Caught off guard

sars is a stark reminder that there is no universal safeguard against infectious diseases. The syndrome has actually exposed the lack of preparedness with regard to infectious diseases -- from hospitals, public hygiene and sanitation, to access to drugs.

Shelling out remedies

water -- where life began -- has today become a source of cure for many life-threatening diseases.

Cure for ebola

Scientists have identified the path through which filoviruses like ebola and marburg virus enter the human cell. The virus has been found to enter the folic acid receptor, which is generally involved in the absorption of vitamin B, reports Reuters. If these receptors are blocked, virus could be stopped from entering the cell. This is likely to lead to invention of medicines that can limit the course of the disease.

Vultures on death row

India has been experiencing a massive decline in the population of vultures since the last decade. We might have lost over 100,000 birds from several of their strongholds in urban and rural areas as well as Protected Areas (pas) and forests.

A cattle crisis

an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in the uk has sparked off a scare across the world, prompting several governments to impose bans on British livestock and animal products in an effort to contain its spread.

Replicating virus

a virus-like "replicon" that can like the hepatitis C virus (hcv) produce proteins has been created in the laboratory by a team led by Charles Rice at the Washington University in St Louis, us . Till now efforts to determine just how an infection develops and how to combat it with antiviral drugs have been stalled by difficulties faced in growing hcv s in the laboratory.

Breakthrough!

a vaccine for the Ebola virus may be just round the corner. Researchers at the us -based National Institutes of Health have successfully tested a vaccine on animals which might open new avenues for the development of a vaccine for humans.

Follow Up

At least 80 people have died in Uganda due to the deadly Ebola filovirus. "The number of people known to be infected with the deadly fever rose to 251, said Francis Omaswa," the director general of Uganda's medical services. The disease has left maximum impact on the town of Gulu. Experts from the World Health Organisation (who) and Boston-based us Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are helping the Ugandan authorities to deal with the problem.

Sure Killer

the Ebola filovirus, which left a trail of death and destruction in Zaire five years ago, has reappeared in Uganda. It has already claimed more than 40 lives. The virus is highly contagious and spreads through body fluids such as saliva, blood and mucus. Four days after exposure, flu-like symptoms set in, followed by diarrhoea and vomiting.

Virus on the prowl

The West Nile virus, that led to the indiscriminate spraying of pesticides to combat the virus, has claimed its first victim: an 82-year-old-resident of New Jersey. New York was the first to go in for extensive spraying, much against the protests of environmentalists. "The control measures are probably ineffective, unnecessary and may produce serious environmental effects," says Richard Ostfeld, associate scientist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, New York. The lawyers have filed a case, saying that the use of pesticides is illegal and a violation of federal laws.