Health & Science

• Friday, April 5th 2013 - 21:35 UTC

  One in three adults in the Americas suffers from high blood pressure, says PAHO

  

  At least one in three adults in the Americas has high blood pressure, or hypertension, the number-one risk factor cardiovascular disease and death throughout the world. Hypertension is believed to affect nearly 1 billion people worldwide.

• Thursday, April 4th 2013 - 01:49 UTC

  China reports further cases of A (H7N9) flu; scientists confirm mutation of the virus

  

  As China’s Health and Family Planning Commission notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an additional four cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9), scientists revealed that the genetic sequence data on the deadly strain of bird flu previously unknown in people show the virus has already acquired some mutations that might make it more likely to cause a human pandemic.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 21:04 UTC

  African swine desert out of control in Russia and former Soviet republics

  

  African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in 2012 have been the worst yet in Russia, with over half a million pigs having fallen victim to the disease and subsequently culled. It is hard to pinpoint causes, but lack of bio-security knowledge appears to be part of the problem which seems out of control. Surrounding countries reporting ASF to the OIE included Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and even Ukraine.

• Monday, March 18th 2013 - 20:10 UTC

  WHO warns of spread of TB strains multiple-drugs resistance; calls for funds

  

  The World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria said on Monday that strains of tuberculosis with resistance to multiple drugs could spread widely and highlight an annual need of at least 1.6 billion dollars in international funding for treatment and prevention of the disease.

• Friday, March 15th 2013 - 06:45 UTC

  World’s largest telescope at a cost of a billion Euros will be built in Chilean Andes

  

  The Chilean Andes will be the location for the world’s largest telescope: the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), costing more than €1bn, which will capture the universe's earliest moments.

• Saturday, March 9th 2013 - 04:49 UTC

  “Vision of the Seas” cruising the Caribbean hit by norovirus

  

  Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. on Friday said its “Vision of the Seas” cruise ship returned to Port Everglades in Florida with 108 people who might have caught an illness thought to be norovirus.

• Wednesday, March 6th 2013 - 20:00 UTC

  Scientists solve mystery of the extinct Falkland Islands wolf

  

  It was an animal that puzzled Charles Darwin, who wondered how on Earth a large mammal that looked a bit like a wolf and a bit like a fox had arrived on barren islands nearly 500 kilometres from the mainland. Now, say biologists, the mystery of the now-extinct Falkland Islands wolf may have been resolved.

• Monday, March 4th 2013 - 06:08 UTC

  EU begins campaign to uncover extent of branding fraud with horse meat

  

  The European Union wide campaign to determine the extent of branding fraud in the food industry, with horse meat sold as beef, commenced on the weekend. Over 2,250 processed food items will be tested for DNA in member states.

• Friday, March 1st 2013 - 00:07 UTC

  Dengue: 200.000 cases confirmed in triple frontier: Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil

  

  Paraguay, north Argentina and Brazil are in dengue alert following the confirmation of over 200.000 cases of the mosquito transmitted viral disease so far this year. The situation is considered worst that in previous years because besides a deep rise in the confirmed cases, the circulation of the four sero-types (strains) of dengue (1, 2, 3 and 4) has been detected, which means the disease keeps expanding.

• Friday, February 22nd 2013 - 05:08 UTC

  WHO confirms death from coronavirus; 13 cases of human infection and 7 deaths

  

  Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health has informed the World Health Organization of another confirmed case of infection with the novel coronavirus (NCoV). The patient was hospitalized on 29 January 2013 and died on 10 February 2013. The case was laboratory-confirmed on 18 February 2013. Further investigation into this case is ongoing.