Dengue viruses are spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito of the Aedes species, more specifically the female Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. Mosquito-borne diseases include malaria, Zika, West Nile virus, chikungunya, and dengue fever.

Among these diseases, dengue fever is considered to be the most immediately critical. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue fever is also the most rapidly spread mosquito-borne disease with a “30-fold increase in global incidence over the past 50 years”. Dengue viruses are spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito of the Aedes species, more specifically the female Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. With almost half of the world’s population, roughly 4 billion people, living in areas at risk of dengue fever, it’s important to recognize the mosquito specifies and to take necessary precautions to protect yourself.

[Read more…]

In the warm seasons, mosquitoes are abundant. This means more itchy, red blotches may appear on your skin due to mosquito bites. But, do mosquitoes bite or sting people? The answer is neither. Mosquitoes stick a needle in your body and suck your blood out. This process is similar to how your blood sample is taken from your arm at a hospital. People refer to this action as a ‘bite’ because of how it feels.

Mosquitoes have to detect you first. They can sense sweat and carbon dioxide you breathe out from as far as 55 yards away (more than half the length of a football field). After they have detected you, they approach you and land on your body.

[Read more…]

Rabies is a fatal viral disease for humans. Currently, there is no cure for the disease, especially once symptoms begin to show. But there is a preventative vaccination that a person can receive.

[Read more…]

The Amazon Rainforest is a natural wonder home to over 80,000 plant species in Brazil. Its nickname as “The World’s Largest Medicine Cabinet” is well-earned: around 25% of all drugs used in modern Western medicine are derived from Amazonian plants. What makes this even more miraculous is that less than 5% of all plant species in the Amazon rainforest have been tapped for their potential to create various cures.

[Read more…]

During flu season, we usually know what the problem is after getting a high fever. The same goes for a bout of nausea, fatigue or body aches. From late fall through early spring, with a peak of activity occurring sometime between December and February, those symptoms tip us off to the virus. The flu comes with a set of very noticeable symptoms that often stop us in our tracks.

But, even with those troublesome signs, for most people the virus remains mild.

[Read more…]