Health & Science

Tuesday, May 6th 2014 - 06:41 UTC
WHO declares a polio international public health emergency

The World Health Organization warned Monday that polio has reemerged as a public health emergency, after new cases of the crippling disease began surfacing and spreading across borders from countries like Syria and Pakistan.
Monday, May 5th 2014 - 06:31 UTC
Mosquito transmitted Chikungunya has become an epidemic in the Caribbean

The head of the Caribbean Public Health Authority (CARPHA), Dr James Hospedales, has declared the Chikungunya virus has reached epidemic proportions in the Caribbean. The mosquito-borne illness was first detected in the Caribbean in December 2013, in St Martin, and last week Antigua and St Vincent and the Grenadines became the latest countries to declare an outbreak.
Monday, May 5th 2014 - 06:11 UTC
The Lancet acknowledges Argentina's child mortality rates have dropped dramatically

Argentina has been improving its mortality rates over the past decades, as it was revealed on Friday by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. Although Argentina's rates are better than other countries in the region, including Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay and Chile among others still have the better numbers.
Sunday, May 4th 2014 - 13:52 UTC
Bacteria antibiotic resistance is winning the day and a major threat to public health

A new report by WHO–its first to look at antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, globally–reveals that this serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country.
Saturday, May 3rd 2014 - 06:30 UTC
Licensed pharmacies in Uruguay will sell marihuana at a dollar a gram

Uruguayan authorities have revealed how marijuana will be produced and sold legally in the country following the approval of the bill last December. Licensed pharmacies will sell the drug for approximately one US dollar a gram with consumers allowed 40g a month.
Friday, May 2nd 2014 - 21:52 UTC
Sea coral cnidarian protein offers new barrier against HIV infection

National Cancer Institute researchers have discovered a new class of protein found in sea coral that appears able to prevent HIV from entering T cells. If the proteins can be adapted for use in sexual lubricants and gels, they could offer a new form of barrier against HIV infection.
Friday, April 25th 2014 - 21:24 UTC
UK £200 million new polar research vessel will ensure presence in Antarctica and he South Atlantic

The British government will fund a new £200 million polar research ship to put UK scientists at the forefront of climate and ocean research in both Antarctica and the Arctic, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced on Friday in a speech.
Thursday, April 24th 2014 - 02:25 UTC
Brazil sets the path for the future of a free, open and transparent internet

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said at the Wednesday opening of a gathering in Sao Paulo that no country can have “more weight than another” in governing cyberspace. Delegations from more than 85 countries are attending the NETMundial international conference which during two days will debate Internet issues and try to reach an agreement on a new oversight model.
Monday, April 21st 2014 - 06:28 UTC
Brazil attempts to combat dengue with GM mosquitoes

The world’s largest ever swarm of genetically modified mosquitoes has been released in a Brazilian town to combat dengue -- a leading cause of illness and fatality in several Mercosur countries, except for Uruguay.
Wednesday, April 16th 2014 - 04:36 UTC
Warnings of 'catastrophic' Chikungunya epidemic; fears it could spread during the World Cup

A team of French and Brazilian researchers warn that chikungunya virus is poised to invade, and become epidemic in the Americas according to research published ahead of print in the Journal of Virology.