Super-TB Cases Hit Record High

Dozens of countries poised to eliminate disease

(NEWSER) - Countries across the globe are making giant strides against malaria, the World Health Organization says: The number of deaths from the disease has dropped more than 20% over the last 10 years, and a third of the 108 countries where the illness is endemic could be rid of it in the next decade, the BBC reports. Some 15 million more deaths could be avoided by 2015 if health targets keep being achieved, experts say. More»

Thousands will die unless authorities step in: WHO

(NEWSER) - Ominous news from WHO: Incredibly drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are coursing through Europe, and will kill tens of thousands unless health officials intervene. WHO's regional director blamed the resurgence on complacency, noted that the disease "is evolving with a vengeance," and announced the creation of a plan intended to stamp out the pandemic. Reuters reports that documented cases of extensively drug-resistant TB ballooned six-fold between 2008 and 2009, and notes that these drug-resistant forms—which don't respond to first- and second-line courses of antibiotics—typically kill 50% of those who contract it. WHO estimates 81,000 cases of drug-resistant TB surface in Europe each year, reports the BBC . More»

(NEWSER) - The World Health Organization has issued a warning against homeopathic treatments for TB and other life-threatening illnesses, reports the BBC. The organization issued the alert after pressure from a group of young researchers who complained that homeopathy was being promoted in poor countries as a treatment for TB, infant diarrhea, HIV, and malaria. "When homeopathy stands in place of effective treatment, lives are lost," said the researchers. More»

Brits want such treatment ruled out for HIV, TB, malaria

(NEWSER) - Concerned about deaths tied to choice of treatment, British scientists are calling on the World Health Organization to speak out against homeopathy as a way to battle HIV, TB, malaria, influenza, and infant diarrhea. Clinics throughout Asia and sub-Saharan Africa offer to treat such diseases through homeopathy, though there is no evidence that it is effective, reports the Guardian. Currently, the WHO’s position on homeopathy is “wishy-washy,” said a biophysicist. More»

Key to disease's evolution may lie in 6,000-year-old DNA

(NEWSER) - Scientists are analyzing bones found in the ancient city of Jericho, in what's now the West Bank, for clues to fighting tuberculosis. The German, Israeli, and Palestinian researchers hope the 6,000-year-old DNA they're studying will reveal how the disease evolves and how to combat it. More»