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Miami’s role as the gateway to Latin America has also made it the US epicenter of dengue fever. Cases of the mosquito-borne illness in Florida have more than doubled this year compared with the same period in 2023, as unsuspecting travelers have carried the virus back from the Caribbean and Southern Hemisphere. Now, authorities are working to keep the disease from infecting the local mosquito population before this summer’s heavy rains turbocharge the risks. (Wyss, 5/22)

A mosquito sample collected by Harris County Public Health has tested positive for the West Nile virus, according to a social media post by the department. The sample was collected within Houston ZIP code 77019, which includes the River Oaks and downtown area. As a proactive measure, the department will be treating, in the evening, the areas where the positive sample was found and the surrounding area. (Garcia, 5/22)

As tick season approaches, experts warn that Illinois residents should be even more wary as the type of ticks in the state increases and the season lengthens. Researchers discovered the Asian longhorned tick — an invasive species native to Japan, Korea and parts of China and Russia — in Illinois in April. First reported in the United States in 2017, the tick has since spread to 20 states. (Kalra, 5/22)

New air pollution and early death statistics in Allegheny County have been unveiled through a new study. The study finds that county residents have a higher mortality rate from fine particulate pollution than other parts of the country, particularly in the poorer towns of the Mon Valley and parts of the city.Clean air advocates are calling for change. (Sheehan, 5/22)

Cassandra Sutcliffe has been using her inhaler more often to treat her chronic bronchitis. She lives on an oceanfront property in Imperial Beach, one of the southernmost communities impacted by sewage and toxic chemicals that spill over the U.S.-Mexico border. “The smell makes your eyes water and your throat close up,” said Sutcliffe, one of many residents who have reported having similar symptoms and who say they find relief when they leave town. (Murga, 5/22)

In a world full of threats to children — from war to disease to starvation — there's a neglected crisis that's just now getting a jolt of attention. It's lead poisoning, which affects both adults and children and can be especially devastating for the cognitive development of youngsters. (Kritz, 5/23)

The phenomenon that locals refer to as “black snow” – intermittent sugar cane burning that starts each October and ends as late as May – might not only be a problem for South Florida's air quality, but also could have an impact on residents’ brain health. (Bergmann, 5/22)

As Massachusetts sweats through the first day this year at or near 90 degrees, a newly released study finds that the risk of dying from stroke increases when temperatures are extreme. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Stroke, found that on both ends of the spectrum — heat and cold — roughly 11 out of every 1,000 stroke deaths are caused by extreme temperatures. (Shankman, 5/22)