Recent News

By Region: Africa

Researchers Identify Deadly Congo Virus

(All Africa) An international research team has identified a previously unknown virus that caused two deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2009. The unusual characteristics of the virus and its deadly consequences still puzzle the team, however, and research continues to better understand how the virus is transmitted and what might stop Read More »

October 3, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Researchers find novel hemorrhagic fever virus in Africa

(CIDRAP) Researchers have identified a new virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans, based on their investigation of an unusual outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009 that sickened three people, killing two. The analysis of a virus from the surviving patient—a nurse who cared for the two children who died—revealed Read More »

October 1, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Ebola Victim Delivers Child Prior to Death

(Global Biodefense) An outbreak of Ebola fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have claimed up to 32 lives since May, including that of a woman who had just given birth, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday. On Saturday, a baby born prematurely in the isolation centre in Isiro — the epicenter of Read More »

September 20, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, International, and Public Health
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Deadly African Ebola Virus Linked to Bushmeat

(Food Safety News) “There’s a live animal caught in a poacher’s snare!” yelled Isaac Maina as he took off running through the bush to reach it. Maina leads the African Network for Animal Welfare’s monthly “desnaring” operations, removing snares in areas of Kenya where poaching is rampant. Guns are illegal for most people in Kenya, Read More »

September 18, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Rinderpest: New analysis tells how world eradicated deadliest cattle plague

(Phys.org) A new analysis published today in Science traces the recent global eradication of the deadliest of cattle diseases, crediting not only the development of a new, heat-resistant vaccine, but also the insight of local African herders, who guided scientists in deciding which animals to immunize and when. The study provides new insights into how Read More »