Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific:
Hurricane Seymour is located about about 565 mi…910 km SSW of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds…115 mph…185 km/h. Present movement…W or 280 degrees at 15 mph…24 km/h.
In the North Indian Ocean:
Tropical cyclone (tc) 03b (Three), located approximately 340 nm south of Chittagong, Bangladesh, is tracking westward at 06 knots.
Newsbytes:
Plymouth, England – Plymouth was hit by flash flooding last night as fire crews from all over the city, along with police, dealt with flooding incidents and people trapped in their vehicles. The heavy rain began falling hard around 5pm and caused issues across the city for motorists, home owners, pedestrians and emergency crews.
Disease
Hundreds of schistosomiasis cases in Liberia
Health officials in the northern Liberia county of Gbarpolu are reporting hundreds of cases of the parasitic disease, schistosomiasis, or snail fever, since September.
County Health Officer (CHO), Dr. Anthony Tucker, said, “We went on an outreach in that area and we were able to diagnosed 327 schistosomiasis cases and immediately administered a single dose of Praziquantel tablet to reduce the severity of the symptoms.”
According to locals, the lack of basic sanitation facilities and safe drinking water is making the disease to thrive in the region. Others say the lacks of regular awareness about some preventable diseases is a major cause of the snail fever and other diseases in the area.
Newcastle Disease in Namibia
Following an outbreak of the New Castle disease in Namibia on July this year, the country’s Agriculture Ministry has banned movement and trading of live birds in the country.
The Ministry confirmed that the contagious bird disease that is transmissible to humans, had been spreading in three regions, Oshana, Ohangwena and Oshikoto, in the north of the country.
This is not the first time New Castle disease is being reported in Namibia, but the magnitude of the current outbreak has not been seen in the country for a long period.