Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Mariëtte Le Roux PARIS, France (AFP) — At least 2.6 billion people, over a third of the global population, live in parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific where Zika could gain a new foothold, researchers warned Friday, with 1.2 billion at risk in India alone. These are people who reside in as-yet unaffected parts of the world with the right climate and abundant mosquitoes for the virus to settle, spread and propagate an […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — The number of Zika cases in Singapore has surged to 82, the government said Tuesday, as the mosquito-fighting effort continued in a bid to curb the spread of the disease. Singapore’s Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency confirmed 26 new local infections — the majority around the eastern Aljunied suburb where most of the other cases have been clustered. Many of the initial cases were foreign workers on a condominium […]
By Zachary Fagenson and Julie Steenhuysen MIAMI/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Federal health officials on Friday warned pregnant women not to travel to trendy Miami Beach after Florida confirmed that the mosquito-borne Zika virus was active in the popular tourist destination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggested that pregnant women who are especially worried about exposure to Zika – which has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Three different experimental Zika vaccines being developed in the United States have worked well in monkey studies, paving the way for human trials in the coming months, researchers said Thursday. The report, published in the journal Science, comes as researchers rush to find a way to prevent the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause severe birth defects. It is currently spreading in 50 countries and territories, mainly in Latin America, the […]
Florida authorities on Friday (July 29) reported what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States, concluding that mosquitoes likely infected four people with the virus that can cause rare but serious birth defects. Governor Rick Scott said the state believed active transmission of the virus was occurring within an area of the city about the size of a square mile (2.6 square kms). Testing showed that […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A Utah resident infected with the Zika virus has died, becoming the first Zika-related fatality in the continental United States, officials said Friday. The elderly victim, who had an underlying health condition, died in late June after traveling to a country where the mosquito-transmitted virus is active, the Salt Lake County health department said. “While this individual did test positive for Zika virus, the exact cause of death has not […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Florida on Tuesday reported its first case of a baby born with the birth defect microcephaly after the child’s mother, a Haitian citizen, was infected with the Zika virus while pregnant, officials said. The mother contracted Zika in Haiti and came to Florida to deliver the baby, said a statement from Governor Rick Scott’s office. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the case. Zika is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes but […]
by Mariëtte Le Roux PARIS, France (AFP) — European scientists announced Thursday they had found antibodies which attack Zika, a discovery they hope will pave the way for a protective vaccine against the brain-damaging virus. The antibodies — frontline soldiers in the immune system — “efficiently neutralize” Zika in human cells in lab dishes, and are also effective against its cousin virus dengue, the team reported. The discovery “could lead to the development of a […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — There is a “very low risk” of the Zika virus spreading further internationally as a result of the Olympic Games in Brazil, the World Health Organization’s emergency committee on the disease said Tuesday. The statement came as worry mounted that the mosquito-borne virus, which has spread across much of Latin America and which can lead to severe birth defects in babies, might spread further when the Olympics begin in August. “The […]
by Jim SLATER CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) — Andrew Bogut plans to play for Australia at the Rio Olympics, but Zika virus concerns have the NBA standout joking about getting a hazmat suit as he considers the risks. The 31-year-old 7-footer (2.13m) from Melbourne has helped the defending champion Golden State Warriors grab a 2-0 lead over Cleveland in the best-of-seven NBA Finals. “I would be lying to say I wasn’t concerned about it, but […]
MADRID,Spain (AFP) — Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol said Monday he is considering skipping the Olympic Games in Brazil in August due to fears over the Zika virus. “I’m considering it, like anyone. I think it is a sufficiently important issue that it should be considered,” the Chicago Bulls player told reporters at an event for one of his sponsors in Madrid. “I hope that national Olympic committees and international health organisations provide real information […]
WASHINGTON , United States (AFP) — The US Senate Tuesday voted to advance $1.1 billion in emergency funds to fight the Zika virus, setting the stage for a battle with House Republicans who want $622 million for the mosquito-borne disease. The Senate vote came three months after the White House asked lawmakers for $1.9 billion for Zika research and prevention, citing concerns over the fast-moving disease that is behind a surge in birth defects in […]
