Health & Science

• Thursday, March 12th 2009 - 08:28 UTC

  Planet Earth ever so crowded: 7 billion by early 2012

  

  The world’s population will hit 7 billion early in 2012 and top 9 billion in 2050, with the majority of the increase taking place in developing countries, according to revised United Nations estimates released today.

• Thursday, March 12th 2009 - 04:25 UTC

  Paraguayans consume eight times more beer than milk

  

  Beer consumption in Paraguay is eight times that of milk according to the Paraguayan Chamber of Dairy Industries based on information from the Pan-american Health Organization.

• Monday, March 9th 2009 - 11:01 UTC

  Spain confirms fifth human death of mad cow disease

  

  Spain confirmed that a woman has died from the human form of mad cow disease, the fifth such death in Spain since 2005. The victim died in January in the northern city of Santander, according to the statement, released by the Ministry of Health.

• Monday, March 9th 2009 - 09:56 UTC

  Bolivia’s Morales heads fumigation campaign against dengue

  

  Bolivian president Evo Morales headed this weekend a massive fumigation and clean up campaign in one of the poor neighbourhoods of the city of Santa Cruz as part of a major effort against the mosquito transmitted dengue disease which has caused so far 22 deaths and an estimated 41.000 cases.

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 16:46 UTC

  First death caused by dengue reported in north Argentina

  

  A 65 year old man is the first confirmed death of the mosquito transmitted dengue disease in the north of Argentina, it was officially informed Wednesday. The area where the case was reported, Tartagal, recently suffered a deadly mudslide which left thousand in precarious living conditions.

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 16:41 UTC

  South American countries coordinate anti-FAM campaign

  

  An assessment mission from the Paris seated International Epizooties Organization (OIE) is currently organizing the monitoring of the High Vigilance Zone, (ZAV) in the heart of South America, where foot and mouth disease is recurrent.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Scientists studying invasive insects in Sub Antarctica islands

  

  French scientists have spent summer months in the extreme south of Chile collecting samples of insects with the purpose of trying to determine their geographic distribution process along Sub Antarctic insular territories which includes the Kerguelen in the Pacific, the South Atlantic Falklands and South Georgia and Patagonia.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Spain gateway for South American cocaine, says US report

  

  Organised criminal networks have turned Spain into a major gateway into Europe for illegal shipments of cocaine and cannabis, according to the US State Department and published in the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Bolivia dengue cases could reach 50.000 by end of March

  

  Bolivia revealed Tuesday that 35.500 people have contracted the benign strain of the mosquito transmitted dengue disease while 20 have died from the deadly haemorrhagic variant. There are also fears that before the rainy season is over 50.000 people could be infected.

• Monday, March 2nd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  British team treks to North Pole to measure ice sheet

  

  British team has begun a gruelling trek to the North Pole to discover how quickly the Arctic sea-ice is melting.