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Articles on Dengue

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Children run as an agent of the National Institute of Public Hygiene carries out fumigation in the Anyama district of Abidjan,Ivory Coast. SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images

More dengue fever and less malaria – mosquito control strategies may need to shift as Africa heats up

A warming climate may change the types of viruses that thrive. A new report suggests that the threat of malaria may be replaced by dengue, for which there is no treatment and no cure.
In 2018 scientists of the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control tested a new way to suppress mosquito populations carrying the Zika virus. RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?

Release of GM mosquitoes in Florida is imminent. But a multidisciplinary team of scientists believe that more studies are needed first. They encourage a publicly accessible registry for GM organisms.
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.
Australia’s dengue cases are usually limited to far north Queensland. Shutterstock

After decades away, dengue returns to central Queensland

Mosquito-borne dengue virus returned to central Queensland after being absent for decades. But while most Australian cases involve travellers, this one is locally acquired.
We might not be able to use common insecticides to kill mosquitoes that arrive from other countries. from www.shutterstock.com

Stowaway mozzies enter Australia from Asian holiday spots – and they’re resistant to insecticides

Been on a tropical holiday? You might have brought home more than just a new sarong and extra colour in your cheeks – perhaps a mosquito that spreads dengue, or another known as ‘the BBQ stopper’.
A female Anopheles stephensi mosquito bites a human to get a blood meal through its pointed proboscis. A droplet of blood is expelled from the abdomen after having engorged itself. Jim Gathany/Wikimedia Commons

Using gene drives to control wild mosquito populations and wipe out malaria

Researchers are exploring genetic forms of population control called gene drives that spread traits faster that happens naturally. The goal is to curb mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.
View of Taichung City, Taiwan, behind a mosquito net. Alan Picard / Shutterstock.com

Opening up research labs with modified mosquitoes to the community

Genetically modified mosquitoes breed fear and suspicion, especially since the research happens behind closed doors, away from the public. Now scientists and architects are trying to change that model.
Warmer temperatures could lead to more zones of the country that make good breeding sites for mosquitoes. Apichart Meesri / Shutterstock.com

Is climate change causing a rise in the number of mosquito and tick-borne diseases?

Is our changing climate making regions of the US more suitable for ticks and mosquitoes that spread diseases? Or is the climate changing human physiology making us more vulnerable?
More than 3.9 billion people live in regions where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is present. This species transmits Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. mycteria/Shutterstock.com

Genetically modified mosquitoes may be best weapon for curbing disease transmission

For several billion people mosquitoes are more than a nuisance – they transmit deadly diseases. Now genetic modification may prove the most effective defense against the mosquito, preventing disease.
Psorophora ferox female, a potential vector for Madariaga virus. Photo taken on Heritage Island, Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C., June 30, 2012. Wikimedia Commons

As Venezuela’s public health system collapses, mosquito-borne viruses re-emerge

The collapse of Venezuela’s public health system has terrible consequences inside the country, but it also is giving rise to mosquito-borne viruses that could spread to nearby countries.

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