Ebola outbreak in Central Africa declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing rising cases, cross-border spread and significant uncertainties about the scale of Read More …

Hantavirus-hit ship evacuation completed as quarantines begin

The repatriation effort, coordinated by Spanish authorities with support from WHO, the European Union, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and multiple governments, marked the end of an emergency operation that has gripped global health attention for weeks Read More …

Ukraine: Glass cobwebs in the fields, why fibre optics can be a problem for demining

A new anthropogenic landscape is forming along the front line, saturated with everything possible: debris, mines, unexploded ordnance, and toxic waste. Fiber optics from drones are also on this list. Millions of kilometers of thin cables litter Ukrainian lands and Read More …

South Africa: A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic kills 3 people

A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three people, including an elderly married couple, and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organization and H’s Department of Health said Read More …

Landmines pose growing threat to people and environment, UNDP warns

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday called for stronger political commitment to clear landmines and other explosive ordnance as a precondition for longer-term recover, warning that they are also causing lasting environmental damage. Speaking at the 29th International Read More …

Austria: Baby food recalled after samples tested positive for rat poison

Baby food brand HiPP is recalling some of its baby food jars after samples in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic tested positive for rat poison, officials said Sunday. Authorities believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby Read More …

Israel: MDA warns of chemical exposure risk, ‘two-phase poisoning process’ from Iranian missile fuel

The Israeli healthcare system is preparing for the potential exposure to chemical substances from Iranian missile fuel launched toward Israel. A document recently published by Magen David Adom (MDA) and distributed to emergency teams warned that some of the missiles Read More …

Civilians face increasing harm from deadly explosive weapons

Dr Stacey Pizzino from UQ’s School of Public Health collated information on 105,931 casualties in 17 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. “This is the first pooled casualty analysis globally using previously untapped data sources,” Dr Read More …

Ethiopia: Marburg virus disease update

On 26 January 2026, the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia declared the end of the Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak. This declaration came after two consecutive incubation periods (a total of 42 days) since the last person confirmed with MVD Read More …

Romania confirms first leprosy cases in over 40 years, two more under investigation

Romania has confirmed its first case of leprosy in more than 40 years, with three other suspected cases currently under clinical and microbiological investigation, health minister Alexandru Rogobete announced on Thursday, December 11. All four individuals are women from Asia Read More …

Washington: Patient dies of complications after contracting H5N5 avian influenza

A Washington resident died of complications from an infection with a bird flu strain never before reported in humans, the state Department of Health said on Friday. The patient was an older adult with underlying health conditions who had been Read More …

Ethiopia confirms first outbreak of Marburg virus disease

Ethiopia has confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after nine cases were reported in the south of the country. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday commended the Ethiopian Health Ministry and other health agencies Read More …

UK tests response to discovery of deadly biological toxin

The UK has tested an emergency response to the discovery of a deadly biological toxin. Up to 600 members of the military, police, ambulance and other services took part in the three-day exercise last week, which also involved dealing with Read More …

Washington DC: At least 7 people fall ill after suspicious package with white powder delivered to Joint Base Andrews

A suspicious package was delivered to a US military base in Maryland on Thursday which caused at least seven people to fall ill and be taken to the hospital, CNN has learned. Several people were transported to the on-base Malcolm Read More …

Sweden: Military sprayed PFAS directly into the countryside for decades

For decades, the Swedish Armed Forces shot PFAS-containing firefighting foam directly into the countryside near an air force base in the country’s south. And in a secret recording, the then-boss of that base in the town of Kallinge says he Read More …

Tracking the Invisible Threat: Persistent Explosive Residues in Raw and Drinking Water Bodies

This study provides a comprehensive nationwide assessment of explosive residues and their degradation products in French water resources and drinking water, including mainland and overseas territories. A total of 54 target compounds were selected based on historical usage, environmental persistence, Read More …

DR Congo: A new Ebola outbreak kills dozens as health officials warn of lack of funds

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 Read More …

Atlantic Ocean: 200,000 toxic barrels threaten to poison millions

More than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste have lain scattered across the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 50 years, a relic of an era when dumping nuclear materials at sea was considered safe. Between 1946 and 1990, European countries, including France Read More …

SERS nose arrays based on a signal differentiation approach for TNT gas detection

TNT, a well-known explosive, is highly toxic and difficult to decompose, making the detection of trace amounts of residual TNT in the environment a topic of significant research importance. Label-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been demonstrated to be capable Read More …

Michigan: Chinese Nationals Charged with Conspiracy and Smuggling a Dangerous Biological Pathogen into the U.S.

DETROIT – Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, announced United States Attorney Jerome Read More …