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Zika Virus Crisis

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As of early 2016, the most widespread outbreak of Zika virus in history is ongoing in the Americas. The outbreak began in April 2015 in Brazil, and subsequently spread to other countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. In January 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the virus was likely to spread throughout the majority of the Americas by the end of the year. Subsequently, in February 2016, the WHO declared the virus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Zika Virus Crisis

The mosquito-borne Zika virus can also be transmitted by sexual activity

Jan 16, 2017 02:34 am UTC| Health

The Zika virus (ZIKV) dominated global public health concerns during 2016. Affecting over 60 countries, this primarily mosquito-borne disease has been associated with serious birth defects including microcephaly, and...

Zika Virus Crisis

Dengue virus antibodies may worsen a Zika infection

Jan 05, 2017 11:13 am UTC| Health

The World Health Organization declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. That doesnt mean concern over Zika is over, but now that a link between Zika and...

Zika Virus Crisis

How the smell of chickens repels the most common malaria carrying mosquito

Sep 25, 2016 15:52 pm UTC| Science

One of the worlds dominant malaria vectors is Anopheles arabiensis. Humans are its preferred blood meal although it also feeds on other livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep. But recent research shows that chickens are...

Zika Virus Crisis

Delhi has been hit by a chikungunya epidemic – what is this disease?

Sep 20, 2016 06:10 am UTC| Health

Chikungunya is not a name that rolls easily off the tongue. It is a Swahili word meaning that which bends up. It describes the symptoms of this crippling arthritic disease, a disease which is currently gripping Delhi in...

Zika Virus Crisis

Explainer: arthrogryposis – the congenital disorder linked to Zika

Aug 27, 2016 12:32 pm UTC| Health

While were used to seeing the distressing images of small heads caused by infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy, a recent study has suggested the virus may be linked to another congenital birth disorder, namely...

Zika Virus Crisis

I'm an OB-GYN treating women with Zika: This is what it's like

Aug 06, 2016 10:28 am UTC| Health

As a medical student, I remember reading books about the early days of the HIV epidemic and wondering what it was like for doctors to take care of patients who had a new, unknown disease. It seemed to me like it would be...

Zika Virus Crisis

In Zika, echoes of US rubella outbreak of 1964-65

Aug 01, 2016 07:24 am UTC| Health

Just over 50 years ago, a highly contagious but seemingly harmless virus swept through the United States, infecting as many as 12.5 million people. In both adults and children, the virus presented as a mild illness, but...

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Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

What if the Reserve Bank itself has been feeding inflation? An economist explains

Heres something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its attempt to restrain inflation in May...

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

There is broad consensus that Chinese foreign policy has become more assertive and more centralised in the decade since Xi Jinping has ascended to the top of Chinas leadership. This has also meant that Chinese foreign...

How India’s economy has fared under ten years of Narendra Modi

More than 960 million Indians will head to the polls in the worlds biggest election between April 19 and early June. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is seeking a third...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict

The world has 91 democracies and 88 autocracies. Yet 71% of the worlds population (some 5.7 billion people) are living under autocratic rule, a big jump from 48% ten years ago. This trend towards authoritarianism can...

Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

Georgias ruling party attempted to pass a controversial bill on foreign agents in March 2023. The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being under foreign influence if they receive...

Science

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

DeepL Unleashes AI-Powered Tool for Business Writing

DeepL is a translation service from Germany, and it announced on Friday, April 26, that it would launch a new tool called DeepL Write Pro. It is an AI-based writing assistant created to help businesses with their writing...

Arthur Hayes Predicts Major Bullish Crypto Market Recovery Signal From US Treasury Department

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, has identified a potential boost for the cryptocurrency and stock markets based on recent U.S. Treasury actions. These actions could inject substantial liquidity, fueling a bullish...

Tesla Cybertruck Spotted in Sydney Sparks Debate: Potential Australian Release?

As the Tesla Cybertruck makes unexpected appearances on the streets of Sydney, speculation swirls about its potential availability in Australia, despite previous doubts regarding its local launch. Tesla Cybertruck...

Hertz to Offload 30K EVs This Year, Deepens Cuts Amid Mounting Fleet Losses

In a recent financial revelation, Hertz disclosed continued losses from its electric vehicle (EV) investments, announcing plans to sell 30,000 EVs this year amid depreciating values and escalating maintenance...

Toyota Motor Launches Trial for EV Pickups in Thailand

Toyota Motor Corporation launched the trial for its electric pickup trucks in Thailand. The Japanese automaker said its pilot project brought nine fully electric Hilux Revo pickups to key Thai market. According to...