Disease

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 24 and 25 August 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 15 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 2 deaths. Eleven (11) of these reported cases are associated with a MERS-CoV outbreak currently occurring in a hospital in Riyadh city.

Polio in the Ukraine

Two children in southwestern Ukraine have been paralysed by polio, the first outbreak of the disease in Europe since 2010, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, in a setback for a global eradication campaign.

The WHO said Ukraine had been at particular risk of an outbreak because of inadequate vaccination coverage. In 2014, only 50 percent of children were fully immunised against polio and other preventable diseases.

The risk of further spread within the country is high, although the threat to nearby Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia is low.

There is no cure for polio, which attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection. It mainly affects young children in areas with poor sanitation.

A global vaccination campaign has largely stamped out the virus, and only Pakistan and Afghanistan have reported cases of wild polio virus this year. Madagascar and Nigeria have suffered vaccine-derived outbreaks, like Ukraine.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Chernobyl, Russia

At least 6 wildfires are raging in the exclusion zone of drought-stricken land surrounding the remains of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. It's the second fire to hit the area since late April.

In February, researchers warned that fires nearby Chernobyl "pose a high risk of redistributing radioactivity." And, say scientists, wildfires in the area could become more frequent and more intense due to climate change.

Wildfires - Washington State, USA

Strong winds and 100-degree temperatures sent one fire in the central part of the state skipping through a subdivision, sparing some homes and burning others to the ground. Two dozen homes were destroyed in a fast-moving wildfire Sunday night in Wenatchee, a central Washington city about 120 miles east of Seattle. A handful of businesses also were destroyed when flames spread to the downtown core. Hundreds of firefighters have been called in from around the state to try to bring the blaze under control.

Storms and Floods

Snowstorm in Kiev, Ukraine

A state of emergency has been declared due to heavy snowfall in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine.

Kiev received 20 inches of snow in a 24-hour period. This is what Kiev usually receives per month during this season.

Winter Storm in Britain Continues.

Numerous roads in many regions became impassable after snow on Friday and Saturday. For Sunday the Met Office has warned that lying snow in many areas will melt on roads and pavements by day, refreezing by night to give icy patches. Some places, mainly in eastern England, will continue to get light snow, possibly up to a couple of inches. Also, snow blowing off fields in strong to gale force winds will affect some roads, especially over high ground.

Up to 18,000 properties in Northern Ireland, 10,000 in Scotland and 2,000 in Wales have been without power overnight despite efforts by energy firms to reconnect them. Weather warnings also remain in place across much of the UK after two days of wintery conditions. Two people are known to have died - one in Lancashire and one in Cornwall.

U.S. Snowstorm takes aim at Plains, Midwest

Baseball-sized hail and an early spring snowstorm forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads Saturday as it moved eastward, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places.

The major early spring storm brought heavy snow, severe thunderstorms and floods as it moved east across the United States on Saturday, closing highways, forcing flight cancellations and causing a pileup involving dozens of vehicles. Blowing and drifting snow closed several roads in Colorado, including Interstate 70 in both directions east of Denver to the Kansas state line.

Other News:

Three soldiers have died after struck by lightning Saturday afternoon at Upper Orakzi agency in Pakistan. Five others were injured.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Cyclone Evan has left a swathe of destruction across Fiji, destroying homes, flooding rivers and stranding thousands of tourists. The storm hammered the Pacific nation for more than 12 hours. Despite the damage, officials reported no fatalities as the storm headed out to sea on Tuesday morning

 

Flash floods and landslides have killed at least nine people and left thousands homeless in Sri Lanka.

Hailstorm in Uganda

-Hailstorm killed seven and destroyed landing sites on Lake Albert in Uganda.

-One hour long storm destroyed over 30 houses at Nsonga landing site.

-The storm also badly hit Kyabasambu, Nsunzu and Senjojo landing sites.

-The storm destroyed several churches and clinics. Following local fishermen, the heavy downpour also destroyed 26 boats.

Cold has killed 37 people in Ukraine so far this month as temperatures reached minus 23 Celsius in parts of the former Soviet Republic. Night temperatures are expected to drop to -28 C in northern, central and eastern Ukraine this week. The cold snap followed heavy snowfall which left some areas covered with as much as 53 cm (21 inches) of snow.

Storms and Floods

Thousands of people have been evacuated in the Philippines ahead of the powerful typhoon Bopha expected to hit the island nation on 4 December.

A powerful cyclone caused disruption in air traffic between Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East and the rest of the country. The air traffic was expected to be interrupted until Monday. This is the seventh cyclone that hit the peninsula in the last four weeks. Heavy snowfall also caused disruption in road traffic and short-time breaks in electricity supply. The risk of avalanches in mountainous regions has been raised also.

Cyclone from the Balkans moves to Ukraine, weather to worsen.

Drought

Ukraine has confirmed that it will ban wheat exports from November 15 after poor weather conditions slashed its harvest yield. Drought across Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan during the growing season has resulted in exceptionally low harvests.