Legionnaires disease outbreak in Spain
Two new patients suffering from the deadly Legionnaires disease are being treated at a Spanish hospital.
They are being treated at the Hospital de Manzanares near Madrid, and bring to 222 the number of people affected since the outbreak began this month.
Two people have died in the outbreak so far. Five patients remain in intensive care, with two in serious condition.
Wildfires - Australia
Lives and homes continue to be threatened by separate out-of-control bushfires burning in Western Australia.
A watch and act alert remains for people on Morgan Road, Bentley Road, Gavins Road and at Meldene Estate on Marginata Drive, west of Donnybrook, in the state's South West region.
The same alert has been issued for people in the vicinity of Hay Road and South Western Highway in North Greenbushes in the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes.
An earlier alert for the Sawyers Valley townsite and Beelu National Park in the Shire of Mundaring has been downgraded.
Wildfires - California
The fire that scorched about 1,230 acres north of Ventura was 75 percent contained, with full containment expected Tuesday. The blaze erupted Friday night when high winds caused power lines on an oil field to arc. At its peak, the fire closed a 15-mile stretch of an adjacent, six-lane freeway, U.S. 101, and another major north-south route, the Pacific Coast Highway.
Hundreds of firefighters on Sunday mopped up the remnants of a wind-whipped wildfire that threatened dozens of Southern California coastal homes. Authorities said their new worry is a landslide if rain pounds the charred hills.
Wildfires - Spain
Amid unseasonably warm weather, firefighters battled more than 130 wind-fuelled wildfires in northern Spain on Monday which officials suspect were deliberately set.
Nearly 400 firefighters and soldiers struggled against 82 wildfires in Cantabria, a sparsely populated region whose terrain is sliced up by deep mountain valleys, the regional government said.
At least 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of "extraordinary ecological value" has burned in the region over the past week, much of it located in two natural parks, it added in a statement.
Cantabria has since September received scant rainfall with average high temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit), he said.
Strong winds, with gusts of up to 110 kilometres (70 miles) an hour were fanning the flames and preventing the use of water-dropping planes.
Wildfires - Spain
Spain on Sunday deployed three water-dropping planes to battle wildfires raging in remote regions in northern and central Spain amid unseasonably warm weather, the government said.
The agriculture ministry said two amphibious water-scooping aircraft were sent to help dowse fires in the northern region of Cantabria and another plane was dispatched to the central region of Castile and Leon.
The regional government of Cantabria said firefighters were battling 25 blazes while the government of the neighboring region of Asturias in northwestern Spain said 16 wildfires were burning in its boundaries.
A helicopter battling a fire in Asturias crashed on Wednesday, killing the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft.
Forest fires are unusual in December in Spain but low rainfall and a warm autumn have left much of the country vulnerable to blazes.
Wildfires have destroyed more than 54,000 hectares (13,300 acres) of agricultural and forest land in Spain this year, exceeding the area burned over the previous two years combined, most of it in major summer fires, according to agriculture ministry figures.
Wildfires - Spain
Some 230 firefighters were dispatched to battle around 100 wildfires which broke out in northwest Spain on Saturday night, emergency services told media, but there were no reports of casualties.
Five homes were affected by forest fires in the northwest of the Asturias region and a section of motorway was closed off due to fumes and smoke, according to an early statement from the emergency services.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical Cyclone Chapala (tc) 04a, located approximately 90 nm west of Mukalla, Yemen, is tracking northwestward at 03 knots.
Invest 98E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.
NewsBytes:
Spain - Severe flooding in Spain has claimed the lives at least four people. Four elderly residents died near the Sio River, which burst its banks and inundated a retirement home in the town of Agramunt.
Saudi Arabia - A heavy flash flood has claimed the lives of at least six people in Saudi Arabia as meteorologists predicted eight years of rain in just two days over the Arabian Sea associated with tropical cyclone Chapala.
Kenya - Three residents of the Talek area, near the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok county, Kenya, died on Monday after being swept away by floods.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
Between 6 and 11 September 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 22 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. Three (3) of these reported cases are associated with a MERS-CoV outbreak currently occurring in a hospital in Riyadh city. Five (5) of these reported cases are associated with another MERS-CoV outbreak occurring in a hospital in Madinah city.
Chikungunya – Spain (update)
On 3 August 2015, WHO was notified by the National IHR Focal Point for Spain of a case of chikungunya infection in the city of Gandia, Valencian Community. The patient, a 60-year-old man, had no history of travel outside the European Region.
Cholera in Nigerian Camp
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the outbreak of cholera in one of the internally displaced persons camp in Borno state.
The disease outbreak started in a camp in Sanda Kyarimi in Borno state. Nine people have been killed from the disease outbreak. A total of 96 others – already treated and mostly discharged – were affected.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical Depression Grace is located about 945 mi...1520 km E of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...W or 270 degrees at 17 mph...28 km/h.
