Mosquitoes Fly Free Amid Pandemic
Virus pulls health departments away from killing bugs
By Anna Marie, Barry-Jester and Lauren Weber: Associated Press * Chicago Tribune Monday 7/20/2020
Bug spray, swollen welts, citronella. It's mosquito season. And in a normal year, the health department serving Ohio's Delaware County would be setting out more than 90 mosquito traps a week - black tubs of stagnant water with nets designed to ensnare the little buggers. But this year, because of COVID-19, the mosquitoes will fly free. The coronvirus has pulled the staffers away, so they haven't set a single trap this year, according to Dustin Kent, the program manager of the residential services unit. Even if they had the time, the state lab that normally would test the insects for viruses that infect humans isn't able to take the samples because it also is too busy with COVID-19. - Read More
Area-Wide Mosquito Abatement Techniques and COVID-19
Recently, the AMCA (The American Mosquito Control Association) has received media inquiries regarding area-wide spraying for COVID-19 control. The statement below is intended to equip AMCA members with similar inquiries from the media, general public and others.
It's difficult to foresee a situation where aerial spraying with disinfectant would be either required or solicited. Furthermore, spraying disinfectant antivirals from aircraft over large areas might also have adverse ecological effects in addition to contributing to resistant viruses. It's not surprising that our adulticiding measures to control arbovirus transmission could be seen by the public to represent a potential large-scale coronavirus control method. However, the public needs to be reminded that ULV applications, are
The Mosquitoes Are Coming for Us
They are our apex predator, the deadliest hunters of human beings on the planet. - By Timothy C. Winegard
It has been one of the most aggravating sounds on earth for more than 100 million years — the humming buzz of a mosquito. She gently lands on your ankle and inserts two serrated mandible cutting blades and saws into your skin, while two other retractors open a passage for the proboscis. With this straw she sucks your blood, while a sixth needle pumps in saliva that contains an anticoagulant that prevents that blood from clotting. This shortens her feeding time, lessening the likelihood that you splat her across your ankle.- More
CNN Jessie Yeung
(CNN) Drug-resistant strains of malaria are spreading across Southeast Asis, raising fears of a "potential global health emergency," two new studies have found.
The reports were published Monday in The Lancet, warning that a multi-drug-resistant strain had evolved and was spreading across Thailand, Cambodia, Laso, and Vietnam. The new findings come as countries and health experts struggle to fight the parasitic disease. There have been some successes -- Algeria and Argentina were declared malaria-free in May -- but in other places, cases have been rising significantly.More
News Release: Scientific Study Shows Significant Increase in Rainfall Standards for Lake County
Climate change and the direct and indirect impacts it has to Illinois, and more specifically to Lake County, has become an important topic in recent years. The Illinois State Water Survey has been studying the climate conditions being seen across the State of Illinois. Their findings show that Lake County is receiving significant amounts of rainfall. - more
Let the swatting begin:
Mosquito season kicks off after cool, wet spring
Protection of Our Pollinators
The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) is keenly aware of and appreciates the vital role that pollinating insects such as honey bees, wild bees and butterflies play in the availability of many agricultural products and fully supports science-based efforts to ensure pollinator popluations are not adversely affected by application of mosquito management products designed to protect public health. It is the policy of the AMCA that, to the extent practicable, governmental and contract mosquito management entities corrdinate their activities with local beekeepers in addition to extension offices and conduct mosquito management operations so as to minimize exposures of beehives, individual bees and other arthropod pollinators to public health procudts used in mosquito management. To this end, the AMCA encourages an ongoing dialogue among all stakeholders, including pollinating insect ecologists so that mandated managment activies result in minimal impact to pollinators. - more
Chicago Tribune - By Tessa Weinberg
After a late start, mosquito season is buzzing in with the warmer weather.
The deluge of rain this month has created stagnant pools of water perfect for mosquito breeding. At the same time, cooler temperatures have helped to slow the maturation of larvae, delaying the pests’ season by about three weeks this year, said David Zazra, spokesman for the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District.
“But it looks like we’re about to turn a corner here,” he said.
“Mosquito season is certainly on its way,” said Marilyn O’Hara Ruiz, an epidemiology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. - read more
State ranks 6th as CDC warns about spike nationwide
Elyssa Cherney
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning about a rise in insect-borne diseases — and Illinois is right up there, ranking sixth among states with themost mosquito-related illnesses.
Between 2004 and 2016 nationwide, diseases from mosquito, tick and flea bites tripled to more than 640,000 cases, according to the study released Tuesday.
Illinois saw the number of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases jump from 226 in 2004 to 772 in 2016, according to CDC data. Data for flea-borne illness couldn’t be located for those individual years.
