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ScienceHealthMassachusetts Town Enacts Evening Curfew Over Rare But Deadly Mosquito Virus
Health officials in Oxford, Massachusetts, voted unanimously to enact a voluntary curfew until the year's first hard frost, after a local resident was hospitalized with the Eastern equine encephalitis virus.
By Ed Cara -
EartherConservationFlorida Plans to Fix Its Mosquito Problem With 750 Million More Mosquitoes
Hundreds of millions of mosquitos will soon be released in Florida. On purpose. The mosquitoes are being released as a form of pest control, but they could wreak havoc on local ecosystems. And honestly, just the thought of it makes my ankles itch. This week, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District approved a plan to … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
ScienceHealthHow the U.S. Lost the War Against West Nile
For a brief time at the turn of the millennium, few things might have scared the average New Yorker more than the words “West Nile,” the name given to the mosquito-borne virus that, in 1999, began killing birds and eventually people for the very first time in the U.S. Two decades later, the worst fears … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthA Brain-Infecting Virus Carried by Mosquitoes Is Spreading Far and Wide This Year
Over the weekend, health officials in several states reported more cases and deaths linked to the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus. The number of cases, while still small, is set to make 2019 the worst recorded year for EEE in recent history—and it may be a sign of things to come in an ever-warming climate. … Continued
By Ed Cara -
EartherClimate Change Is Already Killing Americans and Costing Billions in Medical Bills, Report Finds
Climate change will make our lives worse in the years to come, but a new report out this week highlights the stark costs people are already paying in the U.S. In 2012 alone, it found 10 major climate-related events likely led to nearly 1,000 extra deaths, almost 21,000 hospitalizations, and an added $10 billion in … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiologyGenetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Breeding in Brazil, Despite Biotech Firm’s Assurances to the Contrary
An experimental trial to reduce the number of mosquitoes in a Brazilian town by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes has not gone as planned. Traces of the mutated insects have been detected in the natural population of mosquitoes, which was never supposed to happen. The deliberate release of 450,000 transgenic mosquitoes in Jacobina, Brazil has resulted … Continued
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ScienceHealthThree Americans Have Died After Contracting Rare Brain-Infecting Virus Spread by Mosquitoes
On Monday, Rhode Island health officials reported that a resident had died after contracting the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. The death marks the third U.S. fatality linked to EEE reported this year, and the second such case documented in less than a week. The summer is winding down for many in the U.S., but … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsAdding Graphene to Fabrics Turns It Into a Perfect Force Field Against Mosquitoes
Saying goodbye to the warm summer months is a little easier when it also means the war against mosquito bites is coming to an end. They’re not just an itchy annoyance, however, mosquitoes can spread dangerous diseases and viruses, but researchers at Brown University might have come up with the perfect mosquito forcefield: garments lined … Continued
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ScienceHealthU.S. Mosquitoes Are Laying ‘Time Capsule’ Eggs That Can Outlast Colder Winters
Mosquitoes didn’t become the most prolific animal killer of humanity by being lazy. A new study this week suggests that a common disease-causing species in the U.S. has learned how to lay dormant eggs that can survive harsher winters in the North. The Asian tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus, is thought to have first invaded … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthMassachusetts Man Reportedly in a Coma After Contracting Brain Infection From a Mosquito
A rare, sometimes fatal viral infection spread by mosquitoes has resurfaced in Massachusetts—and has likely sent at least one man into a coma. Over the weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that a local resident contracted the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. Dozens of communities remain at critical or high risk for the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthMosquitoes Are Spreading a Rare, Brain-Infecting Virus in Florida
One of the most dangerous but thankfully rare mosquitoborne diseases has been spotted again in Florida, state health officials say. According to a public advisory issued this month by the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) was found in the state. The virus is capable of causing severe … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthDiet Drugs Might Make Mosquitoes Stop Thirsting for Our Blood
Losing weight is definitely tough. So tough, in fact, that scientists have tried to whip up drugs that trick us into feeling full and suppress our appetite. But these concoctions might not just work in people, suggest the authors of a new study out Thursday in Cell. They found that some of these same drugs … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiology
Look How Tightly You Can Squish Mosquitoes Without Killing Them
Far more lethal than sharks, wolves, bears, or any other fanged beast is the tiny mosquito, which holds the title of world’s deadliest animal. The World Health Organization estimates that “millions” of people die every year from mosquito-borne diseases. Thankfully, scientists have come up with a strategy to greatly reduce the mosquito population, but it … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Oh Joy, We Just Found Another Virus Spread By Mosquitoes That Might Make Us Sick
A mosquito-borne virus discovered over a half century ago has been found in humans for the first time ever. And it possibly might have even caused a case of severe rash and fever in a Florida teenager in 2016. But despite the recent reveal, it’s likely the germ has been making people sick for quite some … Continued
By Ed Cara -
EartherEarth Science
Hordes of Mosquitos Are Terrorizing Southwest Russia
Summer days mean a few things, including beaches, ice cream, and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, the mosquito part came a bit early for folks in the Voronezh region of southwest Russia. And these bloodsuckers are playing zero games. Just check out this video: Or this photo of a car whose owner is never opening the door again: … Continued
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ScienceHealth
Ticks and Insects Are Making More People Sick, and the Problem Is Only Getting Worse
A new report out Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights a scary reality: Diseases spread by six- and eight-legged bugs are becoming more common. And worse than that, health officials across the country seem woefully incapable of dealing with them. The report’s authors looked at available data on vector-borne diseases collected … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsWhich Animal Kills the Most Humans?
Animals fatally maul, sting, trample, and chew about a million humans per year. Pretty nice of them, given the numbers on our side—the average of 750 million chickens we kill in the U.S. every month, for instance. In an ideal world, no one would ever get mauled by a bear, or contract rabies from a … Continued
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ScienceHealth
Traveling to Brazil? Get Vaccinated ASAP, Says CDC
It wasn’t too long ago that the emergence of the little-understood Zika virus in South and Central America led the US to recommend pregnant women avoid traveling to areas where it was spreading (a warning that remains in place). But it’s actually a familiar mosquito-borne disease that’s now prompting a much wider advisory from the … Continued
By Ed Cara
