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2014

December

19 December: Peramivir, an intravenous influenza neuraminidase inhibitor, is approved by the FDA. FDA

10 December: Gardasil 9, a nine-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine based on Gardasil that protects against an additional five high-risk HPV types, is approved by the FDA. FDA

August

8 August: WHO declares the ongoing West African outbreak of Ebola virus disease (virus pictured) to be an international public health emergency; since the outbreak began, there have been more than 1750 suspected cases and 961 deaths. WHO

July

25 July: The first case of Ebola virus disease (virus pictured) in Nigeria is reported in the ongoing West African outbreak; since the outbreak began, there have been more than a thousand suspected cases and 672 deaths. WHO

25 July: The first case of Ebola virus disease (virus pictured) in Nigeria is reported in the ongoing West African outbreak; since the outbreak began, there have been more than a thousand suspected cases and 660 deaths. BBC • WHO

20 July: A study in rhesus monkeys suggests that after rectal infection with simian immunodeficiency virus, a model for HIV infection, the virus reaches hard-to-treat reservoirs before it can be detected in the blood, posing a challenge for eradication. Nature

17 July: At least six HIV/AIDS researchers and activists travelling to the World AIDS Conference in Melbourne are killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes; confirmed casualties are Joep Lange (University of Amsterdam/Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development), Jacqueline van Tongeren (Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development), Pim de Kuijer and Martine de Schutter (Aids Fonds/STOP AIDS NOW!), Lucie van Mens (The Female Health Company) and Glenn Thomas (World Health Organisation). IAS

11 July: Three injections of a tetravalent dengue vaccine confer better protection than placebo in a phase III trial among over 10,000 children in endemic areas of Asia. Lancet

6 July: Hundreds of novel bacteriophage species are discovered in human gut flora samples. Nat Biotechnol

June

27 June: Entry of Lassa virus into susceptible cells is shown to be a two-step process, with the virus binding to a second receptor, LAMP1, located inside lysosomes. Science

25 June: The human monoclonal antibody m102.4 is an effective treatment for Nipah virus in an African green monkey model. Sci Transl Med

18 June: The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (virus pictured) in West Africa becomes the most deadly documented since the virus was discovered. Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep

April

7 April: The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in West Africa continues; there have been over 175 suspected cases including 105 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Mali. WHO

1 April: The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Guinea continues; in total there have been over 130 suspected cases including 90 deaths. WHO

March

30 March: The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Guinea continues, with two cases confirmed in Liberia in people who had travelled to Guinea; in total there have been over a hundred suspected cases including 75 deaths. WHO

27 March: South-east Asia becomes the fourth of the six WHO regions to be certified free from poliomyelitis. GPEI

25 March: The first outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Guinea occurs, with 86 suspected cases including 60 deaths. WHO

21 March: The ongoing outbreak of poliomyelitis in Syria spreads to Iraq, in the first case there since 2000. WHO

19 March: A meta-analysis of over 29,000 patients hospitalised with H1N1 influenza during the 2009–10 pandemic shows that neuraminidase inhibitors reduced mortality in adults. Lancet Resp Med

14 March: The outbreak of chikungunya continues with 12,000 probable cases across French Guiana and ten Caribbean countries. ECDC

12 March: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak continues, with three cases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported during March; since the outbreak started in September 2012, there have been 189 cases with 82 deaths. WHO

8 March: H7N9 avian influenza outbreak continues, with 13 cases reported in China during March. WHO

6 March: A preliminary trial in 12 HIV-positive people shows that genetically engineering the host's own T cells to express the HIV-resistant CCR5-Δ32 mutation is safe and feasible; the modified T cells persist several months and appear protected from infection. BBC

3 March: A viable Pithovirus specimen, the largest nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus yet found, is discovered in 30,000-year-old samples of frozen tundra. Nature

1 March: A bomb attack kills at least 11 polio vaccine workers in north-west Pakistan; more than 40 polio vaccinators have been killed in the country since December 2012. BBC

