Recent News

By Region: North America

After US Pressure, Smallpox Wins Reprieve Again

AAAS – The smallpox virus, on death row for decades, has been given another stay of execution. The World Health Assembly (WHA), an annual meeting of health ministers in Geneva, decided today to defer the debate about destruction of the remaining virus stocks until 2014. Opposition against retaining the pathogen has been building in recent Read More »

May 25, 2011
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly closes after passing multiple resolutions

24 May 2011 — The Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly concluded on Tuesday afternoon. The Assembly spent eight days working through a broad agenda. In the end, 28 resolutions and three decisions were adopted to guide the upcoming work of WHO and to address priority global health issues.

May 24, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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UN puts off destroying last smallpox viruses

GENEVA (AP) — Health ministers from around the world agreed Tuesday to put off setting a deadline to destroy the last known stockpiles of the smallpox virus for three more years, rejecting a U.S. plan that had called for a five-year delay. After two days of heated debate, the 193-nation World Health Assembly agreed to Read More »

May 24, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, and Public Health
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Smallpox-Destruction Deadline Delayed for 3 Years

WSJ – Global health officials agreed Tuesday to delay setting a deadline for destroying the last known stocks of smallpox for at least three years, in a compromise through which scientists will continue research to develop medicines to combat a potential bioterror attack. The consensus reached in Geneva by the World Health Assembly, the decision-making Read More »

May 24, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Global vet shortage threatens food security

PARIS – Low numbers of veterinarians in both the private and public sectors of many countries pose a threat to world food security and safety since they play a pivotal role in all stages of the food chain. One-hundred-eight member countries of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) participated in a study titled “The Read More »