— Inflammation of the placenta was linked to childhood asthma in a study of nearly 400,000 births. Chorioamnionitis is caused by E. coli and other bacteria, and the study found that premature children exposed to this type of infection while in the womb had at least a 20% greater chance of developing asthma by age 8. (Reuters)

— Dengue fever cases have gone up almost four-fold in Central and Latin America over the past 30 years, with 4.8 million reported to the Pan American Health Organization between 2000 and 2007. The potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) also increased, going from more than 13,000 cases in the 1980s to more than 100,000 between 2000 and 2007. Researchers say declining efforts to eradicate the disease-carrying mosquito have led to the dengue surge. (SciDevNet)

— Itching for more mosquito news? Researchers say they have discovered a potential plant-derived treatment for the West Nile Virus. Bioengineering a relative of the common tobacco plant to carry mammalian genes, the scientists were able to produce viral antibodies. (ScienceDaily)

— More than half of people in the US use the Internet to look up health information, according to research by the country’s National Center for Health Statistics. When it comes to communicating with an actual health provider, however, less than 7% had sent them an email, set up an appointment, or filled a prescription. Maybe Americans would rather find something health-related to tweet about. (Reuters)

Image by dr_relling via Flickr Creative Commons