Thursday, August 29, 2013

Florida DOH issues mosquito-borne disease advisory for Miami-Dade County | Vaccine News Daily

Florida DOH issues mosquito-borne disease advisory for Miami-Dade County | Vaccine News Daily
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory on Friday for Miami-Dade County after confirming 2013′s first locally-acquired dengue fever case in the area.
The DOH confirmed the case of dengue fever in an 18-year-old male. Dengue fever symptoms include pain behind the eyes, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, fever, headache, joint pain and confusion. The department said healthcare providers should contact their county health department if an individual is suspected of having a mosquito-borne illness.
The DOH in Miami-Dade County reminds Floridians to be diligent in their personal mosquito protection efforts with the phrase, “drain and cover.”

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Five Things About The Syrian Conflict That You Should Know | Egyptian Streets شوارع مصر

Five Things About The Syrian Conflict That You Should Know | Egyptian Streets شوارع مصر
Eventually, many members of Syria’s military defected and joined the rebels. These were soon joined by “jihadists” from abroad, many who had their own Islamist agendas. According to the co-founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres, 60 percent of those he had treated during his time in the north of Syria had been rebels and at least half of them had been non-Syrian. 
“It’s really something strange to see. They are directly saying that they aren’t interested in Bashar al-Assad’s fall, but are thinking about how to take power afterwards and set up an Islamic state with sharia law to become part of the world Emirate.” – Jacques Beres, co-founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres

Monday, August 26, 2013

Egyptian Tomb Bat found to be a perfect match for MERS viral origin | Vaccine News Daily

Egyptian Tomb Bat found to be a perfect match for MERS viral origin | Vaccine News Daily

Electronic Village: 544 Taser-Related Deaths in the United States Since 2001

Electronic Village: 544 Taser-Related Deaths in the United States Since 2001
Today we added 76-year old Zheng Diao (St. Louis Park, MN) as the 191st taser-related death in America since 2009. [NOTE: the full list is shown below].   Mr. Diao is the 2nd nursing home senior citizen electrocuted to death by the police with taser guns over the past few weeks.

According to Amnesty International, between 2001 and 2008, 351 people in the United States died after being shocked by police Tasers. Our blog has documented another 193 taser-related deaths in the United States in 2009-2013. That means there have been 544 documented taser-related deaths in America.

Friday, August 23, 2013

AFRICA/EGYPT - Tension for today’s demonstrations. A Coptic monastery attacked - Fides News Agency

AFRICA/EGYPT - Tension for today’s demonstrations. A Coptic monastery attacked - Fides News Agency
Tension for today’s demonstrations. A Coptic monastery attacked »
Cairo - "The situation has been calm so far but one lives in tension due to the demonstrations announced today by supporters of ousted President Morsi. I hope that nothing serious happens", says to Fides Agency Fr. Rafic Greiche, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops of Egypt
"In much of Egypt, security conditions are improving but not in Giza and Al Minya" says the priest.
In this regard, Fr. Greiche reported the assault against a Coptic Orthodox monastery in a small village near Al Minya. "A group of people attacked the monastery and beat the monks. The police intervened but it was too late for the monks who were taken to hospital. One is still in hospital, the other was discharged". "It must be said that it is not always easy for the police to move in areas such as Minya, where Christians are always on the alert for the presence of various jihadist groups", said Fr. Greiche
"Minya is one of the governorates where in the past there was a large number of terrorist attacks. It is one of the focal points of the presence of jihadist groups", recalls the priest.
"This is because the geography of the area favors the movements of these groups, often formed by Bedouin families who move easily, and can hide in the nearby mountains".
The authorities in Cairo have imposed strict security measures all over the country in view of the announced protests after Friday prayers.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

New York identifies encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in mosquitoes | Vaccine News Daily

New York identifies encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in mosquitoes | Vaccine News Daily
The health department identified EEEv in 15 pools of mosquitoes in Chautauqua and Oswego counties. Children under the age of 15 and adults over the age of 50 are at the greatest risk for contracting the severe disease. There were human cases of EEEv reported in 1971, 1983, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All five human cases were fatal.
The department identified two human cases of WNv, both of which occurred in New York City. Mosquitoes carrying WNv were identified in multiple New York counties, including Westchester, Suffolk, Rockland, Oswego, Onondaga, Nassau, Madison, Erie and Chautauqua. Last year, there were 107 cases of WNv identified in the state with nine fatal cases.

Monday, August 19, 2013

30 Years Ago: Remembering The Anti-Tamil Pogrom And Riots In Sri Lanka · Global Voices

30 Years Ago: Remembering The Anti-Tamil Pogrom And Riots In Sri Lanka · Global Voices

AFRICA/EGYPT - 58 churches destroyed. "But it is not a war between Christians and Muslims", says the spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops - Fides News Agency

AFRICA/EGYPT - 58 churches destroyed. "But it is not a war between Christians and Muslims", says the spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops - Fides News Agency
58 churches and Christian institutions were attacked and set on fire in Egypt in past days. This was reported to Fides Agency by Fr. Rafic Greiche, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops of Egypt. "Out of 58 churches attacked 14 are Catholic, the rest belong to the Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant communities" says Fr. Greiche. "The attacks against the churches took place all over the Country, but are concentrated especially in the areas of Al Minya and Assiut, because it is there that we find the headquarters of the jihadists, responsible for this violence", adds Fr. Greiche.
"It should be emphasized – the priest says - that Muslims who live in the vicinity of the affected churches have helped men and women religious to put out the fires of the religious buildings".
"This is not a civil war between Christians and Muslims", emphasizes Fr. Greiche. "It is not a civil war but a war against terrorism. And the majority of the population is against terrorism and religious extremism", concludes Fr. Greiche. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 19/08/2013)