On 10 September 2014, the United States of America informed the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) about an outbreak of severe respiratory illness associated with Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). As of 16 September 2014, 130 laboratory-confirmed cases of EV-D68 have been reported in 12 US states – Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Investigations into suspected clusters in many other states are ongoing. EV-D68 is identified using molecular techniques at a limited number of laboratories in the USA. Enterovirus infections, including EV-D68, are not nationally notifiable, but laboratory detections of enterovirus and parechovirus types are reported voluntarily to the National Ent...

Authors: Clarkeand DT, McMillan NA Abstract Drug delivery to the airway and lower respiratory tract by aerosol inhalation has become a successful,non-invasive method of preventing and treating local disease of the lung. Consequently, it has been a promising route for clinical trials using highly specific and novel therapies to overcome viral pulmonary infection such as RNA interference, neutralising monoclonal antibodies and microparticle treatments. Yet despite this great potential, this form of delivery has proven somewhat ineffective due to airway remodeling, inflammation and mucus hypersecretion that results from viral symptoms in the respiratory tract. Here we review the research into the delivery technologies available as well as the types of therapeuticsused for respiratory ...

Fifteen Syrian infants died after it was found their measles vaccine contained a powerful drug that paralyzes respiratory muscles. These tragic events happen all too often because of medication mixups, not just in Syria but here in the U.S. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

Abstract BackgroundAcute respiratory conditions are a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Corticosteroids are effective and established treatments in some acute respiratory infections (e.g. croup) and asthma exacerbations; however, their role is controversial in other conditions owing to inconsistent effectiveness or safety concerns (e.g. bronchiolitis, acute wheeze). ObjectivesTo examine clinically relevant short‐term safety outcomes related to acute single or recurrent systemic short‐term (<2 weeks) corticosteroid use based on systematic reviews of acute respiratory conditions. MethodsWe searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in February 2013 for systematic reviews comparing systemic corticosteroids with placebo for children (aged 0–18 years) with a...