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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, December 6th 2024 - 17:41 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, September 20th 2024 - 08:02 UTC

    Falklands, confirmed case of avian influenza in Surf Bay, close to Stanley

    Since 30 October 2023, 113 suspect birds/animals have been reported, 72 sets of swabs have been taken. Nineteen have returned positive results and 53 negative results

    The Falkland Islands Director of Natural Resources has released the following, “On Monday 16 September 2024 swabs that were taken from a dead Gentoo penguin on Surf Bay were tested and returned positive for HPAI. Given that this is an isolated case of one single bird, that is more than 1km from poultry or a colony, a level 1 response will be followed and a full protection zone will not be declared.”

  • Thursday, September 19th 2024 - 07:58 UTC

    Lush Rainforest in Falklands? Mysteries that Tussac House foundations helped discover

    Perfectly preserved wood sample from Tussac House site aged between 15 and 30 million years old. Credit: Dr. Zoë Thomas

    A researcher from the University of Southampton (UK) has found evidence that the treeless, rugged, grassland landscape of the Falkland Islands was home to a lush, diverse rainforest up to 30 million years ago.

  • Tuesday, September 17th 2024 - 16:52 UTC

    Brazilian physicians worried about respiratory damage caused by widespread fires

    Facemasks do not filter smaller pollution particles and are therefore rather useless, Dalcolmo explained

    Respiratory disease specialists are concerned about people suffering the effects of long-lasting forest fires in several parts of South America's largest country and insist children and the elderly need special attention, Agencia Brasil reported. Excessive smoke in the air coupled with a dry climate has caused discomfort to many, Brazilian Society of Pneumology and Physiology (SBPT) President Margareth Dalcolmo warned.

  • Tuesday, September 17th 2024 - 07:31 UTC

    Falklands Fidelis 2 emergency medical evacuation exercise

    The Exercise was an opportunity for the multi-agency team to train and develop skills in a controlled environment in preparation to support the MEDEVAC chain

    Each year there are about 5-7 aero-medical transfers of military and civilian patients from the Falkland Islands to South America onboard fixed wing military airframes stationed at BFSAI.

  • Monday, September 16th 2024 - 08:38 UTC

    Polaris Dawn mission completed successfully

    Isaacman and Gillis performed consecutive spacewalks Poteet and Menon remained inside the capsule

    The mission behind the first-ever spacewalk performed by a non-professional astronaut was completed Sunday when the Dragon capsule of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission splashed down off the coast of Florida.

  • Monday, September 9th 2024 - 10:14 UTC

    Falklands support for tourism sector affected by pathogenic avian influenza

    Given the importance of the tourist sector, the Falklands Government, where possible, will compensate for losses associated with HPAI-related restrictions

    Following the approval at ExCo on Tuesday 27 August 2024, the Falkland Islands Government are pleased to announce the continuation of the support scheme designed specifically to mitigate the effects of site closures associated with the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu, on tourism businesses, operators and employees until 2 April 2025.

  • Saturday, September 7th 2024 - 10:35 UTC

    Problem with anti-icing system detected in Voepass crash probe

    There is no single factor for an accident, chief investigator Mendes Fróes explained

    According to audio recordings preserved in the so-called “black box,” the co-pilot of the doomed Voepass flight 2283 spoke of “a lot of ice” before tragedy ensued, according to a preliminary report released Friday by Brazil's Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa), Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Friday, September 6th 2024 - 10:44 UTC

    Former Uruguayan President Mujica hospitalized for a third time in 10 days

    Mujica will remain hospitalized until he can tolerate more dense food, his physician explained

    Former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica (2010-2015) was admitted Thursday for the third time in 10 days at a Montevideo sanatorium to go on with his cancer treatment. Mujica's head physician Raquel Pannone said the case affecting the 89-year-old leader was not particularly serious despite the recurrent hospitalizations.

  • Friday, September 6th 2024 - 10:18 UTC

    Increasing number of Covid-19 cases reported in Brazil

    Cases of respiratory virus account for over half the casualties under epidemiological study, Fiocruz's bulletin found

    A health report issued Thursday by the Rio de Janeiro-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) noted that the number of Covid-19 infections in South America's largest country was on the rise, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Thursday, September 5th 2024 - 08:01 UTC

    Scientific research study on Avian Influenza Virus, HPAIV

    The study demonstrates the expansion of the geographical distribution area of the disease

    Nature Communications has published and made public an extensive report with full results on field sampling and diagnosis of the deadly Bird Flu virus, high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV), detected in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, which apparently is rapidly spreading to sea birds and mammals species in sub-Antarctica islands and the frozen continent.