Philippines reports new mpox case with no history of foreign travel

The Philippines has reported a new case of the mpox virus, the first in the country since December. Health officials said on Monday that the patient, a 33-year-old Filipino male from capital Manila, has no history of foreign travel. The Read More …

Sweden reports first case of more dangerous mpox virus outside Africa

Sweden has reported the first confirmed case outside Africa of the more deadly mpox variant that sparked the World Health Organization to declare a global public health emergency a day earlier. The person was infected during a stay in a Read More …

WHO declares mpox virus a public health emergency of international concern

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the rise in mpox cases constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), following advice from members at Wednesday’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee meeting. A PHEIC is Read More …

UK: Urgent tests under way on canal sodium cyanide spill

Public health bosses say they hope to start reducing restrictions “very quickly” on a 12-mile stretch of canals in the West Midlands following a toxic chemical spillage. Sodium cyanide, which can cause seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness, was confirmed Read More …

Mpox Declared A Public Health Emergency In Africa

Due to the alarming surge in cases of mpox (formerly referred to as monkeypox), the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease a public health emergency on Tuesday. There have already been 17,500 mpox cases and 460 Read More …

Kenya: Health crisis looms in Kiambu as residents store looted toxic sodium cyanide

A road accident in Kiambu County has rapidly escalated into a potential public health disaster with far-reaching consequences. On Saturday, a truck ferrying 22 tonnes of sodium cyanide en route to Uganda overturned, spilling its lethal cargo in Kambembe, Rironi. Read More …

South Korea: Nerve agent powder discovered in passenger’s bag at Incheon Airport

Military authorities and police are analyzing nerve agent powder found at Incheon International Airport on Thursday. The nerve agent, or organophosphates, can poison people through airborne particles. According to the airport’s police, unidentified black powder was discovered in the carry-on bag Read More …

More Lethal Mpox Strain Surges In DR Congo

More people have become infected with a deadlier strain of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the last year, posing a “global threat” if the virus strain leaves the African country and spreads worldwide, the Read More …

UK: Mass poisoning leaves 25 prison guards ill when inmates ‘laced curry with zombie drug’

A ‘mass poisoning’ put prison guards in hospital after inmates allegedly added the wrong type of ‘spice’ to a ‘staff special curry’. Prisoners working in the staff canteen of the high-security HMP Swaleside, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Read More …

Explosives remain in 5.6 million hectares in Việt Nam

Around 5.6 million hectares, equivalent to 17.71 per cent of Việt Nam’s total area, are still contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) as of the end of 2023. Việt Nam is among the countries with the highest rates of UXO contamination Read More …

Pakistan: CTD claims arresting five TTP men in Bajaur raid

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has claimed arresting five alleged members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan during a raid in Bajaur tribal district, a senior official said on Friday. Addressing a press conference in the provincial capital, CTD SSP Najmul Husain Read More …

Oregon health officials confirm first human bubonic plague case since 2015

An Oregon resident has been infected with the state’s first case of bubonic plague since 2015, health officials said last week. The resident was likely infected with plague by their symptomatic pet cat, Deschutes County Health Services said in a Read More …

Zambia battles worst Cholera outbreak in decades

After decades of progress against cholera, the disease has seen a global upsurge since 2021. More than one million people are thought to be infected with cholera every year. Afghanistan and Syria have suffered huge outbreaks, but in 2023 over Read More …

Laboratory-acquired infections and pathogen escapes worldwide between 2000 and 2021: a scoping review

Laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) and accidental pathogen escape from laboratory settings (APELS) are major concerns for the community. A risk-based approach for pathogen research management within a standard biosafety management framework is recommended but is challenging due to reasons such as Read More …

UNODC: Afghanistan opium cultivation in 2023 declined 95 per cent following drug ban

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan plunged by an estimated 95 per cent following a drug ban imposed by the de facto authorities in April 2022, according to a new research brief from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Read More …

Laos to carry out project to assist people affected by Agent Orange

The National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector (NRA) in Laos agreed to partner with the War Legacies Project, which will see Phase II of a survey on the use of Agent Orange and support for people with birth Read More …

Vietnam: A So airport cleared from dioxin contamination

The Chemical Command under the Ministry of Defence on October 24 announced the completion of dioxin cleanup at A So airport in A Luoi district, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Read More …

US to arm Kyiv with depleted uranium tank shells

The US has announced it will send controversial weapons to Ukraine as part of more than $1bn (£800m) in military and humanitarian aid. Russia condemned the move to equip US Abrams tanks with shells strong enough to pierce conventional tank Read More …