Latest Disease outbreaks News
Malawi cholera outbreak death toll rises above 1,000
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi’s cholera outbreak has claimed more than 1,000 lives, according to the country’s health minister, who warned that some cultural beliefs and hostility toward health workers were slowing efforts to curb infections. Cholera had killed 1,002 people...
Nigeria confirms diphtheria outbreak; 25 dead in one state
KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian health authorities confirmed an outbreak of diphtheria Friday and reported that 25 people, most of them children, have died so far in one of the worst-hit states in the country's north. The total number of confirmed cases and deaths is not yet known....
Japan to lower COVID-19 to flu status, further easing rules
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday announced plans to downgrade the legal status of COVID-19 to the equivalent of seasonal influenza in the spring, a move that would further relax mask wearing and other preventive measures as the country seeks to return to normalcy. ...
Vietnamese president resigns, criticized for major scandals
BANGKOK (AP) — Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned Tuesday, becoming the most senior member of the government to step down after a series of high-profile corruption scandals for which he was held responsible. The state Vietnam News Agency reported that he had resigned at...
Worst cholera outbreak in decades kills 750 people in Malawi
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — The worst cholera outbreak to affect Malawi in two decades has now claimed 750 lives, a government minister said, while the World Health Organization chief described the southeast African country as among the hardest-hit amid ongoing global epidemics that are “more...
WHO, officials say Uganda's latest Ebola outbreak is over
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda's latest outbreak of the Ebola virus is over, the government and the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Health Minister Ruth Aceng told journalists that no new cases had been registered in the past 42 days. This outbreak was the...
Saudi Arabia: Hajj pilgrimage returning to pre-COVID levels
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Islam's annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus, authorities say. The hajj, required of all...
Filipino Catholics hold big procession after pandemic eases
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of Catholic devotees, many donning protective masks and bearing candles, joined a night procession through downtown Manila early Sunday to venerate a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ, which was not paraded to discourage an even larger crowd amid...
China suspends social media accounts of COVID policy critics
BEIJING (AP) — China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government’s policies on the COVID-19 outbreak, as the country moves to roll back harsh anti-virus restrictions. The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had...
China seeks to minimize COVID-19 risk during travel rush
BEIJING (AP) — China is seeking to minimize the possibility of a major new COVID-19 outbreak during this month’s Lunar New Year travel rush following the end of most pandemic containment measures. The Transportation Ministry on Friday called on travelers to reduce trips and...
