KUALA LUMPUR : Your mother always told you to do it, but thanks to a study presented at the 13th International Congress of Infectious Diseases (ICID) held at Kuala Lumpur this week, you'll now know why washing your hands is the first line of defence against a number of highly contagious respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. The study was presented during the 13 International Congress of Infectious Diseases (ICID) held at Kuala Lumpur this week highlighted how easy it is to prevent infectious gastrointestinal, skin and respiratory illness.

M. Dinesh Varma Findings may help to include it in immunisation drive across the world Rotavirus common cause of severe diarrhoea Nearly 6 lakh die worldwide every year CHENNAI: The soon-to-be-released findings of a final-phase efficacy study on a vaccine against rotavirus, one of the commonest causes of enteric infection in children, could pave the way for its inclusion in immunisation programmes worldwide, paediatric infectious disease expert Miguel Luis O'Ryan said on Thursday.

Donald G. Mcneil Jr. As the world's population ages, gets richer, smokes more, eats more and drives more, non-communicable diseases will become bigger killers than infectious ones over the next 20 years, the World Health Organisation is reporting.

The Central government has announced a Rs.100-crore special grant to the Thiruvananthapuram-based Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) which was taken over by the Department of Biotechnology on April 1, 2007. The money is to be spent over three years. Orders have been issued to release Rs.25 crore this year as the first instalment. The announcement was made by Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal at a conference of State Science and Technology Ministers here on Monday. Fund utilisation G. Mahadevan adds from Thiruvananthapuram:

Khulna Infectious Disease Hospital has been facing multiple setbacks for a long time, depriving the patients of getting proper treatment, hospital sources said. The 20-bed hospital, established at Mirerdanga under Khanjahan Ali police area in Khulna city in 1968, provides treatment to the people infected with tetanus, diphtheria, chickenpox, rabies and mums. The sources said though the hospital has six wards, they have to provide treatment to both male and female patients at the same ward.

Tetanus, diphtheria still prevalent among children Alpha Arzu Most of six fatal childhood diseases have noticeable prevalence despite much-hyped national vaccination campaigns for more than two decades with government leaders claiming near-total coverage. The lone state-run Infectious Diseases Hospital in Dhaka still receives a large number of children with tetanus, diphtheria, measles and some other deadly infectious diseases brought under Expanded Programme of Immunisation.

Enlarge View   an international research team has provided the first scientific evidence that deadly emerging diseases have risen steeply across the world,