Every year, thousands of people in the UK get a bout of cold, (which is not the same as influenza), but can still leave you feeling unwell for 7-10 days. This year, there seems to be a particularly nasty version doing the rounds – the Queen has only just recovered after weeks of staying indoors at Sandringham […]
Viral infections are not gender neutral and affect men and women differently, according to new research from published this week in Nature Communications. Viruses may actually have evolved to protect women who usefully transmit their genetic material onto unborn children or children who are breastfed, according to the study. Researchers at the School of Biological […]
Human parvovirus 4, ‘PARV4’, is a tiny, robust DNA virus. In the decade since it was first reported – the result of a trawling expedition by a North American virology group who went hunting for this unknown trophy [1] – we have uncovered enough to make certain robust statements, but also plenty to perplex and […]
Hepatitis B is a devastating virus that infects around 250 million people worldwide and is endemic proportions in parts of Africa. Left untreated, it can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and early death. Tackling the spread of this virus is essential and vaccination programmes have been started in many countries since 1990 including the Gambia, with […]
The Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways which is spread through infected droplets in the air. In recent years, there have been spikes of incidence of this infection, despite a vaccination programme. Symptoms only develop 6-20 days after exposure to the virus. At first, cold-like […]