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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 25th 2025 - 10:33 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, November 10th 2017 - 17:35 UTC

    WHO, FAO and OIE call for responsible use of antibiotics in humans and animals

    Antibiotics are often overprescribed by physicians and veterinarians and overused by the public.

    In the lead-up to World Antibiotic Awareness Week (13-19 November 2017), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are together calling for responsible use of antibiotics in humans and animals to reduce the emergence of antibiotic resistance.

  • Wednesday, November 8th 2017 - 19:47 UTC

    Winners of Uruguay’s Prado Show Hackathon Agro competition visited England

    Carlos Capano, Juan Francisco Kniazev and Agustín Ackermann, shared their experiences from their trip to England with Ambassador Ian Duddy (L) and Pia Delisante Head of Programme (R)

    Winners of the Hackathon Agro competition co-organized by the UK embassy in Uruguay, the local Cámara Uruguaya de Tecnologías de la Información (CUTI) and Fundación da Vinci, have visited England. Carlos Capano, Juan Francisco Kniazev and Agustín Ackermann, shared their experiences from their trip to England with Ambassador Ian Duddy, upon their return.

  • Wednesday, November 8th 2017 - 18:30 UTC

    Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent the spread of resistance, warns WHO

    “A lack of effective antibiotics is as serious a security threat as a sudden and deadly disease outbreak,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

    The World Health Organization is recommending that farmers and the food industry stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals.

  • Friday, October 27th 2017 - 22:47 UTC

    Glyphosate debate divides Europe and it fails to vote on license extension

    The current license expires at the end of 2017. Europe has been stuck over what to do with the chemical, key ingredient in Monsanto Co’s top-selling Roundup

    European Union countries failed this week to vote on a license extension for weed-killer glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The EU said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce the date of the next meeting shortly.

  • Friday, October 20th 2017 - 05:18 UTC

    Some thoughts about the 9 November Falklands' general election

    Despite Argentine government assertions to the contrary, long gone are the old colonial days when the Governor could nominate members of council

    By John Fowler - At the time of going to press, so far sixteen brave or foolhardy souls have declared their candidature for the General Election. This is one more than in 2013 and may be the most ever. With an average age of less than fifty years this group is almost certainly the youngest. Gone, it would seem, are the days when only the wealthy, retired, unemployed, or possibly unemployable old were available to stand.

  • Thursday, October 19th 2017 - 08:03 UTC

    WHO meeting in Uruguay agree on a Montevideo Roadmap for NCDs

    Uruguay president Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, said the Montevideo Roadmap represented a bold commitment by governments to intensify action to protect people from NCD

    Heads of State and Government and ministers from around the world meeting in Uruguay committed to new and bold action to reduce suffering and death from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), primarily heart and lung diseases, cancers and diabetes, the world’s leading killers.

  • Monday, October 16th 2017 - 11:36 UTC

    Uruguay hosts NCDs global conference organized by WHO and PAHO

    World leaders agree that NCDs, mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, represent one of the major health challenges

    Uruguay will be hosting form 18 to 20 October the global conference on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) which is organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Office of the President of Uruguay Tabare Vazquez, and the Ministry of Health of Uruguay. The purpose of the conference in Montevideo is how to enhance policy coherence between different spheres of policy making that have a bearing on attaining SDG target 3.4 on NCDs by 2030.

  • Monday, October 16th 2017 - 11:19 UTC

    Cannabis as medicine: more research is needed says World Medical Association

    Cannabis has been linked to some serious adverse health effects: increased risk of psychosis, fatal road accidents, dependency, as well as harm to verbal learning, memory and attention

    Legislation to allow the recreational use of cannabis has been strongly opposed on health grounds by the World Medical Association. But in a policy statement this week, the Association says that laws governing research grade cannabis should be reviewed to allow more scientific research on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

  • Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:24 UTC

    Ozone layer threatened by compounds (from China) not currently regulated

    Scientists reported last year that they had detected the first evidence that the thinning of the protective ozone layer was diminishing.

    Rising global emissions of some chlorine-containing chemicals could slow the progress made in healing the ozone layer. A study found the substances, widely used for paint stripping and in the manufacture of PVC, are increasing much faster than previously thought. Mainly produced in China, these compounds are not currently regulated.

  • Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 02:20 UTC

    New map of South Georgia by British Antarctic Survey unveiled

    The sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia is a haven for wildlife, a centre for wildlife and fisheries research and famous for the epic voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men.

    A team of cartographers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has re-produced a high-resolution updated map of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The island, situated at 37°W 54°10’S is a haven for wildlife, a centre for wildlife and fisheries research and famous for the epic voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men just over a century ago.