Health warning

France: Shepherds’ Guard Dogs Imperil Hikers

Date: August 7th, 2008 |

Pyrenean mountain dogs (Great Pyrenees) brought into the French Alps to protect sheep from wolves have created problems for summer hikers, attacking and injuring several in recent weeks. The issue has become serious enough that mountain guides have stopped taking clients to certain areas to avoid encounters with aggressive dogs. Wolves recolonized the French Alps [read more]

Cyprus: Drought Prompts Shipping of Water from Greece

Date: July 2nd, 2008 |

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Water reserves on Cyprus are at their lowest levels since 1908 after four winters with little rain. To avoid rationing, particularly in the tourist districts, authorities are sailing two water tankers a day from Greece to Limassol and pumping drinking water via an undersea pipeline to the island’s distribution network. The plan calls for the [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Still Rots, Raises Health Concerns

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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For months Naples has been living in a garbage heap because all dumps are full and there has been no place to haul away debris. Now the U.S. military is sampling tap water and soil for pesticides and other pollutants to gauge the health risks to its personnel of living in and around the city. [read more]

Brazil: Dengue Fever Crisis in Rio de Janeiro

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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Some 33,000 people have contracted dengue fever and 48 have died in Rio de Janeiro state this year in what appears to be an epidemic of the disease. Already more people have died this year than in all of 2002, the last year Rio had a dengue epidemic, and the vast majority have been in [read more]

Bolivia: Yellow Fever Vaccinations Required

Date: March 20th, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in La Paz reported March 14 that airlines flying to Bolivia have recently been refusing to accept passengers who do not have valid yellow fever vaccinations. Because of recent heavy rains the government has decreed that arriving travelers must be vaccinated for the disease. The Embassy said it is seeking further clarification [read more]

Uganda: Dutch Tourist Dies from Marburg Virus Contracted in a Cave

Date: July 23rd, 2008 |

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A Dutch woman who was brushed by a fruit bat in a cave in the Maramagambo Forest died of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. The deadly Marburg virus is similar to the Ebola virus. The caves in the Maramagambo Forest have been visited by foreign and local tourists and even school groups for a decade without incident, [read more]

Australia: Spider Bite Could Cost Englishman a Kidney

Date: June 25th, 2008 |

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From snakes to crocodiles to sharks to jellyfish, Australia’s reputation for creatures that can sicken or kill is well known, but the effects of a recent spider bite on an Englishman emphasizes the importance of seeking immediate treatment if you do not know what bit you. Last month a Londoner on vacation in the Northern [read more]

Argentina: Bushfire Smoke Plagues Buenos Aires

Date: April 23rd, 2008 |

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Smoke from illegal bush fires blamed on farmers clearing land near Buenos Aires covered the capital for more than a week before winds pushed it away from the city. The pall caused air traffic controllers to cancel landings at Buenos Aires airports and police to close major highways because of poor visibility. The smoke drifted [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Cleanup Making Progress

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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The piles of uncollected garbage that plagued Naples the past several months are gone from the center of the city thanks to the efforts of “trash tsar” Gianni De Gennaro, but the damage has been done to the area’s tourism industry. Business at hotels and restaurants has dried up and the city is largely empty [read more]

Argentina: Yellow Fever Case near Paraguay Border

Date: March 6th, 2008 |

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A yellow fever outbreak in Paraguay that killed eight people has spread to Argentina, where a farm worker in Misiones province that borders Paraguay contracted the disease. The cases in Paraguay were the first incidences of the mosquito-borne illness since 1974. A vaccination campaign is under way in the Argentine provinces that border [read more]