Free Republic

Associated Press An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Sudan has killed 164 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday. Rift Valley Fever is normally a mild disease in humans with a fatality rate of around one percent. But in patients who develop the hemorrhagic fever form, the fatality rate is around 50 percent, according to the U.N. health agency. More than 221 people caught the virus over the last two weeks, bringing the total number of cases to 451, including those who died. Most of the cases occurred in White Nile, Sinnar, and Gezira states in eastern Sudan, WHO...

U.S. officials warn of new mosquito disease Associated Press Atlanta — As if West Nile virus were not bad enough, U.S. health officials are now on the lookout for another mosquito-borne disease, fearing it could become a permanent part of the U.S. landscape if it entered the country. Rift Valley fever, which originated in Africa, is the only disease at the top of both human health and agriculture lists of dangerous diseases. The virus can kill people, with a near 1-per-cent mortality rate, making it deadlier than West Nile. Rift Valley also poses a greater threat to cattle and sheep....