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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 18th 2025 - 00:48 UTC

Health & Science

  • Monday, March 10th 2025 - 15:55 UTC

    Brazil's Anvisa approves weekly insulin to treat diabetes 1 and 2

    One weekly shot of the new drug is said to achieve the same results as current daily injections

    Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) has approved the drug Awiqli, produced by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, to treat adult patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes, Agencia Brasil reported. It is the first weekly insulin shot in the world. There is no date for launching it nationwide.

  • Monday, March 10th 2025 - 08:38 UTC

    Falklands, dead Gentoo penguins return positive for avian influenza

    Swabs from three of a few Gentoo Penguins found dead at Laskaridis acreages colony on Cape Dolphin returned positive

    Last Wednesday, 05 March 2025, dead Gentoo Penguins on the Falkland Islands Cape Dolphin turned out positive to the highly pathogenic avian influenza. Swabs from three of a few Gentoo Penguins found dead at Laskaridis acreages colony on Cape Dolphin returned positive for avian influenza.

  • Friday, March 7th 2025 - 08:16 UTC

    How Shackleton’s Endurance was found, Falklands Maritime Heritage

    In 2022, Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, was discovered at the bottom of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Now 3D scans show the legendary shipwreck in extraordinary detail.

    Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of finding Endurance, the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has released for the first time an animated film of the full route of the Endurance22 team from the start of their search in Cape Town to finding it in the Weddell Sea, with input from Falkland Islander Mensun Bound’s daily diaries

  • Friday, February 28th 2025 - 10:06 UTC

    Brazil: Respiratory complications feared to mount during Carnival gatherings

    The warning goes beyond the partying period

    According to the latest issue of the Infogripe bulletin from the Rio de Janeiro-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), large crowds during the upcoming Carnival festivities may lead to increased transmission of respiratory viruses.

  • Thursday, February 20th 2025 - 16:23 UTC

    Price of eggs forces Trump to rehire fired bird flu experts; in NYC a dozen sells for over US$ 12

    As egg prices soar, grocers limit how many cartons customers can buy

    US President Donald Trump's administration is attempting to rehire officials with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) who worked on the government response to bird flu before being fired over the weekend, US media report.

  • Thursday, February 20th 2025 - 10:46 UTC

    São Paulo: Public health emergency decreed due to dengue fever

    So far 131 deaths have been recorded nationwide in 2025. Photo: EFE

    The Brazilian State of São Paulo Wednesday declared a public emergency due to the persistence and worsening of the dengue epidemic, Health Secretary Eleuses Paiva announced from the Butantan Institute.

  • Wednesday, February 19th 2025 - 08:42 UTC

    Uruguay on avian flu alert after detection in Argentina

    The outbreak is limited to Tres Isletas, in the Argentine province of Chaco

    Uruguay's Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) declared a state of health alert due to an outbreak of avian influenza in Tres Isletas, in the Argentine province of Chaco, it was reported Tuesday in Montevideo. The measure seeks to protect public health and national poultry production as the malady poses risks to biodiversity, the poultry sector, and public health. It can cause sudden bird mortality, respiratory and neurological symptoms, hemorrhages, and diarrhea, it was also explained.

  • Monday, February 17th 2025 - 09:24 UTC

    Paraguay's healthcare scenario shifting

    Only 6.6& of the samples tested positive for Covid-19

    Paraguayan health authorities confirmed during the weekend that the newly implemented night shift had provided medical assistance to over 526,700 patients consultations, thus decompressing the demand for those services in the morning. They also pointed out that the number of Covid-19 cases was going down, although one death was reported.

  • Saturday, February 15th 2025 - 10:49 UTC

    Brazil expands target population for dengue vax amid poor response

    Brazil was the first country to apply the dengue vaccine through its public health system

    Brazilian Health Authorities widened the age range of potential recipients of the dengue vaccine as many doses were approaching their expiration date. The move seeks that every dose purchased reaches the population, it was explained. In addition, some batches of the drug could also be delivered to locations previously not covered by the immunization Unified Health System (SUS) programs.

  • Thursday, February 13th 2025 - 20:17 UTC

    Brazilian scientists find enzyme that can transform waste into biofuel

    “This discovery changes the paradigm of cellulose degradation in nature,” Murakami explained

    Scientists at Brazil's National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) have discovered a biocatalyst called CelOCE (Cellulose Oxidative Cleaving Enzyme) stemming from a soil bacteria, which can transform waste into biofuel. The enzyme, isolated from bacteria found in sugarcane bagasse, enhances the breakdown of cellulose, increasing glucose release by up to 21%. The study showing these findings was published Thursday in the journal Nature.