Emory researchers believe they have come up with the cheapest, most efficient way yet to monitor adult mosquitoes and the deadly diseases they carry, from malaria to dengue fever and West Nile Virus. Emory has filed a provisional patent on the Prokopack mosquito aspirator, but the inventors have provided simple instructions for how to make it in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
“This device has broad potential, not only for getting more accurate counts of mosquito populations, but for better understanding mosquito ecology,” says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, the invention’s namesake.
Vazquez-Prokopec is a post-doctoral fellow working with Uriel Kitron, chair and professor of environmental studies.
“There is a great need for effective and affordable mosquito sampling methods. Use of the Prokopack can increase the coverage area, and the quality of the data received, especially for blood-fed mosquitoes.
Ultimately, it can help us develop better health intervention strategies.”
In both field and lab tests, the Prokopack outperformed the current gold standard for resting mosquito surveillance – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Backpack Aspirator (CDC-BP). In addition to having a longer reach, enabling it to collect more mosquitoes than the CDC-BP, the Prokopack is significantly smaller, lighter, cheaper and easier to build.
Anyone with access to a hardware store, and about $45 to $70, can make the Prokopack, which uses a battery-powered motor to suck up live mosquitoes for analysis. Mosquito-borne diseases rank among the world’s top killers, and Vazquez-Prokopec hopes that more affordable and efficient surveillance methods will help save lives.
“I come from a developing country,” says the Argentine native. “I understand what it feels like to know that there is a health technology available, and to not have the money to access it.”
For decades, public health officials have struggled to conduct mosquito surveillance. One early method, with obvious drawbacks, was to expose a bit of skin and count the bites. Another low-tech method is to spray inside a home with insecticide, and gather the bugs that fall onto on a drop cloth.
Mosquito traps baited with a chemical that mimics human sweat are sometimes used to catch live adult insects. But these traps capture only females who are looking for a meal.
The CDC-BP can quickly vacuum up samples of live specimens, which can be analyzed in a lab to determine the source of blood they recently consumed. The drawbacks to the CDC-BP, however, include its heavy weight
(25 pounds), its bulk and its price – about $450 to $750 in the United States.
Emory researchers used a CDC-BP in their study of West Nile Virus and urban mosquito ecology in Atlanta. They wanted to learn if mosquitoes that harbor the virus were overwintering in nooks near the ceilings of sewer tunnels. But the CDC-BP only reaches six feet, and the tunnels are 15-feet high.
With a bit of ingenuity and a few trips to the hardware store, the research team put together a solution: a plastic container, a wire screen, a plumbing pipe coupler, a battery-powered blower motor and painter extension poles. After some experimentation with these components, the Prokopack was born.
“It’s not like we woke up one day and said, ‘Let’s invent a mosquito aspirator,’” Vazquez-Prokopec explains. “It grew out of our needs during field research.”
Comparative tests with the Prokopack and the CDC-BP were conducted outdoors and in sewer tunnels during the Emory lab’s Atlanta research projects. Additional field tests were done during a dengue fever study in Iquitos, Peru, where public health technicians are trying to control mosquitoes in homes. The Prokopack, which weighs less than two pounds, collected more mosquitoes than the CDC-BP, and reached higher int o ceilings and into foliage.
Collecting more mosquitoes ininsights into their behaviors. Upper foliage, for instance, can yield more mosquitoes resting after feeding on birds. And upper walls and ceilings of homes may harbor more mosquitoes resting after a meal on humans.
Related:
Urban mosquito research creates buzz -
http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2009/08/urban-mosquito-research-creates-buzz.html
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Chikungunya fever: an old disease re-emerges
The new era of globalization and environmental change has witnessed the arrival of many new and re-emerging diseases which create new challenges for policy makers and researchers working on infectious diseases. Massive urbanization has facilitated the spread of contagious diseases in human populations due to faster travel over greater distances and worldwide trade. Although more affluent countries are better-equipped to manage the spread and treatment of infectious diseases, it has become increasingly clear that they still face major challenges when dealing with diseases whose boundaries have been expanding due to warmer and wetter weather. A good example of such an abrupt increase in the incidence of disease are infections caused by arboviruses, whose expansion to new geographic areas has been facilitated by the establishment of new vectors. The Chikungunya outbreaks in late 2005 represent a fine example of how a virus originally from Africa and mosquitoes originally from Asia can meet in the Indian Ocean and contribute to re-emergence of a disease, and then spread to other parts of the world.
West Nile: A life changed by one mosquito bite
Rhode Island News
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 20, 2009 FELICE J. FREYER Journal Medical Writer
Jana Hesser participates in the Save the Bay Swim from Newport to Jamestown in August. Less than a year earlier she was paralyzed by an unusually severe case of West Nile virus and spent two months in the hospital.
The Providence Journal / John Freidah
Before she got the fever, before her speech slowed and her mind fogged, before her legs weakened and the EMTs carried her from her second-floor condo, Jana Hesser was bitten by a mosquito.
She doesn’t remember the bite. But later she thought she could pinpoint when it happened –– an August evening in 2008 when she’d gone for a walk with her sister in the Swan Point Cemetery, in Providence. A colleague in the state Health Department told her that mosquitoes trapped in late August at that very cemetery had tested positive for West Nile virus.
Jana Hesser’s case was reported in the newspaper, in the bland, anonymous way of such reports: “Rhode Island’s first human case of West Nile virus this year was confirmed last week, in a person with a weakened immune system.”
But if you had met her then, “weakened” would not be the word you would use to describe this athletic woman in her mid-60s, an avid walker and swimmer, a Ph.D. with a demanding job supervising the Health Department’s health and behavioral surveys. True, her immune system had recently taken a beating: She suffered from lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s infection-fighting lymph system. In July 2008 she had completed a successful round of chemotherapy.
By August, though, the worst was over. She’d recovered from the chemo and her cancer was in remission. Her doctor says Hesser was “in very robust health” at that time, the day she and her younger sister decided to take a walk in the woodsy cemetery off Blackstone Boulevard.
If Swan Point is indeed where the fateful mosquito bite occurred, the sisters’ evening stroll was the start of a remarkable medical journey.
WEST NILE VIRUS first arrived in North America in 1999, somehow making its way to New York City from the Middle East. The disease passed between mosquitoes and birds. Mosquitoes bit birds and infected them; other mosquitoes bit the infected birds, and some of those mosquitoes also bit people, injecting the virus into the bloodstream. In 2000, West Nile was found in eight northeastern states. By 2002, it had reached the West Coast.
As West Nile made its way across the continent, it turned out to be a fairly benign infection, never causing widespread illness. Four out of five infected people don’t even get sick. Among the 20 percent who do feel ill, the vast majority suffer from West Nile fever, a syndrome of fever, headache, muscle pain, rash, fatigue and sometimes nausea that fades away in a few days to a few weeks.
But West Nile also showed that it could get nasty. In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the nervous system, inflaming the brain or the membranes that surround it. The result is meningitis or encephalitis, or both, bringing high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma and tremors. Usually such patients are old or have weakened immune systems.
Then, in 2002, reports emerged of West Nile taking an especially scary form. Six people in Mississippi and Louisiana lost the use of one or more limbs, a paralysis that looked exactly like polio. These patients were not all old and sickly. Five of the six were under 60; three, like Jana Hesser, were in good health before the wrong mosquito found them.
Hesser’s first symptoms came in mid-September, 2008, near the end of her visit to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston. She had gone there to have stem cells collected from her blood in preparation for a stem-cell transplant. Although her cancer was in remission, a stem-cell transplant could reduce t he likelihood that it would come back. It took three days to On the third day, Hesser started running a fever. She was with her older sister, Martha Maletta, visiting from Shrewsbury, Mass., and Martha’s husband, Lon. They brought her to Miriam Hospital, where doctors prescribed antibiotics for what they thought was almost surely a bacterial infection. They sent her home with instructions to call, if the fever didn’t break.
Hesser’s fever persisted over the next several days, followed by more troubling symptoms. When she spoke, she had trouble finding the words.
Her legs grew weak, to the point that she couldn’t get out of bed. An ambulance was summoned. Hesser remembers staring at the Miriam Hospital ceiling panels as she rolled in on a stretcher. The rest of the next week is a blank.
As Hesser was being admitted, her oncologist, Dr. Anthony E. Mega, received a phone call from Dana-Farber. In stem-cell transplants, the patient’s cells are routinely tested for every conceivable infectious agent, because the transplant procedure opens the door for any lurking infections to attack. So Hesser’s cells had been thoroughly tested. And the tests had found something.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Mega recalls the Dana-Farber doctor saying. Hesser had West Nile virus. Mega was stunned: “It wasn’t even close to being on my list of what was happening.”
Hesser had received two transfusions as part of the stem-cell collection process. West Nile can be transmitted through blood donations. But all the donors were traced and found to be free of West Nile. However unlikely it seemed, Hesser’s illness could only have originated with an unlucky mosquito bite.
In the hospital, Hesser got weaker and slow to respond. “We were watching her deteriorate before our eyes,” says Andrea Schindler, a nurse practitioner in Miriam’s cancer unit who had grown attached to Hesser. “It was scary. It was very scary.”
Fearing Hesser might lose the ability to breathe, Mega transferred her to the intensive care unit so she could be quickly put on a ventilator.
A tube was inserted through her nose to feed her.
Her two sisters worked out a plan to be with her all the time. Martha and Lon Maletta, who are retired and live less than an hour away, came on weekdays. The younger sister, Marilyn Saulle, and her husband, Roger, who work during the week and live three hours away in Yonkers, N.Y., visited on weekends.
