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|  6/2/2014 | National News  | Arkansas Advises Hepatitis C Testing for Baby Boomers ARKANSAS :: Viral Hepatitis
KSPR-TV (Springfield, Mo.) (05.28.2014) | | | KSPR News reported that the Arkansas Department of Health estimates there are 38,000 residents who may be living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and are recommending that all adults get tested for the deadly disease, particularly baby boomers. HCV has caused 1,538 deaths in the state between 1999 and 2012, topping HIV in fatalities since 2006.
HCV, known as the “silent killer” because people can have the disease for decades and not know it until serious and sometimes irreversible liver damage has occurred, was not easily treated until last year. Treatments now have high cure rates, are shorter in time, and have fewer side effects. “Hep C is a very serious illness and early detection and treatment are the only way to avoid permanent liver damage and possible death,” said Dr. Gary Wheeler, medical director for the Arkansas Department of Health, Infectious Disease Branch.
The health department urges all adults, regardless of health, to discuss HCV with their doctors if they were born between 1945 and 1965, injected drugs, had a blood transfusion before 1992, or meet a few other risk factors. |  Read Full Article | Share this Article     | | Back to Top  |  | | International News  | Ilocos Sur Town Draws Up Campaign Against HIV-AIDS PHILIPPINES :: HIV/AIDS
Philippine Information Agency (05.30.2014) :: By Nila O. Argel | | | The Philippine Information Agency reported that Ilocos Sur Town, a province in northern Philippines, has launched an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign to curb the spread of the disease. The campaign was created to comply with the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, which recognized there are no political, social, or economic borders to the disease that has yet to be cured.
The educational campaign will discuss modes of transmission and prevention to curtail what some health experts believe is an impending epidemic. Community activities include local leaders, religious-based groups, and village officials, as well as government and nongovernment organizations. The campaign focuses on families and will conduct awareness programs in schools, job sites, and communities, integrating other STDs as well.
The campaign will also target all public health personnel and medical workers to ensure proper HIV knowledge is uniform throughout the region. The national law also educates government workers, including military personnel, and requires attendance at a seminar prior to certification for working overseas. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Medical News  | Researchers Develop New Test to Detect TB in Children AFRICA :: TB
SciDev.net (05.30.2014) | | | SciDev.net reported on a new test to diagnose TB in children. Childhood TB is diagnosed using skin and sputum tests to detect the TB bacteria. However, these tests do not always work properly, particularly in undernourished and HIV-positive children. Andrew Brent of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and researchers from Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa investigated whether genes would create a better test.
Between February 17, 2008 and January 27, 2011, the researchers studied genes that provided clues to presence or absence of TB. The genes were from blood samples of 2,955 children with suspected TB from Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa. The researchers found 51 genes that were able to distinguish between 114 South African and Malawian children with TB from 175 with other diseases. They then used the genes to create a TB risk score that they used to diagnose 82.9 percent of Kenyan children with TB and identify 83.6 percent of children without TB.
The researchers concluded that so far the test may be more useful for detecting children who were not infected with TB than for confirming TB. The researchers have filed a patent application for the test.
The European Union and the Wellcome Trust funded the study.
The full report, “Diagnosis of Childhood Tuberculosis and Host RNA Expression in Africa,” was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2014; 370(18): 1712–1723). | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | Local and Community News  | Wicomico Health Officials Sound Alarm on STDs MARYLAND :: STDs
DelmarvaNow (06.01.2014) :: By Jeremy Cox | | | DelmarvaNow reported that Wicomico County, Md., has the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea of any county in the state, and that for the past 10 years the county has ranked among the top counties with rates as high as twice the state average. State health officials are intensifying their fight against STDs with the help of a task force that includes individuals from local universities, medical institutions, and the school system. Dr. James Cockey, deputy health officer of Wicomico County Health Department, noted that STD rates are highest among high school and college students and people in their early 20s.
So far, the task force has found no specific reason for the high STD rates. Health officials have briefed the board of education and the county council about the rates and the health department and school system are working closely together. The health department plans to use social media by hosting a Twitter “dialogue,” and has partnered with Three Lower Counties Community Services to distribute condoms. Health officials also plan to lead focus groups to get a better understanding of the problems and possibly find the reason for the high rates.
Data for 2012 show Wicomico’s chlamydia rate of 715 per 100,000, compared with a state rate of 455 and US rate of 457 per 100,000 people. The Wicomico gonorrhea rate was 218 per 100,000, compared with a state rate of 98, and US rate of 108 per 100,000 people.
Health departments in Maryland counties provide free testing for STDs and HIV. They also offer diagnosis, treatment, and confidential partner notification. Appointments are necessary. Wicomico County Health Officer Lori Brewster can be reached at (410) 543–1244. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | | News Briefs | | | | |
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