By most accounts, the history of AIDS begins sometime in the late 1970s, before the first official cases were diagnosed in 1981 among a handful of gay men. But a striking new book by Dr. Jacques Pépin, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, upends medical history. In "The Origins of AIDS," Pépin traces the roots of the disease back to 1921 when a handful of bush-meat hunters in Africa may have been the first to be exposed to infected chimpanzee blood.

Two new studies released on Wednesday show that taking a daily pill designed to fight AIDS can actually prevent an uninfected person from contracting HIV. Donald G. McNeil, Jr., science and health reporter for The New York Times, wrote about this potentially monumental find in today's paper, and has the latest on the story. 

For the second time in history, an infectious disease has been eradicated. In 1979, smallpox was the first disease to be successfully wiped away. Now, a little-known disease called rinderpest is now joining the list. Rinderpest means "cattle plague" in German, and is a relative of the measles virus that infects cattle, deer, and other hoofed animals. The most virulent strains killed 95 percent of the herds they attacked, which was life-threatening for any society dependent on cattle. It has been blamed for speeding the fall of the Roman Empire.

Donald G. McNeil Jr., a science reporter for The New York Times, joins us with a look at what could be a significant breakthrough in the fight against the spread of HIV. Researchers have announced the results of a six-year, 16,000-person study in Thailand, and it appears that an experimental HIV vaccine has cut the risk of infection by almost one-third when compared to a placebo. This is the first time a vaccine has cut the risk of infection at all.

Pain medication is one of the marvels of the modern age. But as Americans buy billions of doses of acetaminophen each year, the risk of misuse increases. More than 400 people die and 42,000 are hospitalized every year in the United States from overdoses of the drug. Yesterday a federal advisory panel recommended banning some popular prescription drugs – including Vicodin and Percocet – because of safety concerns. For more we turn to New York Times science writer Donald McNeil.

The Center for Disease Control said on Friday that at least one million people in the U.S. have contracted the H1N1 virus known as swine flu. The Takeaway is talking to Donald McNeil, a science and health reporter for The New York Times who has been following the outbreak of H1N1 from the beginning. Zoom out on the image below to see a map of the U.S. as a whole.

Looks like H1N1 virus, still more popularly known as the swine flu, is waning in Mexico. The virus has sickened at least 245 people in the U.S., and killed a young boy. So what lies ahead? Obviously no one (except maybe psychic John Edwards) knows for sure, but some disease trackers are mapping a possible course. How? Well, a computer simulation out of Northwestern University is taking inspiration from an unusual source: the dollar bill. Donald McNeil Jr, Science reporter for our partner, The New York Times, joins The Takeaway with a look at how the virus might spread in the U.S.

For more, read Donald G. McNeil Jr.'s article, Predicting Flu With the Aid of (George) Washington, in today's New York Times.

While Mexico struggles to manage the outbreak of swine flu and is rushing to confirm cases by sending samples to the United States, Hong Kong is already performing genetic tests and has mobilized their hospitals and medical facilities to test and track any possible outbreak. Hong Kong has contingency plans in place and 1400 isolated hospital beds reserved. Just in case! Why are they so prepared? SARS. Keith Bradsher, Hong Kong bureau chief of the New York Times, joins The Takeaway with a look at lessons we can learn from Hong Kong's reaction to the SARS scare.

Also joining us is Donald G. McNeil, a New York Times science reporter who has been covering the swine flu outbreak in the United States. For more, read Donald McNeil's article, U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency Over Swine Flu, in today's New York Times.


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Somali immigrants living in Minneapolis, Minnesota are finding that an increasing number of their children have autism. Is it random coincidence, or evidence of a larger epidemic? New York Times global health reporter Donald McNeil joins The Takeaway to report.

Check out McNeil's story on the cases, An Outbreak of Autism, or a Statistical Fluke? in today's Science Times.

For more, watch this report and follow the story in The Huffington Post and in The MinnPost.