2020: the year for action, to ‘rise up’ and safeguard ocean life 

Feb 06, 2020, at 09:05 am

New York/IBNS: With the ocean in deep crisis, members of civil society and philanthropic organisations are urging governments and corporations to take bold action to safeguard the ocean.  After a two-day preparatory meeting in New York ahead of June’s UN Ocean Conference in Portugal, activists handed over what they termed “A Blue Call to Action” to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Wednesday.  

$675 million appeal to stop coronavirus in its tracks, as deaths rise

Feb 06, 2020, at 08:52 am

New York/IBNS: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed on Wednesday for $675 million to boost international measures to counter the new coronavirus epidemic, as deaths from the outbreak neared 500.

Coronavirus: 2,528 people under observation in Kerala

Feb 05, 2020, at 09:40 pm

Thiruvananthapuram/UNI: Though no new positive case of Coronavirus was reported in Kerala on Wednesday, 2,528 people are placed under surveillance in the State, of which 93 are in the isolation wards in different hospitals across the State, Health Minister KK Shailaja said.

Malaysia announces 2 coronavirus cases among Wuhan evacuees

Feb 05, 2020, at 05:56 pm

Bangkok/Sputnik/UNI: Malaysia confirmed two cases of the coronavirus among its nationals who had been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, according to the country's health authorities say media reports.

Saudi Arabia confirms bird flu case at farm in Riyadh

Feb 05, 2020, at 05:29 pm

Riyadh/Xinhua/UNI: Saudi Arabia has conformed a bird flu case at a farm in Riyadh, Arab News reported late on Tuesday.

Global measles vaccination drive to protect up to 45 million children: Report

Feb 05, 2020, at 05:06 pm

London/IBNS: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will help vaccinate up to 45 million children in seven developing countries over the next six months in a series of major vaccination campaigns to help halt a recent surge in global measles cases.

Malaysia reports first recovered case from novel coronavirus

Feb 05, 2020, at 10:29 am

Kualalumpur/Xinhua/UNI: A four-year-old Chinese national who had previously diagnosed with the novel coronavirus has fully recovered and will be allowed to return home to China, the Malaysian Health Ministry said late Tuesday.

Ocean Conference has potential to be a ‘global game-changer’

Feb 05, 2020, at 10:03 am

New York/IBNS: The second global Ocean Conference taking place in Portugal in a few months’ time promises to be “a critical moment” for the health of life under water and on land, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday, as preparations got underway.

China: Coronavirus death toll touches 490

Feb 05, 2020, at 08:45 am

Beijing/IBNS: The death toll due to the outbreak of coronavirus in China touched 490 on Wednesday, media reports said.

Australia launches investigation after dozens of koalas found dead in land-clearing

Feb 04, 2020, at 05:48 pm

Sydney/Xinhua/UNI: An investigation has been launched after a distressing land-clearing incident in Australian that has left around 40 koalas dead and another 80 in need of care.

Coronavirus in India: Kerala on high alert after third citizen confirmed infected

Feb 04, 2020, at 04:27 pm

Thiruvananthapuram/IBNS: After declaring Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as state calamity, the Kerala government has put all its health machineries on high alert as all three confirmed cases in India so far were reported from this southernmost state, senior health officials said.

Hong Kong reports first Coronavirus death

Feb 04, 2020, at 04:13 pm

Hong Kong/IBNS: Hong Kong City reported its first case of death from the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday.

Tackle ‘unacceptable inequalities’ in cancer care, saving up to seven million lives, WHO urges

Feb 04, 2020, at 10:27 am

New York/IBNS: Global cancer rates could rise by 60 per cent over the next 20 years unless cancer care is ramped up in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Climate action ‘both a priority and a driver of the decade’: Guterres

Feb 04, 2020, at 10:23 am

New York/IBNS: Climate action will be both a priority and a driver of world affairs through the coming decade, United Nations Secretary-General chief António Guterres announced on Monday, during a speech at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday, in which he declared that the next ten years will be “crucial for achieving a fair globalization, boosting economic growth and building peaceful societies”.

Coronavirus emergency: here's what we know so far

Feb 04, 2020, at 10:14 am

New York/IBNS: A new strain of coronavirus (officially named 2019-nCoV), which has caused respiratory diseases in China, and spread to at least 23 other countries, has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO). Here are the basic facts you need to know about the virus (figures correct as of February 3 2020).

