Vector-borne diseases are adding to the vicious cycle of poverty and have a significant impact of socio-economic status of communities, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

While countries in South-East Asia have made substantial economic progress, dengue and malaria fuel a vicious cycle of poverty and are still killing thousands of people. On World Health Day — April 7 — the WHO has impressed upon countries to prevent and control vector-borne diseases including dengue, kala-azar, lymphatic filariasis and malaria, among others.

Bangladesh has witnessed a 70% reduction in the number of malaria patients in the past five years, claimed Health Minister Mohammed Nasim yesterday.

Challenges such as extreme weather, rising seas and worsening scarcity of drinking water are forcing many Asian governments to confront the changes being wrought by a warming planet even as some po

Those living in the mountains or higher altitudes across the world will soon face the wrath of the world's deadliest vector borne disease — malaria.

What is more worrying is that the severity of the disease is expected to be far more because the populations in the mountains lack protective immunity against the disease. Researchers estimated that a 1 degree celsius temperature increase could result in an additional 3 million malaria cases annually, in under-15 population.

Researchers unraveling the complexities of the West African monsoon say they are set to bring major agricultural and health benefits to people in the region — despite setbacks caused by terrorist t