Outbreaks from animals in Africa surge by 60% in … LONDON (AP) — The number of outbreaks of diseases that jumped from animals to humans in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the World Health Organization said, a worrying sign the planet could face increased animal-borne diseases like monkeypox, Ebola and coronavirus in the future. There has been a 63% […]
WHO: Ghana reports 2 suspected cases of Marburg virus GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says Ghana has reported two possible cases of the Ebola-like Marburg virus disease, which if confirmed would mark the first-ever such infections in the West African country. The disease, a very infectious hemorrhagic fever in the same family as Ebola, is spread to people by fruit bats and […]
Monkeypox in La.: Here’s what LDH says you need to … Louisiana Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said that while monkeypox is not expected to become a pandemic on the level of COVID, the spread of the disease into Louisiana was “only a matter of time.”
WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency ‘at this … LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were “unusual” and acknowledged that monkeypox — which is endemic […]
Africans see inequity in monkeypox response elsewhere OSUN, Nigeria (AP) — As health authorities in Europe and elsewhere roll out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, some doctors acknowledge an ugly reality: The resources to slow the disease’s spread have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with it for decades. Countries […]
WHO chief Tedros reappointed to second five-year … LONDON (AP) — WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was reappointed to a second five-year term on Tuesday by the U.N. health agency’s member countries. No other candidate challenged Tedros for the post amid the ongoing difficulties of responding to the devastating coronavirus pandemic. “This is overwhelming,” Tedros said, after another World Health Organization official asked […]
Increased infectious disease risk likely from climate … Climate change will result in thousands of new viruses spread among animal species by 2070 — and that’s likely to increase the risk of emerging infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans, according to a new study. This is especially true for Africa and Asia, continents that have been hotspots for deadly disease spread from […]
Experts say US suspension of COVID aid will prolong … LONDON (AP) — In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders, a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted. They warn the suspension of COVID-19 aid for poorer countries could ultimately allow the kind of unchecked transmission needed for […]
WHO chief makes case for 2nd term as Ethiopia criticizes … GENEVA (AP) — World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus laid out more plans Tuesday to fight the virus as he pitched his case for a new five-year term and faced criticism from his own country — Ethiopia — over his comments about the embattled Tigray region. Tedros, who like many Ethiopians goes by his […]
Callers to global helplines voiced similar pandemic … Fears of infection. Loneliness. Worries about physical health. As the coronavirus spread across borders early in the pandemic, calls to global helplines showed a striking similarity in the toll on mental health — from China to Lebanon, Finland to Slovenia. An analysis of 8 million calls to helplines in 19 countries, published Wednesday in Nature, […]
Woman now thought to be Afghanistan’s last Jew flees … JERUSALEM (AP) — For years, Zebulon Simentov branded himself as the “last Jew of Afghanistan,” the sole remnant of a centuries-old community. He charged reporters for interviews and held court in Kabul’s only remaining synagogue. He left the country last month for Istanbul after the Taliban seized power. Now it appears he was not the […]
Scientists develop new strategy to fight coronaviruses, … Scientists have recently developed a vaccine that could end pandemics caused by diseases that emerge in animals, a new study reveals. In experiments, the vaccine halted five different types of coronaviruses in their tracks — including COVID-19.