WHO official praises China's "proactive" response to coronavirus outbreak

Feb 03, 2020, at 10:17 pm

Manila/Xinhua: A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday praised China for its "proactive" effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus: 132 Chinese tourists undergo check-up 

Feb 03, 2020, at 06:05 pm

Kushinagar/UNI: In view of the Coronavirus in China, 132 Chinese tourists were checked up by a team of the health department in this district of Uttar Pradesh.

Cabinet Secretary holds review meeting on Novel Coronavirus

Feb 03, 2020, at 05:09 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: At a time when third case of coronavirus outbreak was reported in India, the Cabinet Secretary held a high level review meeting on the preparedness for Novel Coronavirus with Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare,External Affairs, Home Affairs, Civil Aviation, Dept of Health Research, and representatives fromITBP, AFMS and NDMA, here on Monday.

French Health Minister says 20 evacuees from China showing signs of coronavirus infection

Feb 03, 2020, at 10:10 am

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: About 20 passenger of France’s evacuation flight from virus-stricken Wuhan, China have displayed symptoms of infection with coronavirus and are currently under medical supervision in the very plane they arrived, said Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn.

Coronavirus: Death toll touches 361, China set to open new hospital in Wuhan

Feb 03, 2020, at 09:41 am

Beijing/IBNS: China is all set to open a new hospital in Wuhan city of the country where the deadly Coronavirus outbreak took place.

Second coronavirus case reported in Kerala

Feb 02, 2020, at 10:39 pm

Thrissur/UNI: With India's second case of coronavirus reported in Kerala, medical officers in Thrissur have stepped up the monitoring and supervision of all suspected patients even as the condition of the affected girl student in the isolation ward of medical college is reported stable.

Free online medical services help curb coronavirus outbreak

Feb 02, 2020, at 09:03 pm

Hefei/Xinhua/UNI: Chinese hospitals and companies have launched free online medical consultation services in an effort to avoid cross-infections and ease pressure on hospitals amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Eighth coronavirus case in US confirmed in Boston, Massachusetts - health officials

Feb 02, 2020, at 09:00 pm

Washington/Sputnik/UNI: An eighth case of coronavirus infection has been confirmed in the United States in a man in his 20’s returning to Boston from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, state health officials said Saturday.

North Korea sends aid to China to help fight against coronavirus

Feb 02, 2020, at 08:52 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Pyongyang has sent aid to China to help it in battling the deadly coronavirus outbreak, while North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended words of support in a letter to President Xi Jinping, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

Mother-to-child transmission of novel coronavirus possible: expert

Feb 02, 2020, at 08:47 pm

Hangzhou/Xinhua/UNI: There is a potential risk of mother-to-child transmission of the novel coronavirus infection, according to Chen Zhimin, an expert from the respiratory medicine department of the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University.

First Coronavirus death outside China: Man dies in the Philippines

Feb 02, 2020, at 06:00 pm

Manila/IBNS: In the first case of death reported outside China, a person died from the disease in the Philippines, media reports said on Sunday.

Coronavirus death toll in China rises to 304 with 13,983 confirmed cases: Reports

Feb 02, 2020, at 09:34 am

Beijing/Sputnik: The death toll from the Novel Coronavirus in China has reached 304 with 45 new fatalities recorded by close of Saturday, Chinese state media reported.

Free online medical services help curb coronavirus outbreak

Feb 02, 2020, at 09:15 am

Hefei/Xinhua: Chinese hospitals and companies have launched free online medical consultation services in an effort to avoid cross-infections and ease pressure on hospitals amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Eighth coronavirus case in US: Boston Health officials

Feb 02, 2020, at 08:42 am

Washington/Sputnik: The eighth case of coronavirus infection has been confirmed in the United States as a man in his 20’s got infected with it after he returned to Boston from Wuhan city, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, state health officials said Saturday.

Chinese central bank promises support for coronavirus-affected companies

Feb 01, 2020, at 05:51 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: The People's Bank of China on Saturday promised to help companies that have suffered losses from the coronavirus outbreak by lowering the interest rate on loans and increasing financial support for them.