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'People thought it was witchcraft': DR Congo's Ebola outbreak

The Ebola virus was circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo for several weeks before the outbreak was identified and declared, during which time affected communities believed it to be a "mystical illness".

Deadly DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to M23-held South Kivu

A first Ebola case has been confirmed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, in an area under the Rwanda-backed M23 militia's control, the armed group's spokesman said Thursday.

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In Belgium, health expert readies to fly to DR Congo Ebola zone

Days before flying out to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help tackle a raging Ebola outbreak, Belgian infectious disease specialist Laurens Liesenborghs has one certainty: He is "preparing for a marathon and not for a sprint."

Worried and under-equipped, Ebola-hit east DR Congo awaits medical aid

At the hospital in Rwampara, one of the epicentres of a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a simple plastic strip marked off the isolation centre for patients, yet to be built.

Hantavirus cruise operator says ship not source of outbreak

The operator of the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak said the virus was likely introduced before passengers boarded and did not originate on the vessel itself.

Norway reports Europe's first case of bird flu in a polar bear

Norwegian authorities on Tuesday announced that avian influenza has been documented in a polar bear for the first time in Europe, in the Svalbard region in the Arctic.

Long-running conflicts muddy DR Congo Ebola response

Attempts to get a grip on the Ebola outbreak currently spreading in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been complicated by the restive region's litany of long-running conflicts.

WHO worried about 'scale and speed' of deadly Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization chief voiced concern on Tuesday about the "scale and speed" of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has killed an estimated 131 people.

Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks sign of our 'dangerous' times: WHO

The deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks are only the latest crises in "dangerous and divisive" times, the World Health Organization chief said Monday.

New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: What we know

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo believed to have killed more than 90 people has been declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO kicks off annual assembly amid hantavirus, Ebola crises

World Health Organization member states gather for their annual meeting in Geneva Monday amid concern over deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks and uncertainty over announced US and Argentinian withdrawals.

In Tierra del Fuego, a hunt for the rodent carrier of hantavirus

A scientific mission was set to kick off the search Monday for rodents that may be hantavirus carriers after an outbreak on a cruise ship departed this region at the southern tip of Argentina on April 1.

Hantavirus-hit cruise ship nears end of voyage, to dock in Rotterdam

A cruise ship that sparked global alarm after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus will end its voyage in Rotterdam on Monday, with its remaining skeleton crew facing weeks of quarantine.

Canadian cruise passenger confirmed positive for hantavirus

A Canadian who was aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has tested positive for the Andes hantavirus, public health officials said Sunday.

Canada cruise passenger 'presumptive positive' for hantavirus

Canadian public health officials said Saturday a "high risk" passenger who was aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius tested "presumptive positive" for the Andes hantavirus.

No vaccine for latest Ebola outbreak, DRC warns as as toll hits 80

A new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has caused scores of deaths has a "very high lethality rate" and no vaccine nor specific treatment, the country's health minister warned Saturday.

New deadly Ebola outbreak hits DR Congo, 1 dead in Uganda

A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has been declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, African health officials said Friday, with neighbouring Uganda also confirming one related death.

New deadly Ebola outbreak hits DR Congo

A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has been declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, African health officials said Friday, voicing concern of the risk it could further spread.

NZ passenger from hantavirus cruise quarantines in Taiwan

A New Zealand passenger from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship is in hospital quarantine in Taiwan, Taiwanese health authorities said Friday.

Passenger from hantavirus cruise quarantines on remote Pitcairn Island

A passenger from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship is in quarantine on tiny Pitcairn Island, a volcanic outcrop in the South Pacific famously settled by mutineers from the HMS Bounty.

Six hantavirus cruise passengers land in Australia

A plane carrying six passengers caught up in the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship landed Friday at a military airbase in western Australia, where they will immediately enter a strict three-week quarantine.

Nobel winner Mukwege warns of predatory US deal for DR Congo

A US-brokered peace deal in the DR Congo is more focused on plundering the country's resources than offering security, Nobel Peace Prize-winning Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege has told AFP.

France locks down 1,700 on cruise ship after 92-year-old dies

French authorities on Wednesday confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship after an elderly passenger died and dozens suffered upset stomachs, health officials said.

No cadmium please: French want less toxin in their baguettes

France is mulling how to prevent people from ingesting too much of the heavy metal cadmium, after a warning their breakfast cereal and baguettes could be contaminated with the toxin.

France locks down 1,700 on cruise ship after 90-year-old dies

French authorities on Wednesday confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after an elderly passenger died, said officials, who played down any links to the hantavirus scare.

Poor planning fuels Bangladesh contraceptive crisis

Bangladesh's once-praised family planning system is buckling under severe contraceptive shortages, raising fears of a rise in unplanned pregnancies in one of the world's most densely populated countries.

Why are some people mosquito magnets? Clues are emerging

Ever felt like mosquitoes bite you while ignoring everyone else? Scientists are now making progress in deciphering the complex chemical cocktail that makes particular people more enticing to these disease-spreading bloodsuckers.

Vitamins over vaccines: misinformation entrenched amid Indonesia measles surge

A surge in measles cases in Indonesia has made stay-at-home mother Fitri Fransiskha uneasy -- but not enough to vaccinate her four children against the highly contagious and deadly virus.

US Supreme Court maintains mail access to abortion pill for now

The US Supreme Court on Monday temporarily maintained mail access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone.

Final hantavirus ship evacuations begin after weather delay

The final evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak started in Spain's Canary Islands on Monday after unfavourable weather conditions unexpectedly forced it to dock.

Hantavirus: confirmed cases by nationality

Here is a roundup of which countries have confirmed or probable cases of nationals infected by hantavirus after the outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, according to the World Health Organization.

Australia to quarantine six people from hantavirus ship

Australia will place six people from a cruise ship struck with the rat-borne hantavirus in a purpose-built quarantine facility north of Perth for at least three weeks, the government said Monday.

US citizen from hantavirus ship tests positive

The operation to repatriate passengers of the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak continued into Monday, as US officials said an American had tested positive for the virus.

Hantavirus outbreak renews painful memories for Patagonian village

Mailen Valle lost her father and two sisters during a hantavirus outbreak more than seven years ago in Epuyen, a village in Argentina's Patagonia region.

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