February

24 February: A novel polio-like paralytic syndrome, possibly associated with enterovirus 68, has been reported in 20 people in California. BBC

19 February: A study in Britain and the Isle of Man suggests honey bees might be transmitting the deformed wing virus to wild bumblebees. BBC

5 February: The outbreak of chikungunya spreads across ten countries in the Caribbean. CDC

January

28 January: After H7N9 avian influenza cases increase in January, China closes live poultry markets in Shanghai and three cities in Zhejiang province; Hong Kong slaughters 20,000 chickens imported from China after birds tested positive for H7N9 influenza. BBC

13 January: India has been free from poliomyelitis for three years. BBC

8 January: The first known fatality from H5N1 avian influenza in North America is confirmed in Canada in a person returning from China. BBC

2013

December

27 December: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak continues, with seven cases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; since the outbreak started in September 2012, there have been 170 cases with 72 deaths. WHO

18 December: A woman in Jiangxi Province, China is reported to have died of avian influenza subtype H10N8, in the first known human case. WHO

17 December: H7N9 avian influenza outbreak continues, with six cases reported in China and Hong Kong. WHO

10 December: Outbreak of chikungunya reported in French Saint Martin in the Caribbean. WHO

6 December: HIV recurs in two people whose virus levels had remained undetectable without antiretroviral therapy after receiving bone-marrow transplants. Boston Globe

3 December: Yellow fever outbreak reported in southern Sudan, with 44 suspected cases and 14 deaths. WHO

2 December: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak continues, with three cases in the United Arab Emirates; since the outbreak started in September 2012, there have been 163 cases with 71 deaths. WHO

November

28 November: Wind-blown midges found to be responsible for the spread across Europe of Schmallenberg virus, which causes stillbirth and birth defects in livestock. Sci Rep

21 November: Wild poliovirus type 1 is confirmed in two cases of acute flaccid paralysis in Cameroon, which had been free from the virus since 2009. WHO

21 November: The antifungal amphotericin B increases the severity of influenza A disease in mice by interfering with IFITM3 and so preventing interferon from protecting against the virus. Cell Rep

19 November: Nobel laureate Frederick Sanger dies; the inventor of the dideoxy chain-termination method of sequencing DNA, he was the first to sequence a virus. BBC

19 November: Antibodies to Lagos bat virus and henipaviruses are found in straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) across Africa. Nat Commun

18 November: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak continues, with four cases in Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates; since the outbreak started in September 2012, there have been 157 cases with 66 deaths. WHO

14 November: The first human case of avian influenza subtype H6N1 is confirmed, in a woman infected in May in Taiwan. Lancet Resp Med

8 November: The UN announces a polio vaccination campaign targeting 20 million children in the Middle East. BBC

6 November: H7N9 avian influenza has reappeared in China, with four new cases in October. WHO

3 November: Four trials in over 176,000 women show that human papillomavirus screening is better than cervical screening at preventing invasive cervical cancer. Lancet

October

31 October: Two studies in rhesus macaques infected with an HIV–SIV hybrid virus found that injecting antibodies to conserved HIV epitopes rapidly cleared the virus from the blood for up to 3 months. BBC

30 October: Two new SARS-like coronaviruses able to infect human cells via the SARS receptor have been isolated from Chinese horseshoe bats, suggesting these bats might form the viral reservoir and that infection might occur directly from bats. Nature

29 October: Wild poliovirus type 1 isolated from 10 of 22 cases of flaccid paralysis in Syria, confirming the first outbreak of polio in the country since 1999. WHO

24 October: A study suggests HIV-1's functional latent reservoir could be as much as 60-fold larger than previously estimated, posing a problem for curing the infection. Cell

24 October: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak continues, with two cases in Saudi Arabia; since the outbreak started in September 2012, there have been 144 cases with 62 deaths. WHO

19 October: WHO reports a cluster of suspected polio cases in the Deir al-Zour province of Syria, the first in the country since 1999. WHO