Saulle arrived on the weekend that Hesser was in the ICU. She was shocked to see her sister attached to tubes and monitors, immobilized, trembling incessantly, and barely able to respond. “It’s like she was in there,” Saulle recalls, “but she was way in there.”
Hesser’s son, Jordan Pavlides, came by every day and stayed for a couple of hours. He remained resolutely upbeat. Pavlides, now 25, knew his mother as healthy and strong; it was unimaginable to him that she wouldn’t recover. But there were days in the intensive care unit that gave him pause. He remembers her following him with her eyes, unable to speak. The best she could do was slightly raise her eyebrows.
MEANWHILE, the medical team worked to make sense of what was happening to her. No one had ever seen a case like this. Schindler, the nurse practitioner, went online to learn more, and ended up talking by phone with one of the leading experts in nervous-system infections, Dr. James J. Sejvar of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sejvar suggested treating Hesser with immunoglobulin, a substance that fires up the immune system.
Hesser did get the immunoglobulin, but it was hard to tell if it made any difference. As with most viruses, there was no other treatment.
Schindler and Mega feared she would die, as have many others with such severe illness. They also worried she would survive, but never be the same person again.
Still, Hesser continued to breathe on her own, and she was transferred out of the ICU. Slowly, she began to come back. Her memory tunes in again around this time. She remembers crowstudents hovering over her with amazement and concern. She remembers a doctor asking her a question and the excruciatingly long time it took her to organize the nerves and muscles involved in saying “yes.”
Hesser’s sisters made use of CaringBridge.com, a social networking Web site for cancer patients. They posted updates on her condition, and friends from throughout the country replied with words of encouragement.
Over the next few days Hesser gradually emerged, sitting up, finding more words. On Oct. 10, Hesser was transferred to the rehabilitation unit at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, in Pawtucket. Although she’d undergone physical therapy at the Miriam, she could not walk and had a persistent tremor in her hands. No one knew whether she would ever walk again. The physical therapists helped Hesser onto her feet, and with a walker she took one slow step after another. Then, a few days after arriving at Memorial, Hesser’s legs gave out. She collapsed: weakness had progressed to paralysis.
Dr. Erica Szabados, a neurologist, conducted a battery of tests and found Hesser had suffered nerve loss in her thighs and hips –– in a pattern that was “consistent with West Nile virus.” But it was a very unusual manifestation of the illness. Hesser had progressed from West Nile fever, to meningitis and encephalitis, and then ––weeks later –– to paralysis. Usually, when West Nile attacks the nervous system, the symptoms appear within the first few days. Szabados plans to report Hesser’s case in a medical journal.
Most patients with West Nile paralysis suffer lasting effects; only a third return to their previous level of functioning. But Hesser was determined to walk again. “There was a part of me,” she said later, “that expected to get well because I always have.”
On Oct. 28, she was able to stand up, clutching the walker. On Oct. 30, she took three steps. Eventually she made it 40 feet.
On Nov. 19, Hesser went home, in a wheelchair, carried up the stairs just as she had been carried down two months earlier. With her sisters taking turns staying with her, she continued to work with physical therapists, and continued to build strength. The big challenge was getting down the stairs. She practiced a step at a time, her son in front of her in case she fell, a therapist behind her holding a safety belt.
On Christmas Eve, Hesser finally left her apartment on her own two feet.
Her son held onto her belt as she descended. Using a walker, she went to a party.
From there, Hesser charged forward. January: returned to work for two hours a day, using a walker; resumed swimming. March: back to work full-time, using two canes. April: attended organizational meeting for 100-mile bike ride, with one cane. June: first bike ride, 24 miles.
August: Save the Bay swim.
Yes, you read that right. Hesser participated in the annual swim across Narragansett Bay this year, her fifth time. She covered the 1.7 miles in one hour and 10 minutes, one of her best times ever. Next Sunday, Sept.
26 –– exactly one year after lying motionless in the Miriam ICU –– she will ride 100 miles in the Seacoast Century, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Today, Hesser has returned to her previous life, with a few twists. She can walk without support, but –– despite her ability to bike and swim –– she can’t walk as fast as she’d like. She can perform her job competently, but her short-term memory sometimes fails on the less-important matters.
HER LYMPHOMA remains in complete remission. In fact, Hesser believes that the West Nile infection may have wiped it out. A Dana-Farber doctor told her that an overwhelming infection can sometimes put the immune system in hyperdrive, killing a cancer. Mega, her oncologist, calls that “a relatively far-fetched theory.” He continues to monitor Hesser for relapse. If the lymphoma does return, he’s confident she’ll respond w ell to treatment. For now, though, the bone marrow transeems too risky, as long as she’s still in remission.
Now 65, Hesser plans to retire in December, hoping to travel and visit friends around the country. Asked what she took away from the experience, Hesser names several things: her deepened appreciation for her sisters and son, without whom she doesn’t think she would have survived; her newfound admiration for the competence and compassion of medical professionals, especially nurses; a sense of “nothing bothers me anymore.”
But the biggest revelation concerns all the friends who wrote and visited. She really didn’t know so many people cared. “At some level you know you have friends, but sometimes you feel like you don’t,” Hesser says. “I will never feel alone again.” This is the part that brings her to tears. “I mean, hundreds of people.”
Everyone involved with Hesser’s extraordinary illness and recovery took something away from it. Mega calls it an example of teamwork in medicine and a testament to the human spirit. Her sisters talk about how Hesser’s willpower, and physical strength from a lifetime of healthy living, got her through it.
And nearly everyone mentions mosquitoes. How they use repellent now. How they see the annoying little insects in a new light. Just last week, a batch of mosquitoes in Pawtucket tested positive for West Nile virus. No human cases have been reported this year, but mosquitoes will remain active until the first hard frost.
“People think, ‘oh it’s a bug bite–– whatever,’ ” says Szabados, the Memorial Hospital neurologist. “But it can have consequences.”
ffreyer@projo.com
For additional Mosquito Info go to: www.tuxedomosquitocontrol.com
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 20, 2009 FELICE J. FREYER Journal Medical Writer
Jana Hesser participates in the Save the Bay Swim from Newport to Jamestown in August. Less than a year earlier she was paralyzed by an unusually severe case of West Nile virus and spent two months in the hospital.
The Providence Journal / John Freidah
Before she got the fever, before her speech slowed and her mind fogged, before her legs weakened and the EMTs carried her from her second-floor condo, Jana Hesser was bitten by a mosquito.
She doesn’t remember the bite. But later she thought she could pinpoint when it happened –– an August evening in 2008 when she’d gone for a walk with her sister in the Swan Point Cemetery, in Providence. A colleague in the state Health Department told her that mosquitoes trapped in late August at that very cemetery had tested positive for West Nile virus.
Jana Hesser’s case was reported in the newspaper, in the bland, anonymous way of such reports: “Rhode Island’s first human case of West Nile virus this year was confirmed last week, in a person with a weakened immune system.”
But if you had met her then, “weakened” would not be the word you would use to describe this athletic woman in her mid-60s, an avid walker and swimmer, a Ph.D. with a demanding job supervising the Health Department’s health and behavioral surveys. True, her immune system had recently taken a beating: She suffered from lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s infection-fighting lymph system. In July 2008 she had completed a successful round of chemotherapy.
By August, though, the worst was over. She’d recovered from the chemo and her cancer was in remission. Her doctor says Hesser was “in very robust health” at that time, the day she and her younger sister decided to take a walk in the woodsy cemetery off Blackstone Boulevard.
If Swan Point is indeed where the fateful mosquito bite occurred, the sisters’ evening stroll was the start of a remarkable medical journey.
WEST NILE VIRUS first arrived in North America in 1999, somehow making its way to New York City from the Middle East. The disease passed between mosquitoes and birds. Mosquitoes bit birds and infected them; other mosquitoes bit the infected birds, and some of those mosquitoes also bit people, injecting the virus into the bloodstream. In 2000, West Nile was found in eight northeastern states. By 2002, it had reached the West Coast.
As West Nile made its way across the continent, it turned out to be a fairly benign infection, never causing widespread illness. Four out of five infected people don’t even get sick. Among the 20 percent who do feel ill, the vast majority suffer from West Nile fever, a syndrome of fever, headache, muscle pain, rash, fatigue and sometimes nausea that fades away in a few days to a few weeks.
But West Nile also showed that it could get nasty. In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the nervous system, inflaming the brain or the membranes that surround it. The result is meningitis or encephalitis, or both, bringing high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma and tremors. Usually such patients are old or have weakened immune systems.
Then, in 2002, reports emerged of West Nile taking an especially scary form. Six people in Mississippi and Louisiana lost the use of one or more limbs, a paralysis that looked exactly like polio. These patients were not all old and sickly. Five of the six were under 60; three, like Jana Hesser, were in good health before the wrong mosquito found them.
Hesser’s first symptoms came in mid-September, 2008, near the end of her visit to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston. She had gone there to have stem cells collected from her blood in preparation for a stem-cell transplant. Although her cancer was in remission, a stem-cell transplant could reduce t he likelihood that it would come back. It took three days to On the third day, Hesser started running a fever. She was with her older sister, Martha Maletta, visiting from Shrewsbury, Mass., and Martha’s husband, Lon. They brought her to Miriam Hospital, where doctors prescribed antibiotics for what they thought was almost surely a bacterial infection. They sent her home with instructions to call, if the fever didn’t break.
Hesser’s fever persisted over the next several days, followed by more troubling symptoms. When she spoke, she had trouble finding the words.
