http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on local conservation and global health issues, released new research on Ebola virus in fruit bats in the peer reviewed journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, a monthly publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study found Ebola virus antibodies circulating in ~4% of the 276 bats scientists screened in Bangladesh. These results suggest that Rousettus fruit bats are a reservoir for Ebola, or a new Ebola-like virus in South Asia. The study extends the range of this lethal disease further than previously suspected to now include mainland Asia. "Research on Filoviruses in Asia is a new frontier of critical importance to human health, and this study has been vital to better understand the wildlife reservoirs and potential transmission routes for Ebola virus in Bangladesh and the region," said Dr. Kevin Olival, lead author and Senior Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-reservoir-ebola-virus-bangladesh.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:16:11 EST news277575305 A new oral-only treatment for sleeping sickness has entered Phase II/III clinical study in patients with late-stage sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and soon in Central African Republic (CAR). The study, initiated by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and its partners, will test the efficacy and safety of fexinidazole, with once-daily tablets for ten days. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-oral-drug-candidate-african-sickness.html Medications Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:00:01 EST news273948616 The first rigorous study to assess the global burden of sickle cell anaemia in recent times is reported today in the Lancet, giving an up-to-date view of the distribution of the disease. Accurate estimates of the numbers and geographical distribution of those affected are vital for effective prevention and treatment policies to be put in place. The study estimates that in 2010 around 300 000 babies were born with sickle cell anaemia, a serious blood disorder that can be fatal if untreated, and 5.5 million newborns inherited the sickle cell gene. The 5.5 million who only inherit the gene will usually not present any clinical complications, but they could still pass this gene on and give birth to children with sickle cell anaemia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-global-burden-sickle-cell-anaemia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:03:44 EST news270381811 An isolated outbreak of a deadly disease known as acute hemorrhagic fever, which killed two people and left one gravely ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the summer of 2009, was probably caused by a novel virus scientists have never seen before. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-bas-congo-genetic-sleuthing-uncovers-deadly.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:02:03 EST news267984105 Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the structure of a critical protein from the Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola virus. These viruses cause similar diseases and are some of the deadliest pathogens on the planet, each killing up to 90 percent of those infected. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-scientists-reveal-deadly-marburg-virus.html Medical research Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:00:09 EST news266763744 The legacy of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 goes beyond the resultant war on terror and continued fighting in Afghanistan to include lies about public health threats at the time, ongoing health problems today, and a public health system that may be less secure in the present and future, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author said Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-ongoing-health-issues-opportunities.html Health Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:31:47 EST news266571100 Pneumonia and diarrhea are among the top causes of childhood deaths around the world, particularly among the poor, said a report out Friday by the UN Children's Fund. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-pneumonia-diarrhea-killers-kids-unicef.html Health Fri, 08 Jun 2012 04:35:12 EST news258348905 Better care has cut the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth by nearly half in the past two decades, but there is still a death every two minutes, according to UN figures released Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-maternal-deaths.html Health Wed, 16 May 2012 05:30:01 EST news256364124 On August 26, 1976, a time bomb exploded in Yambuku, a remote village in Zaire, (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). A threadlike virus known as Ebola had emerged, soon earning a grim distinction as one of the most lethal, naturally occurring pathogens on earth, killing up to 90 percent of its victims, and producing a terrifying constellation of symptoms known as hemorrhagic fever. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-vaccine-ebola.html Medical research Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:00:05 EST news242315665 (AP) -- The world is not on track to wipe out polio by the end of 2012, a group of independent health experts warned Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-health-track-eradicate-polio.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:38:45 EST news230373514