Several weeks of unusually heavy rainfall and flooding that has affected nearly one million people in 10 of Brazil’s 26 states have revealed a problem that only becomes news when tragedies occur: the lack of public investment in disaster prevention, experts warn.
Scientists around the world are trying to decipher the influenza H1N1 virus in order to develop a vaccine, while others are tracking its origins to fight its spread more effectively.
Researchers at a prestigious university hospital in Bangkok have been able to cut by 14 hours the time it takes to detect the lethal strain of the swine flu virus, which has infected thousands across the world.
The Mexican government is complaining about measures taken by other countries to protect themselves against possible contagion from the new H1N1 flu virus, which is widely seen as having originated in Mexico. But some Mexicans complain about stigma at home, as well as medical negligence.
Poor countries facing the greatest threat from the spread of the H1N1 flu virus – popularly known as "swine flu" – will begin to receive shipments of Tamiflu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced.
Rebuked in the past for its sluggish response and attempts to cover up the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), China’s measures to curb the spread of the swine flu virus are earning opposite marks of being extreme and "unjustified."
Esther de Anda has stopped eating pork since the appearance of swine flu in Mexico. "They say there’s no problem in eating it, but for now I prefer fish or chicken," the homemaker told IPS.
The swine flu epidemic has dealt a new blow to the Mexican economy, already weakened by the global recession, hitting small and large companies alike.
When the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the influenza pandemic alert from phase three to an ominous phase four warning this week, it went beyond the alarm associated with the killer avian influenza virus in Asia.
The deadly new influenza strain that originated in Mexico has led to the closure of schools, universities, museums, libraries, cinemas, theatres and churches here, while it continues to spread to other countries.
Thailand’s plans to contain the spread of the deadly avian influenza virus must involve the tens of thousands of Burmese migrant workers employed in this country’s poultry industry, say experts.
New cases of avian influenza across Asia in recent weeks confirm warnings that the deadly virus still lurks in the region and raise questions of gaps in efforts to contain it in affected communities.
A severe outbreak of flu could kill tens of millions of people and spur a "major global recession", the World Bank is warning world leaders preoccupied with financial, food, and fuel crises.