"Antibiotic resistance is growing, and we are fast running out of treatment options. If we leave it to market forces alone, the new antibiotics we most urgently need are not going to be developed in time," said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's assistant director-general for Health Systems and Innovation.
The Pandemic Prevention Platform program aims to facilitate a system capable of halting the spread of any viral disease outbreak before it can escalate to pandemic status.
Perena Gouma, a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department of the University of Texas at Arlington, explained in a journal article how her inexpensive handheld breath monitor was developed, the university announced.
The agency was created to respond to fast-spreading disease threats, such as Ebola, and to establish early warning and response surveillance systems, respond to emergencies, build capacity, and provide technical expertise to address health emergencies in a timely and effective manner.
"This is an important study. It shows that the rate of microcephaly and other fetal malformations related to Zika is similar among babies born in the United States – whose mothers were infected during travel to a dozen countries with active Zika transmission – to the estimated rate in Brazil," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.
State Sen. Jerry Hill says his bill would set up the first system in the nation to track antibiotic-resistant infections and deaths.
"It appears that C. auris arrived in the United States only in the past few years," said Dr. Tom Chiller, M.D., MPH, chief of CDC's Mycotic Diseases Branch. "We're working hard with partners to better understand this fungus and how it spreads so we can improve infection control recommendations and help protect people."
Being infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects. As of Oct. 26, 2016, more than 32,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from U.S. states (4,091 cases) and territories (28,723 cases).
"We face an uphill battle to reach the global targets for tuberculosis," said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's outgoing director general. "There must be a massive scale-up of efforts or countries will continue to run behind this deadly epidemic and these ambitious goals will be missed."
The GHSA involves 55 countries and also non-governmental organizations, foundations, and private-sector stakeholders working together to address epidemic threats.
WHO announced that a forum will be held Nov. 1-2 for the candidates to present their visions to WHO Member States and the public and to answer questions from Member States on their candidacy.
Earthquakes, cyclones, and floods have caused health emergencies in the region in recent years, and emerging diseases that include SARS, MERS CoV, pandemic influenza, and Zika virus also have threatened residents in the region.
The revised guidance recommends all states and U.S. territories screen for the virus.
The agency's $2.6 million award to DiaSorin Group aims to encourage its development of a high-capacity Zika diagnostic laboratory test, and second, $7 million award is going to OraSure Technologies, Inc.
Samuel S. Edwin, Ph.D., will become the new director of the division.
The cases are the first known occurrence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States.
The new funding for antibiotic resistance also supports seven new regional laboratories with specialized capabilities allowing rapid detection and identification of emerging antibiotic resistant threats.
The investigating includes additional interviews and lab testing.
Some athletes, coaches, and other USOC staffers attending the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Brazil next month will be monitored in a study funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
"Health care providers have been informed and asked to notify us immediately if they have a patient they suspect may be infected. Treatment for hepatitis A infection is supportive only, and while most people will recover without complications, we are encouraging everyone to review their immunization record and talk to their health care provider about vaccination," State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said.