Top stories in infectious disease: Daraprim price still high, drug-resistant gonorrhea

Among the top stories in infectious disease is the price of Daraprim, the primary treatment option for toxoplasmosis, still exceeds $800 per pill more than 2 years after Martin Shkreli dramatically increased the price. According to researchers, the overall death rate of many infectious diseases has decreased in the United States over the last 35 years. Other stories include the first case of gonorrhea resistant to both drugs that are widely used for treatment, and an unfortunate circumstance led to an opportunity to study the effect of treating CCHF with ribavirin. – by Jake Scott

 

Daraprim prices still an obstacle for patients

More than 2 years after former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli boosted the price of Daraprim by 5,000%, the cost still exceeds $800 per pill in many pharmacies. Read More.

 

ID mortality rate in US decreases almost 20% since 1980

The overall death rate from many infectious diseases decreased by nearly 20% in the United States over 35 years, according to researchers. Read More.

 

World’s first case of gonorrhea resistant to first-line drugs reported in England

A man in England has contracted the world’s first reported case of a gonorrhea infection that is resistant to both of the drugs that are widely recommended to treat the STD, health officials said. Read More.

 

Ribavirin has ‘demonstrable’ effect on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

In 2016, a man walking through a field in Spain was bitten by a tick carrying the virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, or CCHF. The man died of the disease, and a nurse who treated him also was infected. It was the first time local transmission of CCHF was documented in Spain, expanding the geographic range of the often fatal infection and giving researchers more evidence of the shifting ranges of some ticks. Read More.

 

Mumps vaccine protection wanes over years; more doses recommended

Vaccine protection against mumps with two doses weakens after 27 years on average, and a third dose at age 18 years may help prevent the disease’s re-emergence, according to researchers. Read More.