Her legs grew weak, to the point that she couldn’t get out of bed. An ambulance was summoned. Hesser remembers staring at the Miriam Hospital ceiling panels as she rolled in on a stretcher. The rest of the next week is a blank.
As Hesser was being admitted, her oncologist, Dr. Anthony E. Mega, received a phone call from Dana-Farber. In stem-cell transplants, the patient’s cells are routinely tested for every conceivable infectious agent, because the transplant procedure opens the door for any lurking infections to attack. So Hesser’s cells had been thoroughly tested. And the tests had found something.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Mega recalls the Dana-Farber doctor saying. Hesser had West Nile virus. Mega was stunned: “It wasn’t even close to being on my list of what was happening.”
Hesser had received two transfusions as part of the stem-cell collection process. West Nile can be transmitted through blood donations. But all the donors were traced and found to be free of West Nile. However unlikely it seemed, Hesser’s illness could only have originated with an unlucky mosquito bite.
In the hospital, Hesser got weaker and slow to respond. “We were watching her deteriorate before our eyes,” says Andrea Schindler, a nurse practitioner in Miriam’s cancer unit who had grown attached to Hesser. “It was scary. It was very scary.”
Fearing Hesser might lose the ability to breathe, Mega transferred her to the intensive care unit so she could be quickly put on a ventilator.
A tube was inserted through her nose to feed her.
Her two sisters worked out a plan to be with her all the time. Martha and Lon Maletta, who are retired and live less than an hour away, came on weekdays. The younger sister, Marilyn Saulle, and her husband, Roger, who work during the week and live three hours away in Yonkers, N.Y., visited on weekends.
Saulle arrived on the weekend that Hesser was in the ICU. She was shocked to see her sister attached to tubes and monitors, immobilized, trembling incessantly, and barely able to respond. “It’s like she was in there,” Saulle recalls, “but she was way in there.”
Hesser’s son, Jordan Pavlides, came by every day and stayed for a couple of hours. He remained resolutely upbeat. Pavlides, now 25, knew his mother as healthy and strong; it was unimaginable to him that she wouldn’t recover. But there were days in the intensive care unit that gave him pause. He remembers her following him with her eyes, unable to speak. The best she could do was slightly raise her eyebrows.
MEANWHILE, the medical team worked to make sense of what was happening to her. No one had ever seen a case like this. Schindler, the nurse practitioner, went online to learn more, and ended up talking by phone with one of the leading experts in nervous-system infections, Dr. James J. Sejvar of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sejvar suggested treating Hesser with immunoglobulin, a substance that fires up the immune system.
Hesser did get the immunoglobulin, but it was hard to tell if it made any difference. As with most viruses, there was no other treatment.
Schindler and Mega feared she would die, as have many others with such severe illness. They also worried she would survive, but never be the same person again.
Still, Hesser continued to breathe on her own, and she was transferred out of the ICU. Slowly, she began to come back. Her memory tunes in again around this time. She remembers crowstudents hovering over her with amazement and concern. She remembers a doctor asking her a question and the excruciatingly long time it took her to organize the nerves and muscles involved in saying “yes.”
Hesser’s sisters made use of CaringBridge.com, a social networking Web site for cancer patients. They posted updates on her condition, and friends from throughout the country replied with words of encouragement.
Over the next few days Hesser gradually emerged, sitting up, finding more words. On Oct. 10, Hesser was transferred to the rehabilitation unit at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, in Pawtucket. Although she’d undergone physical therapy at the Miriam, she could not walk and had a persistent tremor in her hands. No one knew whether she would ever walk again. The physical therapists helped Hesser onto her feet, and with a walker she took one slow step after another. Then, a few days after arriving at Memorial, Hesser’s legs gave out. She collapsed: weakness had progressed to paralysis.
Dr. Erica Szabados, a neurologist, conducted a battery of tests and found Hesser had suffered nerve loss in her thighs and hips –– in a pattern that was “consistent with West Nile virus.” But it was a very unusual manifestation of the illness. Hesser had progressed from West Nile fever, to meningitis and encephalitis, and then ––weeks later –– to paralysis. Usually, when West Nile attacks the nervous system, the symptoms appear within the first few days. Szabados plans to report Hesser’s case in a medical journal.
Most patients with West Nile paralysis suffer lasting effects; only a third return to their previous level of functioning. But Hesser was determined to walk again. “There was a part of me,” she said later, “that expected to get well because I always have.”
On Oct. 28, she was able to stand up, clutching the walker. On Oct. 30, she took three steps. Eventually she made it 40 feet.
On Nov. 19, Hesser went home, in a wheelchair, carried up the stairs just as she had been carried down two months earlier. With her sisters taking turns staying with her, she continued to work with physical therapists, and continued to build strength. The big challenge was getting down the stairs. She practiced a step at a time, her son in front of her in case she fell, a therapist behind her holding a safety belt.
On Christmas Eve, Hesser finally left her apartment on her own two feet.
Her son held onto her belt as she descended. Using a walker, she went to a party.
From there, Hesser charged forward. January: returned to work for two hours a day, using a walker; resumed swimming. March: back to work full-time, using two canes. April: attended organizational meeting for 100-mile bike ride, with one cane. June: first bike ride, 24 miles.
August: Save the Bay swim.
Yes, you read that right. Hesser participated in the annual swim across Narragansett Bay this year, her fifth time. She covered the 1.7 miles in one hour and 10 minutes, one of her best times ever. Next Sunday, Sept.
26 –– exactly one year after lying motionless in the Miriam ICU –– she will ride 100 miles in the Seacoast Century, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Today, Hesser has returned to her previous life, with a few twists. She can walk without support, but –– despite her ability to bike and swim –– she can’t walk as fast as she’d like. She can perform her job competently, but her short-term memory sometimes fails on the less-important matters.
HER LYMPHOMA remains in complete remission. In fact, Hesser believes that the West Nile infection may have wiped it out. A Dana-Farber doctor told her that an overwhelming infection can sometimes put the immune system in hyperdrive, killing a cancer. Mega, her oncologist, calls that “a relatively far-fetched theory.” He continues to monitor Hesser for relapse. If the lymphoma does return, he’s confident she’ll respond w ell to treatment. For now, though, the bone marrow transeems too risky, as long as she’s still in remission.
Now 65, Hesser plans to retire in December, hoping to travel and visit friends around the country. Asked what she took away from the experience, Hesser names several things: her deepened appreciation for her sisters and son, without whom she doesn’t think she would have survived; her newfound admiration for the competence and compassion of medical professionals, especially nurses; a sense of “nothing bothers me anymore.”
But the biggest revelation concerns all the friends who wrote and visited. She really didn’t know so many people cared. “At some level you know you have friends, but sometimes you feel like you don’t,” Hesser says. “I will never feel alone again.” This is the part that brings her to tears. “I mean, hundreds of people.”
Everyone involved with Hesser’s extraordinary illness and recovery took something away from it. Mega calls it an example of teamwork in medicine and a testament to the human spirit. Her sisters talk about how Hesser’s willpower, and physical strength from a lifetime of healthy living, got her through it.
And nearly everyone mentions mosquitoes. How they use repellent now. How they see the annoying little insects in a new light. Just last week, a batch of mosquitoes in Pawtucket tested positive for West Nile virus. No human cases have been reported this year, but mosquitoes will remain active until the first hard frost.
“People think, ‘oh it’s a bug bite–– whatever,’ ” says Szabados, the Memorial Hospital neurologist. “But it can have consequences.”
ffreyer@projo.com
For additional Mosquito Info go to: www.tuxedomosquitocontrol.com
Mosquito control -- licensed to kill (part one)
Adulticide
On a sultry summer evening, under the spreading light of a streetlamp, two children play a game of hopscotch. So absorbed in their activity are they, completely unmindful of their surroundings, that they do not see or hear the stranger approaching.
Slowly but purposefully, the silent killer creeps along, getting ever closer. Something alerts them, the truck engine, perhaps, and the girls look up from their game.
The driver of the mosquito control truck has shut off his spray. He smiles and gives the girls a wave, waiting until he is safely past them before switching back on the fine mist that wafts up into the night air, in search of mosquitoes seeking to feed on the children.
This “silent killer” is adulticiding, which sounds a bit strange and mysterious to the layman. If homicide is the act of killing a man, or homid, why not simply call mosquito spraying “mosquitociding?
Killing mosquitoes generally falls into two categories: killing adult mosquitoes, or adulticiding, and killing them in the larval stage, or larviciding.
Adulticiding can be as simple as swatting a mosquito that has landed on your arm, or as awe-inspiring as a DC-3 roaring down Fort Meyers Beach at 200 feet above the ground with a thick white cloud of pesticide billowing out behind.
Until recently, one of the most popular ways of getting pesticide into contact with airborne mosquitoes was through the use of a thermal fog.
Pesticide – most popularly DDT just after World War II, and in later years Malathion – is mixed with diesel oil, heated and released as a cloud of tiny white particles resembling smoke. Many older Floridians have fond memories of riding their bikes behind the DDT truck. They wanted to be coated with pesticide so they could stay out late and play without being bothered by mosquitoes. An appalling practice by today's sensibilities, it doesn't seem to have harmed them in the long run.
The latest adulticide technology involves applying an Ultra Low Volume
(ULV) spray of undiluted pesticide. This does away with the diesel oil “carrier,” which makes it a good deal more efficient, environmentally friendly, and doesn't cause traffic accidents due to reduced visibility.
