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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 5th 2024 - 22:52 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, February 15th 2019 - 10:43 UTC

    Yellow fever warning for travelers to Brazil

    The viral disease is spread by infected mosquitoes and can cause an illness that leads to jaundice and bleeding

    A recent disease outbreak news from the World Health Organization highlights that in Brazil it is currently the seasonal period for yellow fever and that further transmission of the disease is expected in the coming months based on seasonal patterns.

  • Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:08 UTC

    International Childhood Cancer Day 2019

    “Many countries are unaware of the extent of the childhood cancer burden,” says IARC Director Dr Elisabete Weider pass (Right)

    Each year, an estimated 215 000 cancers are diagnosed in children younger than 15 years, and about 85 000 cancers in those aged 15–19 years. These estimates are based on data collected by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) from population-based cancer registries around the world.

  • Wednesday, February 13th 2019 - 08:48 UTC

    New WHO-ITU standard aims to prevent hearing loss among 1.1 billion young people

    Over 5% of the world’s population – or 466 million people – has disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children); impacting on their quality of life.

    Nearly 50% of people aged 12-35 years – or 1.1 billion young people – are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices.

  • Monday, February 11th 2019 - 09:36 UTC

    Shackleton blog: Agulhas II positioned where the Endurance went down crushed by ice

    “Good Morning from the Bridge. This is to say we have reached the Endurance sinking position. Lekker Lekker Lekker [Afrikaans for “Nice, Nice, Nice”]”

    South African icebreaker Agulhas II, 05.24 hours GMT. Ice Pilot Freddie Ligthelm over ship’s intercom: “Good Morning from the Bridge. This is to say we have reached the Endurance sinking position. Lekker Lekker Lekker [Afrikaans for “Nice, Nice, Nice”]”

  • Saturday, February 9th 2019 - 06:56 UTC

    Measles 2017/18 outbreak in Europe, the highest in a decade

    “The total number of people infected with the virus in 2018 was the highest this decade,” WHO said in a statement.

    The number of recorded measles cases in Europe more than tripled between 2017 and 2018, marking the highest it’s been in a decade, the World Health Organization said. According to newly released data from the WHO, in 2018, more than 82,000 people were infected with the disease and 72 people died in Europe. In 2017, there were more than 25,000 measles cases in Europe and 42 deaths.

  • Thursday, February 7th 2019 - 10:01 UTC

    All horse racing in UK cancelled because of outbreak of equine fever

    Four British meetings were scheduled for Thursday - Huntingdon, Doncaster, Ffos Las, Chelmsford.

    All British horse racing meetings on Thursday have been cancelled because of an outbreak of equine flu. The decision by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) comes after three vaccinated horses in an active yard tested positive for the disease.

  • Thursday, February 7th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

    New Zealand' dairy industry struggling with an outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis

    More than 80 farms have tested positive for the disease. Minister O'Connor has pushed hard for officials to try and find out how Mycoplasma bovis got into NZ

    While experts struggle to pinpoint the original source of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, New Zealand Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says resources may be better spent on bio security systems that prevent similar outbreaks. Last May the New Zeland government announced it would try to eradicate the disease, which can cause mastitis and abortions in cows, ordering a phased culling program that's expected to cost close to US$ 700 million.

  • Wednesday, February 6th 2019 - 09:05 UTC

    UK seminar for Overseas Territories on safe maritime trade and seabed mapping

    Delegates from the Overseas Territories visiting the UK Hydrographic Office

    The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) have launched a five-day capacity building seminar to help UK Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands, support safe maritime trade. The seminar, delivered as part of the government’s Overseas Territories Seabed Mapping Program, will focus on international regulations, with sessions on maritime safety information training, best practice governance and maritime law.

  • Tuesday, January 29th 2019 - 09:31 UTC

    African swine fever scare in Europe; Denmark builds a 70km fence in the border with Germany

    There are fears that African swine fever, which has been found in two dead wild boar in Belgium, could threaten Denmark's huge pig industry

    Denmark has started building a 70km fence along its border with Germany in an effort to control the migration of wild boar. There are fears that African swine fever, which has been found in two dead wild boars in Belgium, could threaten Denmark's huge pig industry. If the disease spreads, it could jeopardize almost US$ 1.7bn in pork-product exports from Denmark.

  • Friday, January 25th 2019 - 10:07 UTC

    Hantavirus outbreak in Argentine Patagonia: WHO news alert

    Around 50% of these confirmed cases - all of which were in Epuyén, in southern Argentina's Chubut province - reported symptoms within the past three weeks

    At least eleven people have died in Argentina after becoming infected with hantavirus, a disease carried by rats and other rodents, according to a news alert from the World Health Organization (WHO).