Health alerts

The latest health news and alerts from around the world

• Avian influenza A (H7N9) cases in China – Update 2

  23 October 2013

  BackgroundThe World Health Organisation (WHO) was first notified in March 2013 of cases of the new strain of avian influenza A (H7N9) infection in humans by the China Health and Family Planning Commission. A total of 136 human cases have been laborat…

• Wild poliovirus detected in environmental samples in Israel and the Palestinian Authority

  23 October 2013

  Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been isolated in 85 sewage samples across a number of locations in Israel in recent months. WPV1 has also been found in sewage samples in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Palestinian Authority. It is important to …

• Bubonic plague in Madagascar

  18 October 2013

  Experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar have warned that Madagascar is at risk of an epidemic of bubonic plague, unless further efforts are made to slow down the spread of the disease. …

• Polio in the Horn of Africa: Update 1

  11 October 2013

  An outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) emerged in the Horn of Africa in May 2013. To date there have been cases confirmed in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia with the first cases now reported in South Sudan.South SudanOwing to the pattern of spread …

• Tropical cylones in Mexico

  27 September 2013

  From September 12th to 17th Mexico was hit almost simultaneously by two tropical storms causing severe flooding and triggering a number of landslides. Tropical cyclone Ingrid brought torrential rain and strong winds to the country’s northern Gulf of …

• Dengue fever in Laos

  26 September 2013

  Nearly 50,000 people have contracted dengue fever since the beginning of 2013 in Laos. This outbreak is the worst ever recorded in the country, with cases reported in all 17 provinces. Children under the age of 15 years have accounted for 70% of the …

• Flooding in Mali

  26 September 2013

  Severe flooding has affected the Malian capital Bamako which is home to around 2 million people. The death toll from the floods has now reached 34 and thousands have been made homeless.The Niger river burst its banks at the end of August and swept aw…

• Central African Republic - Complex Humanitarian Disaster

  26 September 2013

  Central African Republic (CAR), with a population of 4.6 million, has been affected by major conflict since December 2012. The president was removed in a coup in March 2013 and the country is being run by the Seleka, a coalition of rebel groups. Ther…

• Extreme cold in Peru

  17 September 2013

  Heavy snowfalls have been reported in several Andean regions of Peru since 24th August 2013. The snowfalls have particularly affected the southern and central highlands at altitudes of 3500 metres and above. Experts have confirmed that these are the …

• Significant increase in malaria cases in Chad

  13 September 2013

  Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a very marked increase in malaria cases in south east Chad since the beginning of August 2013. The trend has been identified in the town of Am Timan, Salamat region and its surrounding areas where many of t…

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