Tiny droplets, in the size range of 10 – 15 microns (a typical human hair is 100 microns in diameter), are released up into the air, where they spread out to be carried on the evening breeze. Droplets this small tend to remain airborne until they come into contact with a blood-seeking mosquito. The size is no accident; the equipment is calibrated so that the droplets contain just enough pesticide to kill a mosquito, yet too little to harm larger, non-target insects. Since there is much less wasted pesticide, the amount required is significantly smaller. The machines are quieter and the pesticide plume nearly invisible, resulting in numerous calls to mosquito control organizations from citizens who “haven't seen or heard the truck go by in a long
time....”*
Adulticiding at the organizational level is accomplished most commonly by truck-mounted spray systems, but also by airplane, helicopter, all-terrain vehicle, and even occasionally airboat. Mosquito control inspectors who respond to domestic service requests are equipped with hand-held sprayers, which they may use for small area space spraying, or to create a barrier around homes surrounded by extensive foliage.
The adulticides themselves have also changed over the years. A common family of pesticides in use today involves formulations of synthesized pyrethrum, a natural insect-killing substance derived from chrysanthemums (ironically one of the first pesticides, dating back to around 400 B.C.)
Killing all the mosquitoes isn't possible, however. These flying menaces have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth; they have tremendous staying power. Part of the ir strength is their ability to adapt and develop resistance organizations have to rotate their pesticides every few years to prevent this. One tried and true pesticide, often used in aerial applications, is naled. This organophosphate not only disrupts the mosquito's nervous system, it is also caustic in nature, burning the mosquito in addition to poisoning it. A deadly killer of mosquitoes, it's unfortunately also good at eating up application equipment. Every pesticide has its drawbacks.
Thus mosquito adulticiding is a balancing act, taking into account a multitude of variables: Protecting the health and welfare of the human population; good environmental stewardship; avoiding pesticide resistance; and budget and manpower constraints. By and large, spray trucks no longer run on regular routes and schedules. Managers compile data gathered from mosquito traps, service requests, disease surveillance programs and actual observations by mosquito control inspectors to make decisions on what to spray, where to spray, when to spray, and what to spray it from.
Mosquitoes are adaptable; but so are the men and women dedicated to keeping them at bay.
Additional information on Mosquito Control Go To: href="http://www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.Com">www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.com
On a sultry summer evening, under the spreading light of a streetlamp, two children play a game of hopscotch. So absorbed in their activity are they, completely unmindful of their surroundings, that they do not see or hear the stranger approaching.
Slowly but purposefully, the silent killer creeps along, getting ever closer. Something alerts them, the truck engine, perhaps, and the girls look up from their game.
The driver of the mosquito control truck has shut off his spray. He smiles and gives the girls a wave, waiting until he is safely past them before switching back on the fine mist that wafts up into the night air, in search of mosquitoes seeking to feed on the children.
This “silent killer” is adulticiding, which sounds a bit strange and mysterious to the layman. If homicide is the act of killing a man, or homid, why not simply call mosquito spraying “mosquitociding?
Killing mosquitoes generally falls into two categories: killing adult mosquitoes, or adulticiding, and killing them in the larval stage, or larviciding.
Adulticiding can be as simple as swatting a mosquito that has landed on your arm, or as awe-inspiring as a DC-3 roaring down Fort Meyers Beach at 200 feet above the ground with a thick white cloud of pesticide billowing out behind.
Until recently, one of the most popular ways of getting pesticide into contact with airborne mosquitoes was through the use of a thermal fog.
Pesticide – most popularly DDT just after World War II, and in later years Malathion – is mixed with diesel oil, heated and released as a cloud of tiny white particles resembling smoke. Many older Floridians have fond memories of riding their bikes behind the DDT truck. They wanted to be coated with pesticide so they could stay out late and play without being bothered by mosquitoes. An appalling practice by today's sensibilities, it doesn't seem to have harmed them in the long run.
The latest adulticide technology involves applying an Ultra Low Volume
(ULV) spray of undiluted pesticide. This does away with the diesel oil “carrier,” which makes it a good deal more efficient, environmentally friendly, and doesn't cause traffic accidents due to reduced visibility.
Tiny droplets, in the size range of 10 – 15 microns (a typical human hair is 100 microns in diameter), are released up into the air, where they spread out to be carried on the evening breeze. Droplets this small tend to remain airborne until they come into contact with a blood-seeking mosquito. The size is no accident; the equipment is calibrated so that the droplets contain just enough pesticide to kill a mosquito, yet too little to harm larger, non-target insects. Since there is much less wasted pesticide, the amount required is significantly smaller. The machines are quieter and the pesticide plume nearly invisible, resulting in numerous calls to mosquito control organizations from citizens who “haven't seen or heard the truck go by in a long
time....”*
Adulticiding at the organizational level is accomplished most commonly by truck-mounted spray systems, but also by airplane, helicopter, all-terrain vehicle, and even occasionally airboat. Mosquito control inspectors who respond to domestic service requests are equipped with hand-held sprayers, which they may use for small area space spraying, or to create a barrier around homes surrounded by extensive foliage.
The adulticides themselves have also changed over the years. A common family of pesticides in use today involves formulations of synthesized pyrethrum, a natural insect-killing substance derived from chrysanthemums (ironically one of the first pesticides, dating back to around 400 B.C.)
Killing all the mosquitoes isn't possible, however. These flying menaces have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth; they have tremendous staying power. Part of the ir strength is their ability to adapt and develop resistance organizations have to rotate their pesticides every few years to prevent this. One tried and true pesticide, often used in aerial applications, is naled. This organophosphate not only disrupts the mosquito's nervous system, it is also caustic in nature, burning the mosquito in addition to poisoning it. A deadly killer of mosquitoes, it's unfortunately also good at eating up application equipment. Every pesticide has its drawbacks.
Thus mosquito adulticiding is a balancing act, taking into account a multitude of variables: Protecting the health and welfare of the human population; good environmental stewardship; avoiding pesticide resistance; and budget and manpower constraints. By and large, spray trucks no longer run on regular routes and schedules. Managers compile data gathered from mosquito traps, service requests, disease surveillance programs and actual observations by mosquito control inspectors to make decisions on what to spray, where to spray, when to spray, and what to spray it from.
Mosquitoes are adaptable; but so are the men and women dedicated to keeping them at bay.
Additional information on Mosquito Control Go To: href="http://www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.Com">www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.com
Child recovers from rare encephalitis: Brain infection carried by mosquitoes
by Debbie Gilbert
White County News
Susan Goodrich never dreamed that a mosquito bite could endanger her child's life.
The Sautee resident admits she's a bit of a “hypochondriac” when it comes to protecting her family's health. They use hand sanitizers and they always get their flu shots.
So when her 6-year-old daughter, Summer, fell ill last month with a rare brain infection, it was as if Goodrich's worst nightmare had come true.
The ordeal began on July 26, when Summer complained of a severe headache. At first, Goodrich didn't think it was anything serious.But then her daughter began to show signs of neurological impairment. She was drooling and staring into space; she didn't respond to questions. Alarmed, Goodrich called 911. By the time paramedics arrived, Summer had begun vomiting. The child was taken by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where a spinal tap showed an unusual number of white blood cells. Doctors decided to transfer Summer by helicopter to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.By then, the little girl's breathing had become shallow. She was placed in intensive care, on a ventilator and under sedation.
It didn't take doctors long to figure out that Summer had encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. What they didn't know was what type of encephalitis she had; it would take two weeks for the lab results to come back.
For treatment purposes, the exact diagnosis didn't really matter. Since the illness is caused by a virus, all the doctors could do was try to treat the symptoms and wait for the disease to run its course. To her parents' great relief, Summer did begin to improve. She was taken off the ventilator after two days, and by the end of the week she was ready to go home from the hospital. When Goodrich finally got the test results, she was shocked. Her daughter had La Crosse encephalitis, a disease she had never heard of.
First identified in Wisconsin in 1963, La Crosse encephalitis is usually transmitted by the treehole mosquito, a species typically found in woodland habitats.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 70 cases of La Crosse are reported in the U.S. each year. But health officials believe the disease is significantly under-reported.
“A lot of the time, it's a mild illness,” said Dave Palmer, spokesman for the Georgia Division of Public Health's District 2, which includes White County.
“People just don't feel well, but they never go to a doctor.”
La Crosse is usually diagnosed only when a patient is sick enough to be hospitalized.
So far this year, there have been only two reported cases of La Crosse in Georgia. Both were in District 2. Summer Goodrich was one; the other case was in Rabun County.
But just because it's rare doesn't mean it can't happen. “I want people to know that this disease is in the area,” said Susan Goodrich. “And that there are other mosquito-borne viruses besides West Nile.”
West Nile virus gets all the publicity because it just emerged in the U.S. over the past decade. Like La Crosse, it's an arbovirus, transmitted by mosquitoes. And though both diseases have a high rate of survival, in some cases they can be deadly.
“The arboviruses can be pretty dangerous,” said Palmer. “We need to continue to try to limit our exposure to mosquitoes.”
One difference between the two diseases is that in West Nile, most of the fatalities occur in elderly people. With La Crosse, the victims are more likely to be children.
In the worst cases, La Crosse can lead to seizures, coma, and death.
Children who survive may be left with neurological problems such as learning disabilities.
Though Summer has to stay on anti-seizure medication for a month, her mother says she is otherwise normal.
“I went over all the things she's
learned (in school), and she doesn't
seem to have forgotten aShe tries to spray her daughter with insect repellent whenever they go outside. But it's a challenge to avoid mosquitoes, because they live in a wooded area.
