HOUSTON – Each year, as Americans roll up their sleeves for their annual flu shot, they might be surprised to learn their protection often begins with data from our friends down under. Medical experts say that international surveillance is essential for developing effective flu vaccines for the United States and other Northern Hemisphere nations. The…
(Corrects ‘infection’ to ‘disease’ in paragraph 5 to clarify what the inactivated polio vaccine protects against, whether dosed fully or fractionally) By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -Eradicating polio is still possible despite significant funding cuts, global health officials said on Tuesday as they outlined how they will cope with the shortfall. The budget of the…
GOMA, Congo (AP) — As a deadly new Ebola outbreak kills dozens in southern Congo, health authorities and organizations are sounding the alarm, warning they lack the funds and resources to mount an effective response to the crisis. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 57 cases and 35 deaths have been reported since the…
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Limited access and required funding are the key challenges facing health officials trying to respond to the latest Ebola outbreak in southern Congo, the World Health Organization said on Friday. It is the first Ebola outbreak in 18 years in Kasai province, a remote part of Congo with poor road networks,…
Health experts have dismissed concerns about a Hong Kong government-subsidised flu vaccine that does not have clinical trial data on pregnant women, saying the decades-long technology is safe and people with less confidence can turn to the private sector for shots. Authorities said on Tuesday that Hong Kong had entered the summer flu season, a…
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification It is a sad…
Hong Kong will deploy robotic dogs as part of its enhanced mosquito-control efforts to curb the chikungunya virus, as the number of imported cases is expected to rise, the environment chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan revealed the new measure on Saturday after the number of imported cases of the mosquito-borne…
Hong Kong health authorities have warned of a heightened risk of possible chikungunya fever transmissions in the city as more Asian travel destinations popular among residents have also recorded local cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin on Sunday also highlighted the challenges of preventing the disease from spreading, pointing…
When a drone’s camera picked up water buckets and potted plants on the balcony of a four-storey village house in Foshan – the city in Guangdong province at the centre of southern China’s chikungunya outbreak – local authorities acted quickly. An official visited the house but was denied entry, prompting the village’s Communist Party secretary…
United States health officials are urging travellers to remain vigilant as a mosquito-borne virus continues to circulate across parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Indian Ocean. Since the beginning of 2025, there have been approximately 240,000 chikungunya virus infections and 90 deaths in 16 countries, according to the European Centre for Disease…