West Nile Virus Spreading Earlier and More Often as Planet Warms
West Nile Virus is spreading earlier and more often than in the past, recent data shows. So far this summer, health agencies have confirmed West Nile cases in at least seven states, including Maryland, Arizona, Michigan, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. This surge of human cases follows a trend in recent years, as climate change has increased people’s exposure to the disease spread by mosquitoes. Warming global temperatures have allowed mosquitoes to breed more quickly and survive for longer. Climate change has also expanded mosquito habitats, contributing to their northward migration.
Full Story: NBC News
Chad Eliminates Sleeping Sickness
Chad has eliminated Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, the World Health Organization announced. HAT is spread to humans through tsetse fly bites. The illness was target by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease because of the relative lack of resources dedicated to fighting it. Neglected tropical diseases hit low-income and rural populations especially hard. Chad becomes the 51st country to eliminate one of these diseases.
Full Story: Washington Post