Rosmarie Kelly, public health entomologist for the Georgia Department of Community Health, said good mosquito control can help protect against both West Nile and La Crosse.
“Clean up containers (filled with standing water),” she said.
“Especially, keep tires disposed of properly. And wear repellent.
Wear repellent.”
Last Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2009
For More Mosquito Info visit: www.MosquitoControlAtlanta.com
Copyright © 2009 The White County News
Mosquito bites are cause for concern
Jennifer Parks
Staff Writer
The Albany Herald
Saturday, July 25, 2009
ALBANY - Theoretically, all it takes to contract the West Nile virus is one bite.
And while most people bitten by Southwest Georgia mosquitoes don't become sick, there are others who aren't so lucky.
So with West Nile nearing its peak season, health officials are warning residents to take precautions against the impact of mosquito bites.
"I just think it's one of those things people need to be aware of," said Southwest District Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Grant. "The last thing on peoples' minds right now is mosquitoes."
Eight cases of West Nile virus were confirmed in Georgia last year, including cases in Dougherty, Lee and Mitchell counties. Almost 29,000 people in the United States have been reported with the disease since 1999, 11,760 of whom have been seriously ill and more than 1,100 of whom have died.
"We know West Nile is out there," Grant said. "We are trying to be proactive."
This warning from health officials comes two months after a health emergency was declared when an abundance of standing water left behind by torrential rainfall in the area resulted in a significant increase in the mosquito population. Asked if those circumstances would increase the West Nile concern, she replied, "If there's still a lot of stagnant water around, I'm sure."
The increase in the mosquito population and the numerous complaints from residents had public works crews working seven days a week to bring the insect traffic under control. Dougherty County Environmental Control Manager Donell Mathis was not available Friday to comment on the current status of the mosquito population.
Around 80 percent of those infected with West Nile show no symptoms, while 20 percent exhibit symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a rash.
The West Nile season starts in a late summer to early fall timeframe, with activity peaking in August. To date, there have been no human cases reported in the Southwest Health District this year.
There is no vaccine available for West Nile virus, and there is no specific treatment. Those with severe cases are hospitalized and receive supportive care such as intravenous fluids and respiratory treatment.
One of every 150 persons infected with the virus develops serious symptoms. Young children and people with compromised immune systems are among the groups most as risk. Ways to reduce the risk include:
- Avoid outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Cover exposed skin if outdoor activity is necessary.
- Use insect repellent with active ingredients such as DEET, oil of lemon, eucalyptus or picaridin.
- Drain standing water and repair screens.
For more information about West Nile Virus, go online to www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org. Additional information is available at www.cdc.gov.
For More Mosquito Information visit www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.com
Staff Writer
The Albany Herald
Saturday, July 25, 2009
ALBANY - Theoretically, all it takes to contract the West Nile virus is one bite.
And while most people bitten by Southwest Georgia mosquitoes don't become sick, there are others who aren't so lucky.
So with West Nile nearing its peak season, health officials are warning residents to take precautions against the impact of mosquito bites.
"I just think it's one of those things people need to be aware of," said Southwest District Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Grant. "The last thing on peoples' minds right now is mosquitoes."
Eight cases of West Nile virus were confirmed in Georgia last year, including cases in Dougherty, Lee and Mitchell counties. Almost 29,000 people in the United States have been reported with the disease since 1999, 11,760 of whom have been seriously ill and more than 1,100 of whom have died.
"We know West Nile is out there," Grant said. "We are trying to be proactive."
This warning from health officials comes two months after a health emergency was declared when an abundance of standing water left behind by torrential rainfall in the area resulted in a significant increase in the mosquito population. Asked if those circumstances would increase the West Nile concern, she replied, "If there's still a lot of stagnant water around, I'm sure."
The increase in the mosquito population and the numerous complaints from residents had public works crews working seven days a week to bring the insect traffic under control. Dougherty County Environmental Control Manager Donell Mathis was not available Friday to comment on the current status of the mosquito population.
Around 80 percent of those infected with West Nile show no symptoms, while 20 percent exhibit symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a rash.
The West Nile season starts in a late summer to early fall timeframe, with activity peaking in August. To date, there have been no human cases reported in the Southwest Health District this year.
There is no vaccine available for West Nile virus, and there is no specific treatment. Those with severe cases are hospitalized and receive supportive care such as intravenous fluids and respiratory treatment.
One of every 150 persons infected with the virus develops serious symptoms. Young children and people with compromised immune systems are among the groups most as risk. Ways to reduce the risk include:
- Avoid outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Cover exposed skin if outdoor activity is necessary.
- Use insect repellent with active ingredients such as DEET, oil of lemon, eucalyptus or picaridin.
- Drain standing water and repair screens.
For more information about West Nile Virus, go online to www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org. Additional information is available at www.cdc.gov.
For More Mosquito Information visit www.TuxedoMosquitoControl.com
Georgia Mosquitoes in the News
Grady reports Eastern Equine Encephalitis
Posted: July 13, 2009 04:41 PM
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - A horse in Grady County has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a disease that can cause severe illness and death in humans.
The virus is spread the same way as West Nile, through the bite of an infected mosquito.
District Health Director Jacqueline Grant says this case confirms that the virus is circulating in our district. The mosquitoes that transmit the virus to horses can give it to people, too.
It generally takes from 3 to 10 days to develop symptoms after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
More information on Easter Equine Encephalitis, also known as Sleeping Sickness.
Encephalitis is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne illness.
One third of the people who contract it will die.
Symptoms range from mild flu-like illness to inflammation or swelling of the brain, coma and death.
Of those who survive, half will have permanent neurologic damage.
There are no human vaccines to protect you from the illness, so your best protection is to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Use insect repellent
Avoid outdoor activity at dawn and dusk, the time mosquitoes are most active Wear long sleeves and long pants when outdoors during times mosquitoes are active Empty outdoor containers that collect standing water Repair screens on windows and doors.
A vaccine is available to protect equines, so owners should have their animals vaccinated.
©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved.
Posted: July 13, 2009 04:41 PM
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - A horse in Grady County has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a disease that can cause severe illness and death in humans.
The virus is spread the same way as West Nile, through the bite of an infected mosquito.
District Health Director Jacqueline Grant says this case confirms that the virus is circulating in our district. The mosquitoes that transmit the virus to horses can give it to people, too.
It generally takes from 3 to 10 days to develop symptoms after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
More information on Easter Equine Encephalitis, also known as Sleeping Sickness.
Encephalitis is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne illness.
One third of the people who contract it will die.
Symptoms range from mild flu-like illness to inflammation or swelling of the brain, coma and death.
Of those who survive, half will have permanent neurologic damage.
There are no human vaccines to protect you from the illness, so your best protection is to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Use insect repellent
Avoid outdoor activity at dawn and dusk, the time mosquitoes are most active Wear long sleeves and long pants when outdoors during times mosquitoes are active Empty outdoor containers that collect standing water Repair screens on windows and doors.
A vaccine is available to protect equines, so owners should have their animals vaccinated.
©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved.
Public health officials: West Nile virus risk higher after plentiful spring rains
Northwest Georgia Public Health is watching and waiting to see if the growing mosquito population throughout the 10 county area will cause more cases of West Nile Virus. Logan Boss, district marketing manager and public information officer, is more concerned with the mosquito eggs in backyards than he is about those in the woods.
“Now that we're getting into a period of prolonged rains, we're seeing an increase in mosquitoes,” he said. “We've seen mosquito eggs that have been waiting around for water for two years during the drought which are starting to hatch, so we could be dealing with two years’ worth of mosquitoes.”
West Nile Virus is the most prevalent disease transmitted by mosquitoes, Boss said. The two primary ways of prevention are to eliminate standing water around the house and making sure to have protection from the insects.
“Mosquitoes don't travel too far from where their eggs hatch,” Boss explained. “But along with eliminating those sources of standing water, practicing personal protection is important.”
Boss suggested wearing light colors with long sleeves or long legged clothing when outdoors. He also suggested trying to avoid the periods of day when they're most active — early morning and late afternoon — and to use mosquito repellents.
“There are a number of repellents out on the market, but all the data shows us that using DEET-based repellents containing 23 percent or more of the chemical work the best,” he said.
Boss also said eucalyptus oil has shown some effectiveness in scientific testing to prevent mosquito bites.
In 2008, eight cases of West Nile Virus were reported in Georgia. Two of those cases, according to Boss, were in Floyd County.
“That's 25 percent of the state total,” he said. “That could just be a factor of the numbers, but that alone that should make people understand they need to do the two primary things to prevent West Nile virus.”
Thought to be a seasonal epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control, West Nile Virus symptoms can be severe in one out of 150 cases, but in four out of five cases there are no symptoms at all.
The CDC reports symptoms in severe cases include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms in severe cases may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.
In milder cases, symptoms can include fever, headache and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.
In the 20 percent of people who show mild symptoms, most of the time the CDC reports symptoms will improve on their own and don’t require needing to see a doctor. But in severe cases, hospitalization is likely required. Symptoms of West Nile Virus can take between three and 14 days to present after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Boss said other mosquito-born illnesses include Eastern Equine Encephalitis and La Crosse encephalitis, both of which are not as common as West Nile in the Northwest Georgia region.
© romenews-tribune.com 2009
“Now that we're getting into a period of prolonged rains, we're seeing an increase in mosquitoes,” he said. “We've seen mosquito eggs that have been waiting around for water for two years during the drought which are starting to hatch, so we could be dealing with two years’ worth of mosquitoes.”
