Virus News

Camels’ role in MERS virus now under question

A new research study suggests that transmission of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) from camels to humans is poor.

Mom was right, it is best to wrap up warm in the winter

Wrap up warm or you’ll catch a cold is a common saying. There may be an element of truth to this for the cold causing virus is more virulent in cold temperatures when compared with warmer ones.

New malware allows complete bypassing of network passwords

New malware has been discovered in the wild that can allow attackers complete access to a domain, able to login as any user without the need for authentication.

Canadian scientists track Ebola infectivity using guinea pigs

Toronto - A new guinea pig model of Ebola viral transmission, from Canadian scientists, shows that direct contact with infected animals is not necessary to catch the disease. The results could inform about health protection.

Flu cases at highest level for three years

Throughout the U.K., flu is circulating at its highest level for three years. The predominant type of flu virus - H3N2 - is a significantly different variant from the viral strain seen in high numbers last winter.

Turning Ebola against itself to fight the viral disease

Paris - A research project has been looking at how the most common protein the makes up the Ebola virus can be blocked. This is seen as importance since the protein mediates replication of a new viral particle.

U.S. government lab mistakenly transfers Ebola

Bethesda - A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab appears to have mistakenly transferred the wrong Ebola samples — ones that may have contained live virus — to another CDC lab.

Ebola point of origin traced to bats

Conakry - The Ebola epidemic in West Africa may have been triggered by bats in Guinea, according to a new research paper. However, other scientists question this theory due to a lack of evidence.

New Ebola case confirmed in the U.K.

Glasgow - A nurse who has just returned from West Africa to the U.K. has been diagnosed with Ebola. The healthcare worker is being treated in hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. This is the U.K.'s second Ebola case.

Norovirus cases rise in the U.K.

London - Incidences of norovirus are 8 percent higher in the U.K. this season compared with the same time last year. Moreover, cases are at an all-time high in relation to the past five years.

U.S. CDC issues new Ebola threat alert

London - One year on from the first Ebola case in Guinea, the U.S. CDC raises a new warning about the potential spread of the virus and notes that more needs to be done to slow down the spread disease.

Hong Kong raises bird flu alert level as woman critical

Hong Kong - Hong Kong hospitals raised alert levels Sunday as a woman diagnosed with the deadly H7N9 avian flu virus was in a critical condition.

Ebola expert calls for European anti-virus 'corps'

London - Europe will be "vulnerable" if it does not regard viruses as a "national security issue" like the United States, the microbiologist who discovered Ebola said in an interview published Friday.

Infusing blood from one person to another to tackle Ebola

Digital Journal presents another update on the Ebola crisis and the measures being taken to deal with the viral disease that has hits parts of West Africa very hard.

Week in review: An Ebola update

A week is a long time in science. With Ebola, the U.S. government admits new patient; joint pains stall a major clinical trial; U.S. grants immunity to vaccine developers; and new doubts are raised about Ebola dying quickly outside the human body.

Virus killing dolphins along East Coast reaches Fla. Keys

Big Pine Key - A virus that has killed over 1,560 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins since July, 2013 has now reached the Florida keys. The remains of a dolphin that died after being stranded on Bahia Honda State Park has tested positive for morbillivirus.

How long can Ebola survive for?

Pitsburg - The Ebola virus is adept at moving from from person to person via direct contact with infected body fluids. However, how long can the virus survive outside of the body? New research seeks an answer.

HIV’s ability to cause AIDS is slowing

HIV seems to be evolving. The virus's ability to cause AIDS is slowing down. A new study shows that those infected by HIV are progressing to AIDS more slowly. This means that the virus becomes less virulent.

Virus could explain melting sea stars

U.S. scientists have discovered a densovirus that is strongly associated with sea star wasting disease. This could explain the deaths of thousands of star fish.

New viral concern in Africa: Henipaviruses

While Ebola continues to cause havoc and death in West Africa, another virus family could be emerging a significant threat. These viruses (henipaviruses) may have jumped from fruit bats into humans in Africa.

British-led scientists trial 15-minute Ebola test in Guinea

Conakry - British scientists announced trials on a 15-minute Ebola test in Guinea as French President Francois Hollande arrived in Conakry on Friday, becoming the first Western leader to visit one of the countries devastated by the epidemic.

Hollande embarks on trip to Ebola-hit Guinea

Paris - French President Francois Hollande on Friday begins a visit to Guinea, making him the first Western leader to travel to a country hit hard by the deadly Ebola virus.

47 dead as plague spreads to Madagascar capital

Antananarivo - Madagascar said Monday it was trying to contain an outbreak of plague -- similar to the Black Death that swept medieval Europe -- that has killed 47 people and is spreading to the capital Antananarivo.

Why are some flu viruses more dangerous than others?

Certain types of avian influenza viruses have the potential to cause more severe disease in humans compared with others. This has come from new research which warns such viruses must be monitored carefully.

Revealing the secrets of HIV

Taking advantage of developments in electron microscopy, scientists have gained new insights into HIV and other viruses.

Ebola trials begin in Africa

Scientists are to begin tests of antiviral drugs and transfusions of blood from Ebola survivors in the West African countries. The focus will be on countries worst hit by the viral epidemic.

Chagas disease emerging as U.S. public health threat

Chagas disease - a stealthy parasitic infection that can lead to severe heart disease and death, is spreading in the U.S. Scientists argue that policy makers need to treat the issue seriously.

Is a 21 day incubation period for Ebola appropriate?

Philadelphia - The media has widely reported that any suspected of having Ebola, of who has been in close contact with an Ebola patient, should be monitored for 21 days to see if Ebola symptoms appear. Some scientists are questioning if 21 days is really long enough.

New understanding into how MERS infects

A new study has shown how the deadly MERS virus enters human cells. This new insight provides information about the rate of infection. The results could also signal a new path for treatment.

HIV infection is based on viral-cell targets

Although the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) inserts itself at different locations in a human cell, researchers have found that specific integration sites determine the speed that the infection spreads at.