Infectious Disease Outbreaks may Be Predicted by Remote Satellite Imaging

Researchers in the US have used a new way to predict outbreaks of cholera - a water-borne infectious disease.

A new way to predict outbreaks of cholera - a water-borne infectious disease has been revealed by US researchers.

According to the researchers, this new technique could potentially control outbreaks of other important infectious diseases.

Introduction Of Infections
Birth defects are abnormalities, which occur before the birth of the baby and can be caused due to genetic, environmental and other unknown reasons.

The bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae, has a known association with a crustacean (called a copepod), which lives on zooplankton, a type of plankton.

Cholera outbreaks have been associated with environmental factors, including sea surface temperature, ocean height, and biomass.

Professor Rita R. Colwell and her team at the University of Maryland, College Park, have used remote satellite imaging to track this climatologically important information and the data collected now can be used to predict outbreaks of cholera before they occur.

'Superbug' Breast Infections in Nursing Mothers can Be Overcome by Simple Antibiotics
New research by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians suggests that conservative treatment can deal with breast infections cause by the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

Cholera epidemics have been episodic, so the ability to predict them could be one further step towards controlling this serious, water-borne disease by providing rapid response public health measures.

The climate factors shown to be associated with cholera also play a role in many other infectious diseases.

HIV Infections Increase by 45% in Philippines: Francisco Duque, Health Secretary
AIDS-related infections are rising rapidly in the Philippines although the ratio of those afflicted out of the total population remains low, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Tuesday.

So this development offers a useful model for understanding human health effects related to climate change.

"We are now beginning to understand infectious disease is a moving target. As the climate shifts, any disease with an environmental stage or vector is going to be affected," said Colwell.

School Student Makes Sticky Molecule in Bid to Diagnose, Prevent Flu
A Canadian high school student has won a national science competition for her new molecule that binds to flu viruses, which may eventually be used to diagnose or prevent flu infections.

Source-ANI
RAS/M