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Posts with tag: mosquitoes | Return to HealthNewsBlog.com Homepage
Bill Gates Unleashes Mosquitoes on Unsuspecting Audience
 Bill Gates released a bunch of mosquitoes on the unsuspecting audience at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference. Gates was trying to demonstrate how easily malaria is spread. The mosquitoes Gates released did not carry the disease.
"Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Gates said while opening a jar onstage at a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars.
"I brought some. Here I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected."
Gates waited a minute or so before assuring the audience the liberated insects were malaria-free.
TED curator Chris Anderson fired back at the legendary computer software maker, joking that the headline for the video of his talk to be posted online at Ted.com would be "Gates releases more bugs into the world."
It sounds like that it was an effective demonstration. Gates' mosquito release is getting a lot of media attention which helps focus on attention on the need to stop malaria.
Posted on February 5, 2009
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Concerns About West Nile Virus in Southern California
 The L.A. Times reports that local health officials in Southern California are warning residents about the resurgance of the West Nile Virus. There have only be 39 cases confirmed so far but the virus tends to peak in September in October. Health officials are also concerned because 70% of these cases have been the serious neurological form of the disease.
Thirty-nine cases of human West Nile virus have been confirmed in the state as of Tuesday. There have been no fatalities related to West Nile virus in California this year, but officials fear an outbreak between August and October, the peak period for infections.
Humans and animals contract West Nile virus from bites of infected mosquitoes, which contract it by feeding on birds that have the virus in their blood. Most people who are infected by the virus do not become ill, but one in five people develop flu-like symptoms. In its most severe form, West Nile can cause encephalitis, meningitis and death.
This year, 70% of the victims have contracted the more serious neurological form of the disease, West Nile neuroinvasive disease, Cummings said. That's a higher number than in past years, but officials do not know why that is. It's an additional cause for concern, officials said.
Southern California has seen an increase in the number of infected dead birds and mosquitoes this year. So far, 566 dead birds and 316 mosquito samples have been confirmed positive for the virus in the area.
You can read about the more severe form of West Nile Virus here. The national West Nile figures can be found here on the CDC's website. The CDC's case total may run a little behind what individual states are reporting.
California also has a detailed website here where they provide information about the disease and cases counts by county.
Posted on August 5, 2008
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West Nile Virus Can Cause Lifelong Symptoms
 WebMD (on CBS) is reporting that a new study on West Nile Virus has found that one out of every 150 people infected suffer from severe nuerological disease. Of those about 40% have serious symptoms such as difficulty walking, memory loss and depression that they may deal with for the rest of their lives.
One in 150 people infected with West Nile virus get severe neurological disease. More than 40% of these patients may have serious symptoms for the rest of their lives, say Kristy Murray, PhD, DVM, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues.
The finding comes from five years of data on 108 Houston-area residents who came down with severe West Nile disease after infection with the mosquito-borne virus. Murray's team evaluated the patients every six months.
A year after their West Nile virus infection, 60% of these patients still had serious symptoms. Five years later, 42% had not fully recovered - and weren't getting any better.
These lasting symptoms included fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, difficulty walking, memory loss, and personality change.
These findings show that WNV is a very serious disease. People should continue to take precautions and avoid mosquito bites as much as possible during the mosquito season. WNV is still infecting thousands of people in the United States each year. 3,598 people were infected with West Nile Virus in 2007 and 121 were killed.
Graphic above is from the CDC's 2007 WNV incidence map.
Posted on March 28, 2008
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