From very few cases in the 1960s, the incidence has gradually increased to a situation where it was now endemic in the Highlands and some larger coastal towns. Because typhoid symptoms are confused with pneumonia and malaria and because malaria drugs were readily available, this is the first line of treatment received by typhoid patients. The results from the study also indicated that prevention would be difficult and it would require a long-term integrated approach, involving improvements in hygiene and sanitation. The genome contains more than 4.4 million base pairs of genes, the scientists report. Knowing which genes are active in disease-causing mechanisms gives drug and vaccine researchers something to shoot at, he says.
Dengue fever is restricted to northern Queensland, where the carrying mosquito can be found.
Biological Insecticide Developed Researchers at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Brazil have developed a biological insecticide that can kill the larva of the mosquito Aedes aegypti more efficiently than the products the Ministry of Health currently use. According to Leon Rabinovitch, head of the Dept of Bacteriology of the Institute, the new insecticide is made from the active portion of the bacteria Bacilus thuringiensis sorovar israelensis, which produces a toxin that is ingested by the Aedes larva and dissolved in the intestine, where toxic fragments become fixed on the intestine walls, killing the host. Rabinovitch notes that the insecticide targets only Aedes aegypti larva, without affecting other insect species, so that its action does not affect the fauna equilibrium. There was no mention in the article of the relative effectiveness of this insecticide compared to others in the market. Mosquito Breeders Stiffer fines are in store for those hauled to court for having mosquito breeding sites on their premises.