#mosquito-borne diseases

[rmlpathology]

Understanding Dengue Fever: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention

Dengue fever, a virus that mosquitoes spread, has become a big health problem in hot and humid areas. This blog will tell you about the signs, reasons, and ways to avoid dengue fever, so you can know more and stay safe.

What is Dengue Fever?

The dengue virus causes dengue fever. Infected female Aedes mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, spread this virus to humans through bites. The virus has four strains. A person who gets infected with one strain might become immune to it. However, the other strains can still infect them. This raises the chances of severe symptoms.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Dengue fever symptoms change based on how severe the infection is. People start to show symptoms 4-10 days after an infected mosquito bites them.

Mild Dengue Fever Symptoms:

high temperature (up to 104°F/40°C)

Bad headaches

Pain behind the eyes

Hurting joints, muscles, and bones

Feeling sick and throwing up

Skin rash showing up 2-5 days after the fever starts

A bit of bleeding (like nosebleeds or gums bleeding)

These signs go away within a week, but for some people, the sickness can get worse.

Severe Dengue Symptoms: Severe dengue also called dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, can result in life-threatening issues like plasma leakage fluid buildup, breathing problems heavy bleeding, and organ damage. Severe dengue has these signs:

Intense stomach pain

Non-stop throwing up

Bleeding from the gums or nose

Blood in pee, poop, or vomit

Trouble breathing

Tiredness, unease, or crankiness

Severe dengue might show up after the fever goes away, so it's vital to watch infected people.

Causes of Dengue Fever

The dengue virus infects humans when Aedes mosquitoes with the virus bite them. A mosquito gets the virus when it bites someone who has dengue in their blood. Once a mosquito has the virus, it can pass it to others. Remember, dengue can't spread between people.

You're more likely to get dengue if:

You live in or visit tropical or subtropical areas where dengue is common (like Southeast Asia, Pacific islands, Latin America, and Africa)

You're around infected mosquitoes when they're most active (early morning and late afternoon)

Complications of Dengue Fever

Severe dengue can lead to problems like shock bleeding inside the body, and harm to organs such as the liver and heart. Without treatment severe dengue can kill. You need to get medical help right away if you notice any serious symptoms.

How to Prevent Dengue Fever

No specific cure or shot exists for dengue fever so stopping it from spreading is crucial. Here are some key ways to prevent it:

Don't Let Mosquitoes Bite You:

Put on bug spray with DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil.

Cover up with long sleeves, pants, and socks to shield your skin.

Set up bug nets or screens to keep mosquitoes out of your house.

Get Rid of Mosquito Breeding Grounds:

Dump out and clean any containers that collect water, like flower pots, buckets, and tires where mosquitoes lay eggs.

Switch out the water in outdoor pet bowls and bird baths often.

Keep Up with the News:

Watch out for dengue outbreaks if you travel to or live in areas with high risk. Stay away from places full of mosquitoes when these pests are most active.

Shots in High-Risk Places:

Some countries offer the dengue shot Dengvaxia, but doctors suggest it for people who've already had dengue. If you've never had dengue, this shot isn't for you because it might make dengue worse if you catch it later.

When to See a Doctor

If you have symptoms of dengue fever after a trip to an area where dengue spreads, get medical help right away. Quick diagnosis and proper care can lower the chance of problems.

When to Get Tested for Dengue

If you have symptoms such as high fever, body aches, or bleeding after visiting an area with dengue outbreaks, you should see a doctor. At RML Pathology, our complete testing services will help confirm the diagnosis allowing for quick care and lowering the risk of serious complications.

Dengue fever can be deadly. Quick diagnosis, prevention, and treatment are key to fighting this disease. Keep yourself informed, take steps to prevent it, and get tested at RML Pathology to have the best chance of recovery.

Keep yourself protected and take action in the battle against dengue with cutting-edge diagnostic help from RML Pathology!

Conclusion

Dengue fever is a serious illness that can turn into life-threatening conditions. Knowing its symptoms, causes, and ways to prevent it helps you take steps to protect yourself and your family. Stay alert in places where dengue often occurs, and control mosquitoes to cut down the risk of getting sick.

For people in areas with lots of mosquito’s steady work on prevention and staying informed can help control the spread of dengue fever.

