A recent report of hundreds of new cases in Katanga Province highlights the fact that although reports of leprosy Worldwide and in Africa have declined since 2000, disease rates in D.R.C. have actually increased.
Update: posted in ProMED
New press release:
Ex Libris continues to expand the MetaLib Knowledge Base with valuable GIDEON research resources
The world-leading GIDEON medical database can now be searched via MetaLib
Jerusalem, Israel, and Los Angeles, CA – July 26, 2007 — Ex Libris™ Group and GIDEON Informatics have today announced that following a successful beta-testing period carried out by MetaLib® customers and Ex Libris staff, the renowned GIDEON (Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Online Network) database has been added to the MetaLib Central Knowledge Base (CKB). Researchers will now be able to use the MetaLib interface to search the GIDEON database for medical resources that aid in diagnosing and referencing a wide range of ailments. By making relevant information more accessible, MetaLib helps reduce information overload—thus increasing the efficiency with which medical problems can be managed and resolved.
Ex Libris remains focused on continually enhancing the MetaLib Central Knowledge Base. Earlier this year, TechXtra and PerX, two major engineering and technology resources, were added to the MetaLib CKB, greatly expanding the range of cross-searchable engineering, mathematics, and computing resources in the MetaLib gateway and metasearch system.
“We are very excited to partner with Ex Libris, an information market leader, and provide an integrated search solution for our mutual customers,” commented Uri Blackman, CEO of GIDEON Informatics, Inc.
Tal Ayalon, MetaLib Knowledge Base team leader, noted, “We are proud to add GIDEON to our rapidly growing MetaLib Central Knowledge Base. The inclusion of GIDEON, one of the most prominent health and medicine databases in the world, reflects the Ex Libris commitment to optimize the research process by making the finest possible resources available to researchers around the world.”
About GIDEON Informatics:
GIDEON Informatics develops and markets point-of-care medical-decision support applications that help reduce diagnostic errors. GIDEON, the company’s flagship product, is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, interactive Web-based infectious-disease knowledge management tool. It helps medical personnel at hundreds of institutions worldwide diagnose and treat infectious diseases and identify microorganisms, including bioterrorism agents. GIDEON Informatics is a privately held corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
For additional information on GIDEON Informatics, see www.gideononline.com.
About MetaLib:
The Ex Libris MetaLib gateway and metasearch system enables users to access their institution’s e-collections, obtain relevant services, and work in a personalized environment. Using the easily customized MetaLib user interface or the user interface of another application tightly integrated with MetaLib, library patrons can conduct a metasearch across heterogeneous resources or link to the resources’ native interface.
The flexible MetaLib infrastructure accommodates both single institutions and consortia. Web-based administration tools enable librarians to quickly activate the full range of information resources that they offer their users. Integrated with the MetaLib system is the award-winning SFX® OpenURL-compliant link resolver, which provides users with context-sensitive linking to services that their institution has defined and customized on the basis of its e-collections and policies.
For additional information on MetaLib, see www.exlibrisgroup.com/metalib.htm.
About Ex Libris Group:
Ex Libris Group is a leading worldwide developer and provider of high-performance applications for libraries, information centers, and researchers, with installations around the globe. Ex Libris Group’s flagship ALEPH® 500 and Voyager® integrated library solutions are in use at over 3,000 sites worldwide. Other products from the Ex Libris suite, deployed at more than 1,300 sites, focus on the digital library and offer state-of-the-art, user-centric solutions for managing electronic resources and digital assets and providing informed access to them.
For additional information on Ex Libris Group, see www.exlibrisgroup.com.
An interesting piece by Steve in ProMED, regarding tick borne diseases in the US:
Although Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease are better known to the lay public, the list of additional tick-borne diseases has grown in recent years. The incidence of Lyme disease in the United States is greater than 5-fold that of all other tick-borne infections combined:
If we eliminate Lyme disease, we find that tularemia was the most common disease in this group until 1965, but has since been superseded by Rocky Mountain spotted fever — and more recently Ehrlichiosis:
Most significantly, although deaths due to other tick-borne diseases have declined in recent years, the number dying from tularemia has remained surprisingly constant for over 4 decades:
An ISSN is an identity number for a serial publication. It is mainly used by librarians, but also for vendors that deal with publications. GIDEON is categorized as a serial publication updated weekly (online) or quarterly (CD). For reference here are the ISSN numbers:
GIDEON (ONLINE) ISSN 1938-6508
GIDEON (CD-ROM) ISSN 1938-6516
In 2005 an agricultural expert from Israel went for 6 days to India to participate in a farming project. He returned to Israel, and the following morning developed fever, headache, vomiting and muscle pain. Read the latest case of the month, Agriculture Expert in India, about how GIDEON helped save this person’s life.
Following up on the latest outbreak of salmonellosis in Constanta, Romania, using the GIDEON graph function, Steve analyzes the reported rates of salmonellosis in Romania and surrounding countries. As reported by ProMED:
The recent outbreak in Constanta belies the fact that Romania has consistently reported the lowest rates of salmonellosis in this region of Europe for at least 20 years. See graph.
Following the latest outbreak of measles in Switzerland, Steve graphs vaccine coverage in the neighboring countries in this ProMED post:
This latest outbreak in Lucerne reminds us that the goal of 95 percent measles coverage continues to elude this region of Europe. See graph.
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