Recent News

By Region: Asia/Pacific

Thailand expecting record number of dengue fever deaths

(TheSacramentoBee) Thailand is heading for a record-breaking number of dengue fever cases in 2013, having lost 44 people to the mosquito-transmitted virus already, officials warned Saturday. The health ministry predicts Thailand this year will see at least 100,000 dengue cases and more than 100 deaths, a three-fold increase from last year and a record-high for  Read More »

Studies showing how bird flu viruses could adapt to humans offer surveillance and vaccine strategies

(EurekAlert) Bird flu viruses are potentially highly lethal and pose a global threat, but relatively little is known about why certain strains spread more easily to humans than others. Two studies published by Cell Press June 6th in the journal Cell identify mutations that increase the infectivity of H5N1 and H7N9 viruses through improved binding  Read More »

Study: Most H7N9 patients have coexisting medical issues

(ShanghaiDaily) MOST people infected with the H7N9 virus have pre-existing medical problems and are at greater risk of getting acute respiratory distress syndrome, according to China’s first comprehensive study of the new bird flu virus. The analysis was led by scientists from Fudan University and was published in the latest issue of the New England  Read More »

Of Mosquitoes And Men: Scientists Discover How Disease-carrying Vectors Are Attracted To Humans

(Science2.0) Female mosquitoes are predators of mammalian blood, relying on blood proteins to lay their eggs. While certain mosquito species are attracted to mammals by their emission of body heat and carbon dioxide, other species, such as Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti, have evolved a strong lust for the smell of humans. Such mosquitoes are  Read More »

China confirms foot-and-mouth disease cases

(ThePeninsula) Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Thursday that foot-and-mouth disease infections have been confirmed in cattle in west China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The ministry said eight cattle started showing signs of the disease on May 24 in a village near the regional capital of Lhasa, according to Xinhua news agency. The National Foot-and-Mouth Disease  Read More »