Why Residents of Jessup, MD Should Be Extra-Vigilant About Mosquitoes
Spending time outdoors has been widely encouraged this summer. Small outdoor gatherings in Howard County are considered safest as far as avoiding exposure to Covid-19. However, outdoors is also where the risk of acquiring a mosquito-borne disease shoots up.
At the same time, local governments are struggling to carry out their annual mosquito prevention activities. This is because the focus has largely shifted to mitigation efforts against the coronavirus. Budget cuts are now a common occurrence in many local health departments.
Lab crunches may be increasing that risk. Local governments often rely on the same public health labs to test whether mosquitoes are carrying diseases like West Nile, dengue or Eastern Equine Encephalitis that they do to test humans for infectious diseases, like COVID-19. As a result, much of the country is weeks behind where they would normally be in testing mosquitoes for the presence of dangerous diseases, Brown said.
Stopping mosquitoes requires getting information in real time. If a mosquito is carrying West Nile Virus, “you want to know that today, not two weeks from now,” Brown said. Read more at Click 2 Houston…
Mosquitoes are responsible for more deaths in the world than any other organism. In other countries, hundreds of thousands die every year from mosquito-borne illnesses. In contrast, only about 200 people die annually in the U.S. These low numbers are partly due to the preventative work that public health departments do.
One of the many diseases that mosquitoes can cause is Eastern Equine Encephalitis. One recent case of the disease is that of a young girl, Sophia Garabedian. One morning last fall, following a painful headache and persistent fever, her parents found her unresponsive in her bed.
Doctors ultimately diagnosed the then-5-year-old Sudbury, Massachusetts, resident with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but severe mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling.
Garabedian survived the potentially fatal virus after about a month in Boston hospitals, but her parents say her ordeal and ongoing recovery should be a warning as people take advantage of the outdoors this summer.
“It’s been a rough year,” said David Garabedian, her father. “With any brain injury, it’s hard to tell. The damage is there. How she works through it is anyone’s guess.” Read more at ABC8 News…
Other mosquito-borne illnesses that researchers in the country are worried about this year are dengue, Zika, and West Nile Virus. These are all diseases you’d rather not contract. For instance, although West Nile Virus is less severe when compared to EEE, it can cause body pain, headaches, and fevers.
In addition to these, a certain portion of the population may be allergic to mosquito bites, a condition known as skeeter syndrome. A bite could trigger an allergic reaction that could range from mild to severe.
Skeeter syndrome is a moderate to severe local reaction that manifests around the bite area, and is characterized by swelling, red lesions, and a low-grade fever. It occurs in response to certain proteins in a mosquito’s saliva, which most people build an immune response to. Read more at Insider…
Fortunately, this condition can be treated using doctor-prescribed topical steroids. It’s also worth noting that the condition may be mistaken for cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection.
We can’t overstate the importance of preventative measures against mosquitos. Fortunately, it’s possible to limit your exposure to mosquitoes. For instance, things as simple as using bug spray and wearing long clothing help. You also want to avoid the outdoors in the evening and early morning hours. These are the times of the day when mosquitoes are most active.
But what if you want to enjoy being in your yard as much as possible while the weather allows it? For you, an even better solution would be to call Backyard Bug Patrol for effective mosquito control services. We’ll barrier spray your yard so you are protected from mosquitoes for an extended period.