In just a few months, concern around a new virus in the Middle East, a coronavirus known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) – has escalated quickly, sparking fears among some public health experts that the virus may pose a substantial threat to the entire world.

Though the name Middle East Respiratory Syndrome may sound harmless – perhaps even bland – the virus represents a very serious potential health problem.

Here’s a stat that might stun you: in 2008, philanthropic giving ensured 2.4 billion condoms were distributed worldwide.

The number is impressive, but now consider this: by 2015, some experts estimate that more than 18 billion condoms will be needed worldwide to meet global HIV prevention and family planning needs.

The takeaway? Despite the best efforts of many – access to condoms is still fairly limited in many parts of the world, and often in the places that need them most.

The benefits of the almighty condom are fairly well documented. If used properly, an effective condom can prevent unwanted pregnancies and stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

An emerging porcine virus capable of rapid transmission and high mortality rates has U.S. swine experts scrambling to determine both the origin of the virus and the most effective way to stop it in its tracks.

The virus, known as the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), has never been seen in the United States before, but has been seen in parts of Europe and Asia. Reuters reported earlier this week that recent PEDV outbreaks in China claimed more than 1 million piglets. Pigs infected with PEDV will suffer from extreme diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.

Fortunately, PEDV poses no risk to humans or other animals, and pork or meat products from infected pigs is still safe for people to eat. But the sudden emergence of the virus in five states including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, has raised new questions about our ability to monitor emerging animal diseases and potential threats to the U.S. food supply. There is still no definitive answer on how the virus entered the United States.

To combat the emerging virus, University of Minnesota experts from the CVM’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab are taking a leadership role in helping provide the testing and diagnostic analysis that will allow pork producers, swine farmers and veterinarians to test their herds. Experts from universities in Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas are also dedicating resources to stopping the PEDV outbreak.

Imagine a handheld device that would allow health experts to quickly and easily diagnose medication as counterfeit with a simple scan using waves of light.

It might sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has actually developed such a device and are starting to test its effectiveness in the field.

In a feature for the LA Times health blog Booster Shots, writer Melissa Healy profiles the device and explores how it would work.

Today, University of Minnesota physicians will perform the world’s first cord blood transplant designed specifically to cure a pediatric patient of HIV/AIDS and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The procedure will take place at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and will be completed by a clinical team composed of transplant physicians Michael Verneris, M.D. and John Wagner, M.D., of the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, and HIV/AIDS infectious disease specialist Timothy Schacker, M.D.

The breakthrough nature of the case stems from the use of cord blood (the blood extracted from the placenta after a baby is born) that contains a variant of the cell surface protein CCR5 – known as CCR5Δ32.  Present in less than one percent of the population, CCR5Δ32 prevents most strains of the HIV virus from entering a patient’s T cells, ultimately protecting against the destruction of the host’s immune system.

“What we’re attempting is a first and potentially landmark case for the HIV/AIDS community,” said Wagner, an internationally recognized stem cell transplant expert and pioneer in cord blood transplantation at the University of Minnesota. “This now offers patients with HIV and leukemia or lymphoma new hope.  But even more importantly, this should compel cord blood banks worldwide to identify how many cord blood units with CCR5Δ32 exist within the inventory. We also hope this case prompts others to find novel ways to block or alter CCR5 to mimic this protective variant.”

Today, the University of Minnesota is pleased to announce the first cured case of Bieber Fever in a 12-year-old girl from Greater Minnesota.

School of Public Health infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the University’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, spearheaded the efforts and was overwhelmingly pleased by the results and optimistic about the future for similar cases.

“It was touch and go for a while, but the success seen with this case really gives us hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Osterholm said. “We are always cautious about declaring success for something as complicated as Bieber Fever, but in this case, I feel confident that this patient is cured. She no longer has any signs or symptoms of Bieber Fever and all of her lab test results have returned to normal.”