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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, September 5th 2025 - 07:22 UTC

Health & Science

  • Thursday, January 23rd 2025 - 22:50 UTC

    Africa again on alert as mpox cases on the rise, including 38 deaths

    “Mpox remains a serious public health emergency in Africa,” CDC Africa's Director warned

    The African Union's (AU) public health agency released an advisory Thursday noting that 5,842 cases of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) had been recorded in 21 countries, with 38 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Africa (CDC Africa) warned of an upward trend, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central Africa.

  • Wednesday, January 22nd 2025 - 07:36 UTC

    WHO wishes US would reconsider pulling out

    “The United States was a founding member of WHO in 1948,” the UN agency recalled

    After US President announced he was pulling his country once again from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN) agency issued a statement Tuesday wishing such a decision would be reconsidered. Trump had already left the WHO during his first term in office but his decision was reversed by his successor (and now predecessor) Joseph Biden.

  • Tuesday, January 21st 2025 - 21:45 UTC

    Italian teenager toys with Mediterranean merchant ship traffic just for fun

    Despite the legal consequences he may now face, the Italian teenager is likely to end up hired by a cybersecurity company

    A 15-year-old lad from Cesena, Italy, toyed with merchant ship routes in the Mediterranean after accessing the navigation systems just for fun. Although no material damage was reported, a criminal case has been opened against the teenager, whose parents claimed to be unaware of those activities.

  • Tuesday, January 21st 2025 - 09:25 UTC

    Brazilian authorities to encourage use of DIY HIV tests

    A positive outcome is not a conclusive diagnosis and further testing is required, it was explained

    Brazilian agencies encouraged manufacturers to pack their do-it-yourself HIV self-test kits more discreetly to encourage people to use them at home and avoid crowding healthcare facilities, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Wednesday, January 15th 2025 - 10:33 UTC

    Paraguayans flock to yellow fever vaccination centers

    Vaccination is mandatory for Paraguayans traveling to Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru

    Paraguayan health authorities reported an increase in the demand for the yellow fever vaccine from people willing to travel to Brazil for the summer season.

  • Wednesday, January 15th 2025 - 10:21 UTC

    Antarctica historic milestone, successful drilling of a 2.800 meters long ice core, more than 1.2 million years old

    “We have a strong indication that the uppermost 2,480 meters contain a climate record that goes back to 1.2 million years,” Julien Westhoff, chief scientist in the field at Copenhagen University

    The fourth Antarctic campaign of the Beyond EPICA-Oldest Ice project has achieved a historic milestone this week, by successfully drilling a 2800-metre-long ice core, consisting of ice from the Antarctic ice sheet which is more than 1.2 million years old.

  • Monday, January 13th 2025 - 08:44 UTC

    Chile: Starwatching endangered by industrial project

    The Paranal Observatory is arguably South America's main such facility given the geographical conditions surrounding it which may be spoilt by the electricity company's plan

    The clarity of Chilean skies in the Atacama Desert may be in jeopardy given a project entertained by the electricity company AES Andes which could significantly affect the operations of the Paranal Observatory.

  • Monday, January 13th 2025 - 06:06 UTC

    Climate change watchdogs concur 2024 was the hottest year ever

    “We didn't have just one or two record years, but a full ten-year series,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo of Argentina said

    Last year was the hottest on record and it even surpassed the global warming limit, the European Union's Copernicus Earth Observation Program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) concurred. In addition, 2023 and 2024 saw average global temperatures exceed the internationally agreed 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold

  • Friday, January 10th 2025 - 10:29 UTC

    Presence of serotype 3 of dengue virus worries Brazilian authorities

    In the last four weeks of 2024, 84% of dengue cases were mainly in São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Goiás, and Santa Catarina

    Brazilian health authorities have expressed concern following the reappearance of the dengue virus serotype 3, particularly in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Amapá, and Paraná since the last four weeks of December, Agência Brasil reported Thursday. The virus has not circulated predominantly in the country since 2008. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the disease generated a “historic epidemic in the Americas” in 2024, with more than 12.6 million cases.

  • Thursday, January 9th 2025 - 17:33 UTC

    Falkland Islands completes Tussac House, a new facility for adult care

    The facility has been handed over to the Health and Social Services Department, which is preparing it for operation. Photo: FIG

    The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) announced the completion of Tussac House, a new facility designed to provide care and support for the community’s most vulnerable members. Construction, led by RSK Falklands Ltd, was finalized on January 3, 2025, with occupancy officially granted today, January 9, following inspections by Planning and Building Services and the Fire and Rescue Service.