Typhoon Kilo is located 331 nm north of Minami Tori Shima, and is tracking northwestward at 13 knots.
Tropical Storm Etau is located approximately 194 nm west-northwest of Yokosuka, Japan, and is tracking north-northwestward at 23 knots.
Tropical Storm Jimena is located about 355 mi...570 km NNE of Honolulu Hawaii and about 375 mi...605 km NE of Lihue Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...45 mph...75 km/h. Present movement...WSW or 255 degrees at 9 mph...15 km/h.
Hurricane Linda is located about 405 mi...655 km W of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...100 mph...155 km/h. Present movement...NW or 325 degrees at 12 mph...19 km/h.
Tropical Depression Eight is located about 220 mi...355 km ESE of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...stationary.
NewsBytes:
Spain - Torrential storms in south east Spain caused flash floods that washed cars and trucks along a street. Fifty homes, 30 shops and 200 cars were damaged when flood waters swept through the town of Adra, in the province of Almeria on Monday. Heavy downfalls particularly affected the regions of Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia with more than 300 rain-related incidents being reported to the emergency services. In the province of Granada, three men drowned when they were caught in rising water.
Middle East - An unprecedented sandstorm has swept across the Middle East, covering Lebanon and Syria in dust and causing the deaths of at least five people. Hundreds more were admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties, according to officials, as cities were blanketed in yellow sand. The unseasonal storm also hit Jordan, Israel and Egypt. In Jordan, schools shut down or cut their days short.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
Between 18 and 21 August 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 29 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 6 deaths.
Twenty-four (24) of these reported cases are associated with a MERS-CoV outbreak currently occurring in a hospital in Riyadh city.
First Native Case Of Mosquito-Borne Tropical Disease Chinkungunya Confirmed In Spain
The European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC) confirmed the first case of the tropical disease chinkungunya to be transmitted in Spain on August 21.
"This is the first chikungunya case reported from Spain without travel history to endemic areas,˝ said the ECDC report.
Chikungunya – Spain
On 3 August 2015, WHO was notified by the National IHR Focal Point for Spain of a case of chikungunya infection in the city of Gandia, Valencian Community. This is the first time that an individual with no history of travel to a chikungunya-endemic area tests positive for the disease in Spain.
Dengue Fever in Delhi, India
With nearly 120 dengue cases reported this season, fears of a possible outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease have gripped municipal corporations and health officials. In their latest report, the civic bodies have reported 66 fresh cases in the past one week.
Wildfires - Spain - Update
Some 3,000 inhabitants have now had to be evacuated from their homes in southwestern Spain as wildfires that officials suspect were started deliberately continue to rage for a third day.
Around 1,000 residents were evacuated early Saturday from the town Hoyos in the Extremadura region as flames were fanned by strong overnight winds.
More than 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) had burned since flames were detected Thursday in the Sierra de Gata — a region of outstanding natural beauty. Evidence points to the existence of numerous separate ignition points, indicating probable arson.
Firefighters were also combatting a wildfire in the southeastern Murcia region, where 700 hectares had burned down.
Wildfires - Spain
The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) burned in less than 24 hours. Helicopters have been used to contain the fire, which broke out on Sunday. Some 400 people were forced to leave their homes, but authorities said there had been no reports of injuries.
Wildfires - California
Fires burning in drought-parched California on Tuesday menaced thousands of structures as firefighters struggled to corral the blazes there and elsewhere in the U.S. West.
The so-called Lowell Fire north of the state capital Sacramento has injured four of the 2,277 firefighters battling it. One firefighter was hospitalized with serious burns. Roughly a third of the 2,233-acre blaze was contained as of Tuesday morning, with low humidity and high heat expected throughout the day. Roads were closed and evacuation warnings were in place around the fire, which was threatening about 1,800 structures.
To the south, a 1,739-acre fire forced the evacuation of campgrounds in the Sierra National Forest and threatened some 450 structures, including homes and vacation cabins. The so-called Willow Fire, north of the central California city of Fresno, was only 5 percent contained as of Tuesday morning.
Wildfires - Spain and Portugal
More than 1,350 residents were evacuated in Spain's northeastern region of Aragon as a wildfire spread through a pine forest amid a lingering heat wave, a local official said Sunday.
Five villages were evacuated as flames devoured hills that are 375 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of Madrid, said Javier Lamban, the president of Aragon. The evacuees, who included residents of a retirement home, were transferred to nearby towns.
About 500 firefighters and almost 100 pieces of equipment, including aircraft, were fighting the flames Sunday, which were being fanned by windy conditions and were creating a large plume of smoke.
The fire, which broke out Saturday afternoon, has already burned close to 8,000 hectares (19,770 acres) of forest in a remote area, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment spokesman Modesto Lobon.
Also, the fire department in the northeastern region of Catalonia said it was combating a wildfire that had broken out in Cardedeu, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Barcelona, and had destroyed two houses and several cars, although no one was injured.
