Thursday 26th January 2017- UNICEF UK: 4.7 Million Children In Vaccination Campaign Against Measles In Northeast Nigeria

‘In a major vaccination campaign concluding this week, 4.7 million children are being vaccinated in response to a measles outbreak in northeast Nigeria. The campaign is covering the three states most affected by the Boko Haram conflict – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – where insecurity has limited vaccination efforts. In 2016, there were approximately 25,000 cases of measles among children in Nigeria; 97 per cent of the cases were in children under the age of ten and at least a hundred children died.

“Security has improved in some areas so we have acted quickly to access places we could not previously reach and protect children from the spread of a very dangerous disease”, said Mohamed Fall, Unicef Representative in Nigeria. “We are still extremely concerned about children living in large areas of Borno state that are not yet accessible.”

Measles infections tend to increase during the first half of the year because of higher temperatures. Measles vaccination coverage across Nigeria remains low, with a little over 50 per cent of children reached, but in areas affected by conflict, children are particularly vulnerable. The risks for malnourished children who have weakened immunity are further heightened. The conflict and resulting displacement have left more than 4.4 million children in Nigeria in need of humanitarian assistance, with an estimated 450,000 children likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2017.

The vaccination campaign, conducted in partnership with the Nigerian government, WHO, and several non-governmental organizations, also includes a vitamin A supplement for children under five to boost their immunity as well as de-worming tablets. Most of the funding for the campaign was provided by the Measles and Rubella Initiative.’

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4.7 MILLION CHILDREN IN VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST MEASLES IN NORTHEAST NIGERIA

Millions of children to receive measles vaccine in north-eastern Nigeria- World Health Organisation

Friday 23rd December 2016- The World Health Organisation: Final trial results confirm Ebola vaccine provides high protection against disease

‘An experimental Ebola vaccine was highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea, according to results published today in The Lancet[*]. The vaccine is the first to prevent infection from one of the most lethal known pathogens, and the findings add weight to early trial results published last year.

The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was studied in a trial involving 11 841 people in Guinea during 2015. Among the 5837 people who received the vaccine, no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination. In comparison, there were 23 cases 10 days or more after vaccination among those who did not receive the vaccine.

The trial was led by WHO, together with Guinea’s Ministry of Health, Medecins sans Frontieres and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, in collaboration with other international partners.

“While these compelling results come too late for those who lost their lives during West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, they show that when the next Ebola outbreak hits, we will not be defenceless,” said Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation, and the study’s lead author.’

*The final interpretation from the referenced Lancet article:

‘The results add weight to the interim assessment that rVSV-ZEBOV offers substantial protection against Ebola virus disease, with no cases among vaccinated individuals from day 10 after vaccination in both randomised and non-randomised clusters.’

Related Articles:

Final trial results confirm Ebola vaccine provides high protection against disease

Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV-vectored vaccine in preventing Ebola virus disease: final results from the Guinea ring vaccination, open-label, cluster-randomised trial (Ebola Ça Suffit!)- The Lancet

Ebola vaccine is safe and effective, scientists declare after trials- The Guardian

Successful Ebola vaccine will be fast-tracked for use- BBC News

The new ‘100% effective’ Ebola vaccine owes a debt to the scientists who beat smallpox- The Independent

Thursday 12th May 2016- The World Health Organisation:Rapid diagnostic test and shorter, cheaper treatment signal new hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

‘New WHO recommendations aim to speed up detection and improve treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) through use of a novel rapid diagnostic test and a shorter, cheaper treatment regimen.

“This is a critical step forward in tackling the MDR-TB public health crisis,” said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The new WHO recommendations offer hope to hundreds of thousands of MDR-TB patients who can now benefit from a test that quickly identifies eligibility for the shorter regimen, and then complete treatment in half the time and at nearly half the cost.”’

‘At less than US$ 1000 per patient, the new treatment regimen can be completed in 9–12 months. Not only is it less expensive than current regimens, but it is also expected to improve outcomes and potentially decrease deaths due to better adherence to treatment and reduced loss to follow-up.