16 October: Eight cases of Cotard's syndrome, a rare delusion in which people believe themselves dead, are identified as an adverse effect of the antiviral aciclovir, predominantly in those with kidney failure. New Sci

15 October: A survey estimates that there are 493 variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease carriers per million in the UK, higher than previous estimates. BMJ

9 October: Neurodegeneration in mice infected with prions can be prevented by a drug targeting PERK, a mediator in the unfolded protein response pathway activated by misfolded proteins. The Guardian

8 October: A new outbreak of viral encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh, India, has resulted in 15 deaths in children. BBC

7 October: A bomb in Peshawar, Pakistan, apparently targeting the polio vaccination campaign, kills two people. BBC

2 October: Laos starts a pilot project vaccinating girls against human papillomavirus, the first South East Asian country to introduce the HPV vaccine. GAVI Alliance

September

22 September: A study in 342 adults identifies conserved epitopes in 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza associated with crossprotective CD8⁺ T cell mediated immunity, potential components of a universal influenza vaccine. BBC

10 September: Unlike other avian influenza A viruses, the novel H7N9 virus targets both upper and lower respiratory tracts, suggesting the potential for pandemic spread. Am J Pathol

3 September: A survey in the Indian Flying Fox bat finds 55 viruses from 9 families, 50 of which were previously unknown, suggesting that at least 320,000 viruses of mammals might be undiscovered. mBio

August

28 August: Bacteriophages are found to greatly outnumber prokaryotes in rocks 1.5 miles (2.5 km) below the ocean floor. BBC

13 August: Canine distemper virus identified as an emerging disease in wild Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), an endangered subspecies with a wild population below 500 animals. mBio

12 August: Dolutegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. FDA

July

22 July: Ali Maow Maalin, the last person to be infected with naturally occurring smallpox, dies while participating in the polio eradication campaign in Somalia. Global Polio Eradication Initiative

19 July: Pandoravirus, a new genus of viruses infecting amoebae, is described; their genome is twice as large as any previously known virus. Science

9 July: The ICTV votes to change the definition of a virus species. Arch Virol

May

12 May: WHO warns that novel coronavirus can probably be transmitted between humans; there have been 34 cases with 18 deaths. WHO

8 May: A cohort study suggests influenza infection during pregnancy might increase the child's risk of bipolar disorder. JAMA Psychiatry

3–8 May: Six new cases of novel coronavirus reported in Saudi Arabia and one in France; there have been 31 cases in total with 18 deaths. WHO

7 May: WHO states that high levels of measles in Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK threaten the target of eliminating the virus from Europe by 2015. BBC

2 May: Seven new cases of novel coronavirus reported in Saudi Arabia, including five deaths; there have been 24 cases in total with 16 deaths. WHO

1 May: The outbreak of H7N9 avian influenza in China continues, with 126 cases and 24 deaths. BBC

1 May: H7N9 avian influenza originates in multiple reassortments between at least four different viruses infecting ducks, chickens and migratory birds. Lancet

1 May: The measles outbreak centered on the Swansea area of Wales continues, with 1039 cases to date. Public Health Wales

April

27 April: Two recent studies find hepaciviruses similar to hepatitis C virus in bats and rodents, suggesting one or both might be the viral reservoir. BBC

24 April: The first case of H7N9 avian influenza outside China is reported in Taiwan; there have been 108 cases and 22 deaths. BBC

22 April: The measles outbreak centered on the Swansea area of Wales continues, with 886 cases to date. Public Health Wales

14 April: The H7N9 strain of avian influenza has spread from eastern into central China, with 60 cases and 13 deaths. BBC

10 April: Deaths in eastern China from the H7N9 strain of avian influenza reach nine, with 28 cases. BBC

9 April: A measles outbreak in the Swansea area of Wales with 620 cases to date is believed to be associated with a dip in vaccine uptake due to the 1998 MMR vaccine controversy. BBC

5 April: Poultry markets have closed and culling started in Shanghai to control avian influenza H7N9, associated with 14 cases and 6 deaths in eastern China. BBC

