Three people have died in what Danish health authorities say is a large outbreak of salmonella that has left 33 people ill. Nineteen people have been treated in hospital, according to Denmark’s SSI health agency. Those involved in the outbreak are aged between two and 92. All those affected ate Husk brand psyllium husk capsules from batches recalled by manufacturer Orkla Care. Authorities found traces of salmonella in the products at patients’ homes. The herbal products are generally used as a laxative. Luise Müller of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut said it was the first time the agency had found a herbal medicine to be the cause of a salmonella outbreak.

It is not clear which ingredient could have caused the poisoning. Salmonella bacteria can be found in raw or undercooked meat, eggs or other food products. Infection can cause fever, diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting and in some cases death.(BBC)…[+]

Tropical cyclone Seroja has ripped across a 1,000km (621-mile) stretch of Western Australia, leaving a trail of damage. The category three storm made landfall near the town of Kalbarri on Sunday with gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph). The storm was later downgraded to a tropical low, though strong winds continue to move south-east. Residents reported smashed houses, fallen trees and downed power lines. Kalbarri resident Debbie Major said the storm, which hit the resort town around 19:00 local time (11:00 GMT), raged through the night and was “absolutely terrifying”. “You just thought, this is it. I would have thought that when we opened the door, that there would be nothing around us except that roof,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.(BBC)…[+]

Chile’s Health Minister Enrique Paris has been striking a gloomy note at his daily Covid news conferences in recent days. The number of daily cases reached a new record high on 9 April, going over 9,000 for the first time since the pandemic began and considerably higher than the previous peak of just under 7,000 cases in mid-June. ” It’s worrying,” he said last Friday. “We’re going through a critical moment of the pandemic… I urge you to take care of yourselves, of your loved ones, of your families.” Intensive care units are again overwhelmed, the country has for a second time closed its borders to everyone who is not a resident and most of its 18 million inhabitants are back in lockdown. “It feels like we’re going backwards,” says Santiago resident Sofía Pinto. “We need to download special permits online to be allowed out just twice a week for essential things like food shopping or doctor’s visits.”(BBC)…[+]