This blog offers a complete guide to dengue fever. It stresses how crucial it is to spot, prevent, and treat this disease. To protect your health from this mosquito-spread illness, it's key to stay in the know and take the right steps.

[townpostin]

Indian Red Cross Society to Boost Activities Across Jharkhand

Red Cross district branches to accelerate humanitarian programs, focusing on blood donation and health camps. Red Cross branches in Jharkhand to intensify humanitarian efforts, with a special focus on blood donation and health services. JAMSHEDPUR – Red Cross branches across Jharkhand will soon intensify humanitarian programs, with a focus on blood donation drives. The Indian Red Cross Society’s…

[uniqueeval]

Can forgotten rubella children of the ’60s hold clue for Zika babies?

Story highlights Babies with multiple birth defects were born to US women infected with the rubella virus in the 1960s What these families have needed may signal what’s in store for Zika babies Brooklyn, New York CNN  —  One side of the bedroom is an explosion of pink, from the hair accessories and dangling trinkets to the stuffed animals and laundry hamper. The other, starting with the fuzzy…

[nancykhemchandani]

Staying Healthy During the Rainy Season: Essential Precautions and measures

Discover essential health precautions and measures to stay safe during the rainy season. Learn how to protect yourself from waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases.

[facts1590]

Staying Healthy During the Rainy Season: Essential Precautions

Discover essential health precautions and measures to stay safe during the rainy season. Learn how to protect yourself from waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases

[scienceswitch]

How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance – they can completely ruin your ability to enjoy the outdoors during spring and summer. Their unrelenting biting and buzzing can make your backyard unusable. Even more alarmingly, certain species like the Aedes aegypti mosquito can transmit dangerous diseases such as Zika virus, dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. Luckily, there are many highly…

[rjzimmerman]

Anthony Fauci: A Mosquito in My Backyard Made Me the Sickest I’ve Ever Been. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times Op-Ed by Anthony Fauci:

There is no treatment for West Nile virus disease, and I was left to deal with its toll on my body. It was terrifying. I could not swing my legs over the side of the bed to sit up without help from my wife and three daughters. I could not stand up without assistance and certainly could not walk. A very scary part of the ordeal was the effect on my cognition. I was disoriented, unable to remember certain words, asking questions of my family that I should have known the answers to. I was afraid that I would never recover and return to normal.

Fortunately, over a period of a few weeks slow improvement began. I was able to walk with a walker and then without any assistance. Now I can walk a few miles per day with only minimal fatigue, and my cognitive issues have completely resolved. I am on my way to a total recovery, but it has been a harrowing experience.

I tell my story because West Nile virus is a disease that, for many people, can have devastating and permanent consequences. At my age of 83, I was at risk of permanent neurological impairment and even death. Yet the public may be unaware of the danger of this disease and that it continues to spread across the United States; it has been identified in 46 states this year. Unfortunately, very little is being done about it from scientific and public awareness perspectives.

West Nile virus belongs to the family of flaviviruses that also includes yellow fever and dengue viruses. It was first detected in the United States in the New York City area in 1999, most likely introduced from the Middle East or parts of Africa where it is prevalent. Mosquitoes get the virus from infected birds, and then pass the virus on to humans by a bite. West Nile virus infection is by far the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States: Since 1999, about 60,000 cases have been reported. The actual number of infections is surely higher, no doubt in the millions, since many cases are not reported because infections are often asymptomatic or are confused with other common maladies such as flu. Among the reported cases in the United States, more than 30,000 have had neurological symptoms like mine, resulting in about 23,000 hospitalizations and close to 3,000 deaths.

As climate change makes it easier for mosquitoes to proliferate in many places, West Nile virus disease as well as other mosquito-borne illnesses are emerging as greater threats in this country and elsewhere. Yet, efforts to develop a vaccine or treatment for this illness are modest compared with those for other diseases of public health importance.

So, how do we address this emerging public health threat? Vaccine development must go forward; however, to be successful, clinical trials must be international and include countries with a consistent and large number of cases each year. The pathway to a vaccine cannot be in the United States alone. Global public-private partnerships between the N.I.H. and the drug industry have historically proved successful in the development of a number of important vaccines such as those against hepatitis B and Covid. There is no reason this shouldn’t also be the case for a West Nile virus vaccine.

