This year Santa and his reindeer helpers delivered presents to 81 million more people than were on the planet the year before. After such a busy Christmas, Rudolph and colleagues are feeling run down. Various theories for the reason behind Rudolph’s glowing red, bulbous nose have been suggested, ranging from upper respiratory infections to parasitic… Read more »
Smallpox, eradicated in 1980, still remains the only success story in mankind’s efforts to eliminate disease. In 1986, inspired by this success, the World Health Assembly (WHA) called for dracunculiasis elimination and the global Guinea Worm Eradication Programme was launched, supported by organisations such as the World Health Organisation, United Nations Children’s Fund, the Centre for… Read more »
On December 6, 2013, local authorities on the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin reported 2 confirmed cases of locally acquired chikungunya. By December 20, 2013, local authorities in St. Martin have announced that a total of 26 cases have been confirmed, with onset of symptoms between October 15 and December 19. In addition, they have… Read more »
In a couple of days it is once again Christmas. For many people, Christmas is snow, and for overwintering invertebrates permanent winter snow cover usually provides a buffered and thermally stable microclimate. For example, the distribution of Aedes albopictus, the Asian Tiger Mosquito, has been linked to snow cover that insulate the eggs allowing successful… Read more »
Christmas Dinners All Round – Disease Spill Threats From Agricultural Intensification In The Tropics. The world’s population is growing in number and in wealth. As standards of living rise in many of the world’s most populace countries, so too does a demand for affordable meat and for habitable land. Partial reconciliation of these conflicting demands… Read more »
On the surface it is green, with shining lights and adorable glitter, but on closer examination experts around the world has found it is crawling with ticks, spiders, and mites waiting to eat your favourite pets. In modern culture we name it The Christmas tree. In Norway, where I live, we have, for generations,… Read more »