One year ago the transmission of Zika Virus was first described in Brazil. Five months later an increase in microcephaly in new-borns was reported, but only now is evidence growing for a causal relationship between the two.
We have won some significant victories against one of human’s greatest enemies, malaria, by targeting its vector. But are we doing enough, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, to win the war?
Since 2011 it has no longer been compulsory for dogs being imported into the UK to be inspected for ticks. Within five years the first cases of the tick borne disease, canine babesiosis, have been reported in dogs that have never left the UK.
Heterogeneity in malaria transmission is important to understand during elimination programmes, but the factors that lead to differences in transmission are complex.