Tropical diseases

Тhere is no risk of contamination as a result of the explosion and fire at a former centre for biological weapons development in the USSR, Russian authorities said today.

Police in Congo have detained the former minister of health amid an investigation into the use of Ebola funds as confirmed Ebola deaths rose to near 2,000 and confirmed cases of the virus exceeded 3,000 in the sprawling African nation.

The number of serious cases of West Nile virus infections in Greece dropped by 31 percent in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, according to the weekly report by the National Health Organization (EODY), published on Friday.

Тhirteen people suffering from West Nile fever have died in Greece since the beginning of this year, and another 131 have been infected with the virus, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday, quoted by Protothema.

Two new cases of West Nile fever in Bulgaria. The infection was confirmed after research by the Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.

The patients are a 2-year-old child from Burgas and a 64-year-old man from Montana. They have inflammation of the brain.

With the new patients, there are already four cases of West Nile fever in Bulgaria.

On 15 August, the reference laboratory for tick-borne infections at the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases confirmed two cases of West Nile fever, said the Ministry of Health.

An experimental drug developed by a US-based team of researchers led by a Greek scientist has been shown to dramatically improve survival rates for the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
The antibody cocktail called REGN-EB3 was developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals where Dr Christos Kyratsous is vice president of research, infectious diseases and viral vector technologies.

Two more people died from the West Nile Virus in the week that ended on August 8, according to the a weekly report by the National Health Organization (EODY), published on Thursday, bringing the total number for this year to four.
Both victims were both over the age of 80.

Currently there is no West Nile fever in Bulgaria. This was reported by BNT, quoted by Dr. Magdalena Baymakova of the Military Medical Academy.

According to the European Center for Infectious Disease Control, there are currently 33 people infected with the West Nile fever. They are in Greece, France, Hungary and Italy.

The Athens Medical Association (ISA) has expressed concern about the spread of West Nile virus and is urging the public to take all necessary precautions.
In a statement, it noted that there were 316 reported cases of the mosquito-borne infection last year, and that 50 of them were fatal. Most of the deaths, it said, were recorded in Attica.