Kremlin denies rumors of a suspected plague outbreak in Russia

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged people on Wednesday not to believe false reports of a suspected plague outbreak in Russia's Irkutsk province (Siberia) and to rely instead on official information from the state agency Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian body responsible for ensuring public health, epidemiological control, and product safety.

Rio de Janeiro: Dengue spike prompts health emergency ahead of Carnival

The authorities in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have declared a health emergency as they try to contain the spread of dengue fever.

Some US senators ask Biden to impose China travel ban after respiratory illness cases

Five Republican senators led by Marco Rubio on Friday asked President Joe Biden’s administration to ban travel between the United States and China after a spike in Chinese respiratory illness cases.

Russian DM: flooding of the Kherson region can create source of mosquito-borne diseases

In the Kherson region, focus of mosquito-borne diseases may form. Igor Kirillov, head of the  the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, announced this.

WHO says it advised Ukraine to destroy pathogens in health labs | Al Jazeera

The World Health Organization (WHO) advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in the country’s public health laboratories to prevent “any potential spills” that would spread disease among the population, the agency told the Reuters news agency.

Haiti begins 3 days of mourning for hurricane victims as aid arrives. One of the main fears at this point is cholera, with 13 deaths already

The island nation of Haiti has begun three days of national mourning for the hundreds killed by Hurricane Matthew.

Poland refuses to accept refugees after Brussels attack

Poland's prime minister says his country is no longer prepared to take the 7,000 refugees it agreed to accept in negotiations with the European Union because of the deadly Brussels attacks.

Malaysia warns against hot, dry weather due to strong El Nino phenomenon

Malaysian government warns public on Monday to prepare for the hot and dry weather due to strong El Niño phenomenon.

Yemen war leaves 16 million without clean water

Almost two-thirds of the population of war-torn Yemen has no access to clean water, two months into the Saudi-led air campaign against rebel forces, relief agency Oxfam said Tuesday.

Russia bans cattle imports from Romania over mad cow disease outbreak

A ban on imports of live cattle and sheep from all European Union countries over bluetongue disease, or catarrhal fever of sheep, and Schmallenberg virus has been in force since 2012...

Russia’s federal veterinary and phytosanitary control authority, or Rosselkhoznadzor, has banned imports of bovine cattle, beef and by-products from Romania over an outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease.

Landslides, disease pose threats in wake of epic flooding in Balkans (UN)

UN,  23 May 2014 – United Nations humanitarian agencies today raised concerns about landslides and possible water-borne diseases from the worst flooding in Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in more than a century, which may have disturbed minefields from the Bosnian war.

As relief efforts in the region, including Croatia, continue, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) readied for another airlift of emergency supplies to arrive in the Balkans tomorrow morning.