Examining mosquito-related diseases alone, such as West Nile virus, Illinois logged more than 2,580 such cases during that 13-year stretch, according to the report. That’s behind only Colorado, Florida, New York, Texas and California, which had the most cases — 9,254. Except for Colorado, the states with more cases than Illinois are also more populous, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The rise in mosquito-transmitted diseases nationwide is likely related to the spike in West Nile virus, which hit Illinois particularly hard starting in 2002, said Chris Stone, who studies mosquitoes for the Illinois Natural History Survey.
“Illinois was just one of the major states where the West Nile epidemic had a peak, and it continues to be quite prevalent,” Stone said. “In part, that must be due to the Chicago area airports being so large and having lots of imported cases.”
Urban centers filled with retention ponds and storm drains that hold sitting water for a period of time can also create an environment that nurtures mosquitoes, Stone said.
Nationwide, the CDC report found the U.S. is vulnerable for another epidemic if it does not improve its local and state health departments to control mosquito and tick populations. The report also found that nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks have been discovered or introduced since 2004. The report was conducted by analyzing data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, which is also run by the CDC, for 16 types of insect-borne illnesses.
Here are the five takeaways from the study, including how to protect yourself this summer:
1. West Nile virus is the top mosquito-borne disease in Illinois, the report said. At its height, Illinois led the nation in the disease in 2002 with 884 diagnoses and 67 deaths, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Last year there were 89 cases of West Nile in 80 different counties, the health department said. West Nile virus, which is carried by the Asian tiger mosquito, is especially dangerous for people older than 50 or those with weak immune systems. It causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to death in some cases.
2. The most common type of tick-borne illnesses was Lyme disease, the report said. In the time period examined by the CDC, 352 cases of Lyme disease were reported. The most common type of biting ticks in Illinois are the American dog tick and the lone star tick.
3. Most mosquito bites in Illinois don’t come from the bug that carries West Nile. The most ubiquitous biting insect in Illinois is the Indian floodwater mosquito, which rarely transmits any diseases, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. These mosquitoes lay their eggs in soil that is flooded and are particularly active along riverbanks and other low-lying places.
4.It’s unlikely you will contract the Zika virus from a bug bite in Illinois, according to the health department. In 2017 there were eight cases of Zika among Illinois blood donors who did not experience any symptoms, according to the CDC. Those cases were related to people who traveled to areas where the virus was prevalent. Zika, which poses extreme problems for pregnant women, has not been transmitted through bug bites in the state.
5. To ward off mosquitoes and ticks, choose an insect repellent with DEET,Stone said. DEET doesn’t kill insects, but it works by making it harder for them to identify the human scent, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which has found the product safe to use.
echerney@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @elyssacherney
Present & Protect
Vital Signs: Trends in Reported Vectorborne Disease Cases - United States and Territories, 2004-2016
Rosenberg R, Lindsey NP, Fischer M, et al. Vital Signs: Trends in Reported Vectorborne Disease Cases — United States and Territories, 2004–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 1 May 2018. DOI:
Vectors are blood-feeding insects and ticks capable of tansmitting pathogens between hosts. Wide varieties of pathogens have evolved to exploit vector transmission, including some viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, protozoa, and helmnths. Dengue viruses are estimated to infect nearly 400 million persons worldwide each year (1), and malaria (2) is a major cause of pediatric mortality in equatorial Africa. Plague (3) and rickettsioses (4) cause deadly epidemics abroad. In the United States, 16 vectorborne diseases are reportable to state and territorial health departments, which are encouraged to report them to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). Among the diseases on the list that are caused by indigenous pathogens are Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi); West Nile, dengue and Zika virus diseases; plague (Yersinia pestis); and spotted fever rickettsioses (e.g., Rickettsia rickettsii). - read more
Education: West Nile Information
Understanding Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
How Climate Change May Affect West Nile Spread
Climate change may have effects on the spread of West Nile virus by mosquitoes, but they're not likely to be the same throughout the United States, according to a new study from University of Arizona researchers.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined the effects of current climate condition predictions on mosquito populations throughout the United States. Researchers found that the effects on mosquito populations arelikely to vary depending on the region of country, with mosquito populations actually dropping in the South, but not in the northern part of the U.S.
"One assumption was that with rising temperatures, mosquitoes would thrive across the board" - read more
Education: Public Mosquito Information
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
Protect Yourself This Mosquito Season
IDPH offers tips to guard against mosquito bites
SPRINGFIELD – As we enter mosquito season, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding Illinoisans of the best ways to avoid being bitten. Different types of mosquitoes can carry different types of diseases, like West Nile virus and Zika virus, but steps you can take to protect yourself from mosquito bites are essentially the same.
