A firm in Singapore claims that it has developed a biochip that will drastically reduce the time and cost of diagnosing the mosquito-born Dengue fever. Attogenix Biosystems have invented the innovative chip.

According to Reuters report, the chip is capable of detecting the dengue virus employing a process called molecular diagnostics

New research shows the American robin may be a more potent source for the West Nile virus.

Theodore Andreadis, chief medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station , says DNA analysis of blood taken from 300 mosquitoes in Connecticut over the past three years finds 40-percent fed on the blood of robins, while only one percent fed on crows

The West Nile Virus has popped up in Montgomery County in the State of Texas according to Texas health officials.

The case marks the second time West Nile has appeared in a human, the first was reported July 6 in Swisher county

Christina Ficara - All Headline News Staff Reporter

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first human case reported. The disease has appeared in birds, horses and mosquitoes - the insect that carries West Nile - in 14 states so far this year

For years, the U.S. government has said the best way to avoid mosquitoes carrying the potentially dangerous West Nile virus is using insect repellents with DEET, now that message is changing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are adding repellents containing the chemical picaridin or the oil of lemon eucalyptus, which they say offer "long-lasting protection against mosquito bites." Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's division of vector-borne infectious diseases, says "Since West Nile virus is present across the entire country at this point and it's here to stay, we constantly need to be vigilant. It gives consumers a better option to protect themselves." Repellent makers have tried for years to market products with the two added chemicals, but to no avail. Other countries have used both chemicals since the 1980's. DEET has long been described as the most effective weapon against West Nile by federal, state, and local health agencies. The CDC are changing their recommendations based on new research saying, picaridin is "often comparable with DEET products of similar concentration" and oil of lemon eucalyptus provides protection time "similar to low-concentration DEET products in two recent studies." Officials say consumers prefer both chemicals because they don't have the strong odor many DEET products have. The CDC hopes more people will use insect repellents to protect themselves against potential exposure to West Nile. About 40 percent of people use insect repellents nationwide. In 2004, California had the highest number of reported cases (771 with 23 fatalities). Officials say, however, just 23-percent use insect repellent. A spokeswoman says, "That's a lot of people who are going out there unprotected." Registered with the Environmental Protection Agency in 1957, The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed DEET in 1946. Many users say DEET is unpleasant to the skin and smells bad. Some people also say DEET repellents damage fake fingernails and other plastics. There are also unconfirmed claims DEET might cause brain damage, but the EPA says proper use will prevent any harm. The first case of West Nile virus was in New York in 1999. In 2004, there were 2,470 cases and 88 deaths, but the highest number of cases in the United States was in 2003, when 9,682 people were infected with 264 fatalities