Health & Science

• Monday, January 16th 2023 - 10:16 UTC

  Avian flu emergency decreed in Honduras

  

  Honduran authorities have declared a 90-day nationwide health alert following an outbreak of avian influenza among pelicans, it was announced in Tegucigalpa. About 40,000 poultry were also evaluated and no signs of the malady were detected, it was also reported.

• Saturday, January 14th 2023 - 10:45 UTC

  HMS Protector scans active underwater volcanoes on Antarctic edge for tsunami research

  

  Royal Navy personnel are helping scientists warn of potentially catastrophic tsunamis by researching huge underwater volcanoes on the edge of Antarctica. Navy icebreaker HMS Protector has used her state-of-the-art sensors to scan peaks in the South Sandwich Islands – one of the world’s most remote territories.

• Saturday, January 14th 2023 - 10:37 UTC

  Covid-19 Kraken variant detected in Gibraltar

  

  The Government of Gibraltar as advised by Public Health Gibraltar can confirm that the Kraken variant of COVID-19 has been detected from samples taken last week.

• Saturday, January 14th 2023 - 10:27 UTC

  Sanitary precautions upped in triple-border region

  

  Sanitary workers in the newly-created county of Fracrán in the Argentine province of Misiones have undertaken a house-by-house campaign to persuade people to get vaccinated against yellow fever, Covid-19, and measles, while residents were advised to up their precautions due to the increasing number of cases in neighboring Paraguay, where the first death due to chikungunya has been reported.

• Saturday, January 14th 2023 - 10:06 UTC

  WHO updates isolation recommendations for Covid-19 patients

  

  The World Health Organization Friday shortened to 10 the number of days that a patient testing positive for Covid-19 should remain in isolation. Before Friday, WHO suggested people with symptoms stayed 13 days in isolation while 10 days was only for asymptomatic cases.

• Friday, January 13th 2023 - 10:40 UTC

  Two humanitarian flights between Argentina and the Falklands carried out this week

  

  Two flights between Argentina and the Falkland Islands have been reported in the past few days for humanitarian reasons. One to Ushuaia was to bring an Argentina national and the one to Buenos Aires' Aeroparque was carried out for a US patient.

• Thursday, January 12th 2023 - 11:20 UTC

  First human patient with avian flu reported in Ecuador

  

  Ecuadorian health authorities have confirmed the first case of avian influenza in a human patient. The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) announced it was a 9-year-old girl who had been in contact with infected birds in the province of Bolivar.

• Wednesday, January 11th 2023 - 20:06 UTC

  WHO favors return of facemasks for long-haul passenger flights

  

  The World Health Organization Wednesday issued a recommendation whereby countries should foster the wearing of facemasks on long-haul flights amid a growing spread of the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain.

• Monday, January 9th 2023 - 10:39 UTC

  Captain Polar Preet ready to break another record in the South Pole

  

  British Army officer Captain Preet Chandi has made it to the last degree, which means she is just under 60 nautical miles from the South Pole. Capt Chandi, also known as Polar Preet, has completed day 51, (January 5th), of her 1,100-mile solo trek – a challenge that will see her become the first woman to cross the continent alone with nothing but a 120kg pulk (a sledge used to carry equipment across the snow).

• Monday, January 9th 2023 - 10:36 UTC

  The Inspire 22 Antarctic research expedition has almost reached the South Pole goal

  

  The Inspire 22 Antarctic research expedition has less than 100km to go until they reach the South Pole. The team, sponsored in part by BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting System) made up of guides, doctors and physiologists –with a teacher and engineer also joining the expedition, set off in November.