The same holds true for the development of antiviral drugs. There is no insurmountable scientific obstacle to developing safe and effective antiviral drugs for West Nile virus infection. The pharmaceutical industry in collaboration with the N.I.H. and other partners had remarkable success in developing effective drugs for other emerging viral infections. Examples include lifesaving drugs for H.I.V. infection, therapies for hepatitis C infection and useful drugs for Covid-19 and influenza. With international research partnerships and political will spurred by an engaged activist community such as we have seen with H.I.V. and now long Covid, West Nile virus treatments and prevention tools should be within our grasp.

[kiwisoap]

I usually feed Odyssey in the evenings (just cus that's how my schedule usually shakes out) and when I drop his food in, he ALWAYS slams it full force like he has to kill it. Anyway I fed him later than usual a couple nights ago and when I dropped the food in he didn't hop off his perch to get it. And I was IMMEDIATELY like "oh no he's sick, he's dying, this is a Symptom, my BOY,," (bc illness symptoms in raptors are often rapid-onset)

But he finally (carefully) hopped to the ground from his perch and walked over to the food and I realized that it was just slightly too dark outside for him and he was uncomfortable flying. Lmao

[drev-the-procrastinator]

cool awesome the great year continues and now my cat is seriously ill

[flagellant]

"Can we just genetically alter all mosquitoes to fundamentally redesign their entire evolutionary biology and ecological niche? I'd appreciate them a bit more if that way."

I understand you're probably being more than a little facetious but like...no? And if we can, we really shouldn't just go ahead and try and radically redesign the genetics of a keystone population like that.

[caymannewsservice]

Cayman hosting mosquito-borne disease meeting

(CNS): With the worrying increase in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in the Caribbean, the health ministry is hosting a regional meeting this week on Grand Cayman aimed at strengthening the approach to combatting such diseases. The urgent meeting was called due to the record-high number of dengue cases reported in the Americas and the Caribbean last year, which have already been surpassed…

[townpostin]

Campaign Launched to Prevent Dengue and Chikungunya in Jamshedpur

Filariasis Department conducts door-to-door spraying and awareness drive to protect residents from dengue and chikungunya. To prevent the spread of dengue and chikungunya during the monsoon, a special campaign is being run in urban and block areas of Jamshedpur. JAMSHEDPUR – The Filariasis Department is conducting a door-to-door campaign to prevent dengue and chikungunya during the monsoon. The…

[creativemedianews]

In reaction to dangerous mosquito-borne diseases, US cities spray insecticides into roadways in uncommon moves

In reaction to dangerous mosquito-borne diseases, US cities spray insecticides into roadways in uncommon moves

[ploridafanthers]

i don't think there is an insect in the state of florida whose bite could leave a welt on me anymore

[xtruss]

It's Fall, Which Means It's Time For Gonorrhea! The Flu Isn't Alone: All Infectious Diseases Might Be Seasonal, According To A New Report.

— By Katherine J. Wu | Published: Thursday, November 8, 2018 | NOVA—PBS

All infectious diseases may be seasonal, according to a new scientific report—which means that every season may now come with its own set of symptoms. Photo Credit: Valerii Tkachenko, Wikimedia Commons

The transition from winter to spring signals the end of months of cold snaps, sweater weather, and Flu Season. But even as the roads clear and flowers bloom anew, it may not yet be time to shelve your sick days for the year.

According to a New Article, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, all infectious diseases may be seasonal—and there’s at least one for every time of the year.

Study author Micaela Martinez, an infectious disease ecologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, presents a compendium of 69 infectious diseases that run the gamut from rare to common, neglected to notorious, innocuous to deadly. Despite their differences, all the syndromes have one thing in common: They rise and fall with changing seasons.

Martinez, a conservation ecologist by training, initially set out to track the seasonality of acute, or short-term, infections like influenza and chickenpox after noting similarities between the disease states of humans and wildlife. But as she began to compile a list of infectious diseases that tend to plague humans, Martinez found that the trend also held true for chronic, or long-term, diseases like gonorrhea and leprosy.

“There’s documented seasonality for all infectious diseases, which is not what I was expecting,” Martinez explains. “It’s an even more widespread phenomenon than we thought.”

