Disease

Ebola - DR Congo

Nine new confirmed cases were reported from 27 November to 3 December in the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Dengue Fever - Sri Lanka

The number of dengue fever cases in Sri Lanka are rising at a fast pace and in November, nearly 20,000 cases were reported. Since the beginning of the year, health authorities have reported 83,365 cases to date, including 19,826 in November alone.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

From 1 through 31 October 2019, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported 15 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection and six associated deaths.

Super Swine

Chinese biotechnology centers are scrambling to use genetic engineering in an effort to create healthier hogs in the wake of an expanding African swine fever crisis that cost the country half of its pigs this year.

While individual farms have been trying to breed much larger and tastier swine with conventional methods, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have managed to breed hogs fortified with a gene that helps the animals cope with the bitterly cold winters in many parts of the country.