Nepal on Sunday directed the authorities to be prepared for a possible outbreak of dengue after studies found the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Health Ministry issued an alert in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.

The move came after studies found the presence of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in significant numbers.

Last year, at least 18 people in the Banasthali-Sano Bharyang area in the western part of Kathmandu were infected with the dengue virus.

"We have alerted all local units of the Valley through the provincial government and District Public Health Offices about the possible outbreak (of dengue virus)," Ghanashyam Pokhrel, a senior public health administrator at the division, told reporters.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease which is transmitted by the female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

The same vector also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika virus, according to the World Health Organization.

"We already have dengue vector present in our locality and the environment for it to survive. And we already have dengue patients in the Capital," Pokhrel said.

"We have allocated a budget for the awareness programmes against possible dengue infection. The provincial government has also allocated a budget for dengue prevention," said Geeta Satyal, deputy mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City.

Public Health Inspector Indira Pandey at the provincial health office in Kathmandu said that budget has been allocated to local units to carry out awareness campaigns and search- and destroy-campaigns against dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

According to doctors, mild to high fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, severe headache and pain in eyes are some of the symptoms of dengue.

Nepal on Sunday directed the authorities to be prepared for a possible outbreak of dengue after studies found the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Health Ministry issued an alert in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.

Nepal on Sunday directed the authorities to be prepared for a possible outbreak of dengue after studies found the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Health Ministry issued an alert in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts. The move came after studies found the presence of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in significant numbers. Last year, at least 18 people in the Banasthali-Sano Bharyang area in the western part of Kathmandu were infected with the dengue virus. "We have alerted all local units of the Valley through the provincial government and District Public Health Offices about the possible outbreak (of dengue virus)," Ghanashyam Pokhrel, a senior public health administrator at the division, told reporters. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease which is transmitted by the female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The same vector also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika virus, according to the World Health Organization. "We already have dengue vector present in our locality and the environment for it to survive. And we already have dengue patients in the Capital," Pokhrel said. "We have allocated a budget for the awareness programmes against possible dengue infection. The provincial government has also allocated a budget for dengue prevention," said Geeta Satyal, deputy mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City. Public Health Inspector Indira Pandey at the provincial health office in Kathmandu said that budget has been allocated to local units to carry out awareness campaigns and search- and destroy-campaigns against dengue-carrying mosquitoes. According to doctors, mild to high fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, severe headache and pain in eyes are some of the symptoms of dengue.

Nepal issues dengue alert as studies find presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

The sprawling President&#39;s Estate has been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulated pools of stagnant water -- with 52 notices slapped on Rashtrapati Bhavan by the New Delhi Municipal Council. 
 
The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan since January by NDMC after mosquito larvae were found at many places dotting the 320-acre estate. 
 
With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including on the President&#39;s Estate. 
 
&quot;We have issued 52 notices to various complexes and residential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formed teams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which then spotted mosquitogenic conditions,&quot; a senior NDMC official said. 
 
The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department. 
 
Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President&#39;s Estate after &quot;heavy&quot; mosquito-breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus. Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes. 
 
The NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding. 
 
Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served. 
 
Safdarjung hospital, prestigious Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings charged by the civic body over dengue breeding this season. 
 
The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season 
 
&nbsp;Among the buildings which have been issued notices by NDMC are prominent hospitals including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge Medical College and LHMC hospital. 
 
Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh have also been issued notices after the inspection team detected mosquitogenic conditions in their premises. 
 
&quot;We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans this season over dengue breeding. During the inspection, if the premises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they are issued notices,&quot; the official said. &quot;But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditions during the next inspection, the defaulters are issued challan,&quot; he added. 
 
According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August. The vector-borne disease has claimed two lives so far during this season. 
 
(PTI)

The notices were issued after mosquito larvae were found at a number of sites on the 320-acre estate

The sprawling President's Estate has been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulated pools of stagnant water -- with 52 notices slapped on Rashtrapati Bhavan by the New Delhi Municipal Council. The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan since January by NDMC after mosquito larvae were found at many places dotting the 320-acre estate. With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including on the President's Estate. "We have issued 52 notices to various complexes and residential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formed teams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which then spotted mosquitogenic conditions," a senior NDMC official said. The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department. Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President's Estate after "heavy" mosquito-breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus. Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes. The NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding. Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served. Safdarjung hospital, prestigious Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings charged by the civic body over dengue breeding this season. The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season Among the buildings which have been issued notices by NDMC are prominent hospitals including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge Medical College and LHMC hospital. Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh have also been issued notices after the inspection team detected mosquitogenic conditions in their premises. "We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans this season over dengue breeding. During the inspection, if the premises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they are issued notices," the official said. "But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditions during the next inspection, the defaulters are issued challan," he added. According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August. The vector-borne disease has claimed two lives so far during this season. (PTI)

India: President's Estate issued 52 notices over mosquito breeding

Every week, scientists in southern China release three million bacteria-infected mosquitoes on a three kilometre (two-mile) long island in a bid to wipe out diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. 
 