The conventional treatment regimens, which take 18–24 months to complete, yield low cure rates: just 50% on average globally. This is largely because patients find it very hard to keep taking second-line drugs, which can be quite toxic, for prolonged periods of time. They therefore often interrupt treatment or are lost to follow-up in health services.’

‘WHO’s recommendations on the shorter regimens are based on initial programmatic studies involving 1200 patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB in 10 countries . WHO is urging researchers to complete ongoing randomised controlled clinical trials in order to strengthen the evidence base for use of this regimen.’

‘The most reliable way to rule out resistance to second-line drugs is a newly recommended diagnostic test for use in national TB reference laboratories. The novel diagnostic test – called MTBDRsl – is a DNA-based test that identifies genetic mutations in MDR-TB strains, making them resistant to fluoroquinolones and injectable second-line TB drugs.’

‘This test yields results in just 24-48 hours, down from the 3 months or longer currently required. The much faster turnaround time means that MDR-TB patients with additional resistance are not only diagnosed more quickly, but can quickly be placed on appropriate second-line regimens. WHO reports that fewer than 20% of the estimated 480 000 MDR-TB patients globally are currently being properly treated.’

See:

Rapid diagnostic test and shorter, cheaper treatment signal new hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

Tuesday 10th May 2016- The Independent: Cannabis arteritis: Australian man diagnosed with marijuana-related disease that can cause loss of limb

‘An Australian man who smokes up to a gram of cannabis per day has narrowly escaped amputation after becoming the first in the country to be diagnosed with a rare disease linked to cannabis use.

After an ulcer on his toe failed to heal, the man consulted Frankston Hospital in Melbourne, where he was diagnosed with cannabis arteritis, an extremely rare disease which causes a build-up of plaque around the arteries, thereby decreasing blood flow to the limbs.

The patient, who has not been identified, was treated with a balloon angioplasty, where a collapsed balloon, known as a balloon catheter, is placed in the area which is constricted in order to inflate it to a healthy size.’

‘He will also have to take aspirin, a blood thinner, for the rest of his life, according to reports in the Sunday Morning Herald.’

‘Cannabis arteritis occurs when the constriction of arteries reduces blood flow to the affected limbs, which can lead to death of cells, called necrosis. Severe cases of necrosis can lead to necessary amputation.’

‘Very similar symptoms can be seen in patients suffering from Bueger’s disease, which is strongly linked to tobacco use. ‘

‘Although fewer than 100 cases of the disease have ever been recorded, Dr Soon, of the Royal College of Australasian Surgeons, said medical professionals should still remain alert.

“Due to the increase in cannabis usage and the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, awareness of the condition is important and may become a growing problem in the future,” he told the Annual Scientific Congress.’

See:

Cannabis arteritis: Australian man diagnosed with marijuana-related disease that can cause loss of limb

Friday 26th February 2016- The Telegraph: First drug to reverse Huntington’s disease begins human trials

‘A drug which appears to reverse Huntington’s disease is being trialled in humans after proving successful in monkeys and mice.

The new drug, called IONIS-HTTRx, silences the gene known to be responsible for the production of a protein which causes Huntington’s.

The disease is a hereditary condition which damages nerve cells in the brain and effects around 7,000 people in Britain. It causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual abilities, emotional problems and eventually death.

Now scientists have shown that it is not only possible to halt the disease but to reverse the damage.

“It is very exciting to have the possibility of a treatment that could alter the course of this devastating disease,” said clinical study principal investigator Dr Blair Leavitt, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

“Right now we only have treatments that work on the symptoms of the disease.”

Huntington’s is caused by a mutated HTT gene, and everyone who inherits the genetic defect will eventually develop the disease.

Researchers have been trying to develop a drug which acts like a dimmer switch, turning the gene down so that it can no longer produce the devastating protein which causes brain damage.’

‘When they tested IONIS-HTTRx on mice with the disease their motor function improved within a month and within two months their health was restored to normal. In monkeys the drug was found to decrease the HTT protein throughout the central nervous system by 50 per cent.

The drug is delivered into the cerebral spinal fluid via lumbar injection, as antisense drugs do not cross the blood brain barrier – a protective sheath that prevents toxins entering the brain.

The drug is now being trialled in humans in low doses to check that it is safe for larger trials into its efficacy to begin.

