Disease

Pertussis - Panama

Health officials in Panama are reporting an outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough in the Ngäbe Buglé region since mid-December, according to an El Siglo report. To date, 81 confirmed cases have been reported, including nine fatalities in children under two years of age.

Swine Flu - Morocco

An outbreak of swine flu in Morocco has left nine people dead in the past week, the kingdom's health minister said Saturday. H1N1 is a respiratory disease contracted through contact between humans and pigs and transmitted between people through inhalation. A major H1N1 outbreak sparked a World Health Organization pandemic alert in June 2009. It killed around 18,500 people in 214 countries before the alert was lifted in August 2010