The scientists inject mosquito eggs with wolbachia bacteria in a laboratory, then release infected male mosquitoes on the island on the outskirts of the city of Guangzhou. The bacteria, which occurs naturally in about 28 per cent of wild mosquitoes, causes infected males to sterilise the females they mate with. 
 
&quot;The aim is trying to suppress the mosquito density below the threshold which can cause disease transmission,&quot; said Zhiyong Xi, who is director of the Sun Yat-sen University Centre of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases and pioneered the idea. &quot;There are hot spots,&quot; Xi said. &quot;This technology can be used at the beginning to target the hot spots ... it will dramatically reduce disease transmission.&quot; 
 
Mosquito-borne diseases are responsible for more than one million deaths worldwide every year and Zika has become a concern for athletes at this year&#39;s Olympic Games, which open in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Some athletes, including the top four ranked male golfers, have declined to take part. 
 
An outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil last year has spread through the Americas and beyond, with China confirming its first case in February. 
 
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. 
 
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. 
 
Sun Yat-sen&#39;s Xi said that several countries had expressed interest in his experiments, especially Brazil and Mexico. In the laboratory, mosquito eggs are collected from breeding cages containing 5,000 females and 1,600 males and injected with the wolbachia bacteria. 
 
Xi&#39;s facility has the capacity to breed up to five million mosquitoes a week. While a female mosquito that acquires wolbachia by mating is sterile, one that is infected by injection will produce wolbachia-infected offspring. Dengue, yellow fever and Zika are also suppressed in wolbachia-injected females, making it harder for the diseases to be transmitted to humans. 
 
Xi set up his 3,500 square metre (38,000 square feet) &quot;mosquito factory&quot; in 2012 and releases the males into two residential areas on the outskirts of Guangzhou. 
 
Xi said the mosquito population on the island has been reduced by more than 90 per cent. One villager on the island, 66 year-old Liang Jintian, who has lived there for six decades, said the study was so effective he didn&#39;t have to sleep with a mosquito net any longer. 
 
&quot;We used to have a lot of mosquitoes in the past. Back then some people were worried that if mosquitoes were released here, we would get even more mosquitoes,&quot; he said. &quot;We have a lot less mosquitoes now compared to the past.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Scientists inject mosquito eggs with wolbachia bacteria, then release infected male mosquitoes to sterilise females they mate with

Every week, scientists in southern China release three million bacteria-infected mosquitoes on a three kilometre (two-mile) long island in a bid to wipe out diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. The scientists inject mosquito eggs with wolbachia bacteria in a laboratory, then release infected male mosquitoes on the island on the outskirts of the city of Guangzhou. The bacteria, which occurs naturally in about 28 per cent of wild mosquitoes, causes infected males to sterilise the females they mate with. "The aim is trying to suppress the mosquito density below the threshold which can cause disease transmission," said Zhiyong Xi, who is director of the Sun Yat-sen University Centre of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases and pioneered the idea. "There are hot spots," Xi said. "This technology can be used at the beginning to target the hot spots ... it will dramatically reduce disease transmission." Mosquito-borne diseases are responsible for more than one million deaths worldwide every year and Zika has become a concern for athletes at this year's Olympic Games, which open in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Some athletes, including the top four ranked male golfers, have declined to take part. An outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil last year has spread through the Americas and beyond, with China confirming its first case in February. US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. Sun Yat-sen's Xi said that several countries had expressed interest in his experiments, especially Brazil and Mexico. In the laboratory, mosquito eggs are collected from breeding cages containing 5,000 females and 1,600 males and injected with the wolbachia bacteria. Xi's facility has the capacity to breed up to five million mosquitoes a week. While a female mosquito that acquires wolbachia by mating is sterile, one that is infected by injection will produce wolbachia-infected offspring. Dengue, yellow fever and Zika are also suppressed in wolbachia-injected females, making it harder for the diseases to be transmitted to humans. Xi set up his 3,500 square metre (38,000 square feet) "mosquito factory" in 2012 and releases the males into two residential areas on the outskirts of Guangzhou. Xi said the mosquito population on the island has been reduced by more than 90 per cent. One villager on the island, 66 year-old Liang Jintian, who has lived there for six decades, said the study was so effective he didn't have to sleep with a mosquito net any longer. "We used to have a lot of mosquitoes in the past. Back then some people were worried that if mosquitoes were released here, we would get even more mosquitoes," he said. "We have a lot less mosquitoes now compared to the past." (Reuters)

China: Scientists release 3 million bacteria-infected mosquitoes to combat Zika, other diseases

A Utah resident infected with the Zika virus has died, becoming the first Zika-related fatality in the continental United States, officials said on Friday. 
 
The elderly victim, who had an underlying health condition, died in late June after traveling to a country where the mosquito-transmitted virus is active, the Salt Lake County health department said. 
 
&quot;While this individual did test positive for Zika virus, the exact cause of death has not been determined, and it may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the death,&quot; the health department said in a statement. 
 
The victim&#39;s identity and travel history would not be released, it added. 
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in April that a man in his 70s infected with the Zika virus had died of complications from the infection on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, which is part of US territory. 
 
