Rising temperatures, longer monsoon drive Bangladesh’s worst dengue outbreak
Dhaka, BangladeshReuters Rising temperatures and a longer monsoon in Bangladesh because of climate change are providing ideal breeding conditions for the dengue-spreading mosquito, experts said, as the country grapples with its worst-ever outbreak of the viral disease. The death toll from Bangladesh’s outbreak in 2023 is 1,476 as of 12th November, with 291,832 infected, official […]
WHO backs malaria vaccine rollout for Africa’s children in major breakthrough
Nairobi, KenyaReuters The World Health Organization said on Wednesday the only approved vaccine against malaria should be widely given to African children, potentially marking a major advance against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people annually. The WHO recommendation is for RTS,S – or Mosquirix – a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. […]
Scientists map out mosquito immune system to help fight malaria
London, UKReuters Scientists have created the first full map of mosquito immune cells and found a new type of cell that could have a role in how mosquitos are able to fight off malaria. The findings, published in the journal Science, could help scientists uncover new ways of preventing mosquitos from spreading the malaria parasite […]
Kathmandu battles new threat as temperatures rise: dengue fever
Kathmandu, NepalThomson Reuters Foundation For Prabina Maharjan, it started with a headache, which then turned into fever and body pain. When she finally turned up at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital a week ago, tests showed something odd for this high-elevation city: dengue fever, a scourge more associated with Nepal’s low-lying tropics. Hospital […]
“Breakthrough” in mosquito-packed drones to combat Zika in Brazil
Thomson Reuters Foundation Millions of sterile mosquitoes will be released from drones over parts of Brazil to combat the Zika virus, after successful field tests were hailed as a “breakthrough” by the United Nations. Once freed, the sterilised, laboratory-bred male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – which spread Zika, dengue and yellow fever by biting humans – mate with […]
STRANGESIGHTS: MORE OLYMPIC ODDITY; CELEBRATING MOSQUITOS; DOGS NOT OUR BEST FRIEND; AND, A BOX-LIKE CHURCH IN VIENNA…
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…