Disease

Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update

Officials report 8 new Saudi MERS cases - 3 fatal.

Saudi Arabia has now reported 12 cases in 3 days, and experts show mixed levels of concern.

Of the 12 case-patients, at least 7 had contact with a confirmed MERS patient or worked in a hospital with another confirmed case-patient. The WHO-confirmed global total has now reached 114 MERS cases and 54 deaths. The 8 new Saudi cases would bring the total to 122 cases and 57 deaths.

Bird Flu in Nepal

The poultry industry in Nepal has lost more than 7 billion rupees (more than $100 million) because of a rash of H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in the Kathmandu Valley and other areas recently, which could have reverberations through the country's economy.

Bird Flu in China

The new bird flu which has emerged in China has unique traits, say scientists. It is able to infect both the nose, giving it the potential to spread easily, and penetrate deep in the lungs where it causes pneumonia. The twin attack has not been detected in previous bird flus.

There have been 135 people infected with avian influenza A(H7N9) and 44 deaths since the outbreak started in Spring. However, restrictions on live poultry markets have largely curbed the number of infections.

Foot and Mouth Disease in Russia

A new outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been found in a village in Trans Baikal, Russia. The new outbreak has affected 2,396 cattle, 210 sheep and 141 pigs.