Panic gripped villagers of Bhandardaha Morichpara area in Thakurgaon's Baliadangi upazila after five of a family died from an “unknown disease”, while three others, related to the deceased, were hospitalised with similar symptoms in the last twenty days.

Zika, a virus which is known to have affected mainly pregnant women and is currently an epidemic around the globe, was found in Bangladesh in 2014. The trace was found within a blood sample taken in 2014 from a sexagenarian in Chittagong, state minister for health, told reporters.

A final safeguard against the irresponsible development of gene drive technology is to ensure that early interventions are developed exclusively by governments and non-profit organisations.

A new gene that makes bacteria highly resistant to a last-resort class of antibiotics has been found in people and pigs in China - including in samples of bacteria with epidemic potential, researchers said on Wednesday.

To prevent epidemics, American tech compnay Microsoft is developing autonomous drones that collect mosquitoes to look for early signs of potentially harmful viruses being spread by them.

Sierra Leone's Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana has placed himself in 21-day quarantine after one of his bodyguards died of Ebola.