Recent News

By Category: International

S Korea, US discuss threat of bioterrorism

XINHUA — SEOUL – South Korea and the United States are holding three-day discussions over joint anti-bioterrorism drills, officials here said Thursday. The discussions, called “Able Response 11”, are first such joint dialogue between the allies aimed at deterring bioterrorist threats and potential attacks, according to Yang Young-mo, a defense ministry official in Seoul. The Read More »

May 26, 2011
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Bioterrorism, and International
Share

World First: Cattle Plague Is Declared Eradicated

AFP — (Paris) World farm monitors on Wednesday declared a cattle-killing virus that has been a curse through the ages had been wiped out, the first time an animal disease has been eradicated in human history. To prolonged applause from delegates, the global watchdog for farm-animal trade approved a report certifying that the last 14 Read More »

May 25, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, Agriculture, and International
Share

After US Pressure, Smallpox Wins Reprieve Again

AAAS – The smallpox virus, on death row for decades, has been given another stay of execution. The World Health Assembly (WHA), an annual meeting of health ministers in Geneva, decided today to defer the debate about destruction of the remaining virus stocks until 2014. Opposition against retaining the pathogen has been building in recent Read More »

May 25, 2011
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Policy & Initiatives
Share

Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly closes after passing multiple resolutions

24 May 2011 — The Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly concluded on Tuesday afternoon. The Assembly spent eight days working through a broad agenda. In the end, 28 resolutions and three decisions were adopted to guide the upcoming work of WHO and to address priority global health issues.

May 24, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
Share

Smallpox-Destruction Deadline Delayed for 3 Years

WSJ – Global health officials agreed Tuesday to delay setting a deadline for destroying the last known stocks of smallpox for at least three years, in a compromise through which scientists will continue research to develop medicines to combat a potential bioterror attack. The consensus reached in Geneva by the World Health Assembly, the decision-making Read More »