A quick look at the infectious disease calendar paints quite the sobering picture. As autumn leaves turn from green to red, gonorrhea and yellow fever rear their ugly heads in some parts of the world. The Winds of Winter are Famous For Flu, but also bring bouts of pneumonia. Refreshing springtime blooms breathe new life into outbreaks of chickenpox and salmonella. And last but certainly not least, summer months pack the heat with spikes in Lyme disease, polio, syphilis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and more.

Female Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes, which can carry Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and Chikungunya Fever, are sensitive to seasonal changes. Ebbs and flows in their population can affect disease transmission. Photo Credit: FotoshopTofs, Pixabay

Other diseases are a bit less finicky: They’ll take any period of natural warmth, spreading the joy over many months at a time—often in regions of the world that don’t experience four seasons of climactic change. For instance, Chagas disease, diphtheria, and genital herpes all flourish over both spring and summer, while their prevalence takes a welcome dip when temperatures fall. Other infectious diseases fare better during rainy seasons, or when climes are particularly dry.

Though the diseases she linked together shared little in common, including even their seasons of prevalence, Martinez theorized there might be similar reasons driving their cyclic nature. To tease apart the connections, Martinez amassed data from 100 previously published studies, zeroing in on several factors that shape seasonality.

For instance, environmental factors obviously come into play. Climate conditions such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall impact the wellbeing of infectious microbes, as well as the humans and wildlife they plague. In diseases that are ferried to humans via an insect vector like a Mosquito or fly, the seasonal ebb and flow of these pest populations may also play a role.

The behaviors of hosts of disease, both human and wildlife, also appear to fluctuate from month to month. This has been infamously exemplified by congregations of kids in schools begetting measles outbreaks. But there’s also something to be learned, Martinez says, by studying flux in the habits of non-human animals, who go through bouts of seasonal breeding, territoriality, and migration, and how these changes affect the spread of disease. Humans may not be seasonal maters—at least, not to the same degree—but even a subtle shift, like an uptick in sex during the summer months, could spur outbreaks of Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, or Syphilis.

“It’s not that we are vulnerable at a particular time of year and healthy at another,” Martinez explains. “We’re restructuring throughout the year. And the identity of the thing we��re vulnerable to changes with the seasons.”

The idea that some infectious diseases are seasonal isn’t new, says Shanthi Kappagoda, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at Stanford University who was not involved in Martinez’ work. However, Kappagoda adds, Martinez’ framework is unique in that it includes some infections that haven’t traditionally been considered seasonal—including several sexually-transmitted infections—and may change how clinicians and researchers approach future epidemics.

As climate change progresses, increasingly warmer locales may favor the transmission of infectious diseases like Cholera, or Mosquito-Borne Infections. Photo Credit: Martijn Meijerink, Pexels

According to Martinez, knowing when certain diseases are in season could help doctors quickly and effectively treat chronic infections that tend to flare up at certain times of the year, like herpes. With this sort of predictive power, patients may be able to minimize the amount of time they’re forced to deal with seasonal symptoms. The same line of thinking might even be applied to scheduling vaccines, which are ideally administered prior to the onset of an outbreak.

Understanding the drivers of infectious diseases’ seasonality may also be helpful on much broader scales, including the Forecasting of Epidemics Worldwide, adds Amy Wesolowski, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who did not participate in the new analysis.

Such global thinking is especially relevant in a rapidly changing world. As Climate Change progresses, the landscape of infectious diseases will shift, explains Kappagoda. Increasingly warmer locales may favor the transmission of summer-loving diseases like cholera. Humankind may also witness a boom in populations of insects like mosquitoes, which are likely to expand their habitats as temperatures climb, chauffeuring with them outbreaks of Malaria, West Nile Virus, and more. Additionally, human sensitivity to heat shouldn’t be underestimated in the context of infectious disease, Kappagoda points out: Climate change will continue to displace large populations of people, spurring the onset of epidemics.

Whether we like it or not, the spread and severity of infectious diseases are inextricably tied to both biology and behavior—which, in turn, cycle with the seasons. According to Martinez, the implications of this go far beyond fingering a malady for all seasons; rather, these patterns could change how we view our own bodies… and give new meaning to the phrase, “feeling under the weather.”

“This isn’t just about transmission—seasonality is also in the human body itself,” she explains. “There’s something happening in our bodies we don’t quite understand yet. Seasonality in infectious disease is just an enticing little piece of the puzzle.”