Mosquito Bites Getting Deadly
By James Donahue
It was bad enough when mosquito bites in the U.S. began passing on the West Nile Virus about a decade ago. But with the warming temperatures, breeds of mosquitoes that carry other tropical type diseases are working north.
One mosquito, known as Aedes aegypti, is threatening us with dengue fever and another painful virus known as chikungunya.
Cases of dengue fever have been reported in Florida and Texas in recent years and the first cases of chikungunya were reported in Florida this year. The two diseases are similar in that they cause extreme joint and body pain and can lead to death.
Yet another deadly mosquito-borne virus, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) has been discovered in Massachusetts. An elderly woman died from the disease in 2012 and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health says the virus has been found in mosquitoes collected in Plymouth County.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were six cases of EEE reported in the U.S. last year, including one fatality. Of the 21 states that reported the virus over the last decade, Florida reported the most cases, with 13.
EEE is a rare and potentially fatal disease transmitted from animals to humans via mosquito bites. It causes inflammation of the brain.
Officials say another new species of mosquito, the Aedes, also known as the "ankle biter" is spreading quickly throughout Southern California. The Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for itchy, painful bites that first look like clustered pinpoint marks then become inflamed and can expand into big red welts and rashes.
This mosquito is known as a carrier of the Dengue fever virus and viruses for Yellow Fever and Zika. The Aedes mosquito is a native of tropical areas. But with the warming climate, it now is found in the United States in Florida, Hawaii and along the Gulf Coast. In hot weather it has been found as far north as Washington, D.C.
People who live in areas east of the Mississippi River, that experience plenty of rainfall and enjoy lots of green vegetation, streams and ponds with standing water, know the annoyance of summer invasions of mosquito swarms. The bites are usually always red and itchy for an hour or longer, but then they go away.
That is, unless the mosquito was carrying one of the many viruses that mosquitoes are now known to host.
Other serious viral diseases carried by mosquitoes, but not yet introduced to the United States, include malaria, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever, Murray Valley Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis and and St. Louis Encephalitis.
There is a species of mosquito found in Africa that also carries the filariasis worm. This is a parasite that causes elephantiasis, a disabling disease that causes a great swelling of parts of the body.
Indeed, if the mythological story of Noah’s Ark bears any truth to it, we have to wonder why Noah allowed those two mosquitoes on the boat.
By James Donahue
It was bad enough when mosquito bites in the U.S. began passing on the West Nile Virus about a decade ago. But with the warming temperatures, breeds of mosquitoes that carry other tropical type diseases are working north.
One mosquito, known as Aedes aegypti, is threatening us with dengue fever and another painful virus known as chikungunya.
Cases of dengue fever have been reported in Florida and Texas in recent years and the first cases of chikungunya were reported in Florida this year. The two diseases are similar in that they cause extreme joint and body pain and can lead to death.
Yet another deadly mosquito-borne virus, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) has been discovered in Massachusetts. An elderly woman died from the disease in 2012 and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health says the virus has been found in mosquitoes collected in Plymouth County.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were six cases of EEE reported in the U.S. last year, including one fatality. Of the 21 states that reported the virus over the last decade, Florida reported the most cases, with 13.
EEE is a rare and potentially fatal disease transmitted from animals to humans via mosquito bites. It causes inflammation of the brain.
Officials say another new species of mosquito, the Aedes, also known as the "ankle biter" is spreading quickly throughout Southern California. The Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for itchy, painful bites that first look like clustered pinpoint marks then become inflamed and can expand into big red welts and rashes.
This mosquito is known as a carrier of the Dengue fever virus and viruses for Yellow Fever and Zika. The Aedes mosquito is a native of tropical areas. But with the warming climate, it now is found in the United States in Florida, Hawaii and along the Gulf Coast. In hot weather it has been found as far north as Washington, D.C.
People who live in areas east of the Mississippi River, that experience plenty of rainfall and enjoy lots of green vegetation, streams and ponds with standing water, know the annoyance of summer invasions of mosquito swarms. The bites are usually always red and itchy for an hour or longer, but then they go away.
That is, unless the mosquito was carrying one of the many viruses that mosquitoes are now known to host.
Other serious viral diseases carried by mosquitoes, but not yet introduced to the United States, include malaria, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever, Murray Valley Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis and and St. Louis Encephalitis.
There is a species of mosquito found in Africa that also carries the filariasis worm. This is a parasite that causes elephantiasis, a disabling disease that causes a great swelling of parts of the body.
Indeed, if the mythological story of Noah’s Ark bears any truth to it, we have to wonder why Noah allowed those two mosquitoes on the boat.