Recent News

By Region: North America

Dengue fever presence in Florida at a ‘pretty serious level’

(AlJazeeraAmerica) Marty Baum, 59, dragged his feverish, achy bones out of bed on a hot, humid day in early September, lathered himself with mosquito repellent and attended a clean-water rally in central Florida. Most days, he prefers to be surrounded by water. Baum is an official Indian River Keeper — a post devoted to the Read More »

September 13, 2013
| Filed under North America, South America, and Public Health
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CDC warns of complacency on global health issues

(WashingtonTimes) America is facing a “perfect storm of vulnerability” for exposure to infectious diseases, making public health efforts more important than ever, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday. “There is in some quarters a sense that public health is less and less relevant,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said Read More »

September 11, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, and Public Health
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Vanderbilt advances bird flu research using controversial sequences

(TheTennesseean) Researchers at Vanderbilt University have determined that an existing, experimental vaccine would work should a deadly bird flu virus mutate to the point it becomes contagious between people. Controversial data on how to build the deadly virus published in scientific journals enabled researchers to show that human antibodies can kill it. Their findings on Read More »

September 11, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, and Research
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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update

(WHO) WHO has been informed of four (4) additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Saudi Arabia. The first case is a 41 year-old female healthcare worker from Riyadh with no known underlying medical conditions and who became ill on 15 August, 2013. Her condition deteriorated and she passed away Read More »

September 10, 2013
| Filed under Europe, Middle East, North America, International, and Public Health
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Effects of climate change on West Nile virus

(EurekAlert) A study projects how climate change may affect virus-carrying mosquitoes across the southern US; Changes are expected to vary with region, and the southern states should see a trend toward longer seasons of activity and smaller midsummer populations. The varied influence of climate change on temperature and precipitation may have an equally wide-ranging effect Read More »