Authorities expand buffer zone around anthrax spot in Russia's Yamal

The buffer zone created around the hotbed of the anthrax outbreak in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous area has been expanded to 11,000 square kilometers, the press office of the region’s governor has told TASS.

Thawing Siberian permafrost releases anthrax virus in Russia killing thousands of people and wildlife

Anthrax outbreak in Russia after dormant form of virus released from thawed permafrost..

Study identifies ant pest as new threat to honey bees

One of the world's most invasive ant species could be accelerating the global decline of honey bees -- and carrying a previously unknown virus that could lead to its own demise, according to a New Zealand research out Wednesday.

Octagen Geo Science News (October 2015)

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French scientists have announced they found a new prehistoric virus in the frozen Siberian wastelands, and are planning to bring it back to life. 

They promise to make sure that the giant virus won’t harm anyone...............The virus is called Mollivirus sibericum, translated as ‘soft virus from Siberia’

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Eco Geo News (September 2015)

Turistas podrían causar un desastre ecológico en la Antártida

Los ambientalistas advierten de que la creciente popularidad del turismo polar podría amenazar seriamente al ecosistema de la región: los visitantes traen bacterias patógenas, que pondrían en peligro la salud de los pingüinos de la Antártida.

WHO experts to gather in Geneva to discuss use of experimental anti-Ebola drugs

GENEVA, September 04 /ITAR-TASS/. About 200 health experts will gather on Thursday in Geneva for a two-day conference to discuss all aspect of the use of experimental drugs that have not yet been tested on humans in anti-Ebola efforts. 

This meeting will be sequential to a mid-August conference of the World Health Organization (WHO), which gave green light to the use of anti-Ebola drugs tested only on monkeys.

Ebola: cases, deaths ‘vastly underestimated,’ says UN health agency

UN,  15 August 2014 – Health workers at Ebola outbreak sites are seeing evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths “vastly underestimate” the magnitude of the crisis as they work around the clock to stop the disease from spreading, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO, in its latest update on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa dated August 14, said no new cases have been detected in Nigeria, attributing the outcome to extensive contact tracing and monitoring, implemented with support from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

First UN report on antibiotic resistance reveals ‘serious threat’ to global public health. - WHO said that people can help tackle resistance...

UN, 30 April 2014 – Antibiotic resistance – when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections – is now a major threat to public health, says a new United Nations report released today.

The study, produced by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), is the first to look at antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, globally, and provides the most comprehensive picture to date, incorporating data from 114 countries.

Εφτιαξαν θανατηφόρα γρίπη στην Κίνα ....υβριδικό στέλεχος του ιού που δημιουργήθηκε από κινέζους ερευνητές

Την έντονη αντίδραση επιστημόνων από όλο τον κόσμο προκάλεσε η δημιουργία ενός νέου θανατηφόρου στελέχους της γρίπης που κατασκεύασαν προσχεδιασμένα στο εργαστήριο κινέζοι ερευνητές. Αν και το πείραμα που έκαναν δεν ξέφυγε από τα επιστημονικά όρια, όπως ισχυρίζονται οι ίδιοι, οι συνάδελφοί τους προειδοποιούν πως «η δημιουργία και μόνο ενός τόσο επιθετικού στελέχους θέτει το πείραμα εκτός των ορίων ασφάλειας για τον παγκόσμιο πληθυσμό».
Η κατασκευή νέων ιών στο εργαστήριο είναι μια συνήθης τακτική και χρησιμοποιείται ώστε να «προβλεφθεί η φύση». Η τακτική που ακολουθείται σε τέτοιου είδους πειράματα είναι να προσπαθήσουν να προβλέψουν την εξελικτική πορεία ενός στελέχους ιού μέσα στη φύση για τα επόμενα πέντε χρόνια, να δημιουργήσουν το αντίστοιχο στο εργαστήριο, ώστε ακολούθως να φτιάξουν και το αντιιικό φάρμακο ή εμβόλιο για να αποφευχθεί πανδημία με πολλούς νεκρούς. Ο τελικός στόχος δηλαδή είναι η πρόληψη.