Disease

Tuberculosis Outbreak in Alabama, USA

A total of 151 patients have been diagnosed with Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) in Alabama, and are currently being treated with preventive medication.

Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday announced the authorization of more than $235,000 in emergency funding toward the response effort for a tuberculosis outbreak in Perry County.

“We are dealing with a very aggressive TB outbreak in Perry County, and it is important that the Alabama Department of Public Health have all available resources to help treat and mitigate this disease,” Bentley said.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Myanmar - Dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a landslide struck a remote jade mining region in northern Myanmar, the second such incident in a month. According to rescuers, one body was pulled from the rubble and at least 30 people were missing. A Nov. 21 landslide in the same region killed more than 100 people. The area is home to some of the world's highest-quality jade.

Britain - Almost 150 flood warnings have been issued as up to 120mm of rain is set to fall in the north of England – worsening situation in areas already saturated by winter storms. Troops were called in to assist in Cumbria as rain from Storm Eva started to drench northern Britain.

Alabama, USA - Several people were trapped underneath rubble late Friday as another tornado touched down in north-central Alabama in the latest wave of severe weather that’s hammered the South during Christmas week.

Disease

Mystery Respiratory Illness Infects 7, Kills 2 in Alabama, USA

All of the victims have shown signs of fever, cough and shortness of breath, but the Alabama Department of Public Health hasn’t been able to identify the disease. Officials collected samples from all of the victims and sent them to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, but results aren’t available yet. One of the test samples tested positive for H1N1 influenza A, but officials aren’t sure if that’s what caused the illness.

UPDATE - Unusual pathogens ruled out in Alabama illness cluster. Test results on a cluster of Alabama patients hospitalized with similar respiratory symptoms indicated no unusual pathogens but instead a variety of common respiratory viruses and bacteria, a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, and bacterial pneumonia, state health officials announced Thursday.

Meningitis in Princeton, New Jersey, USA

The state health department has officially declared a meningitis outbreak at Princeton University after the fourth case of the disease since March was linked to the school.

Storms and Floods

Landslide, Flooding in Northern Italy

Flash flooding in northern Italy has killed at least one person. Flood damage is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of euros.

A landslide has blocked the railway outside Trento in the Valsugana valley between the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. Two buildings were also evacuated following a landslide in Monte Marenzo, in Lecco.

Tornado in Athens, Alabama, USA

The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least two EF-0 tornadoes touched down in the Athens and Elkmont areas.

Storms and Floods

Tornadoes Hit Southern USA

A swarm of tornadoes tore through several counties in southern Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday, injuring at least 10 people and ripping apart hundreds of homes and other buildings, including parts of the University of Southern Mississippi. The American Red Cross center in Hattiesburg, Miss., is completely destroyed.

Tropical Cyclone Haley was located approximately 500 nm south-southeast of Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia.

Storms and Floods

Cold wave in Uttar Pradesh, India

-At least 26 people died in the last 24 hours because of the extreme cold in Uttar Pradesh region of India.

-Fatalities are from Basti, Jaunpur, Ballia, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Chandauli.

-All schools and colleges in Lucknow are closed till January 5, 2013.

 -All major trains from the capital Delhi to Lucknow are running slow due to dense fog.

-Several flights to and from Lucknow were cancelled.

Avalanche in Russia

-An avalanche cut off the main road linking Russia to South Ossetia.

-Traffic along the road across the Russian-Georgian border are currently banned due to snowstorm and bad weather.

Monsoon brings heavy rains, flooding and cold weather to Thailand.

 

Strong tornadoes are forecast to hit parts of Alabama on Christmas day. Large hail are also expected along with storm.

Storms and Floods

Major blizzards in United States

-Heavy winter snowstorm has blanketed the US Midwest today. The region's first big storm of the season dumped more than 30 centimetres of snow in parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.

-Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has issued a state of emergency.

-Storm has cut power to more than 40,000 households and businesses in Iowa.

-Blizzard warnings were also issued in Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois.

-Airlines cancelled more than 150 flights at Chicago's bustling O'Hare airport. Flights through smaller airports in Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota were also cancelled Thursday morning.

A tornado peeled the roofs from buildings, toppled trucks, and blew down oak trees and limbs in the Mobile area, Alabama, USA early Thursday, leading to road closures but there were no reports of major injuries.

Storms

Alberta, Canada experiences a small tornado, heavy rain and a freak spring snowstorm.

Tornado hit Alabama, USA on Sunday.