Health & Science

• Friday, May 1st 2009 - 13:05 UTC

  New York City police incorporates 40 hybrid patrol cars

  

  New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly deployed on Thursday 40 marked and unmarked Nissan Altima hybrid patrol cars. The cars are part of the mayor's plan to slash city emissions by 30% by 2017.

• Friday, May 1st 2009 - 06:26 UTC

  WHO says current influenza is identified as A/H1N1

  

  As of Thursday April 30 the new influenza will be referred to as A/H1N1 said the World Health Organization in a brief announcement. The statement follows on World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) clarification of facts from the animal health perspective, particularly in relation to international trade of pigs and of products of pig origin.

• Friday, May 1st 2009 - 06:22 UTC

  OIE strongly counsels against the culling of pigs

  

  The OIE (Epizooties International Organization) strongly counsels against the culling of pigs in the current situation with A/H1N1 influenza that started in North America, reports the organization from Paris.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 23:26 UTC

  Egypt begins mass slaughter of pork population

  

  Egypt has begun a mass slaughter of thousands of pigs in an effort to prevent swine flu spreading. The cull was going ahead despite there being no cases of swine flu in Egypt. However, neighbouring Israel has two confirmed cases in humans.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 12:37 UTC

  Peru confirms first swine flu case in South America

  

  Peruvian Health Minister Oscar Ugarte Wednesday confirmed that an Argentine woman was the first case of swine flu in Peru. This makes the first case reported and confirmed in South America.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 12:24 UTC

  Swine flu: Lula da Silva calls for caution and responsibility from the media

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva called on Wednesday for “caution” when dealing with the swine flu information and “let us not play terrorism” with the disease. He underlined that Brazil “was prepared” to face such a challenge.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 07:58 UTC

  “US Swine flu severity no worse than seasonal flu” says expert

  

  As of April 29, 91 people in the United States had confirmed cases, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first US death occurred on April 27, when a two-year-old child succumbed to swine flu after travelling from Mexico to Houston for treatment.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 07:54 UTC

  Cruise lines suspend calls at Mexican ports

  

  At least three cruise lines have suspended stops as of this week at Mexican ports because of concerns over the country's swine-flu outbreak. The cancellation of ship visits followed a recommendation issued this week by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control that advised US citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 07:31 UTC

  Vaccine against H1N1 virus could be ready for September

  

  United States health officials said Wednesday that a vaccine against the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, could be ready for human use by early September. The announcement was made at a joint press conference held by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 04:25 UTC

  Mexico’s Swine Flu and the Globalization of Disease

  

  Mexico has long been considered the laboratory of globalization. Now a potentially deadly virus has germinated in that laboratory, finding ideal conditions to move quickly along a path toward global pandemic.