News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Colombia is seeing twice the usual number of dengue cases this year, and Asian Pacific countries are also experiencing a rise in the mosquito-borne illness, according to health officials.

In Colombia, high temperatures from an unusually strong El Nino weather pattern, combined with heavy rains, helped double the number of dengue infection cases this year, ReliefWeb reported yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today said pandemic and seasonal flu activity across the globe is low, but said activity is increasing in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with significant action still occurring in certain tropical areas, such as India.

(CIDRAP News) – Pandemic flu activity remained low in most parts of the world, though some areas such as Caribbean countries continued to see active transmission, with increased activity reported in a few areas, including Colombia and parts of India, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Some parts of India and Colombia are reporting increases in pandemic flu activity, along with some deaths, while New Zealand, which is beginning its regular flu season, is reporting a rise in flu-like illnesses, particularly in young children.