Health & Science

• Tuesday, February 5th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Strong earthquake shakes Peru-Chile border

  

  A strong earthquake, centered in the Andes mountains, struck Chile Monday afternoon near its borders with Peru and Bolivia.

• Monday, February 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  World Said to Be on Brink of Cancer Epidemic

  

  International health agencies say the world is on the brink of a cancer epidemic. The World Health Organization reports 7.6 million people died of the disease in 2005. It predicts the number of cancer deaths and new cases of the disease will rise astronomically in the coming years, unless action is taken now to reverse smoking trends and provide treatment to patients in developing countries.

• Wednesday, January 30th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Health alert in Paraguay following outbreak of dengue

  A health alert has been declared in Paraguay in a bid to stop a new outbreak of dengue fever. Health workers have detected some 150 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease so far this year. The virus disease seems on its way to becoming endemic in the heart of South Amererica.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Brucellosis outbreak hits Italy's mozzarella producing buffalos

  

  The production of one of Italy's best known exports, mozzarella, is under threat from an infection of brucellosis spreading through herds of water buffalo. The Italian government has set up an emergency commission to try and stop the spread of the disease, which affects milk production.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Fossilized skull of largest rodent found in Uruguay

  

  The fossilized skull of the largest rodent ever recorded has been described by scientists for the first time. The remains of the one-ton beast, found in Uruguay, indicate that it would have been as big as a bull.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Toxic algae forces Uruguay to ban mollusk consumption

  

  Uruguay's Aquatic Resources Directorate (DINARA) on Tuesday extended for another ten days the ban on extraction, trade and transport of bivalve mollusks (mussels, cockles and clams) as the red tide continues to expand along the country's Atlantic coastline.

• Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil denies yellow fever epidemic, but suggests vaccination

  

  Brazil faces no risk of a yellow fever epidemic, despite an outbreak that killed two people last week in the capital, Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao said in Brasilia.

• Sunday, January 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano Spews Rocks, Ash

  

  Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano on Saturday hurled fiery rocks and sent a column of ash and steam 1 1/2 miles above its crater. Experts have warned that Tungurahua is poised for a major eruption within a matter of days or weeks.

• Sunday, January 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil yellow fever: Gov. has launched a vaccination campaign

  

  The Brazilian Government has launched a vaccination campaign after the health ministry confirmed that a man in the capital Brasilia died from yellow fever.

• Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Bird flu: US/Chile coordinate detection in Tierra del Fuego

  

  A United States delegation from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Department of Agriculture) visited Punta Arenas and Tierra del Fuego to coordinate efforts with their Chilean counterparts in preventing the appearance of invasive pathologies, particularly avian influenza (H5N1 strain) or bird flu.