West Nile Virus is the most prevalent disease transmitted by mosquitoes, Boss said. The two primary ways of prevention are to eliminate standing water around the house and making sure to have protection from the insects.
“Mosquitoes don't travel too far from where their eggs hatch,” Boss explained. “But along with eliminating those sources of standing water, practicing personal protection is important.”
Boss suggested wearing light colors with long sleeves or long legged clothing when outdoors. He also suggested trying to avoid the periods of day when they're most active — early morning and late afternoon — and to use mosquito repellents.
“There are a number of repellents out on the market, but all the data shows us that using DEET-based repellents containing 23 percent or more of the chemical work the best,” he said.
Boss also said eucalyptus oil has shown some effectiveness in scientific testing to prevent mosquito bites.
In 2008, eight cases of West Nile Virus were reported in Georgia. Two of those cases, according to Boss, were in Floyd County.
“That's 25 percent of the state total,” he said. “That could just be a factor of the numbers, but that alone that should make people understand they need to do the two primary things to prevent West Nile virus.”
Thought to be a seasonal epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control, West Nile Virus symptoms can be severe in one out of 150 cases, but in four out of five cases there are no symptoms at all.
The CDC reports symptoms in severe cases include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms in severe cases may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.
In milder cases, symptoms can include fever, headache and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.
In the 20 percent of people who show mild symptoms, most of the time the CDC reports symptoms will improve on their own and don’t require needing to see a doctor. But in severe cases, hospitalization is likely required. Symptoms of West Nile Virus can take between three and 14 days to present after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Boss said other mosquito-born illnesses include Eastern Equine Encephalitis and La Crosse encephalitis, both of which are not as common as West Nile in the Northwest Georgia region.
© romenews-tribune.com 2009
The Face of West Nile Virus
Pastor’s next stop: Mayo Clinic
Delayed diagnosis of West Nile virus has lasting effects By KATHERINE HAWES GateHouse News Service Galesburg.com
Posted Jun 09, 2009 @ 10:19 AM
GALVA — As Rebekah Montgomery finishes her tenure as interim pastor of First Baptist Church of Galva, she is preparing for a new challenge — becoming a patient at the Mayo Clinic. The illness that takes her to the renowned medical center is West Nile virus, which she contracted six years ago.
In 2003, Montgomery, a successful author and speaker, was working in the garden of her Kewanee home when she was bitten by a mosquito. At the time, she did not give it much thought because she was involved “day and night with a month-long mission project.”
Montgomery could not ignore it, though, when she became violently ill while at an out-of-state speaking engagement. She awoke in her hotel room with a high fever, a purple rash on her right shoulder, and nightmares which she describes as something “Stephen King would pay good money for.” She went on to speak at the convention as planned but knew she was very sick.
Upon arriving back in Kewanee, Montgomery was still feverish and not well. She tried to go on as usual, but soon realized she was losing the capability to function normally.
Her “bellwether day” came when she stood in her kitchen, attempting to salt a dish, and could not make her hand season the food. Montgomery noticed she could not perform other everyday tasks, either, such as writing and brushing her teeth.
After seeking medical attention, she was diagnosed with poison ivy and given Prednisone, a drug that inhibits the activity of the immune system. Montgomery’s symptoms sped up at that point, and she was referred to a neurologist who told her that she had Parkinson’s disease.
The corresponding medicine again made her symptoms even worse.
She sought the opinion of Dr. Remi Satkauskas in Kewanee, who realized that something was seriously wrong, and that it was not Parkinson’s disease. Due to her physical condition, he sent her to local physical therapist Jon DeBord, who observed her and then identified her illness as West Nile virus.
When she was finally tested for WNV, the amount of virus in her body was extremely high. Montgomery felt relief to at last have a diagnosis.
“I was glad to know that it wasn’t multiple sclerosis or any of the other serious conditions that had been discussed for so many months,”
she said. “But I didn’t realize how bad West Nile virus was. At the time, nobody realized how dire it was.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, West Nile virus is “a potentially serious illness ... established as a seasonal epidemic in North America.” It is spread to humans by the bites of infected mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds.
The agency reports that “approximately 80 percent of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms.” They estimate that about one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. Severe symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, vision loss, paralysis and more.
Finding herself in the second group, Montgomery has seen how cruel an illness it can be. She still suffers from muscle paralysis on the right side of her body, with the severity coming and going. Consequently, she has greatly reduced use of her right hand and foot, and sometimes the right side of her face does not work. Her senses have become more acute, as well, making sound, temperature changes, and odors extremely intense at times.
WNV has changed Montgomery in other ways, too.
“Everything always came easily to me, like sports, and now walking is hard for me,” she said. “It has changed me in a profound way, teaching me more compassion than I realized I needed.”
Montgomery, a Christian since the age of 3, admits that her relationship with God has changed during this struggle.
“I’ve gone through all of the emotions of thdeal with early on,” she said. “I had a lot of arguments with the Almighty, and have come to realize that all talents and gifts come from God. He can sit someone on the shelf if He wants to.”
Although her physical limitations have slowed her down, she has not stopped working for the Lord. She has pastored First Baptist for one year, ending May 31. She’s also been able to continue her many writing assignments, including a weekly column, typing with one hand.
“If God calls you to do something, He’ll help you to do it. I have been able to keep up with my writing schedule. And although I haven’t been able to do everything I wanted at First Baptist, I’ve been able to keep up there,” Montgomery noted.
The Galva congregation has done well under her guidance.
“I think that Rebekah has been a real asset to our church and the community,” said Pat Gregory, a member and trustee at First Baptist. “It is always a hard time when a church is without leadership, and Rebekah has stepped in and led us in a very positive direction.”
“Rebekah has been an inspiration,” she added. “With all of her health problems she has maintained a smile and works very hard at continuing all of her obligations.”
Over the past few years, Montgomery has looked for ways to cope with the virus, including participating in an experimental drug trial, taking herbal and vitamin supplements, and joining a study of WNV patients.
Limited success has come from the alternative treatments, and she calls the Mayo Clinic her “last hope right now.”
“It’s been a fairly miserable journey,” Montgomery acknowledged. “I miss playing the guitar and piano, but I try to focus on what I can do. I have this fight within me to keep going.”
Montgomery encouraged anyone who has been bitten by a mosquito to watch out for a rash and fever, and to not assume they are coincidental.
“By being proactive and suggesting that a doctor run blood work, WNV can be caught early before it does the majority of damage,” she said.
When dealing with chronic illness, Montgomery noted that “it takes courage to keep going while suffering.”
Her battle with WNV has emphasized that life is about choices.
“I make it a point to thank the Lord every day for His blessings,” she said. “I can either live a life of moping or a life of praise.”
She has chosen the latter.
Copyright © 2009 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Delayed diagnosis of West Nile virus has lasting effects By KATHERINE HAWES GateHouse News Service Galesburg.com
Posted Jun 09, 2009 @ 10:19 AM
GALVA — As Rebekah Montgomery finishes her tenure as interim pastor of First Baptist Church of Galva, she is preparing for a new challenge — becoming a patient at the Mayo Clinic. The illness that takes her to the renowned medical center is West Nile virus, which she contracted six years ago.
In 2003, Montgomery, a successful author and speaker, was working in the garden of her Kewanee home when she was bitten by a mosquito. At the time, she did not give it much thought because she was involved “day and night with a month-long mission project.”
Montgomery could not ignore it, though, when she became violently ill while at an out-of-state speaking engagement. She awoke in her hotel room with a high fever, a purple rash on her right shoulder, and nightmares which she describes as something “Stephen King would pay good money for.” She went on to speak at the convention as planned but knew she was very sick.
Upon arriving back in Kewanee, Montgomery was still feverish and not well. She tried to go on as usual, but soon realized she was losing the capability to function normally.
Her “bellwether day” came when she stood in her kitchen, attempting to salt a dish, and could not make her hand season the food. Montgomery noticed she could not perform other everyday tasks, either, such as writing and brushing her teeth.
After seeking medical attention, she was diagnosed with poison ivy and given Prednisone, a drug that inhibits the activity of the immune system. Montgomery’s symptoms sped up at that point, and she was referred to a neurologist who told her that she had Parkinson’s disease.
The corresponding medicine again made her symptoms even worse.
She sought the opinion of Dr. Remi Satkauskas in Kewanee, who realized that something was seriously wrong, and that it was not Parkinson’s disease. Due to her physical condition, he sent her to local physical therapist Jon DeBord, who observed her and then identified her illness as West Nile virus.
When she was finally tested for WNV, the amount of virus in her body was extremely high. Montgomery felt relief to at last have a diagnosis.
“I was glad to know that it wasn’t multiple sclerosis or any of the other serious conditions that had been discussed for so many months,”
she said. “But I didn’t realize how bad West Nile virus was. At the time, nobody realized how dire it was.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, West Nile virus is “a potentially serious illness ... established as a seasonal epidemic in North America.” It is spread to humans by the bites of infected mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds.
The agency reports that “approximately 80 percent of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms.” They estimate that about one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. Severe symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, vision loss, paralysis and more.
Finding herself in the second group, Montgomery has seen how cruel an illness it can be. She still suffers from muscle paralysis on the right side of her body, with the severity coming and going. Consequently, she has greatly reduced use of her right hand and foot, and sometimes the right side of her face does not work. Her senses have become more acute, as well, making sound, temperature changes, and odors extremely intense at times.
WNV has changed Montgomery in other ways, too.
“Everything always came easily to me, like sports, and now walking is hard for me,” she said. “It has changed me in a profound way, teaching me more compassion than I realized I needed.”
