Disease

Ebola Spread in Europe “Unavoidable”

The spread of Ebola across Europe is "quite unavoidable", the World Health Organisation has warned as four people were in hospital after a Spanish nurse became the first person known to have contracted the virus outside Africa.

WHO European director Zsuzsanna Jakab has said while more cases will spread in Europe, the continent should be well prepared to control the disease.

Health officials in Spain today said four people - the nurse, her husband and two others - were being monitored in hospital in a bid to stem the spread of the virus. The nurse’s dog has been ordered to be put down.

Dengue Fever in China

An outbreak of dengue fever in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong has killed six people and infected thousands more, state media report.

Provincial health authorities said that as of early Tuesday, more than 23,000 had been infected.

State news agency Xinhua said the outbreak is believed to be the worst in China for 20 years.

The tropical disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, causes high fever and severe joint pain.

Chinese authorities have attributed the outbreak to high temperatures and wet weather, and increasing travel to dengue-prevalent places.

The number of mosquitoes is also said to have increased five-fold.