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West Nile Virus threat continues in Pennsylvania

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger today reminded Pennsylvania's citizens that although the number of West Nile Virus cases has dropped, the threat still exists.

21 Aug 2009

Pennsylvania's first case of West Nile in 2009 confirmed

State Health Secretary Everette James today reported this year's first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania. The individual is a 21-year-old woman from Luzerne County.

12 Aug 2009

French DEET research has little relevance and is irresponsible

“Reports of a French study to examine the effects of DEET on the nervous system of insects has little relevance for the widely-used repellent ingredient’s effects on humans, according to independent scientific experts, including those at the U.S. National Pesticide Information Center,” said Susan Little, director of the DEET Education Program, Washington, D.C.

10 Aug 2009

Deet is neurotoxic

The active ingredient in many insect repellents, deet, has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxic insecticides.

4 Aug 2009

Natural insect repellent could be good news for dengue stricken areas

Scientists in the U.S. have found that a natural compound is just as effective as the widely used synthetic chemical repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methyl benzamide (DEET) against mosquitoes and ticks.

9 Feb 2009

Mosquitoes stay away from DEET because they hate the smell!

According to scientists in the U.S. the reason why the insect repellent DEET works so well is because mosquitoes don't like the smell.

25 Aug 2008

Mosquitoes smell DEET and stay away

Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

18 Aug 2008

New generation of insect repellents in the pipeline

The next generation of insect repellents could be in the pipeline with research from the U.S. suggesting seven possibilities.

27 May 2008

First confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania

State Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson has reported this year's first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania. The individual, a 56-year-old Clearfield County man, is recovering and has been discharged from the hospital.

3 Aug 2007

Essential to devise new control strategies against malaria vectors resistant to insecticides

The mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission to humans belong to the Anopheles genus.

18 Jul 2007

Summertime is tick time and Lyme disease is on the rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States says cases of the tick borne illness Lyme disease are on the rise across the country.

18 Jun 2007

Lyme disease on the increase in U.S.

Reported cases of Lyme disease have more than doubled since 1991, when Lyme became a nationally notifiable disease, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

17 Jun 2007

Aerial mosquito treatment in Philadelphia to start this week

The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that it will conduct aerial spraying to control large populations of mosquito larvae in Philadelphia on Monday, June 4.

3 Jun 2007

Large trial to identify the long-term health effects of West Nile virus infection

UT Southwestern Medical Center has joined a national clinical trial to identify the long-term health effects of West Nile virus infection and to learn more about the disease's progression, symptoms and mortality.

18 May 2007

West Nile virus hits Toronto - two deaths reported

Health officials in Canada have reported that there have been two deaths related to the West Nile Virus, the first for three years in Canada's largest city, Toronto.

31 Aug 2005

This years first reported case of West Nile in the U.S. in Kansas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported this year's first human case of West Nile virus in the United States in Kansas, but has not released details on the patient.

23 Jun 2005

Health officials out to zap mozzies before the peak season

Even though no cases of West Nile virus have been reported so far this year, area health officials at the Virginia Department of Health are getting a head start on mosquitoes carrying such diseases before the peak breeding season arrives.

30 May 2005

Mosquitoes in Missouri test positive for West Nile virus

Health officials in Missouri said yesterday that they have received the first report this year of mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus in the state.

29 May 2005

More repellents recommended in the fight against West Nile Virus

In an attempt to fight the West Nile virus U.S. health officials have recommended two more mosquito repellent ingredients, one of them a plant oil.

1 May 2005

Miami baby possibly USA's 1st case of West Nile virus

West Nile Virus is a flavivirus commonly found in Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East and is related to the St. Louis encephalitis virus found in the United States. Preliminary tests suggest a 14-month-old baby hospitalized in Miami may be the nation's first case of West Nile virus this year.

22 Mar 2005