Dr Aniket Mule, consultant, internal medicine, KIMS Hospitals, offers practical advice to protect yourself from mosquitoes and water-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya.
The virus was detected in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after samples from six water bodies in Chikkaballapura were collected and sent for examination.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Panacea Biotec have initiated the first-ever phase three clinical trial for developing a dengue vaccine in India, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
The scare of communicable diseases seems to be gripping the country with Maharashtra reporting 28 Zika cases this year, the highest since 2021.
The transmission of dengue is closely associated with three key factors -- rainfall, humidity and temperature -- that dictate the geographies in which it spreads and the transmission rate of the viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
While there is no specific treatment for dengue, recovery primarily involves managing symptoms and preventing complications, says Dr Amit Sakaria.
A seven-year-old girl has been found infected with Zika virus in Palghar district of Maharashtra, the state health department said on Wednesday.
The woman patient who was diagnosed with the infection has recovered completely, the state health department said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Zika has been reported in Kerala and it was not unexpected as it is spread by the Aedes Aegypte mosquitoes, which causes dengue and Chickungunya.
The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, provided the first experimental evidence on the capacity of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes.
The new malaria vaccine (RTS.S/ AS01, tentatively brand-named Mosquirix) is the very first one to offer immunity against a parasite -- specifically the plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is the deadliest of the five parasites that cause malaria.
Of the fresh cases, two were natives of Anayara in Thiruvananthapuram, where a cluster of the disease had been identified within a three kilometre radius, Health Minister Veena George said.
Of those infected, 45 are men and 21 women, according to officials.
The Zika virus, an alarming and disturbing infection that may be linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains, is spreading through the Americas. But what is the virus, how is it spread and how can people minimise the chances of catching it?
Eradicating the Aedes aegypti or developing a vaccine will take years. Genetic modification offers a way out; the question is how to scale it up across continents, says Devangshu Datta.
Here's what you should know about the diseases and how to combat them.
Experts also feel that north Indians could be succumbing to the vector-borne disease because of their "low immunity" to it.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan said on Tuesday Brazil is doing a good job tackling the Zika virus and ensuring that the Olympic games it will host in August will be safe for athletes and visitors. Chan said Brazil's government is doing all it can to mobilize Brazilian society in fighting the "formidable" Aedes mosquito that transmits the virus that has spread rapidly through the Americas since last year. "I want to reassure you that the government is working very closely with the international Olympic movement, with the local organizing committee, supported by the WHO, to make sure we have a very good work plan to target the mosquito, and to make sure that people who will come here either as visitors or athletes will get the maximum protection they need," Chan said. "I am confident the government can do it," she told reporters after meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
Environmentalists are up in arms over a move to release an army of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Dengue fever in Malaysia, reports said. Reports said the male mosquitoes will be freed in Ketam Island, a village south of Kuala Lumpur, to kill Aedes mosquitoes, which is responsible for Dengue fever.
An NDMC official said the mosquitoes were detected in the servant quarter of Priyanka's residence during a house-to-house inspection.
The Zika virus has already been found in some mosquitoes taken as samples from Sindhi Camp while few mosquitoes collected from densely populated Shastri Nagar had already been found to be carriers of the virus leading to suspicion they are behind the spread of the infection.
Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas.
Always boil water or at least filter it before drinking to avoid all possible water borne diseases.
Those infected with the virus may have mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain or headache.
The impact of a 'dengue-COVID-19' season would entail two different diagnostic tests and extract a huge toll on patients too, each disease making the other more complicated to deal with and perhaps more fatal.
B K Tyagi, director of the Madurai-based Centre for Research in Medical Entomology, talks with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about how dengue fever can be controlled.
A day after the WHO declared emergency over the "explosive" spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the Centre on Tuesday issued detailed guidelines for combating the disease, including a travel advisory that asks pregnant women to either defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas.
Pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries at risk of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission, which is strongly suspected of causing microcephaly, said Indian Medical Association.
Chikungunya death toll climbs to 12 while the toll due to dengue rises to 18.
A small Australian maker of bug sprays became an unlikely beneficiary of the mosquito-borne Zika virus outbreak this week when the country's Olympic team signed it up as its first official insect repellent sponsor.
Dr P Jagannath shares some interesting facts about dengue, debunks popular myths, and throws light on necessary steps to take in case someone contracts the dreaded disease.
With the national capital witnessing a spurt in dengue cases, the role of civic bodies is being questioned by residents who feel the outbreak of the vector-borne disease has exposed the "ill-preparedness" of the MCD in dealing with the menace.
Here's an FAQ on what you MUST know about Dengue fever.
As the issue becomes increasingly politicised and accusations are traded on national television, the average Delhi resident suffers debilitating blows from viral fevers, writes Manavi Kapur.
