Climate Change Heightens Risk of Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks

Rising global average temperatures due mainly to greenhouse gas emissions will contribute to increases in the distribution areas of four mosquito-borne viruses: Oropouche (OROV), Mayaro (MAYV), Rocio (ROCV), and St Louis encephalitis (SLEV).

Scientists use mathematical models to predict distribution
 areas by 2100 of four arboviruses: Oropouche, Mayaro, Rocio,
 and St Louis encephalitis. 

This finding is from a study published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The research was conducted at Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, during Camila Lorenz’s PhD with support from FAPESP and supervision by Lincoln Suesdek, a professor in the Parasitology Department at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Science Institute (ICB–USP). Flávia Virginio, Thiago Salomão, Breno Aguiar and Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto, researchers in the same university’s Public Health Department (FSP-USP), also took part.

Read the Science and Technology Research News story - "Climate Change Heightens Risk of Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks.”

No bin collections for thousands as recycling crisis intensifies

Tens of thousands of people in two council areas northwest of Melbourne have had their bin collections cut off as the state's recycling crisis intensifies.

Wheelie Waste general manager Chris Philp among
a day's worth of collected recycling from Kyneton.

The Age believes that another 13 councils are on rolling payment plans with their bin contractors, with concerns any of those deals could fall over at any moment.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council – which covers nine towns including Kyneton, Lancefield and Gisborne – and Mount Alexander Shire Council – which takes in eight towns including Castlemaine and Maldon – were told by waste collector Wheelie Waste on Wednesday morning that it would no longer collect rubbish.

Despite a day of crisis meetings, the situation was unresolved on Wednesday evening.

Read the story by Liam Mannix in The Age - “No bin collections for thousands as recycling crisis intensifies.”