African dry air outbreaks

Chikungunya Outbreaks Caused by African Genotype, India

Chikungunya fever is reported in India after 32 years. Immunoglobulin M antibodies and virus isolation confirmed the cause. Phylogenic analysis based on partial sequences of NS4 and E1 genes showed that all earlier isolates (1963-1973) were Asian genotype, whereas the current and Yawat (2000) isolates were African genotype.

Dry weather induces outbreaks of human West Nile virus infections

BACKGROUND Since its first occurrence in the New York City area during 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has spread rapidly across North America and has become a major public health concern in North America. By 2002, WNV was reported in 40 states and the District of Columbia with 4,156 human and 14,539 equine cases of infection. Mississippi had the highest human incidence rate of WNV during the 2002 ...

African dust outbreaks over the Mediterranean Basin during 2001--2011

Relationship of air temperature to outbreaks of influenza.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1970) states that the term 'influenza' was introduced in 1743 by John Huxham who derived the word from the Italian phrase which ascribed the origin of the disease to 'un influenza di freddo', the influence of the cold. Since that time several workers have implicated inclement weather with an increased morbidity from influenza. In 1885, William Farr noted from the R...

Is the African cratonic lithosphere wet or dry?

Thick continental lithosphere (tectosphere) beneath African cratons has been stable for ~2.5 b.y. despite its mechanical interaction with sublithospheric mantle. Water is known to have signifi cant infl uence on mechanical stiffness, and the depletion of water is often considered to be a key to preserving the thick lithosphere. Although water-rich environments indicated by the present water con...