The research was presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.’

See:

First drug to reverse Huntington’s disease begins human trials

Monday 1st February 2016- The World Health Organisation: Films showing smoking scenes should be rated to protect children from tobacco addiction

‘WHO is calling on governments to rate movies that portray tobacco use in a bid to prevent children and adolescents from starting to smoke cigarettes and use other forms of tobacco.

Movies showing use of tobacco products have enticed millions of young people worldwide to start smoking, according to the new WHO “Smoke-free movies: from evidence to action”, the third edition since its launch in 2009.’

‘“With ever tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, film remains one of the last channels exposing millions of adolescents to smoking imagery without restrictions,” says Dr Douglas Bettcher, WHO’s Director for the Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases.

Taking concrete steps, including rating films with tobacco scenes and displaying tobacco warnings before films with tobacco, can stop children around the world from being introduced to tobacco products and subsequent tobacco-related addiction, disability and death.

“Smoking in films can be a strong form of promotion for tobacco products,” adds Dr Bettcher. “The 180 Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) are obliged by international law to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.”’

‘Studies in the United States of America have shown that on-screen smoking accounts for 37% of all new adolescent smokers. In 2014, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in the United States alone, exposure to on-screen smoking would recruit more than 6 million new, young smokers from among American children in 2014, of which 2 million would ultimately die from tobacco-induced diseases.

In 2014, smoking was found in 44% of all Hollywood films, and 36% of films rated for young people. Almost two thirds (59%) of top-grossing films featured tobacco imagery between 2002 and 2014. That same year, the US Surgeon General reported that adult ratings of future films with smoking would reduce smoking rates among young people in the USA by nearly one-fifth and avert 1 million tobacco-related deaths among today’s children and adolescents.’

Related Articles:

Films showing smoking scenes should be rated to protect children from tobacco addiction

Smoking in the Movies- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WHO calls for adult ratings on films that feature smoking- The Telegraph

Films portraying smoking should get adult rating, says WHO- The Guardian

Friday 22nd January 2016- The Guardian: Breast milk protein could be used in fight against antibiotic resistance

‘An antibiotic developed from human breast milk could combat certain drug-resistant bacteria, British scientists have found.

Tackling antibiotic-resistant bacteria – known as superbugs – is a priority for the government. A panel set up by David Cameron forecast that superbugs would cost the world ten million lives and £700bn a year by 2050 if the problem went unchecked.

The breakthrough, developed by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and University College London, found that the minuscule fragment, less than a nanometre in width, is responsible for giving the protein its anti-microbial properties.

This is what makes breast milk so important in protecting infants from diseases in their first months of life. The protein, called lactoferrin, effectively kills bacteria, fungi and even viruses on contact.

After identifying the fragment, scientists re-engineered it into a virus-like capsule that can recognise and target specific bacteria and damage them on contact, but without affecting any surrounding human cells.

Hasan Alkassem, a student who worked on the project, said: “The capsules acted as projectiles … with bullet speed and efficiency.”

The team suggested this could help the fight against antibiotic resistance by serving as “delivery vehicles” for cures. The capsules could even pave the way for treatments for previously incurable diseases such as sickle-cell disease, cystic fibrosis or Duchenne muscular dystrophy.’

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Breast milk protein could be used in fight against antibiotic resistance

Scientists discover new antibiotic from breast milk- The Telegraph

Thursday 21st January 2016- BBC News: Sisters help launch cancer study aiming to end chemotherapy

‘The first patients have had their DNA analysed in a massive study that aims to help replace chemotherapy.

They include three sisters who developed breast tumours within 15 months of each other.

The 100,000 Genomes Project in England will look at their DNA, and that of thousands of other patients, to help the search for precision treatments and understand how tumours develop.

Cancer Research UK said the project was “very exciting”.

In November 2013, Mary Lloyd was diagnosed with breast cancer, as was her younger sister Kerry two months later. In February the following year their sister Sandra was diagnosed too.

Mary, 61 and from Northampton, told the BBC News website: “It was really unbelievable.

“I had just retired and made plans, then to find out Kerry also had breast cancer – she’s got two children still at school – it was just awful.

“Sandra had almost prepared herself [for her diagnosis] and she was devastated as well.

