In a 13-month period in the UK there were six deaths and 112 cases of severe complications among children. Vaccinating all children is the only way to prevent severe illness and death from chickenpox.
Sewage systems do not break down Tamiflu, which means the main weapon against bird flu could seep into natural waters and make certain viruses resistant to the drug during a pandemic.
Bluetongue virus, which affects sheep and cows, has spread to the centre and east of the Netherlands, affecting 117 farms in those areas, the Dutch Agriculture Ministry said. Bluetongue is transmitted by insects and can be highly dangerous to sheep. It do
Government officials believe human error at the private pharmaceutical firm Merial Animal Health is the most likely source for the return of foot and mouth disease. Senior officials believe the virus may have been transported by an individual or by a car
Health officials say 2 recent incidents in which swimmers in Maryland were attacked by a rabid beaver should remind people that those "no swimming" signs are there for a reason. One rabid beaver, now dead, was responsible for an attack on a swimmer on Sun
An outbreak of measles has struck up to 21 children across South Yorkshire. All those affected are children aged between just three months and 12 years who have not had the MMR inoculation.
The public is being asked to help monitor Northern Ireland seal colonies following an outbreak of a deadly virus. Phocine distemper virus (PDV) wiped out half of northern Europe's seal population in 1998.
M. East, H. Hofer, J. Cox, U. Wulle, H. Wiik, and C. Pitra. Proceedings of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 98 (26):
15026--15031(December 2001)