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In a two-day conference organized in collaboration between the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), HIV experts from across the European Union discussed how to reverse this trend and how to prepare Europe to achieve the set target of ending AIDS by 2030.

Using immature stem cells to create a miniature model of the gut in the laboratory, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Pittsburgh have determined how infection-causing enteroviruses enter the intestine.

One of the mysteries of the living body is the movement of cells – not just in the blood, but through cellular and other barriers. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science has shed light on the subject, especially on the movement of immune cells that race to the sites of infection and inflammation. The study revealed that these cells – white blood cells – actively open large gaps in the internal lining of the blood vessels, so they can exit through the vessel walls and rapidly get to areas of infection.

In this new series for 2017, we highlight insights from professionals in the healthcare community regarding how to foster communication and collaboration between infection preventionists (IPs) and key stakeholders. In this issue, Sue Barnes, RN, CIC, FAPIC, an independent clinical consultant and former national program leader for Infection Prevention and Control at Kaiser Permanente, provides her perspective on how IPs can best champion their programs to the C-suite at their healthcare institutions.

A steep increase of human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) has been reported from China since the beginning of December 2016. During this wave, the number of human cases is already higher than during the last two waves in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The majority of recently reported human cases are associated with exposure to infected live poultry or contaminated environments, including markets where live poultry are sold. Influenza A(H7N9) viruses continue to be detected in poultry and their environments in the areas where human cases are occurring. In addition, the human cases are more geographically widespread and cases are also reported from rural areas, unlike in previous epidemics.

It's not only cold and flu season; it's also norovirus season. Norovirus typically peaks between December and April, and right now there are wide-spread outbreaks of norovirus cases throughout the United States, according to media reports.