Recent News

By Region: North America

Sudan’s yellow fever outbreak ‘worst for 20 years’

(BBC) Experts say the outbreak of yellow fever gripping Sudan is the worst the world has seen in at least 20 years. More than 800 suspected cases of the mosquito-spread disease have been reported across the Darfur region since the outbreak began in October. The virus, which can cause jaundice and kidney failure, has killed Read More »

December 21, 2012
| Filed under Africa, Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Polio workers come under fresh attack in Pakistan

(CNN) Health workers administering polio vaccinations came under fresh attack in Pakistan on Wednesday, a troubling development in a nation that remains one of three in the world where the disease has yet to be eradicated. Three workers were killed in separate attacks, a day after five others died in similar circumstances. All of them Read More »

December 21, 2012
| Filed under Middle East, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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New Lethal Bird Flu Strain Emerges in Indonesian Ducks

(Environment News Service) Indonesia has identified the bird flu virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of ducks over the past few weeks as a virulent type which is new to the country. More than 300,000 ducks in several provinces on the island of Java have died since November, a poultry breeders’ association reported to Read More »

December 21, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, Agriculture, International, and Public Health
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Experts at NIH meeting say H5N1 research moratorium may end soon

(CIDRAP) As a meeting to discuss issues related to federally funded H5N1 avian influenza research wrapped up today, experts anticipated that a voluntary moratorium on work with lab-modified strains that have increased transmissibility might end soon and said they sensed agreement about lab biosecurity levels. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) held the 2-day meeting Read More »

December 20, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Pigs in southern China infected with avian flu

(EurekAlert) Researchers report for the first time the seroprevalence of three strains of avian influenza viruses in pigs in southern China, but not the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Their research, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, has implications for efforts to protect the public health from pandemics.