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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 22nd 2025 - 01:23 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, November 1st 2024 - 10:14 UTC

    PAHO warns of surge in measles cases

    The continental agency suggested governments up their vaccination strategies

    Given the recent identification of measles clusters and cases in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert on Thursday. Therefore, the World Health Organization's (WHO) continental subsidiary urged local governments to up their vaccination campaigns.

  • Friday, November 1st 2024 - 07:48 UTC

    Oldest tadpole in the world discovered in Argentine Patagonia

    The researchers were looking for dinosaurs when the discovery was made by chance

    Argentine researchers found by chance what resulted to be the oldest tadpole fossil in the world. According to an article published this week, the fossil was found in the province of Santa Cruz and is believed to have lived in the Middle Jurassic period between 161 and 168 million years ago. This unique specimen is said to shed light on the evolution of frogs and toads. It was found in January 2020, while searching for dinosaur remains.

  • Thursday, October 31st 2024 - 19:14 UTC

    First mpox case detected in London; overall risk for UK population “remains low”, UKHSA

    The individual has been transferred to the Royal Free Hospital High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox, (monkey pox) but it has also said the risk to the UK population remains low.

  • Tuesday, October 29th 2024 - 21:46 UTC

    G20 Summit to push for regional vaccine producing coalition

    Brazil cannot lose confidence in its organ transplant system, Trinidade also pointed out

    Brazil's Health Minister Nísia Trinidade Tuesday spoke in favor of creating a regional vaccine production coalition to avoid an encore of the setbacks experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. She made those remarks during a press conference after a G20 Health Ministers' meeting in Rio de Janeiro ahead of next month's Summit, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Monday, October 28th 2024 - 08:48 UTC

    Cicero's case rekindles debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide in Brazil

    Cicero, 79, had Alzheimer's disease

    The case of Brazilian poet and composer António Cicero, who died through euthanasia last week in Switzerland, has rekindled the debate in South America's largest country on whether such a practice should be legalized, Agencia Brasil reported Sunday.

  • Thursday, October 24th 2024 - 10:22 UTC

    World Bank endorses Brazil taxing health-harming products

    “Brazil has a valuable opportunity to improve public health and economic outcomes through strategic taxation,” the WB said

    According to a statement released Wednesday by he World Bank (WB), South America's largest country has “a unique opportunity” to improve public health by properly planning taxes on products such as tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks that are known to be potentially harming to humans, Agencia Brasil reported. The organization also listed a series of technical recommendations on how to structure and apply these taxes “in order to make significant progress in public health and tax revenue.”

  • Monday, October 21st 2024 - 08:28 UTC

    WHO: 2,2 billion people worldwide with vision impairment or blindness

    The report found that ageing populations, changing lifestyles and limited access to eye care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are among the main drivers.

    The World Health Organization in its latest report has said that at least 2.2 billion people worldwide have vision impairment or blindness, of which over 1 billion cases could have been prevented or have yet to be addressed. This is because they do not get the care they need for conditions like short and far-sightedness, glaucoma, and cataracts.

  • Friday, October 18th 2024 - 09:18 UTC

    Avian influenza in Falklands, access restrictions at Volunteer Point, Cow Bay and Lively Island

    As of Tuesday October 15 there were around 20 to 50 dead birds at each location

    The Director of the Falklands Natural Resources Department, Dr. Andrea Clausen has given an update on avian influenza cases registered at Volunteer Point, Cow Bay and Lively Island.

  • Thursday, October 17th 2024 - 10:04 UTC

    Federal Police in Rio launches probe into HIV-infected organ transplants

    Minister Trindade ruled that HIV-infected patients and their contacts should receive full support and specialized care

    Brazilian Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro launched an inquiry into the case of six patients receiving HIV-infected organs for transplants, Agência Brasil reported Wednesday. Other institutions already investigating the matter include Rio's Civil Police, the Health Ministry, and the Health Department.

  • Wednesday, October 16th 2024 - 21:49 UTC

    Oropouche virus detected in Brazil could belong to new variant

    Italian researchers do not rule out Oropouche transmission during sexual intercourse

    Brazilian scientists said this week that the samples of the Oropouche virus recently detected in South America's largest country could belong to a new variant. According to the latest study on the subject published in The Lancet, the recent increase in cases “could be linked to a new recombinant Oropouche virus, with an increased capacity to replicate.” These findings would be in line with a similar work published last month in Nature.