West Nile Virus Scare in California

The California Department of Public Health West Nile Virus Website reports that there was a new West Nile Virus positive mosquito sample reported in California this week from Contra Costa County also one dead crow and 3 sentinel chickens have tested positive for the WNV.

KMPH-TV website quotes Tim Phillips, assistant manager of The Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District as saying, "The mosquitoes in your backyard could potentially kill you or your neighbor, and it's especially true this year, because it's come so early and we are so far behind"

While Mercury News reports that The Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District spokesperson Deborah Bass said, "Finding infected mosquitoes this early is evidence the West Nile danger will be present longer this year than usual". The early warm weather this year not only has sped up the mosquitoes' life cycle, she said, but enables mosquitoes' salivary glands to harbor more of the virus, making them potentially more dangerous.

According to the CDC, the West Nile Virus is a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.

21 Hospital Trusts in Britian Fail to Meet Hygiene and Infection Control Standards

New British Health-Care regulatory authority, the CQC (Care Quality Commission) has identified 21 trusts in England which were not doing enough in areas such as cleanliness and decontamination. (BBC)

USA in the Grip of a Salmonella Outbreak?

Various food products containing pistachios, peanuts, white pepper and black pepper have been recalled in the U.S at the orders of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 691 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 46 states.

More than 3000 Dead in Zimbabwe Cholera Outbreak

The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has now passed the 3,000 mark (BBC)

A Virus That Makes You Fat?

Indian-American researcher, Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar thinks that a common cold virus Adenovirus-36 causes obesity in some people. (BBC)

Mass Dog Culling on the Indonesian Island of Bali

Around 1000 stray dogs have been culled and canine exports and imports have been banned as a part of Bali provincial government's efforts to combat an outbreak of rabies that has killed several people since last December.

Northern Coast of Australia hit hard by Whooping Cough

Infants and small children are especially vulnerable to whooping cough with a mortality rate of aroung 0.5%. The Australian province of New South Wales has recorded the highest rate of whooping cough cases in 17 years.

Measles Epidemic in Britian?

There is an "unprecedented increase" in measles cases in England and Wales, experts report. (BBC)