“Infectious diseases” on The Daily Caller

Scientists still haven’t discovered a cure for the common cold, but researchers now say zinc may be the next best thing. (more)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Clooney has recovered from the malaria he contracted earlier this month during a visit to Sudan. (more)

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A disgraced Air Force sergeant will spend up to eight years in prison for exposing multiple sex partners to HIV at swinger parties in a sentence that the prosecution hopes will send the message that the military values the integrity of its service members. (more)

As we begin a new year, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) would first like to try and slay the demons and hobgoblins of the past year. We do this each New Year’s Eve by making a list of the top unfounded health scares of the outgoing year. These bouts of hysteria are prompted by many different things. But what they have in common is that there’s no scientific evidence to back up the alarms being sounded. (more)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan health workers say an epidemic that may be malaria has killed dozens of people, decimating three villages of the Yanomami Indians, whose struggle for survival in a remote part of the Amazon rain forest has attracted worldwide support. (more)

U.S. government medical researchers intentionally infected hundreds of people in Guatemala, including institutionalized mental patients, with gonorrhea and syphilis without their knowledge or permission more than 60 years ago. (more)

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama got heckled at a fundraiser Wednesday night by protesters pushing for more funding for AIDS programs and quicker action to allow gays to serve openly in the military. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The heads of two Iowa egg farms linked to as many as 1,600 salmonella illnesses this summer gave Congress few answers in testimony about the conditions at their farms Wednesday, as one executive would not testify and the other did not answer many of the lawmakers’ questions. (more)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — State health officials reported Thursday that California is on track to break a 55-year record for whooping cough infections in an epidemic that has already claimed the lives of nine infants. (more)

As any teenager will tell you, being popular is totally awesome. But it has a downside: According to a new study, popular people tend to catch the flu first. (more)

BEIJING (AP) — China’s plans to vaccinate 100 million children and come a step closer to eradicating measles has set off a popular outcry that highlights widening public distrust of the authoritarian government after repeated health scandals. (more)

CHICAGO (AP) — Eggs sunny-side-up are still on the menu. But restaurants nationwide are keeping a closer eye on egg suppliers and reminding diners of the dangers of undercooked food after a massive recall tied to a salmonella outbreak. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday that there is no evidence a massive outbreak of salmonella in eggs has spread beyond two Iowa farms, though a team of investigators is still trying to figure out what caused it. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Iowa egg producer is recalling 228 million eggs after being linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. (more)

MASON, Ohio (AP) — Andy Roddick finally knows what’s been getting him down the last few months — a mild case of mononucleosis. (more)

VIENNA (AP) — President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have pledged the support of the United States in the global fight against AIDS. (more)

California is facing what could be the state’s biggest outbreak of pertussis since 1958, according to its top public health official. This contagious disease is more commonly known as whooping cough due the distinctive whoop that occurs when sufferers cough and gasp for breath. (more)

Spanish researchers have discovered a key component of infectious bacteria’s battle plan, identifying a protein that tells bacteria in a colony to halt their forward march when antibiotics are present, waiting until the coast is clear before resuming the infection. The finding shows how bacteria outmaneuver antibiotics in the body to continue infecting an organ even after treatment, but it also pinpoints a vulnerability that researchers may be able to exploit to make antibiotics more effective. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two popular grocery items are being pulled off the shelves — SpaghettiOs that weren’t adequately heated during processing, and Marie Callender frozen dinners that pose a salmonella risk. (more)

The agency in charge of protecting the nation’s blood supply has been following a double standard since 1985. (more)