Recent News

By Category: Agriculture

FAO warns of fruit bat risk in West African Ebola epidemic

(FAO) Increased efforts are needed to improve awareness among rural communities in West Africa about the risks of contracting the Ebola virus from eating certain wildlife species including fruit bats, FAO warned today. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are struggling to contain the world’s deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus, which is transmitted by direct  Read More »

New vaccine against five livestock diseases in progress

(Sci Dev Net) Scientists in South Africa are developing a combination vaccine with the potential to offer protection against five major livestock diseases. The first stage of the vaccine project was funded by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) through the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) with 3.1 million Canadian dollars (almost  Read More »

Five people in Hungary monitored for suspected anthrax infection

(Reuters) An infection of deadly anthrax has been identified in beef in eastern Hungary and five people are being monitored in hospital for suspected symptoms of the disease, the health authority ANTSZ said on Friday. It said the disease was identified in frozen beef after two cattle were illegally slaughtered in a farm in Tiszafured,  Read More »

Campy Not As Harmless to Chickens as Previously Thought

(Global Biodefense) Foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, which results in millions of cases of human foodborne illness annually, had previously not been considered to cause disease in chickens. The bacteria were thought to be part of the normal microbe environment of the birds. New research from the University of Liverpool shows differently.

“Top Ten” list of food-borne parasites released

(FAO) A “Top Ten” list identifying the food-borne parasites of greatest global concern has been released today, and new guidelines are being developed to control them. The parasites affect the health of millions of people every year, infecting muscle tissues and organs, causing epilepsy, anaphylactic shock, amoebic dysentery and other problems. Some can live on  Read More »