Montgomery, a Christian since the age of 3, admits that her relationship with God has changed during this struggle.
“I’ve gone through all of the emotions of thdeal with early on,” she said. “I had a lot of arguments with the Almighty, and have come to realize that all talents and gifts come from God. He can sit someone on the shelf if He wants to.”
Although her physical limitations have slowed her down, she has not stopped working for the Lord. She has pastored First Baptist for one year, ending May 31. She’s also been able to continue her many writing assignments, including a weekly column, typing with one hand.
“If God calls you to do something, He’ll help you to do it. I have been able to keep up with my writing schedule. And although I haven’t been able to do everything I wanted at First Baptist, I’ve been able to keep up there,” Montgomery noted.
The Galva congregation has done well under her guidance.
“I think that Rebekah has been a real asset to our church and the community,” said Pat Gregory, a member and trustee at First Baptist. “It is always a hard time when a church is without leadership, and Rebekah has stepped in and led us in a very positive direction.”
“Rebekah has been an inspiration,” she added. “With all of her health problems she has maintained a smile and works very hard at continuing all of her obligations.”
Over the past few years, Montgomery has looked for ways to cope with the virus, including participating in an experimental drug trial, taking herbal and vitamin supplements, and joining a study of WNV patients.
Limited success has come from the alternative treatments, and she calls the Mayo Clinic her “last hope right now.”
“It’s been a fairly miserable journey,” Montgomery acknowledged. “I miss playing the guitar and piano, but I try to focus on what I can do. I have this fight within me to keep going.”
Montgomery encouraged anyone who has been bitten by a mosquito to watch out for a rash and fever, and to not assume they are coincidental.
“By being proactive and suggesting that a doctor run blood work, WNV can be caught early before it does the majority of damage,” she said.
When dealing with chronic illness, Montgomery noted that “it takes courage to keep going while suffering.”
Her battle with WNV has emphasized that life is about choices.
“I make it a point to thank the Lord every day for His blessings,” she said. “I can either live a life of moping or a life of praise.”
She has chosen the latter.
Copyright © 2009 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Pets are in greater danger of getting heart worms
Posted: May 16, 2009 06:34 PM
By Delivrine Registre -
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - The battle continues against mosquitoes in Southwest Georgia. And that fight may move to the air. They are breeding and biting, and county officials are receiving a record number of complaints after the mosquito population exploded during spring flooding.
Dougherty County officials are now talking with FEMA about aerial applications of mosquito [larvicide or adulticide] in order to hit some of those hard to reach areas of standing water. Environmental protection is currently spraying seven days a week to combat the problem.
Public health declared a health emergency in 23 South Georgia counties because of the danger from so many mosquitoes. Most South Georgians are aware of the dangers of mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile Virus.
So it's important to take steps to protect your family, but what many don't realize is mosquitoes also pose a threat to pets. And with all of the standing water in our area, your pet has an even greater chance of contracting a potentially deadly disease.
Long, white strands were removed from the bloodstream of a cat that died from heart worm disease. And that transmission likely began in standing water. "The only way a pet can become infected by heart worms is by being bitten by a mosquito that is carrying heart worms," said Dr. Fred Freeland of Albany Pet Partners.
Heart worms are parasitic worms that live in the heart and lungs of infected animals. Mosquitoes become carriers when they feed on them, but prevention is often as easy as giving your pet a pill every month.
"There are products that only treat heart worms and can cost three to four dollars a month for a large dog," said Dr. Freeland. Regardless, many pets still go untreated. "The sad thing about heart worms is that it is an invisible disease to the owner," said Dr. Freeland.
And with all of the standing water left from late March storms, the risk of heart worm infection is high. "There is no question we will likely see more mosquito borne-diseases and not just heart worms," said Dr.
Freeland.
"The frustrating thing is that we won't see the effects of the mosquitoes until six months from now." Vets say even isolated pets are at risk. "Heart worms are present in coyotes, foxes and the wild dog population that no body treats."
An infected dog can be treated with a series of three injections that are so strong they can kill your pet. "I would much rather prevent them than run the risk of having a dog die of the disease or die during treatment," said Dr. Freeland.
And is why vets are pushing prevention for pet owners especially at a time when flood waters can produce more carriers. You can do your part to keep the mosquito population low around your home by dumping out any standing water in any water bowls, flower pots, bird baths and old tires.
©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
By Delivrine Registre -
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - The battle continues against mosquitoes in Southwest Georgia. And that fight may move to the air. They are breeding and biting, and county officials are receiving a record number of complaints after the mosquito population exploded during spring flooding.
Dougherty County officials are now talking with FEMA about aerial applications of mosquito [larvicide or adulticide] in order to hit some of those hard to reach areas of standing water. Environmental protection is currently spraying seven days a week to combat the problem.
Public health declared a health emergency in 23 South Georgia counties because of the danger from so many mosquitoes. Most South Georgians are aware of the dangers of mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile Virus.
So it's important to take steps to protect your family, but what many don't realize is mosquitoes also pose a threat to pets. And with all of the standing water in our area, your pet has an even greater chance of contracting a potentially deadly disease.
Long, white strands were removed from the bloodstream of a cat that died from heart worm disease. And that transmission likely began in standing water. "The only way a pet can become infected by heart worms is by being bitten by a mosquito that is carrying heart worms," said Dr. Fred Freeland of Albany Pet Partners.
Heart worms are parasitic worms that live in the heart and lungs of infected animals. Mosquitoes become carriers when they feed on them, but prevention is often as easy as giving your pet a pill every month.
"There are products that only treat heart worms and can cost three to four dollars a month for a large dog," said Dr. Freeland. Regardless, many pets still go untreated. "The sad thing about heart worms is that it is an invisible disease to the owner," said Dr. Freeland.
And with all of the standing water left from late March storms, the risk of heart worm infection is high. "There is no question we will likely see more mosquito borne-diseases and not just heart worms," said Dr.
Freeland.
"The frustrating thing is that we won't see the effects of the mosquitoes until six months from now." Vets say even isolated pets are at risk. "Heart worms are present in coyotes, foxes and the wild dog population that no body treats."
An infected dog can be treated with a series of three injections that are so strong they can kill your pet. "I would much rather prevent them than run the risk of having a dog die of the disease or die during treatment," said Dr. Freeland.
And is why vets are pushing prevention for pet owners especially at a time when flood waters can produce more carriers. You can do your part to keep the mosquito population low around your home by dumping out any standing water in any water bowls, flower pots, bird baths and old tires.
©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This year's mosquito season could be a bad one, a Georgia expert says
Surge in mosquitoes expected, expert says By Preston Sparks | Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
This year's mosquito season could be a bad one, a Georgia expert says.
"With returned rains, I would think we're going to have populations that we haven't experienced in two to three years," said Elmer Gray, a University of Georgia public health extension specialist who focuses on mosquito education.
He said south Georgia has reported mosquito increases, and the Augusta area should begin seeing larger numbers in the next month.
Officials blame the surge on the 18-month drought during which mosquito eggs sat waiting for water. Now those eggs are hatching.
"So what you're getting now is ... almost two years' worth of mosquito eggs hatching out," said Fred Koehle, an operations manager for Richmond County Mosquito Control, which recently began its treatments. "They're the worst I've seen in the past four years, so it's tough."
Mr. Koehle said he could use extra funding and would like to add a full-time worker to run a spray truck. He said he could speed the cycle of treating the county from 41/2 weeks to three.
But that won't happen this year. He said last year his office got $170,000 and an additional $50,000 from the county.
"This year, we got the $170,000 and that's it," he said.
At the start of this year, Mr. Koehle said, his department began enforcing a county ordinance that forbids a home or business owner from allowing standing water that breeds mosquitoes. He said he has two cases involving swimming pools pending in magistrate court.
Property owners can be cited if they do nothing within 45 days of an inspection. The violation is a misdemeanor and could result in a fine of as much as $1,000, he said.
Other areas are doing their part.
"We're hoping to start (larvicide granule spray treatments) this week and carry on out until the population starts getting lower," said Robbie Hunt, who is in charge of Aiken's mosquito-abatement program.
Aiken County started spraying May 6, said Assistant County Administrator Todd Glover.
In Columbia County, Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker said larvicide pellets are used because sprays "kill only what is in the path of the spray." She said the county is maintaining past funding for mosquito abatement.
Reach Preston Sparks at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
CONTROL CHECKLIST
- Dispose of old tires, buckets or other water-holding containers.
- Fill in or drain low areas.
- Clean out drains or ditches, allowing easier drainage.
- Cover your trash container.
- Repair any leaking pipes or faucets.
- Empty plastic wading pools and store them indoors.
- Fill in tree rot holes.
- At least once a week, change the water in bird baths and plant pots.
- Keep grass cut short and shrubs trimmed.
- Make sure window and door screens are "bug tight."
- Replace outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights, which attract fewer mosquitoes.
- Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors.
- Use an insect repellent approved by the Environment Protection Agency.
Source: City of Aiken newsletter; Columbia County Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker; Elmer Gray, University of Georgia public health extension specialist
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
This year's mosquito season could be a bad one, a Georgia expert says.
"With returned rains, I would think we're going to have populations that we haven't experienced in two to three years," said Elmer Gray, a University of Georgia public health extension specialist who focuses on mosquito education.
He said south Georgia has reported mosquito increases, and the Augusta area should begin seeing larger numbers in the next month.
Officials blame the surge on the 18-month drought during which mosquito eggs sat waiting for water. Now those eggs are hatching.
