Health & Science

Friday, October 24th 2014 - 20:17 UTC
France reports four cases of chikungunya locally acquired infections

On 21 October 2014, WHO was notified by the National IHR Focal Point for France of 4 cases of chikungunya locally-acquired infection in Montpellier, France. The cases were confirmed by tests conducted by the French National Reference Laboratory for arboviruses on 20 October 2014. This is the first time that locally-acquired transmission of chikungunya has been detected in France since 2010.
Friday, October 24th 2014 - 19:59 UTC
Argentina's geostationary satellite reaches and stations in permanent orbit

Argentina's Arsat-1 geostationary satellite launched last week finished the third and last maneuver in order to remain in orbit permanently, 36,000 km away from earth.
Wednesday, October 22nd 2014 - 09:52 UTC
Falklands prepares for Ebola threat situation; vessels from high risk areas will undergo 21 day clearance period

In response to a possible Ebola threat situation the Falkland Islands government is focusing on prevention at this time but with good contingency plans also being laid down as a back up to a possible outbreak.
Monday, October 20th 2014 - 07:54 UTC
Cruise passenger suspected of possible contact with Ebola patient tested negative

A Dallas hospital lab worker who spent much of a cruise holiday in isolation after possible exposure to Ebola has tested negative for the disease, and in Texas some of the dozens of people still being monitored were expected to be cleared by Monday.
Monday, October 20th 2014 - 07:30 UTC
WHO admits full-scale battle with tobacco industry, which appeals to 'devious channels'

The sixth session of the Conference of the parties (COP6) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded in Moscow. Several landmark decisions were adopted in the course of the six-day session, regarded as one of the most successful in the WHO FCTC’s history.
Saturday, October 18th 2014 - 08:39 UTC
The Caribbean and Colombia ban entry of travelers from Ebola stricken countries

A group of Caribbean countries have announced bans on entry to foreigners who have travelled through the three West African countries most affected by Ebola. Jamaica said it would not accept travelers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone for the time being.
Saturday, October 18th 2014 - 08:13 UTC
Ebola scare reaches cruise industry: Carnival vessel barred from Mexico and Belize

A laboratory technician from the Dallas hospital where a Liberian died of the Ebola virus, and who handled some of his fluid samples for analysis, has been placed in quarantine aboard a cruise ship, the State Department said on Friday.
Monday, October 13th 2014 - 00:26 UTC
Ebola's exponential growth

By Gwynne Dyer - Here are two good things about the Ebola virus. It is unlikely to mutate into a version that can spread through the air, as some other viruses have done. And people who have been infected by Ebola cannot pass it on to others during the incubation period (between two and 21 days). Only when they develop detectable symptoms, notably fever, do they become infectious to others, and only by the transfer of bodily fluids.
Saturday, October 11th 2014 - 09:11 UTC
Argentina claims in can detect the ebola virus in patients in less than 24 hours

Argentina has developed a molecular biological method to detect the presence of the Ebola virus in a patient in less than 24 hours, the Argentine health ministry has announced.
Saturday, October 11th 2014 - 06:04 UTC
Brazil testing patient suspected of Ebola infection; another 64 in quarantine

Brazilian Health Minister Arthur Chioro said on Friday the results of tests on a patient suspected of Ebola infection would take 24 hours. At a press conference in Brasilia, the minister assured the situation was under control and that proper precautions had been taken to isolate the patient.