Dengue Fever in US

[jadegil6]

Dengue Fever has now come to the United States. Cases have been reported in Florida, Texas and California. It is carried by the Asian tiger mosquito, which is a small insect with black and white stripes on it's legs. The mosquito carries other diseases, too.

[Edwin]

Wow! I had no idea that those disease spreading mosquitos were in the USA! When we lived in the National Park at the head of Lake Chelan I used to drive buses with narrated tours that I gave, as well as lunch tours, and transportation for hiking, skiiing, snowshoing, etc. Part of my narrated tour went through a area very heavily infested mosquitos. So in a humorous way the mosquitos were part of the narration at that point. Some people could not even bare to walk through that area, as the mosquitos were thick and hungry. I think it was the Nile feaver was on the news at that time, and I had a lot of people ask me if our mosquitos spread the Nile feaver, but no they were just mostly a big pain, causing itching and swelling for most people, but no disease spreading that I am aware of. The Stehekin Pastery Company had all of their eating places screened in as some people could not bare to eat pasteries with the mosquitos pestering them! They also sold a shirt that had on it, a picture of a mosquito with the words, "I gave blood in Stehekin!"

I am sorry to hear that there are disease spreading mosquitos in the USA, but thank you for telling us that. It is good to be informed about things like that.

[Edwin]

This is a Yahoo news article about Dengue Fever statistics in the Philippines about the decline of Dengue Fever from last year with a continued admonition to continue to clean up to lower the Dengue Fever risk.

..Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The Philippines' Department of Health on Friday said it has observed a sharp decline of dengue cases during the peak months this year compared to the same period in 2010.

In a press conference, Eric Tayag, assistant health secretary, said the number of dengue cases in the Philippines in July and August was 52 percent lower than last year.

Data from the agency showed that at least 3,127 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were recorded in July. No figure was available for August but health records from last year showed that there were 24,382 cases in July and at least 43,000 in August.

Tayag further reported that the health agency has officially counted 70,204 dengue cases nationawide from January to September 10 this year. The number is more than 24,000 cases fewer or 25.87 percent lower than for the same period in 2010, said the health official.

Most of these cases still came from Metro Manila with 15,427; Central Luzon, 13,347; and Calabarzon, 10,215, said Tayag.

QC is tops

Quezon City still has the highest number of dengue cases with 4,611; Manila, 1,944; Caloocan City, 1,941; Valenzuela, 1,090; and Pasig with 838 cases.

At least 396 deaths have been reported so far this year but Tayag noted that the figure was 60 percent lower compared to the same period last year at 620.

"The marked reduction in cases can be attributed to the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, especially the local government units who disseminated timely information to residents and spearheaded clean-up drives in their communities," said the health official.

But in the same breath, Tayag reminded the public to continue being vigilant against the disease, which can be fatal without prompt medical treatment.

"Since dengue is already a year-round public health threat, we must not be complacent... let us not put our guards down," said Tayag, encouraging every household to maintain a clean surrounding and eradicate possible breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

..

[jadegil6]

Article from ABC News Radio from Thursday, September 14, 2011:

Aedes albopictus mosquito, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, feeds on human blood. This mosquito is known to transmit West Nile virus. The Asian tiger mosquito, a rare and dangerous insect native to Southeast Asia, made an appearance in Southern California last week, prompting action from local pest controllers and health officials.

The mosquito, known for its black body and white stripes, is capable of carrying several viruses, including dengue fever, West Nile virus and yellow fever. It is smaller than most mosquitoes and bites during the day, not just at night, and already has a foothold in the U.S. Southeast.

While it is unclear how the Asian tiger mosquitoes arrived in Southern California, no one has become sick since spotting the bug in El Monte, Calif. The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District plans to fog the area where the mosquito was found as early as Friday.

District officials are going door-to-door in El Monte to educate the public on how to they can assist in fixing the problem.

“We’ll be making the best effort to eliminate the mosquito,” said Kenn Fujioka, assistant manager of the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District. “It’s the risk to our public and the uncertainty how it will behave that concerns us.”

The Asian tiger mosquito made its first U.S. appearance when it surfaced in Houston in 1985 after being transported from Asia in old tires meant for recycling. The mosquitoes soon migrated to Florida, and now, more than two decades later, they can be found throughout much of the Southeast.

“People in other parts of the country aren’t able to eradicate the problem because the humid conditions are too favorable for the mosquito,” said Fujioka. “Southern California is too dry for them to take advantage of the environment so easily, so we have a better chance at fixing the problem.”

“The best way to control an area is to eliminate sources where larvae can develop,” said Fujioka.

Health officials urged residents to dump out any containers holding standing water, even very small amounts. The mosquito is known to lay eggs in small, water-filled holes like those in trees, asphalt and concrete. Dispose of any unused containers and tires stored outdoors and drill drain holes in the bottom of playground equipment. If residents in the area spot one of the bugs, officials recommend they call the agency.

“The bite will appear like any other bug bite,” said Fujioka. “If people are bitten by any type of mosquito and they develop headache, fever or rash five to seven days later, they should get in and see a doctor to rule out diseases transmitted through insects. It’s the risk we’re concerned about.”

[Edwin]

Thanks for the news, Michael! It would be nice if they could be eradicated in all the South. Cleaning up standing water is good so they will not hatch out. It is also helpful to know what they look like so we can all be aware. The Philippines is making this effort, and it apparently is helping.

[Edwin]

If you read the "About US" at the link being at the bottom of the page on jaderune.com, you will get the whole story behind jaderune.com, and it is a wonderful and interesting story!

Rune was the guy, and jade was his filipina wife, and as a result of finding mates for their families, this site grew by word of mouth until many young ladies were asking to be published on the site, and they were finding guys to be their friends, and later their husbands.


"Her sister, and soon her friends asked them to find them a good husband too, so Jade and Rune started this site for those ladies and other Filipinas. They named it after themselves, their nick names, Jade and Rune but it is for the filipinas who are so wonderful and deserving of a happy marriage and good life. They had jobs to earn a living, and did not want to try to make money off other people's loneliness and unhappiness, and they wanted to fight the "mail order bride" concept and stigma. So they decided to create a free, Christian Pen Pal site, and list online dating personals for people just to help people, and not for money. Not everything in this short life needs to be done for money. The Lord said "Freely you have received, freely give". And I, along with them, have always loved that word, FREE. Don't you? They started their two page web site on a free host, Angelfire, in 1998 with less than 10 of Jade's relatives and/or friends to list. Just by word of mouth over the years, jaderune.com now has thousands of ladies listed. Jaderune.com never solicit listings, the ladies find us. Rune's wife's sister found a good husband from our site and ended up marrying a Registered Nurse also, like Rune, in Austria where she now lives happily ever after. Since the site started, it has been a blessing and a ministry for many people. There have been only a comparatively few problem ladies to delete over the years, yet many, many happy marriages. Only about 3 vitriolic complainers about what we do vs many hundreds of thank you notes. We love getting thank you notes and wedding pictures from happy couples, but for their privacy jaderune does not publish them. Some may not agree with what we do and do not think men should seek foreign wives. Instead of forcing people to follow their opinions they should just let people decide for themselves what they want to do in life... decide what is right for them!"