New strain of bird flu kills two people in China

Two people in China have died from a strain of the bird flu virus never previously passed to humans.

The victims, two men aged 87 and 27, became sick in Shanghai, one of the country's largest cities, in late February and died earlier this month.

Q&A: Modes of Transmission of the HIV Virus

Although the incidence of HIV has dropped considerably since the height of the epidemic, millions of new HIV infections occur globally each year. An understanding of the risk factors for HIV infection lies at the foundation of successful preventive strategies, which should combine both behavioral and biomedical interventions to reduce HIV infection risk.

US dentist put thousands of patients at risk for HIV, hepatitis and other diseases

A suspended Colorado dentist reused syringes and needles in his now-shuttered practice, potentially exposing thousands of patients to HIV and hepatitis infection, health officials warned on Friday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sent letters to 8,000 patients of dentist Stephen Stein, urging them to seek tests for the diseases after learning of "unsafe injection practices" at two Denver-area clinics he owned between September 1999 and June 2011.

Q&A: Epidemiological Data on Origins of the HIV Virus

Since the original description in 1981 of an unusual cluster of cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi sarcoma in previously healthy men who have sex with men, substantial advances in our understanding of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been achieved.

Q&A: Incubation Time for the HIV/AIDS Infection

Acute HIV infection may present as a mononucleosis type of syndrome with a constellation of nonspecific symptoms. Without a high degree of suspicion, the diagnosis can frequently be missed by clinicians. In some cases, early HIV infection may be asymptomatic.

Exploring Medical Missions Conference

Since 2006 the annual INMED Exploring Medical Missions Conference continues to be a premier opportunity for students and professionals to enhance their sense of calling and their skills on behalf of the world's most marginalized people.

Near catastrophe following prescription misinterpretation

I was shocked over the weekend when a nurse mistook the q.d in a prescription for q.i.d and administered a drug meant for once daily dosing four times to a very ill patient. Lucky enough, one of the 3 house officers in my team discovered it, and raised an alarm.

Early HIV drugs 'functionally cure about one in 10'

Rapid treatment after HIV infection may be enough to "functionally cure" about a 10th of those diagnosed early, say researchers in France.

They have been analysing 14 people who stopped therapy, but have since shown no signs of the virus resurging.