"So what you're getting now is ... almost two years' worth of mosquito eggs hatching out," said Fred Koehle, an operations manager for Richmond County Mosquito Control, which recently began its treatments. "They're the worst I've seen in the past four years, so it's tough."
Mr. Koehle said he could use extra funding and would like to add a full-time worker to run a spray truck. He said he could speed the cycle of treating the county from 41/2 weeks to three.
But that won't happen this year. He said last year his office got $170,000 and an additional $50,000 from the county.
"This year, we got the $170,000 and that's it," he said.
At the start of this year, Mr. Koehle said, his department began enforcing a county ordinance that forbids a home or business owner from allowing standing water that breeds mosquitoes. He said he has two cases involving swimming pools pending in magistrate court.
Property owners can be cited if they do nothing within 45 days of an inspection. The violation is a misdemeanor and could result in a fine of as much as $1,000, he said.
Other areas are doing their part.
"We're hoping to start (larvicide granule spray treatments) this week and carry on out until the population starts getting lower," said Robbie Hunt, who is in charge of Aiken's mosquito-abatement program.
Aiken County started spraying May 6, said Assistant County Administrator Todd Glover.
In Columbia County, Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker said larvicide pellets are used because sprays "kill only what is in the path of the spray." She said the county is maintaining past funding for mosquito abatement.
Reach Preston Sparks at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
CONTROL CHECKLIST
- Dispose of old tires, buckets or other water-holding containers.
- Fill in or drain low areas.
- Clean out drains or ditches, allowing easier drainage.
- Cover your trash container.
- Repair any leaking pipes or faucets.
- Empty plastic wading pools and store them indoors.
- Fill in tree rot holes.
- At least once a week, change the water in bird baths and plant pots.
- Keep grass cut short and shrubs trimmed.
- Make sure window and door screens are "bug tight."
- Replace outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights, which attract fewer mosquitoes.
- Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors.
- Use an insect repellent approved by the Environment Protection Agency.
Source: City of Aiken newsletter; Columbia County Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker; Elmer Gray, University of Georgia public health extension specialist
Environmental Control workers tackle mosquitoes
April 23, 2009 12:15 AM
By Len Kiesel
DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GA (WALB) - If you hear some buzzing outside your home, that's a good thing. County sprayers are working late into the night seven days a week to get rid of pesky mosquitoes.
All that rain early this Spring resulted in hundreds of complaints about the pests all over Dougherty County. Flooded neighborhoods are getting hit the hardest.
Boat was the method of transportation some weeks ago after torrential downpours in Dougherty County. In some neighborhoods it seems like not much has changed. "We had a tremendous amount of standing water," said Radium Springs homeowner Tony Conley.
Some homes along Radium Springs Road are still surrounded by water.
Conley says that's not all they're dealing with. "I noticed that the mosquitoes have picked up quite a bit," said Conley.
The increase is adding irritating insult to injury. "With the extra mosquitoes, it just made matters twice as bad," said Conley.
Twice as bad mosquito conditions have environmental control folks working twice as hard. "The mosquitoes are keeping me pretty busy. We're working seven days a week," said Dougherty County Environmental Control Director Mathis.
Four sprayers are hitting the streets five hours each night. Between 6:30 and 11:30, you'll see them around town. "That's the time when mosquitoes are active," said Mathis.
The recent rain has caused mosquito problems they haven't experienced in quite a while. The standing water is the perfect breeding environment.
"But we're doing the things we need to do to combat the problem," said Mathis.
Crews are attacking them by water and by air. Meanwhile, they're asking residents to be patient. "We're undergoing changes we haven't seen in a very long time and we know everybody wants to be sprayed but we can't spray everybody at the same time so we're just asking people to be patient. Just wait a little while and we will be around to spray those areas," said Mathis.
The spraying is a welcome sight for residents like Conley. "I've seen the trucks come through spraying the spray. I'm not certain if it works or not but of course I was glad to see them," said Conley. He might as well get used to seeing them. It looks like the water is taking it's sweet time going away.
You can also help curb the mosquito problem by dumping out water from containers in your yard. Also protect yourself by contacting a Mosquito control professional about automated systems or regular scheduled yard spraying.
By Len Kiesel
DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GA (WALB) - If you hear some buzzing outside your home, that's a good thing. County sprayers are working late into the night seven days a week to get rid of pesky mosquitoes.
All that rain early this Spring resulted in hundreds of complaints about the pests all over Dougherty County. Flooded neighborhoods are getting hit the hardest.
Boat was the method of transportation some weeks ago after torrential downpours in Dougherty County. In some neighborhoods it seems like not much has changed. "We had a tremendous amount of standing water," said Radium Springs homeowner Tony Conley.
Some homes along Radium Springs Road are still surrounded by water.
Conley says that's not all they're dealing with. "I noticed that the mosquitoes have picked up quite a bit," said Conley.
The increase is adding irritating insult to injury. "With the extra mosquitoes, it just made matters twice as bad," said Conley.
Twice as bad mosquito conditions have environmental control folks working twice as hard. "The mosquitoes are keeping me pretty busy. We're working seven days a week," said Dougherty County Environmental Control Director Mathis.
Four sprayers are hitting the streets five hours each night. Between 6:30 and 11:30, you'll see them around town. "That's the time when mosquitoes are active," said Mathis.
The recent rain has caused mosquito problems they haven't experienced in quite a while. The standing water is the perfect breeding environment.
"But we're doing the things we need to do to combat the problem," said Mathis.
Crews are attacking them by water and by air. Meanwhile, they're asking residents to be patient. "We're undergoing changes we haven't seen in a very long time and we know everybody wants to be sprayed but we can't spray everybody at the same time so we're just asking people to be patient. Just wait a little while and we will be around to spray those areas," said Mathis.
The spraying is a welcome sight for residents like Conley. "I've seen the trucks come through spraying the spray. I'm not certain if it works or not but of course I was glad to see them," said Conley. He might as well get used to seeing them. It looks like the water is taking it's sweet time going away.
You can also help curb the mosquito problem by dumping out water from containers in your yard. Also protect yourself by contacting a Mosquito control professional about automated systems or regular scheduled yard spraying.
Insect Bites – When Do They Become An Emergency?
Most of the time there is little to worry about when one is bitten or stung by an insect. These attacks often cause very few problems other than initial shock and pain.
However, the same bite on small children and those with allergies can be serious. Make sure to heed signs that the victim may need medical attention. Rapid inflammation and other adverse reactions to a bite or sting could be an indicator of an allergy. The best way to keep calm and handle the situation effectively is to know what common reactions look like, so it is possible to identify emergency situations.
Ants
Even the most pristine summer day can be sullied by an ant bite. Thankfully most injuries caused by ant are only hurt at the time of the attack. In fact, the only species of at that cause serious problems in the United States is the fire ant. This insect originally came from South America and is only found in the southern states.
Fire ants sting any creature that is seen as a threat to their colony and usually leave a blister that may itch. Since they have very potent venom, the area may in some cases swell. About 15% of people may have an allergic reaction to the venom and go into anaphylaxis. Though the severity of the reaction can vary, in the most serious cases the victim may have trouble breathing, form hives, and feel faint. Cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, runny nose, and anxiety are less common symptoms. Those who are experiencing this reaction should be taken to a doctor as soon as possible.
Bees and Wasps
People who have been stung by a bee or wasp before know that though the sting can be very painful, it usually has no other adverse effects. In the case of a sting, remove the stinger immediately (in the case of a bee sting) and wash the infected area. A normal injury will be red and the area around it will swell, but some ibuprofen should virtually remove the pain and discomfort.
Being stung more than half a dozen times is always a concern. Multiple stings may cause serious reactions even in those who do not have an allergy. Children are especially susceptible to high doses of venom. Also, stings on the inside of the mouth or throat require immediate medical attention because they can swell and constrict the airway.
There are several symptoms that signal an allergic reaction for those who are unaware they have the allergy or cannot communicate the problem.
Itching or hives in other places than the affected area are a tip off that the venom from the insect is traveling through the body.
Problems breathing, difficulty swallowing, and faintness are all signs that the victim’s body is swelling rapidly.
Those who have severe common reactions may keep a dose of adrenalin around in the form of an Epi-Pen, but even after the shot is administered they should be taken to the hospital.
Mosquitoes and Ticks
Mosquito bites are mainly just a minor annoyance. Even those who are allergic to the bite may only experience uncomfortable swelling. A mosquito bite is never an emergency, but it can harbor dangerous diseases like West Nile virus and other types of encephalitis. Those infected will experience flu-like symptoms within a few days and should go see a doctor.
Ticks are found in wooded areas and tall grasses. They attach themselves onto animals and feed off of their blood. Most varieties of tick will leave no more than a small bite wound when removed, but the small deer tick can pass along Lyme disease to humans. Those who have been bitten by a tick will develop a bulls-eye rash or experience swelling if they have been infected and should seek treatment.
Spiders
Though spiders are not insects, their bite can be cause for emergency medical treatment. Bites from spiders are rare because they are extremely defensive creatures that usually shy away from humans. About 2% of bites are any cause or concern and even less are considered emergencies.
Only two types of spiders found in the United States are fatal to humans. The black widow and brown recluse are easily identifiable. Within a few minutes of the bite the victim should be in intense pain. Those who are bitten by one of these spiders should go to the hospital immediately.
Handling a Bite or Sting
Most bites or sting simply need to be washed with soup or water. In a few cases, cold should be applied to reduce swelling. If the victim has a known insect allergy, it may be a good idea to go to the hospital anyway. Those experiencing any severe reactions should be taken to the emergency room.
Submitted By: Stephanie Larkin
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