According to research1 conducted in Switzerland, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies are only found in the most severe cases — about 1 in 5. That suggests COVID-19 may in fact be five times more prevalent than suspected. It also means it may be five times less deadly than predicted. The study,2 “Systemic and Mucosal Antibody Secretion Specific to… Read More »
There has been a 17% drop in the number of prescriptions for antibiotics written by GPs in England over the past five years, latest figures show. But antibiotic-resistant infections are still rising – up 9% between 2017 and 2018, to nearly 61,000. Public Health England is urging the public to take antibiotics only when necessary.… Read More »
Malaria parasites resistant to several drugs are spreading rapidly in South East Asia, scientists have warned. A new report in The Lancet Infectious Diseases examined samples collected from patients with malaria from Cambodia, Laos, north-eastern Thailand and Vietnam, between 2007 and 2018. From 1,673 whole genome sequences, researchers found the new resistant type of parasite… Read More »
Public health authorities in the UK have issued a warning about a highly drug-resistant strain of a serious bacterial gut infection that can be contracted through sex. Between March and November last year, 17 cases of Shigella dysentery with resistance to several first-line antibiotics were detected. It appears that transmission is clustered among gay and… Read More »