“Each year since 2002 when we saw the first human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois, we’ve seen the virus circulate across the state,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D. J.D. “Now, for the second summer, we’re monitoring for Zika virus in Illinois. - read more
Mosquito Slides
Mosquito Prevention and Protection Facts
Saliva |
For the mosquito to obtain a blood meal, it must circumvent the vertebrate physiological responses. The mosquito, as with all blood-feeding arthropods, has mechanisms to effectively block the hemostasis system with their saliva, which contains a mixture of secreted proteins. Mosquito saliva negatively affects vascular constriction, blood clotting, platelet aggregation, angiogenesis and immunity, and creates inflammation.[36] Universally, hematophagous arthropod saliva contains at least one anticlotting, one antiplatelet, and one vasodilatory substance. Mosquito saliva also contains enzymes that aid in sugar feeding[37] and antimicrobial agents to control bacterial growth in the sugar meal.[38] The composition of mosquito saliva is relatively simple, as it usually contains fewer than 20 dominant proteins.[39] Despite the great strides in knowledge of these molecules and their role in bloodfeeding achieved recently, scientists still cannot ascribe functions to more than half of the molecules found in arthropod saliva.[39] One promising application is the development of anticlotting drugs, such as clotting inhibitors and capillary dilators, that could be useful for cardiovascular disease. -Read more
Chikungunya Virus - What you need to know!
Chikungunya Fever Fact Sheet
Dengue
With more than one-third of the world's population living in areas at risk for infection, dengue virus is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. - read more
Canine Heartworms in Coyotes in Illinois - Journal of Wildlife Disesases
Abstract: Canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) disease affects wild canids and may be a factor impacting the health and population dynamics of coyotes (Canis Latrans). Coyotes may serve also as a potential reservoir for transmission of these parasites to domestic dogs. We investigated 920 coyotes harvested by hunters and trappers throughout Illinois (USA) from 1995-1997. The objectives of the study were to: 1) survey the regional prevalence and intensity of heartworms in coyotes in Illinois, 2) determine whether heartwormn intensity correlates with physical condition, particularly body weight and winter fat levels, and 3) evaluate the relationship between heartworm infections and the repoductive success of females. - Read more
Education: ZIKA
Zika Case Counts in the US—from CDC
Zika virus disease is now a nationally notifiable condition. Cases are reported to CDC by state, territorial, and local health departments using standard case definitions. This webpage contains provisional data reported to ArboNET for January 1, 2015 – April 12, 2017.
US States
· 5,234 Zika virus disease cases reported
o 4,935 cases in travelers returning from affected areas
o 223 cases acquired through presumed local mosquito-borne transmission in Florida (N=217) and Texas (N=6)
o 76 cases acquired through other routes, including sexual transmission (N=46), congenital infection (N=28), laboratory transmission (N=1), and person-to-person through an unknown route (N=1)
US Territories
· 36,526 Zika virus disease cases reported
o 143 cases in travelers returning from affected areas
o 36,383 cases acquired through presumed local mosquito-borne transmission
o 0 cases acquired through other routes*
*Sexually transmitted cases are not reported for US territories because with local transmission of Zika virus it is not possible to determine whether infection occurred due to mosquito-borne or sexual transmission.
https://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html
CONTACT:
Melaney Arnold – 217-558-0500 melaney.arnold@illinois.gov
VIDEO - Zika Virus Infection during Preganancy - The New England Journal of Medicine
This country is on the verge of a major public health crisis—caused by mosquito-borne Zika virus. Unlike West Nile virus, which requires a female mosquito to bite a bird and then a person to transmit the disease to a 2nd person, Zika is transmitted from human to human by mosquitoes. Zika is sexually transmitted, and it’s transmitted by an infected pregnant woman to her fetus, causing microcephaly, a major and very serious birth defect. It’s also transmitted via blood donations. The virus targets the nervous system, and has been shown to cause major brain and other neurological problems—vision, hearing, etc. in unborn fetuses. The entire spectrum of problems is not known yet. Just caring for these very sick infants will cost millions of dollars each. - Read more
Zika, dengue, and ChikV: Frequency of mosquito-borne diseases increases with drought. Zika and dengue are now endemic and epidemic in Brazil and the Caribbean area; dengue has become endemic in Hawaii on the big island, with 256 cases reported on Hawaii in 2016. There are two strains of Zika, one African and one Asian. The Asian strain is the one that’s affected the Pacific islands and Americas. The first outbreak in Asia was on the island of Yap in 2007, when it was estimated that 73% of the population was infected with Zika; about 80% of adults had no symptoms. - Read more
