are being extended following confirmation of further cases of Bluetongue in Essex.
The finding that mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) can replicate and spread in human cells adds weight to the theory that MMTV might be involved in causing human breast cancer.
Dengue fever is reaching epidemic levels in the Caribbean and Latin America. Changing weather patterns and increased tourism and migration have raised the prevalence of the disease.
Sewage systems do not break down Tamiflu, which means the main weapon against bird flu could seep into natural waters and make certain viruses resistant to the drug during a pandemic.
A vaccine against Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is being used to stimulate the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. Initial tests show the vaccine has produced promising results.
A mumps outbreak has been identified among university students in Adelaide. The highly infectious disease has been diagnosed in at least 8 students in the past 2 weeks, with more cases likely.
New research in the USA has concluded there is not enough evidence to support the effectiveness of immunising older people against influenza. The findings echo a controversial 2006 British Medical Journal study.
The World Health Organization expanded its medical team fighting Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where at least 166 people have died from the virus and an associated outbreak of dysentery.
Parents are being urged to protect their children against measles by getting them immunised with two doses of MMR before they return to school this September, following an increase in cases of measles over recent weeks.
It may seem remarkable that, 23 years after the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is still denial that the virus is the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
All horse movement across the Australian state of New South Wales has been halted indefinitely, following an outbreak of equine flu, throwing its racing and breeding industry into turmoil.
Health officials say 2 recent incidents in which swimmers in Maryland were attacked by a rabid beaver should remind people that those "no swimming" signs are there for a reason. One rabid beaver, now dead, was responsible for an attack on a swimmer on Sun
A three-in-one AIDS pill for children has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in a global U.S. AIDS relief program. The generic pill made by India's Cipla Ltd combines the generic HIV-fighting drugs lamivudine, stavudine and nevi
The vast majority of women do not know that most cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted infection. In a survey of 1,600 women only 2.5% cited human papillomavirus as a risk factor for cervical cancer.
Bluetongue virus, which affects sheep and cows, has spread to the centre and east of the Netherlands, affecting 117 farms in those areas, the Dutch Agriculture Ministry said. Bluetongue is transmitted by insects and can be highly dangerous to sheep. It do
For the second time in a month Thiruvanathapuram Zoo in Kerala is battling the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. After one wild boar died of foot and mouth the zoo authorities decided to cull 19 others on Sunday but still don't know how many of th
Government officials believe human error at the private pharmaceutical firm Merial Animal Health is the most likely source for the return of foot and mouth disease. Senior officials believe the virus may have been transported by an individual or by a car
An outbreak of measles has struck up to 21 children across South Yorkshire. All those affected are children aged between just three months and 12 years who have not had the MMR inoculation.
The public is being asked to help monitor Northern Ireland seal colonies following an outbreak of a deadly virus. Phocine distemper virus (PDV) wiped out half of northern Europe's seal population in 1998.
For the average person, popping vitamin C pills is unlikely to ward off the common cold or shorten its length or severity. However, for people exposed to short bouts of extreme physical exercise or cold temperatures, vitamin C may markedly reduce their ri
More than 20% of people aged 18 to 24 mistakenly thought there was a cure for HIV. Among the same age group almost a quarter believed condoms have holes in them which let HIV through and more than one in ten young people thought the virus could be passed
There have been 21 known cases of herpes viruses involving Asian elephants in North America, only three have survived. There is no vaccine for the two previously identified elephant herpes viruses. Scientists successfully treated the three elephants with
The Ministry of Health in Viet Nam has confirmed two new human cases of influenza A(H5N1) virus infection, the first human cases to have been reported from Viet Nam since November 2005.
M. East, H. Hofer, J. Cox, U. Wulle, H. Wiik, and C. Pitra. Proceedings of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 98 (26):
15026--15031(December 2001)