Currently browsing tag

health-ministry

Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly associated with Zika

ASUNCION (Reuters) – Paraguay’s health ministry reported the country’s first two cases of microcephaly on Wednesday, associated with the Zika virus that is present in much of South America. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. (Reporting by Daniela Desantis, writing by Hugh Bronstein)

Guatemala confirms 105 Zika cases, says more are likely

Guatemalan health officials said Saturday that at least 105 people there had been infected with Zika, the virus suspected of causing grave brain damage in newborns. Health Ministry epidemiologist Judith Garcia told the newspaper Prensa Libre that the 105 confirmed cases emerged from a total of 200 suspected cases, 68 of them from 2015. Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chikungunya virus.

Paraguay could face threat from dengue, other fevers this year

Paraguay could face problems this year with dengue and other fevers transmitted by mosquitoes, which have proliferated due to rainy weather during the Southern Hemisphere summer, a health ministry official said on Tuesday. Paraguay had a record 150,000 dengue infections and 262 deaths in 2013. Concern this year extends to zika and chikungunya fevers, Paraguay’s director of preventive health, Águeda Cabello, told Reuters.

Sierra Leone investigating suspected Ebola death: health ministry

Sierra Leone's Health Ministry said on Thursday it was investigating a suspected Ebola death in Tonkolili district, hours after the World Health Organization said transmission of the virus in West Africa had ended. “A suspected Ebola death has been reported in Tonkolili district today,” said a note sent by the ministry to health officials in the country and seen by Reuters.