Health News

COVID-19: Scientists identify human genes that fight infection

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers’ understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body’s […]

Health News

Covid vaccines block disease, but do they stop infection?

As reports this week from Scotland and Israel—where much or most of the population have gotten COVID jabs—confirm that vaccines largely prevent people from getting sick, another question is emerging: do they also block infection? A lot depends on the answer, experts say. If vaccines being rolled out worldwide ward off not only symptoms but […]

Health News

Non-white race tied to higher likelihood of COVID-19 infection

(HealthDay)—Race is the most important predictor of testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection but not for outcomes, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Gabriel J. Escobar, M.D., from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and colleagues evaluated the association of race/ethnicity with SARS-CoV-2 […]

Health News

Potential vaccine to prevent deadly strep A infection

Using a novel technology Griffith University Institute for Glycomics researchers are closer to the development of a new vaccine aimed at preventing the deadly Streptococcus A (strep A), which kills more than 500,000 people globally per year. “Strep A colonizes the upper respiratory tract and skin. Repeated infections can cause auto-immune complications and progress to […]

Health News

Risk for COVID-19 Infection Increased With Common Cancers

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 — Patients with 13 common cancer types have a significantly increased risk for COVID-19 infection and significantly worse outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in JAMA Oncology. QuanQiu Wang, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted a retrospective case-control analysis of patient electronic health records […]

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Focus on COVID-19 deaths in under-65s for better insights into infection rates across populations, say researchers

Simply comparing the total number of deaths across countries may provide a misleading representation of the underlying level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because of large differences in reported COVID-19 death rates in elderly populations in different countries. The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institut […]

Personal Health

Five People Have Contracted Flesh-Eating Bacteria from the Long Island Sound—Here's What to Know About About the Rare Infection

Public health officials in Connecticut are warning residents about the risk of swimming or wading in the Long Island Sound after an “unusual number” of people became infected with flesh-eating bacteria from the water. Since July, there have been five reported cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections caused by bacteria in the water, according to a […]