4 April: Roche has agreed to release data from all its 74 clinical trials of oseltamivir to the Cochrane Collaboration. BMJ

4 April: Five people have died in Shanghai and Zhejiang, China, after infection with an H7N9 strain of avian influenza. WHO

March

31 March: Two people have died in Shanghai and another in Anhui province is critically ill after infection with an H7N9 strain of avian influenza. WHO

28 March: Synthetic capsid vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease developed, which has been engineered to increase its stability. BBC

26 March: Two deaths in the United Arab Emirates and the UK reported from novel coronavirus infection; there have been 17 cases with 11 deaths to date. WHO

26 March: A measles outbreak in south-west Wales has led to over 50 hospitalisations. BBC

19 March: A small case series in a French clinic suggests that pubic hair removal might be a risk factor for molluscum contagiosum. BMJ

18 March: The prevalence of oseltamivir-resistant H1N1pdm09 swine influenza is increasing in people who have not received the drug. Guardian

14 March: Early treatment of HIV infection might increase the probability of a functional cure, according to results from the Visconti study. BBC

13 March: Novel coronavirus receptor shown to be DPP4. Nature

13 March: An outbreak of porcine circovirus in Jiaxing, China, might be responsible for some of the 5,916 pig carcasses recovered from Shanghai's Huangpu River. BBC

3 March: A two-year-old child is reported as "functionally cured" of HIV infection by combination antiretroviral treatment within 30 hours of birth. NIH

February

26 February: Large increase over last year in dengue fever cases in Brazil, mainly caused by the DENV-4 strain. BBC

22 February: A new class of influenza neuraminidase inhibitors that bind covalently to neuraminidase are effective against drug-resistant virus in vitro. BBC

20 February: A study in Belgium finds Schmallenberg virus, which causes stillbirth and congenital defects in livestock, also infects wild deer and boars. BBC

17 February: The UK's Diamond Light Source synchrotron facility announces an upgrade to allow it to determine the structure of level 3 viruses. BBC

13 February: A second UK case of SARS-like coronavirus confirmed in the son of the first case, providing strong evidence for person-to-person transmission. BBC

11 February: The first UK case of a new SARS-like coronavirus confirmed; it is the tenth globally of the outbreak. WHO

8 February: Swine influenza outbreak in India, centered in the northwest state of Rajasthan, with 450 cases and 94 deaths in five weeks. BBC

1 February: Increased antiretroviral therapy use in England and Wales between 2001 and 2010 has not reduced the number of new HIV infections in gay and bisexual men. BBC

January

31 January: A study of hepatitis C virus epidemics in Greece shows that injecting drug users act as "superspreaders", transmitting the virus to 20 people on average, mainly during the first two years after infection. BBC

29 January: Bill Gates affirms his commitment to eradicating polio in the 2013 Richard Dimbleby Lecture. BBC

25 January: Swine flu infected 24% of population and over 50% of school-age children in the first year of the 2009 pandemic, according to a WHO study of >90,000 samples from 19 countries. BBC

25 January: A genetic study of primate immune systems suggests HIV-like lentiviruses arose in African primates 5–16 million years ago. BBC

23 January: Research into mutations that increase the infectivity to humans of influenza H5N1, the bird flu strain, is to resume in the Netherlands, despite concerns over safety and the potential for bioterrorism. BBC

17 January: Results from SPARTAC study suggest that 48 weeks of antiretroviral therapy after HIV diagnosis delays disease progression compared with standard care. BBC

mid-January: 2012–13 influenza season starts early in the USA, with sharp increases in mortality and hospitalisation among the over-65s. CDC

11 January: Synthetic version of Schmallenberg virus, which causes stillbirth and congenital defects in cattle, sheep and goats, has been developed. BBC

4 January: Polio vaccinations resume in north-west Pakistan, suspended after the killings of nine health workers in the country during December. Relief Web

1 January: Seven clinic workers with a polio vaccination charity are shot dead in Swabi District of north-west Pakistan. Relief Web