Get our news on your inbox! x

Remember me Forgot password

MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 4th 2024 - 11:26 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, November 10th 2023 - 11:04 UTC

    Dengue vaccine available in Argentina

    The drug is already in use in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Brazil, among other places

    Argentine health authorities Thursday announced that the Japanese-developed TAK-003 vaccine against dengue was already available in the South American country at a cost of AR$ 37,500 (around US$ 38, at the unofficial “blue” rate).

  • Thursday, November 9th 2023 - 10:17 UTC

    Brazil: Appointment of official with previous office under Bolsonaro sparks controversy

    Fufuca said Medeiros’ background is purely technical

    Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appointed Antonio Paulo Vogel de Medeiros as Deputy Sports Minister, it was reported Tuesday. The news became relevant since Medeiros worked as the executive secretary (second-in-command) at the Education Ministry under former President Jair Bolsonaro and even served as acting Minister between 2019 and 2020 following the departure of staunch Bolsonarist Abraham Wintraub.

  • Thursday, November 9th 2023 - 09:34 UTC

    Brazil: Bird flu emergency extended

    The PAHO has recorded human cases of bird flu in the Americas, including the United States, Chile, and Ecuador

    Brazilian authorities Wednesday extended for 180 days a declaration of animal health emergency nationwide due to avian influenza, Agencia Brasil reported. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock adopted the measure due to the identification of outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, mainly in wild birds.

  • Tuesday, November 7th 2023 - 09:43 UTC

    US Tyson Foods recalls 14 tons of chicken nuggets with metal pieces

    Nuggets were produced at one facility and shipped to distributors in nine US states. Tyson Foods said the voluntary recall is “out of an abundance of caution”

    Tyson Foods from Arkansas, USA, has been forced to recall 14 tons of chicken nuggets since metal pieces were found in the product. The firm said the voluntary recall is “out of an abundance of caution”.

  • Saturday, November 4th 2023 - 11:00 UTC

    Maradona's medical team to be tried for manslaughter

    Maradona died at the age of 60 on Nov. 25, 2020.

    A Court of Appeals and Guarantees in the district of San Isidro in the province of Buenos Aires upheld this week a decision to try for manslaughter the healthcare team involved in the death of football legend Diego Armando Maradona, it was reported Friday in Buenos Aires.

  • Friday, November 3rd 2023 - 22:58 UTC

    Confirmed avian flu case in the Falklands; Stanley becomes control zone until November 23

    Members of the public are advised to follow strict bio-security measures and use the footbaths at common sites where they are provided.

    On Monday 30 October 2023 a Southern Fulmar was found dead at a Stanley property. As per current policy, while one dead bird does not reach the threshold of suspicion for avian influenza, birds that are not usually found in the Falkland Islands are routinely swabbed for surveillance. Unfortunately, this bird tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Given that this is an isolated case of one bird, that is only common off-shore, a full protection zone will not be declared. However, a temporary control zone has been declared and is attached. A declaration issued by the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) says:

  • Friday, November 3rd 2023 - 09:19 UTC

    Yearly vaccination against Covid-19 added to Brazil's immunization plan

    Yearly vaccination against Covid-19 added to Brazil's immunization plan

    Brazilian health authorities announced this week that starting in 2024 yearly vaccination against Covid-19 will be included in the country's Immunization Program (PNI) as per the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Wednesday, November 1st 2023 - 21:06 UTC

    AI becomes Collins publisher Word of the Year 2023

    “Considered to be the next great technological revolution, AI has seen rapid development and has been much talked about in 2023,” a blog post from Collins said

    The contraction of artificial intelligence — AI — has been named as Collins' Word of the Year for 2023, the dictionary publisher announced this week.
    “Considered to be the next great technological revolution, AI has seen rapid development and has been much talked about in 2023,” a blog post from the publisher said.

  • Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 11:48 UTC

    Avian Influenza confirmed in Bird Island; South Georgia introduces stringent bio-security measures

    Bird Island is one of the most closely monitored seabird and seal colonies in the world, so ongoing studies will reveal the impacts of the disease in detail.

    Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in brown skua populations on Bird Island, South Georgia. In response to the situation on Monday, the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has introduced a comprehensive Management Plan and new regulations to further protect terrestrial habitats and the remarkable animals and plants found in those islands.

  • Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:55 UTC

    Avian flu keeps killing seashore mammals along South Atlantic shores

    A sea lion, presumably killed by avian flu, lies on the beach at Cabo Polonio, Uruguay. Photo: Sebastián Astorga

    Health authorities in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina are increasingly concerned over the appearance of hundreds of dead sea lions presumably killed by avian flu, it was reported.