The virus is spreading fast on the island, infecting as many as 50 pregnant women per day, health officials said earlier this week. 
 
So far, however, no cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika have been reported in the continental United States, the CDC said in a statement on Friday. 
 
As of July 6, a total of 1,132 cases of people who contracted the virus while traveling abroad had been registered in the United States, it said. 
 
However, health officials are bracing for outbreaks of the virus among local mosquito populations.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;CDC has been working with state, local, and territorial health officials to prepare for the possibility of locally-acquired Zika infection in the United States,&quot; the CDC said. 
 
No vaccine or treatment for the Zika virus currently exists and many of those infected will not show symptoms, the CDC says. 
 
Pregnant women are the focus of greatest concern because the virus causes birth defects. 
 
US President Barack Obama has requested $1.9 billion to fight the virus, but lawmakers are deadlocked over the issue and there are fears Congress will fail to address the growing health crisis until after its summer recess in September. 
 
(AFP)

A public health institute said the US has around 1,132 registered cases of people who contracted the virus while travelling abroad

A Utah resident infected with the Zika virus has died, becoming the first Zika-related fatality in the continental United States, officials said on Friday. The elderly victim, who had an underlying health condition, died in late June after traveling to a country where the mosquito-transmitted virus is active, the Salt Lake County health department said. "While this individual did test positive for Zika virus, the exact cause of death has not been determined, and it may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the death," the health department said in a statement. The victim's identity and travel history would not be released, it added. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in April that a man in his 70s infected with the Zika virus had died of complications from the infection on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, which is part of US territory. The virus is spreading fast on the island, infecting as many as 50 pregnant women per day, health officials said earlier this week. So far, however, no cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika have been reported in the continental United States, the CDC said in a statement on Friday. As of July 6, a total of 1,132 cases of people who contracted the virus while traveling abroad had been registered in the United States, it said. However, health officials are bracing for outbreaks of the virus among local mosquito populations. "CDC has been working with state, local, and territorial health officials to prepare for the possibility of locally-acquired Zika infection in the United States," the CDC said. No vaccine or treatment for the Zika virus currently exists and many of those infected will not show symptoms, the CDC says. Pregnant women are the focus of greatest concern because the virus causes birth defects. US President Barack Obama has requested $1.9 billion to fight the virus, but lawmakers are deadlocked over the issue and there are fears Congress will fail to address the growing health crisis until after its summer recess in September. (AFP)

Continental US records first Zika-related death

A baby suffering from a birth defect caused by the Zika virus was born on Tuesday in New Jersey to a woman visiting from Honduras who is infected with virus after she was bitten by a mosquito early on in her pregnancy, media reported.

The baby girl is suffering from severe microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems, after she was delivered through cesarean section at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, the news website NorthJersey.com reported.

U.S.&nbsp;health&nbsp;officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly. The World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,300 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.

The unidentified premature newborn also suffers from intestinal and visual issues, Manny Alvarez, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Hackensack, told NorthJersey.com.

&quot;You could see the pain in her heart,&quot; Alvarez said of the mother, the website reported.

Hospital officials were not available for comment.

The unidentified 31-year-old mother was staying with relatives after she arrived in the United States more than a month ago from Honduras, where she was bitten by a mosquito, Alvarez said.

Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. A small number of cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. A case of suspected transmission through a blood transfusion in Brazil has raised questions about other ways that Zika may spread.

In January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a U.S. woman who had lived in Brazil gave birth to a microcephalic baby in Hawaii.

The Zika outbreak is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit.

Honduras is the Central American country with the highest number of Zika cases, with 19,000 infections, and at least 238 pregnant women infected. It has also detected at least 78 Guillain-Barre cases.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.

A baby suffering from a birth defect caused by the Zika virus was born on Tuesday in New Jersey to a woman visiting from Honduras who is infected with virus after she was bitten by a mosquito early on in her pregnancy, media reported.

A baby suffering from a birth defect caused by the Zika virus was born on Tuesday in New Jersey to a woman visiting from Honduras who is infected with virus after she was bitten by a mosquito early on in her pregnancy, media reported. The baby girl is suffering from severe microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems, after she was delivered through cesarean section at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, the news website NorthJersey.com reported. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,300 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The unidentified premature newborn also suffers from intestinal and visual issues, Manny Alvarez, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Hackensack, told NorthJersey.com. "You could see the pain in her heart," Alvarez said of the mother, the website reported. Hospital officials were not available for comment. The unidentified 31-year-old mother was staying with relatives after she arrived in the United States more than a month ago from Honduras, where she was bitten by a mosquito, Alvarez said. Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. A small number of cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. A case of suspected transmission through a blood transfusion in Brazil has raised questions about other ways that Zika may spread. In January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a U.S. woman who had lived in Brazil gave birth to a microcephalic baby in Hawaii. The Zika outbreak is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit. Honduras is the Central American country with the highest number of Zika cases, with 19,000 infections, and at least 238 pregnant women infected. It has also detected at least 78 Guillain-Barre cases. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.

Baby born with birth defect in New Jersey to mother infected by Zika

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