Brazil to use nuclear technology to fight spread of Zika
A cobalt-60 gamma cell irradiator is expected to be transferred to the country to produce sterile mosquitoes
Why don’t we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?
They spread disease and misery and account for millions of deaths every year. There's not a lot to be said for mosquitoes
Zika threat in Kerala can undo COVID-19 containment efforts, fear health experts
Zika infections in Thiruvanathapuram have created shock waves in cities that have a perennial mosquito problem
A model to predict diseases that transfer from animals to humans
The study tested the model with Lassa fever, a disease endemic to western Africa and is caused by the Lassa virus which passes on to people …
New mosquito threats shift risks from our swamps to our suburbs
Mosquito bites are important routes of transmission of Zika and other viruses but when it comes to spreading these pathogens, not all mosquitoes …
Mosquitoes in a warming world: Aedes the menace
Latest Zika outbreaks indicate mosquito-borne diseases are fast spreading to new populations and regions & are no longer restricted to monsoon.…
Indian scientists find out how zika virus causes microcephaly in infants
A certain protein of zika virus affects proliferation rates of human neural stem cells and promotes faulty neuron formation
Antibodies will prevent recurrence of Zika for at least a decade, says study
48 countries have reported incidences of Zika fever since the first outbreak in 2015
Zika, dengue, yellow fever: what are flaviviruses?
The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes responsible for spreading Zika and yellow fever have been shown to be able to adapt in high-density urban areas
The Olympics won’t spread Zika around the world
The chance that someone at the Rio games will import the virus to their home country is low
Mosquitoes in a warming world: The 3 fearsome diseases
India may have started to report cases of infection by zika virus only in 2017, but dengue and chikungunya have been prevalent — cases have …
Here is what Indian scientists achieved in 2018
Here is a collection of 15 such stories that gives a glimpse of important developments reported by Indian scientists during the year.
Twin studies pave way for Ebola, Zika and dengue treatment
Researchers use protein-to-protein interaction between viruses and human cells to narrow down on potential treatment targets
Zika needs to be controlled but how?
With 131 cases of Zika infections being reported in Rajasthan, the country is up in arms against the disease but has no reliable way of dealing …
How to tame the mosquito
India does not have to bear the onslaught of vector-borne diseases year after year. It is possible to control mosquitoes that spread these diseases
Love in the time of Zika
South American countries have advised couples to not have children for up to two years. This pregnancy advice could have a profound societal …
We're developing the world's first vaccine suitable for humans and livestock
The technique uses a chimpanzee respiratory virus (adenovirus) to expose individuals to just a small part of the Rift Valley Fever virus
Zika virus: US relaxes travel warnings to India
US health agency changes India’s status to “current or past transmission but no current outbreak” from the earlier “…
2016, the year that was: health and medicine
Health spent a lot of time in the spotlight in 2016 and it was a major issue in numerous government reviews
Zika impact: Demand for abortion up 100% in Brazil
Pregnant women from Zika-affected countries are defying national laws which restrict abortion to request abortion medications online, a new …
Zika-the new global pandemic
After dengue and chikungunya, the Aedes mosquito is delivering a new emergency— Zika. Down To Earth looks into the reasons behind the …
Anti-malaria drug may be repurposed to treat Zika
A team of Indian researchers identify a viral protein that can be targeted by an already available anti-malarial drug — hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)
WHO to discuss Zika impact on Rio Olympics next week
Concern over the spread of the disease is growing with athletes pulling out of the event and scientists writing to WHO to move or postpone the Games
Understanding zoonotic diseases: How viruses break the nature-human divide
Their novel nature and unpredictability make diseases that jump from animals to humans extremely dangerous
Ebola and Zika epidemics are driven by pathologies of society, not just a virus
To tackle Zika and other viral outbreaks, we need to focus not only on the pathology of the disease, but also on the global political …