09:00 - 08 May 2008

Fears that mosquitoes could spark an outbreak of malaria in Hayle have receded after tests revealed that the insects are not the disease-carrying species.

Samples taken from a number of sites by the Environment Agency, including Wilson's Pool, were identified as the less harmful salt marsh mosquito, Aedes detritus.Penwith Council's environmental health manager Rebecca Kirk, who helped collect larvae, adult insects and sediment for analysis, said the insects had been difficult to locate and numbers had been low.

"The levels were no higher than in salt marsh pools in other parts of Cornwall," she said. "Although the salt-marsh species can travel several miles to feed on humans, contracting an illness from a bite is highly unlikely."

Evidence of biting midge larvae was also found around the Millpond which, she said, could account for evening walkers suffering multiple biting attacks last summer.

Reports last year of people hospitalised after insect attacks and a malaria sufferer living close to the breeding grounds had raised fears around the town.

Dr Ian Burgess, director of the Medical Entomology Centre in Cambridge, had predicted a summer of painful attacks if steps were not taken to reduce numbers.

But despite high tides and winds forcing the cancellation of plans to flush out the insects by flooding their marshland home the prospects of swarms of disease-carrying parasites now seems remote.

Hayle mayor Paul Birch said: "People will be relieved that after months of speculation the town can get back to normal. "Hopefully, reports in the national press last year will not damage the tourist industry and we will have a good summer."

The Health Protection Agency now considers the town's mosquito problem as small but recommends that people cover arms and legs in summer and apply repellent to exposed areas.

Anyone who suffers an adverse reaction to a mosquito bite is asked to call NHS Direct on 08454647.

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تشخیص مالاریا در کمتر از یک دقیقه دنیای تشخیص پزشکی را متحول می کند.بررسیهای اولیه در خصوص این تکنیک جدید حاکی از موثر بودن آن به عنوان تکنیکی سریع و ارزان قیمت در تشخیص بیماری خطرناک مالاریا است. 

 این تکنیک جدید به وسیله تیمی از دانشمندان بین المللی به سرپرستی محققان دانشگاه اکستر و کاونتری انگلیس ابداع شده است و مبنای آن استفاده از فناوری نور و مغناطیس برای تشخیص haemozoin است. این ماده به وسیله انگل مالاریا و در خون تولید می شود.

کریستالهای haemozoin مغناطیسهای ضعیفی هستند و شکل مجزای مستطیلی شکلی دارند و در عین حال در مقایسه با قطر خود نور بیشتری را در طولشان جذب می کنند. این نشانه ها می توانند عوامل تعیین کننده ای در تشخیص مالاریا باشند.

زمانی که این کریستالها در معرض میدان مغناطیسی قرار می گیرند همچون لایه قطبی شده ضعیفی عمل می کنند که نمونه آن در عینکهای آفتابی نیز دیده می شود. این فناوری جدید از ویژگیهای مطرح شده استفاده می کند و اطلاعات دقیق و سریعی درخصوص وجود haemozoin در خون به عنوان نشانه ای از مالاریا ارائه می کند.

نقل از وبلاگ دکتر احمد عطامهر

If there's a noise less romantic than the whine of a mosquito, we don't want to hear it. Fingernails screeching on blackboards, car alarms, even a crooked politician's stump speech have nothing on an earful of flying, whining vampires.

But it's all in your point of view: That whine may make us slap-happy, but we just learned that it can put a mosquito in the mood for love. In a new study, two British scientists explored how mosquitoes respond to each other, and found that opposite sex pairs change their wingbeat to match each other. Because the whine matches the wingbeat frequency, mosquitoes making the same whine may well be flying at the same speed.

Guys 'n Dolls: A female flies alone. After about 5 seconds, the male is released (higher pitch). Within one second they adjust to almost perfect synchrony (press button to listen). Courtesy Ian Russell and Gabriella Gibson