Widespread, heavy, and above-normal amounts of rainfall have created perfect conditions for another, mosquito-borne, Rift Valley fever along the coastal areas of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This region witnessed its first Rift Valley fever outbreak in 2000. That year,…
A mysterious bacterial outbreak has killed 17 people and sickened at least 54 in Wisconsin, US since November 2015, officials confirmed on Thursday, March 17, 2016. Experts say this outbreak is unprecedented. The cause of the sickness is bacteria called…
According to research published on March 1, 2016, Zika virus might cause Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a severe neurological disorder. Zika virus infection is associated with symptoms such as fever, rash, joint and muscle pain and conjunctivitis. The…
An outbreak of yellow fever was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the National IHR Focal Point of Angola on January 21, 2016. First cases of yellow fever were identified in the district of Viana in Luanda province on December 5, 2015. The infection…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international public state of emergency on the Zika virus currently spreading across South and North America. Despite uncertainties about the disease, the WHO decided to take prompt action on the rising issue. The…
Zika, a mosquito-borne virus first isolated from a monkey in Zika Forest, Uganda in 1947, spread to 21 countries and territories of the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on January 23, 2016. The virus will continue to spread and probably reach…
President Obama declared a state of federal emergency for Flint, Michigan over lead-contaminated water, on January 16, 2016. Lead contamination is a potentially dangerous health hazard, as it can cause brain damage and other problems when ingested. The city has been…
The consequences of a rare hurricane hit in Yemen on November 3, 2015 are still felt today. Tropical Cyclone "Chapala" caused flash floods across the port of Mukalla, and regions of the Hadramout province, which damaged roads, houses and sewer systems….
Severe flooding across Somalia, on-going since October 19, 2015, has triggered an epidemic in water-borne diseases, an escalation of local commodity prices and an interruption of humanitarian aid delivery, according to the United Nation's (UN) report from…
The scientist who discovered the Ebola virus in 1976 after a pilot brought him a blood sample from a Belgian nun who had mysteriously fallen ill in Zaire says the disease has pandemic potential and he now fears that the world is on the edge of an "unimaginable cata
