West Nile Virus in a Warming World

NOTE: This is my first work of independent journalism, carried out over several months.  Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Just this fall, the Wildlife Conservation Society published its “Deadly Dozen” list, a report that provides examples of diseases that could spread as a result of climate-induced changes in temperatures and precipitation levels. In the report, [...]

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Book Suggestions: Diseases

I completely forgot to mention in my last post the 2 books I used for background reference. The Travel Doctor: Your guide to staying healthy while you travel, by Mark Wise The Little Book of Pandemics: 50 of the world’s most virulent plagues and infectious diseases, by Dr. Peter Moore

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The Intelligent Bee

I’ve never given any thought to bee intelligence before.  I have given thought to their  health, but that is because of my interest in colony collapse disorder.  (Read my original post to learn more).  Dr. Nigel Raine of Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, as well as Akram Alghamdi, Ezio Rosato and Eamonn [...]

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March On Beekeepers, March On

Hundreds of members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), dressed in beesuits and carrying smokers, swarmed to the U.K. Parliament to deliver a petition to increase research funding on bee health research today.  This year, 2 billion bees, or the equivalent of one in three of Britain’s honeybee colonies, have been lost over the last 2 [...]

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Hunting the Hunters in Cameroon

Dr. Nathan Wolfe has an interesting job description.  He hunts primate hunters in Cameroon, in an effort to head off global pandemics before they occur.  He tracks bushmeat hunters, who are at a high risk of virus transmission due to their blood mixing with that of their prey.  Diseases such as ebola virus and HIV [...]

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There’s Something in the Water

…and that something is Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has decided to close the Connetquot fish hatchery for at least the next five years in an attempt to eradicate the virus. During the shutdown, the parks agency will clean and disinfect the hatchery, while simultaneously stocking the [...]

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