Disease

Malaysia: Dengue Outbreak Leaves Dozens Dead

So far, nearly 38,000 cases of Dengue fever have been reported in Malaysia this year, up from nearly 21,000 cases during the same period last year. With the number of reported cases having nearly doubled, it should come as no surprise that the death toll rose from 34 to 79 people.

US Doctors Warn Against Raw Milk for Kids, Pregnant Women

In a new position statement, U.S. paediatricians say raw milk and cheeses are simply too risky for infants, children and pregnant women.

The statement urges parents not to let their kids drink unpasteurised milk or eat cheese made from it.

The doctors also called for a ban on the sale of all raw-milk products in the United States.

According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 148 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw-milk products were reported to the agency between 1998 and 2011.

Raw milk is milk that hasn't been pasteurised, or briefly heated to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit to kill harmful germs. Before milk began being widely pasteurised in the United States in the 1920s, it routinely made people sick.

Raw milk can harbour bacteria that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria, as well as the germs that cause nasty bouts of stomach trouble such as Listeria and E. coli, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Children are more susceptible to these illnesses than adults, and they tend to get the worst of the complications, such as sudden and sometimes life-threatening kidney failure. Illnesses tied to raw milk also can cause miscarriages in pregnant women.