Texas reports first locally transmitted case of dengue fever this year

Texas reports first locally transmitted case of dengue fever this year

Texas recorded its first locally acquired case of dengue fever this year, state public-health officials said this week. The case was reported in Cameron County, which sits on the Texas-Mexico border with a population of around 425,000 and includes the city of Brownsville. Mosquitos carry the potentially deadly virus. Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Last year, the state … Read more

Dengue Fever cases popping up in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Milton

Dengue Fever cases popping up in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Milton

Cases of the mosquito-borne illness Dengue Fever are popping up in Florida’s Tampa Bay region weeks after Hurricane Milton left standing water across the state. Mosquitoes breed by laying eggs in or near standing water, and back-to-back hurricanes Milton and Helene left rivers flooded and standing water around west-central Florida. Since Milton’s Oct. 9 landfall, … Read more

What is airport and luggage malaria? Cases are on the rise, study warns

What is airport and luggage malaria? Cases are on the rise, study warns

A startling new study finds an increase in reports of airport and luggage malaria in Europe in recent years. An international team of researchers identified 145 cases between 2018 and 2022 — 105 were classified as airport malaria, 32 as luggage malaria, and for eight cases, the investigators did not distinguish between the two types.  … Read more

With EEE and West Nile virus on the rise, mosquito season is far from over

With EEE and West Nile virus on the rise, mosquito season is far from over

Fall has arrived — but the mosquitoes haven’t left. A New York resident who tested positive last week for a rare mosquito-borne illness has died, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday as State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald declared Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) an imminent threat to public health. The unidentified Ulster County patient, the state’s first … Read more

New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne encephalitis virus

New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne encephalitis virus

A New Hampshire resident who tested positive for the mosquito-borne infection eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, health authorities in the state said. The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The resident, whom the department only identified as an adult, … Read more

What is West Nile virus? Everything you need to know about Dr. Fauci’s illness

What is West Nile virus? Everything you need to know about Dr. Fauci’s illness

This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, revealed that he was recovering from West Nile virus. Fauci, 83 was hospitalized for six days and is now recuperating at home. “A full recovery is expected,” his spokesperson said, according to the Washington Post. What is West Nile virus … Read more

Northeastern towns issue voluntary lockdown to prevent spread of potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease EEE

Northeastern towns issue voluntary lockdown to prevent spread of potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease EEE

Four Massachusetts towns — Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster — have enacted a voluntary evening lockdown in an attempt to curb the spread of a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease. The decision comes after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed the first human case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) since 2020 in Worcester County. … Read more

‘Rare,’ deadly equine virus spreads in NY — and can jump to humans via mosquitos

‘Rare,’ deadly equine virus spreads in NY — and can jump to humans via mosquitos

A rare deadly equine virus that can be transmitted to humans, killing about 30% of people afflicted, has been spotted in several Hudson Valley counties and surrounding states. An elderly Massachusetts man was recently infected, and the virus has killed a horse in Orange County, according to health officials. The Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEE) … Read more

What is ‘sloth fever’? Everything you need to know about the virus affecting US and Europe

What is ‘sloth fever’? Everything you need to know about the virus affecting US and Europe

A potentially deadly virus known as “sloth fever” has US officials on alert after Florida reported 20 travel-related cases, including nine last week. Oropouche virus (OROV) is spread through the bites of infected small flies and mosquitoes. It’s common in parts of South America, though Florida noted that its 20 cases — the first in … Read more

I’m a doctor — these are the 5 medical essentials I pack when I travel

I’m a doctor — these are the 5 medical essentials I pack when I travel

Don’t get caught tryin’ to wing it at 30,000 feet. Summer is peak travel season, and Dr. Sasha Haddad, an LA-based family practitioner, has taken to TikTok to share her list of essential medical travel supplies — as well as the knowledge that it’s better to have it and not need it than to need … Read more

I’m a doctor — this is the easiest way to heal mosquito bites fast

I’m a doctor — this is the easiest way to heal mosquito bites fast

Dr. Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist, is sharing a simple suggestion for those fed up with mosquito bites. She proposes putting a hydrocolloid pimple patch over the bump. @@geetayadavmd/TikTok Don’t let mosquito bites bug you anymore. Dr. Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist in Toronto, is sharing a simple suggestion for those fed up with mosquito bites. She … Read more

‘World’s hottest’ scientist Rosie Moore diagnosed with ‘deadly’ disease

‘World’s hottest’ scientist Rosie Moore diagnosed with ‘deadly’ disease

A woman dubbed the “world’s hottest” scientist has shared her diagnosis of a potentially “deadly” mosquito-borne disease. In a video on Instagram, ecologist Rosie Moore told her 192,000 followers she had contracted dengue fever while traveling in South America. Dengue is a viral infection spread by two species of mosquito that manifests in flu-like symptoms, including sudden … Read more

I thought I had come down with the flu on vacation — it was dengue fever

I thought I had come down with the flu on vacation — it was dengue fever

A British content creator on vacation in Bali thought she had come down with the flu — but she had actually contracted dengue fever, a viral infection spread by mosquitoes that can be fatal if left untreated. “I genuinely thought I had the flu, and I was expecting it to go fairly quickly,” Emma Cox, … Read more

Puerto Rico issues public health emergency after spike in potentially fatal mosquito-borne infections

Puerto Rico issues public health emergency after spike in potentially fatal mosquito-borne infections

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has joined nearby islands in declaring a public health emergency after a spike in cases of dengue fever. The health department reports there have been more than 540 cases so far this year, which is a 350% increase when compared to activity over the last five years. “This year, dengue cases have exceeded … Read more

Hard truth: Dengue fever may be causing spontaneous erections that last for hours, scientists say

Hard truth: Dengue fever may be causing spontaneous erections that last for hours, scientists say

Call it viral-agra. As if having Dengue fever wasn’t already hard enough, doctors in West Africa are reporting that the mosquito-borne virus — often associated with rashes, vomiting and internal bleeding — could also be causing spontaneous erections that can persist for hours. The theory is based on the story of a 17-year-old dengue patient in Burkina … Read more

Mosquito swarm takes over plane, forcing cabin crew to cloud jet with spray

Mosquito swarm takes over plane, forcing cabin crew to cloud jet with spray

They wanted to avert a bite-mare at 30,000 feet. Thought snakes on a plane was terrifying? A Mexican flight was delayed for several hours after the cabin was beset by a biblical swarm of mosquitoes, as seen in a video blowing up online. The mal-aerial assault occurred on October 6 aboard a Volaris flight that … Read more

Weird reason mosquitos prefer biting certain people

Weird reason mosquitos prefer biting certain people

As well as being an inconvenience, mosquitoes are the deadliest animal to humans on the planet. But some people swear up and down to be more attractive to the buzzing pests than others. They’re the people who return from a beach holiday covered in red, itchy welts and insist that the party moves inside as … Read more

Mosquitoes feed on researchers’ blood as scientists research methods of control

Mosquitoes feed on researchers’ blood as scientists research methods of control

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It’s lunchtime at the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District and a colony of sabethes cyaneus — also known as the paddle-legged beauty for its feathery appendages and iridescent coloring — find their way to Ella Branham. “They’re not very aggressive and they’re kind of picky eaters,” said Branham, a … Read more

Mosquito bites top list of most annoying parts of summer: poll

Mosquito bites top list of most annoying parts of summer: poll

Mosquitoes top the list as the most annoying part of summer, new research suggests. A recent survey of 2,000 adults revealed more than a quarter (28%) said that mosquitoes are the most frustrating part of the summer months, with sweating and excessive heat tied for second (27%).  Bugs are a real nuisance for many. So … Read more