European countries need to act now to tackle measles outbreaks, the World Health Organization warns.

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WHO issues Europe measles warning

Cases and death rates from TB have declined for the first time, says the World Health Organization.

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‘First ever’ fall in global TB

The war against dengue fever has enlisted a tiny new ally: a cunning bacterium that inoculates mosquitoes against the virus that causes the debilitating disease. The dengue virus hops from person to person via mosquitoes, so if the insects can’t carry the virus, disease transmission might be slowed or even halted. That’s the hope of researchers racing to erase dengue, which infects 50 million to 100 million people worldwide each year in 100 mostly tropical countries, causing about 22,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. There is no vaccine available, and patients suffering the intense joint and muscle pain that mark a dengue infection have no treatment options other than painkillers. Growing resistance by mosquitoes to pesticides adds urgency to the battle against the virus. Read full article > >

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Field tests show bacterial oddball can be a dengue destroyer

The E. coli strain that’s infected more than 1,500 people in Germany is a previously unknown and unusually deadly strain, the World Health Organization reports. According to a Chinese laboratory working with German scientists, the contagion is caused…

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E. Coli Strain Is New Mutation

The E. coli strain that’s infected more than 1,500 people in Germany is a previously unknown and unusually deadly strain, the World Health Organization reports. According to a Chinese laboratory working with German scientists, the contagion is caused…

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E. Coli Strain Is New Mutation

LONDON — The E. coli bacteria responsible for a mysterious outbreak that has left 18 people dead and sickened hundreds is a new strain that has never been seen before, the World Health Organization said Thursday. Preliminary genetic sequencing suggests the strain is a mutant form of two different E. coli bacteria, with aggressive genes that could explain why the outbreak appears to be so massive and dangerous, the agency said. “This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before,” Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at WHO, told The Associated Press. The new strain has “various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing” than the many E. coli strains people naturally carry in their intestines. Read full article > >

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WHO says E. coli strain responsible for European outbreak is new strain never detected before

Burma prisoner release, Bill Gates addresses World Health Assembly, Larry Hagman previews an auction of his collection, wild bison and more from around the world. Read full article > >

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Neon art, Mississippi river flooding, Buddha’s birthday and more in the day in photos.

Almost one in every 100 deaths worldwide is linked to breathing in second-hand smoke, according to a major World Health Organization study.

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Passive smoking ‘kills 600,000′

An outbreak has killed 104 people and left 201 paralyzed, the World Health Organization said, and the country plans to immunize its entire population.

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Congo Republic Declares a Polio Emergency

Haitian Health Ministry officials have informed the World Health Organization that 138 deaths are a part of a fast-moving cholera outbreak north of Port-au-Prince, a U.N. official said.

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Cholera outbreak kills 138 in Haiti

The number of cases of dengue, a deadly parasitic disease, has more than doubled in the last decade, according to the World Health Organization.

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Deadly disease outbreaks double

A coalition of 10 NGOs is urging the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to contact the World Health Organization (WHO) about health concerns surrounding eating whale meat.

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NGOs warn of ‘toxic’ whale meat

The swine flu pandemic has been declared officially over by the World Health Organization.

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Swine flu pandemic over, says WHO