All infected cases were males aged between nine to 45 years and were reported within the Kozhikode district of Kerala, reports say.

Malaria kills over 600,000 each year globally, most of them children in Africa.

Legionnaires' disease, caused by the legionella bacteria, can result in a severe form of pneumonia.

Rescue work has been hindered by the political fractures in the country, which has been war on-and-off and lacked a government with nationwide reach since a Nato-backed uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Omicron offshoot carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023.

The alert about Cold Out is the latest warning issued in recent months about contaminated cough syrups sold worldwide.

Dengue rates are rising globally, with reported cases since 2000 up eight-fold to 4.2 million in 2022, WHO says.

The UN agency has issued a warning about a syrup branded as Naturcold, which was sold in Cameroon and linked by authorities there with at least six children's' deaths.

People with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and diabetes, as well as pregnant women, children and homeless people, are seen as the most vulnerable to heatwaves.

The acceptable daily intake level however remains unchanged.

Aspartame is used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks.

With demand for Covid-19 vaccines dwindling, the partners are now working out how best to use the remaining cash – a significant sum in global health – alongside the donors who originally pledged it.