Zoonoses - say what? You may have never heard this term, but, you have almost certainly heard of H1N1 or SARS or West Nile virus or Ebola virus. Zoonoses are microbiologic infections acquired from animals. Zoonoses can come in the form of bacteria, viruses or parasites. A "zoonosis" (the singular form of zoonoses) is any disease that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. It is estimated that over 60 % of all new human diseases are zoonotic and that over 70 % of these ...Read the rest of this entry »
Within hours of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti last week, the American Red Cross had begun mounting a massive relief effort, loading Miami-based planes with food and water, distributing thousands of blankets, plastic sheets and other supplies, pledging one million dollars of its own money and partnering with Verizon Wireless on a text campaign that would allow other concerned citizens to contribute more. (As of January 18, this partnership and donations via their website and ...Read the rest of this entry »
A three-story, $140 million temporary office and conference building opened Monday, signifying the start of a major renovation of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.The building is part of a larger renovation project estimated to be completed in 2013. The original 57-year-old building currently violates several New York City safety and fire codes, but more importantly, is filled with asbestos, a toxic fiberonce used in construction.Asbestos exposure is linked to several serious ...Read the rest of this entry »