World Health Statistics 2015: some achievements, many concerns

Down To Earth highlights the world’s performance on health-related development goals, where our successes lie and where efforts are still a …

Political apathy, unplanned urbanisation make vector-borne diseases hard to control in India

Only 60 per cent of the total plan outlay for vector-borne diseases spent between 2007 to 2013; lack of co-ordination between ministries and …

Science & Technology - Briefs

Deadly mosquito bites

As Delhi and other parts of the country battle the surge in dengue cases, here is a look at how vector-borne diseases have been spreading their …

Why dengue is not the devil

Lack of preparedness in our fight against this vector-borne disease is much to blame for it spreading fast 

Sharp drop in malaria cases, but three million people still at risk: WHO

The fastest rate of decrease in malaria was witnessed in Caucasus and Central Asia, which reported zero cases in 2014

Dengue outbreak: Infighting between Delhi government and municipal corporation blamed

According to the Delhi government, till now 4,769 dengue cases have been recorded in the national capital

Three scientists bag Nobel for Medicine for innovative battle against parasites

While two of the scientists invented drugs for combating roundworm parasites, the third developed a drug to combat malaria

Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites can infect African mosquitoes, says study

This could have dreadful consequences for Africa, a continent vulnerable to malaria

Why don’t we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?

They spread disease and misery and account for millions of deaths every year. There's not a lot to be said for mosquitoes

GM flies promise a good night

Amid global protests, scientists find a new way to control malaria by modifying mosquito sperm to produce only male offspring

Global malaria mortality rates dropped 47 per cent between 2000 and 2013

Sixty-four countries are on track to meet Millennium Development Goal of reversing the incidence of malaria, according to a WHO report

Why evolution must be at the centre of fighting parasitic infections

Each year more than 200 million cases of malaria are recorded across the globe

Did dinosaurs go extinct due to malaria?

A new research shows that the first vertebrate hosts of malaria were reptiles including dinosaurs

Scientists announce final trial results of world’s most advanced malaria vaccine

Vaccine can prevent a substantial number of cases of clinical malaria, especially in areas of high transmission rates

Mosquito matters

The blood-sucking pest is altering itself with changing environment. But studies on it are few and far between

Is chicken's odour the answer to mosquito-borne diseases?

Research finds that mosquitoes avoid feeding on chicken through olfactory identification

Understanding mosquitoes can help us find better ways to kill them

Mosquitoes have developed complex adaptions to locate their favorite food sources

Climate change may double malaria risk from dams in sub-Saharan Africa

The future impacts of dams on malaria transmission are seldom understood and investigated

Sri Lanka defeats malaria

WHO declares the country free of the disease. In the mid-20th century, it was among the most malaria-affected countries

Unused funds, understaffed civic agencies cause spurt in vector-borne diseases

In 2015-16, only 42 per cent of the Rs 620 crore allocated for prevention of vector-borne diseases was spent

Can we genetically alter mosquitoes to bite cattle, not humans?

Scientists have located the chromosomal rearrangement that makes some mosquitoes feed on cattle blood

People in Africa are living longer but lifestyle diseases are rising

The burden of communicable disease is declining in Africa and life expectancy is increasing. But non-communicable diseases like diabetes, …

How to tame the mosquito

India does not have to bear the onslaught of vector-borne diseases year after year. It is possible to control mosquitoes that spread these diseases

How to use evolution to fight malaria

Scientists have proposed a new strategy to select mosquitoes which can be checked by repellents, thereby less likely to transmit malaria