“But because we’re sisters together we’ve been able to support one another. That’s really important as the treatment is horrendous.”‘

‘The sisters are taking part in the 100,000 Genomes Project, run within the NHS, which is trying to understand the mutations that cause or increase the risk of cancer.

It will also determine the drugs that can target tumours. Herceptin works only in patients with specific mutations.

“It’s classed as the beginning of the end of chemotherapy,” said Dr Julian Barwell, a consultant in clinical genetics at the the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

He told the BBC: “This is the first step for the NHS into genomic medicine. If successful it will give individual tumour profiles and identify which drugs are likely to benefit you. It’s hugely exciting.”‘

See:

Sisters help launch cancer study aiming to end chemotherapy

Monday 18th January 2016- The Independent: France clinical trial: Man left brain-dead following drug test dies

‘A patient in who was left brain dead following a botched drugs trial in France has died, AFP has reported.

Six people became unwell following experimental trials at a hospital in Brittany.

The patients, all men aged 28 to 49, had been treated in Rennes University Hospital, some in intensive care.

The head of the hospital’s neurology department said that based on evidence from magnetic resonance imaging scans, three of the patients may be suffering from irreversible brain damage, the New York Times reported.

Originally, 90 people were given the unknown drug in the trial, out of a total of 128 participants.  The rest were given placebos.

The drug that was being trialled is not known, despite some reports that it was a new cannabinoid-based painkiller.

Marisol Touraine, the French health minister, later confirmed that the pill did not contain cannabis or its derivatives but acted on the body’s endocannabinoid system.

Taken orally, the drug was undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial at a licensed private European laboratory, Biotrial.  The company specialises in clinical trials and are based in Rennes.

In a statement Biotrial said: “The trial has been conducted in full compliance with the international regulations and Biotrial’s procedures were followed at every stage throughout the trial, in particular the emergency procedures for the transfer of subjects to the hospital. We are in close and regular contact with the Health Authorities and Ministry in France. The priority at Biotrial remains the safety of our subjects.”

Biotrial were conducting the tests on behalf of Bial, a Portuguese drug manufacturer. ‘

Related Articles:

France clinical trial: Man left brain-dead following drug test dies

France drug trial: Brain-dead man dies in hospital- BBC News

Friday 15th January 2016- The Guardian: French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill

‘One person is brain dead and five others are seriously ill after taking part in a drug trial for Portuguese pharmaceutical firm Bial at a clinic in north-west France.

The French health ministry said the six male patients aged 28 to 49 had been in good health until taking the oral medication. They started taking the drug on 7 January. One person started feeling ill on Sunday and the other five afterwards. The brain dead volunteer was admitted to hospital in Rennes on Monday. Other patients went in on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pierre-Gilles Edan, head of the hospital’s neurology department, said one man was brain dead, three others were suffering a “handicap that could be irreversible” and another had neurological problems. The sixth volunteer had no symptoms but was being monitored.’

‘The French health minister, Marisol Touraine, said 90 people in total had taken part in the trial and received some dosage of the drug; others had taken a placebo. All trials on the drug have been suspended and all volunteers who have taken part in the trial are being called back.

The ministry said the test was carried out by the Biotrial clinic for Bial, which “specialised in carrying out clinical trials”.

The trial was intended to test for side-effects of the new drug but all trials at the clinic have been suspended and the French state prosecutor has opened an inquiry.

Touraine said the drug was a so-called FAAH inhibitor meant to act on the body’s endocannabinoid system, which deals with pain. Earlier reports suggested that the drug contained cannabinoids, an active ingredient found in cannabis plants, but the minister said it did not contain the drug or any derivatives of it.

Touraine said the study was a phase one clinical trial, in which healthy volunteers take the medication to “evaluate the safety of its use, tolerance and pharmacological profile of the molecule”.’

‘Testing had already been carried out on animals, including chimpanzees, starting in July, Touraine said.

Bial said it was committed to ensuring the wellbeing of test participants and was working with authorities to discover the cause of the injuries, adding that the clinical trial had been approved by French regulators.’

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French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill

Multiple investigations launched into France drug trial that left man brain dead- The Telegraph