Storms in Thailand
More than 150 houses, rice barns and mills, and animal farms in Surin were destroyed after a tropical storm hit this northeastern province Tuesday evening.
Tropical waves wreaked havoc on Thai coastal villages. The fierce tropical storm in the Gulf of Thailand stranded more than 70 fishing boats in this seaboard province ashore due to huge waves, about four metres high.
Other News:
An avalanche in DalvÃk, a village in Iceland has injured one skier.
Floods damage 6000 hectares of crops in Extremadura, Spain.
Floods continue across Kenya. 8 people reported to have died in recent floods in the North Rift.
The US National Weather Service has confirmed that at least 21 tornadoes tore across 6 states over the southern U.S. last Wednesday and Thursday. Of the 21 tornadoes 9 were in Alabama, 4 in Missouri, 4 in Arkansas, 2 in Georgia, 1 in Mississippi, and 1 in Louisiana.
Tropical Cyclone Haruna
TC Haruna has now killed 10 people in Madagascar.
The cyclone destroyed around 70 percent of the southwestern city of Morombe.
This tropical disturbance is forecast to bring more rain in southern Madagascar in the coming two days.
Unusual Landslide in Spain
Heavy rains in recent weeks have caused a major landslide in Subiza, Spain that has devastated rural roads, farms and caused serious damage to two electrical towers that are at serious risk of falling.
The landslide is located on the southeast slope of Mount of Forgiveness, towards Bells, and therefore did not affect any house in the small town of Basin, of about 190 inhabitants. The dimensions of the land mass, which dragged stones and vegetation as a result of heavy rainfall, are calculated at 800 meters long and 700 wide.
Winter Storm hits Europe
Central Europe has been swept by a powerful cyclone.
Snow caused chaos on roads in Austria, with the situation particularly grave in the east. Heavy trucks cannot cope with the icy slopes; traffic jams stretch for many kilometers. Every hour new accidents are recorded at police stations. Local officials urge drivers to put chains on the wheels.
Cold weather and snow have also descended upon Croatia: frosts have hit resorts on the Adriatic coast, the seafronts and yachts are covered with snow and ice. Local services are toiling around the clock clearing streets. According to weather forecasts, the cyclone has no intention of letting up on the Balkans.
EF-1 tornado with estimated winds of 104 mph tore a damage path 4.5 miles long across parts of Sabine County, Texas, USA just after 1 p.m Friday.
Drought in Spain
Extremely dry conditions in Spain has caused a failure in the olive harvest. Spain is by far the biggest producer of olive oil in the world, accounting last year for around 50% of the total production worldwide. However farmers in southern Spain believe their crop of olives this year is down by as much as 80%, and some think it is inevitable that the price of this increasingly sought-after commodity will rise.
State of emergency declared in southern Spain after flash floods hit the AndalucÃa region. Worst hit by the disaster were the provinces of Valencia, Extremadura and Asturias.
Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, Spain, received almost five inches 5 inches of rain from midnight to midday Saturday, flooding the regional capital. Torrents of water plunged rapidly downhill through the streets of the city with the main shopping quarter chest-deep in muddy water.
Monster storm hits Queensland, Australia causing heavy damage. More than 4000 lightning strikes within 80km of Brisbane were reported in one hour. Brisbane, Redlands, North Stradbroke and parts of the Gold Coast Logan and Moreton Bay were worst affected by the storm.
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E. coli outbreak in Belfast, Ireland grows to 124 confirmed cases with a further 166 probable cases.
52 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) have now been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to date. Of these, 25 have been fatal.
France and Spain join Italy and Switzerland in halting sales of Novartis flu vaccine.
The tree disease which killed 90% of Danish ash trees has spread to the British countryside. Ash dieback has been found in the wider environment at sites in East Anglia, and there are fears it could wreak the same kind of damage as Dutch elm disease in the Seventies. The Chalara fraxinea fungus, which causes leaf loss and crown dieback and can lead to tree death, wiped out 90 per cent of ash trees in Denmark in seven years.
A powerful storm has caused flooding in Spain's northeastern region, one woman was found dead and another two people are missing.
Resilient Tropical Storm Nadine again becomes a hurricane in the Atlantic, circling toward the Azores.
In the eastern Pacific, Super Typhoon Jelawat is closing in on Okinawa, Japan.
Tropical Storm Norman forms in the Eastern Pacific and is expected to go ashore late today or early tomorrow on the western coast of Mexico,
422 people have been killed and nearly 3,000 have been injured during the season of heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan. About five million people have been affected by the resulting floods.
Six people, including a young girl and an elderly woman, have died in floods that overturned cars and forced hundreds from their homes in southern Spain. At least 600 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the Andalusia province.
A weak tornado touched down in western Pennsylvania, USA yesterday. Little damage.
A tornado swept through a fair ground in Gandia, a town in southern Spain, knocking down a Ferris wheel and injuring 35 people.
