Author: Verity Bowman

Discover how Singapore is leading the fight against dengue outbreaks with the use of Gravitraps – mosquito-collection devices that provide valuable data for forecasting models. These traps help in monitoring the distribution and density of mosquitoes, offering early warning signs of potential outbreaks and guiding resource deployment. By studying captured mosquitoes, researchers can analyze their ability to transmit diseases like dengue and adapt to changing environments. This proactive approach enables Singapore to gather accurate data on dengue cases by funding clinics to test all patients and immediately report any diagnoses to the Ministry of Health, ensuring comprehensive surveillance. Professor Eng…

In Nairobi, around 70% of the population live in informal settlements occupying just five percent of the city’s land, leading to congested living conditions. This has worsened the risk of deadly disease outbreaks, with health risks including respiratory infections and complications from chronic diseases due to interrupted medication regimens. With no relocation plan in place, residents in high-risk areas have been asked to leave by the government, but many have nowhere to go. Families are forced to shelter in schools and church halls, with some losing everything to floods. A local woman, Catherine, reflected on the devastation by saying, “I…