Australian research published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases indicates that the mosquito that carries dengue fever could spread to all capital cities in the coming decades as a result of our attempts to drought-proof our homes.
BRIEFING DETAILS:
DATE: Tuesday 5 May 2009
START TIME: 10.30am AEST
DURATION: Approx 30 min
VENUE: Online
The implementation of rainwater tanks in urban backyards is likely to do more to spread the disease than climate change, say the scientists. Despite the current dengue epidemic in Queensland, the virus is currently not endemic to Australia. But the researchers fear it could become common here if we install rain water tanks without measures to prevent the spread of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, that carries the virus.
Join this online briefing to hear from lead author, Dr Nigel Beebe, about this research and the outlook for the current dengue outbreak in Queensland.
*Please note that similar unpublished research from a different group received some media attention in January this year.
SPEAKER:
Dr Nigel Beebe, University of Queensland and CSIRO Entomology
PRESENTATION:
Full briefing (WebEx)
View here
Nigel Beebe’s Presentation
View PowerPoint (pdf) | Listen (mp3)
Q&A Session
Listen (mp3)
For further information, please contact the AusSMC on 08 8207 7415 or email us