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Articles on Mosquito-borne virus

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West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes. About 80 per cent of infected people have no symptoms, but the virus can cause encephalitis and can be life-threatening. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

What Canadians need to know about West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne infection that can be life-threatening

West Nile virus arrived in North America in 1999 and spread across the continent by 2005. Here’s what you need to know about this mosquito-borne pathogen.
People catch La Crosse disease primarily from the bite of the eastern tree-hole mosquito – although two other species may also carry the virus. Nipol Plobmuang/EyeEm via Getty Images

La Crosse virus is the second-most common virus in the US spread by mosquitoes – and can cause severe neurological damage in rare cases

Not all cases of La Crosse disease affect the neurological system, but those that do can be severe and sometimes fatal – especially in children.
Cameron Webb/NSW Health Pathology

Where do all the mosquitoes go in the winter?

Mosquitoes are commonplace in summer but where do they go once the weather cools? They don’t completely disappear but find fascinating ways to survive the winter.
Tracking mosquitoes in our backyards, such as Aedes notoscriptus, helps authorities work out future health risks. Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology)

This mosquito species from Papua New Guinea was lost for 90 years – until a photographer snapped a picture of it in Australia

Tracking mosquitoes is essential to understanding their pest and public health risks. You can help too – here’s how.
The Aedes mosquito can transmit several viruses including dengue, yellow fever and Zika. Joao Paulo Burini/GettyImages

Three things you should know about mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are among the deadliest animals in the world. Half of the deaths attributed to them are associated with malaria. But they carry other parasites and viruses that threaten human health.
Although yellow fever does not currently exist in Australia, the species Aedes aegypti - which can transmit the disease - is found widely across northern Queensland. The virus remains a global health concern, but citizen scientists could help prevent its spread. Simon Kutcher/flickr

As heat strikes, here’s one way to help fight disease-carrying and nuisance mosquitoes

Nuisance-biting and mosquito-borne disease are ongoing concerns for health authorities. But an effective citizen science program is now showing how all of us can help beat the bite of mozzies.
A patient with symptoms of the Chikungunya virus in a Dominican hospital. Outbreaks have been reported in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Reuters/Ricardo Rojas

Chikungunya epidemic casts its pall: what you should know

There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat the chikungunya virus infection. The only available method of prevention is through shielding people from mosquito bites.
A human-dependent mosquito, the range of the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti is projected to grow in the U.S. and affect more people globally. sanofi-pasteur/flickr

Global warming to expose more people to Zika-spreading mosquito Aedes aegypti

More people in the U.S. and world will be exposed to the disease-carrying mosquito Aedes aegypti, not just because of warmer temperatures but global population changes as well.

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