- emerging diseases ×
-
microbe talk: west nile virus
august 17, 2018
west nile fever is a disease spread to humans and horses by mosquitoes. in europe this year, there have been 230 cases of west nile fever, and 17 deaths. this month, we spoke with an expert to discuss where the virus comes from, what influences disease spread, and what infection looks like:
-
yemen is facing “the worst cholera outbreak in the world”
july 10, 2017
yemen, on the southern edge of the arabian peninsula, is in the middle of a cholera epidemic, with 5,000 new cases being reported every day. the country is in the midst of a devastating civil war that has claimed the lives of thousands and left millions of people without access to food, water and basic sanitation.
-
you can’t stop an outbreak without breaking a few eggs
february 15, 2017
last year, a paper from microbial genomics described how scientists used molecular detective work to get to the bottom of an outbreak across europe.
-
on the horizon: monkeypox
january 4, 2017
on 8 may 1980, after a global vaccination campaign, the who declared that smallpox had been eradicated. wiping out this viral disease, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout history, should be considered one of humanity’s greatest achievements. in fact, to date, smallpox is one of only two diseases that we have managed to completely eliminate.
-
let’s play – plague inc: evolved (with a scientist)
december 2, 2016
plague inc: evolved is a video game where players try to evolve a pathogen that can infect and kill the whole of humanity.
-
on the horizon: rift valley fever
november 15, 2016
in 1930, a new disease was reported in sheep on a farm near the town of naivasha, in the central rift valley region of kenya. this disease caused mass spontaneous abortions among pregnant ewes and the death of newborn lambs. this disease, which came to be known as ‘rift valley fever’, also infected people who’d come into contact with the animals, causing muscle pains, fever and headaches. the causative agent was identified as a member of the bunyaviridae family of viruses, known as rift valley fever virus.
-
on the horizon: hantaviruses
october 18, 2016
in early 2013, a man in north wales was rushed to hospital showing symptoms of serious kidney problems. the source of his infection? his pet rats.
-
testing the waters: legionnaires' disease and the olympics
september 13, 2016
over the next few weeks, we'll be exploring the molecular methods that enable scientists to investigate disease outbreaks, often in real time. this week, research from the journal of medical microbiology on dealing with outbreaks of legionnaires' disease.
