Europe Today
Siberia plague outbreak is an 'isolated incident', virologist says
Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst says that while people may think of plague as “something medieval”, cases are reported every year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar. However, he says the laboratory link makes this incident “a little more serious”.
Health news
How aeroplane wastewater could help spot the next pandemic
Testing aeroplane wastewater can detect circulating pathogens weeks earlier than traditional global pathogen surveillance allows, offering a potential early-warning tool for global outbreak preparedness, a US–UK pilot study found.
Health news
Norovirus outbreak affects over 100 people in Portugal
A sporting event in Caldas da Rainha, in the central region of the country, may have been at the centre of the infection. Symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, nausea, fever, abdominal pain and headaches were among the signs that helped diagnose the disease.
Health news
WHO warns of significant Ebola spillover risk into South Sudan
There is a 70% chance that Ebola could reach South Sudan, according to a World Health Organization modelling study published on Thursday. Researchers said that preparing the country for a proper response is the “most urgent priority.”
Health news
First Ebola case confirmed in France, health ministry says
France has confirmed its first case of Ebola — a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the virus. This is the first Ebola case to have been confirmed in Europe.