Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week. Mosquitoes have been in the news a lot lately; they are all the buzz. From West Nile Virus and Fauci’s diagnosis to dengue in Puerto Rico and Eastern Equine Encephalitis in New England to Oropouch/sloth fever — mosquitoes are causing a lot of health problems as summer comes to a close and kids head back to school.
Did you know — ???
Almost 700 million people contract a mosquito-borne disease each year.
More than 1 million people die from a mosquito-borne disease each year.
Mosquitoes spread parasitic (like malaria), bacterial (like tularemia), and viral diseases (like West Nile, Zika, Dengue, and Yellow Fever).
This week’s Three Things Thursday focuses on FOUR mosquito-borne diseases that have been dominating the news headlines this week —
Dengue emergency
Oropouche health advisory
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in New England
West Nile Virus cases, including Dr. Fauci’s diagnosis.
And the THREE things you can do to prevent mosquito-borne diseases.
Hoping this post helps to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
Dengue Emergency
Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the world. Dengue (pronounced DEN-gee) is a viral disease that causes fevers, headaches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and a rash. A small proportion of individuals with dengue develop a severe case, which is called dengue hemorrhagic fever.
In 2024, over 11 million cases of dengue have been reported in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Public health officials in Puerto Rico declared a dengue outbreak in March; local transmission of dengue has also been reported in Florida. In June, the CDC used its Health Alert Network (HAN) to issue a warning to healthcare providers about dengue —
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers, public health authorities and the public of an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024. Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year; many countries are reporting higher-than-usual dengue case numbers. In 2024, countries in the Americas have reported a record-breaking number of dengue cases, exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year.”
Oropouche Health Advisory
Public health officials are warning travelers about a potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus (also spread through biting midges) known as oropouche or sloth fever that has infected 21 U.S. residents returning from Cuba and thousands more in South America and the Caribbean. Currently, cases have been detected in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Cuba. In the U.S., cases are limited to travelers returning to Florida or New York from Cuba. Oropouche fever causes fever, chills, headaches, and muscle and joint pain or stiffness. Other symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, rash, stomach pain, light sensitivity, and eye redness.
The current health advisory has been issued for two reasons —
First, the virus’s geographical spread has increased.
Second, people are dying from the disease.
According to a report published in Nature —
“On 23 August, the World Health Organization published a note stating that the public-health risk posed by the virus is high at the regional level and low at the global level. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised close surveillance of people returning from affected areas. Cases of Oropouche infection have been identified in people who have traveled to the United States, Spain, Italy, and Germany from Brazil and Cuba.”
EEE in New England
At least five states have reported cases of EEE (aka triple-E or Eastern equine encephalitis) this year, and a healthy adult has died from the disease.
According to Dr. Robbie Goldstein, the Commissioner of Health in Massachusetts —
“We have not seen an outbreak of EEE for four years in Massachusetts. This year’s outbreak and activity raise the risk for communities in parts of the state. We need to use all our available tools to reduce risk and protect our communities. We are asking everyone to do their part.”
EEE is a rare but potentially life-threatening infection caused by the eastern equine encephalitis virus. In humans, the virus can affect the central nervous system (often causing swelling), including the brain and spinal cord, and cause severe disease or death. Approximately 30% of individuals who are diagnosed with EEE will die from it.
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus first appeared in the United States in 1999, and the disease quickly spread across the country. West Nile Virus, which is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, has been back in the news because Dr. Anthony Fauci was recently hospitalized with the disease. He said he felt like he had “been hit by a truck.”
West Nile Virus causes fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
Unfortunately, we do not have a vaccine for any of these diseases. And we do not have specific treatments, either.
The best medicine when it comes to mosquito-borne diseases is prevention.
Here are three things you can do to prevent mosquito-borne diseases —
#1 — Apply DEET-based insect repellants.
#2 — Stay in well-screened or air-conditioned areas
(especially at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active).
#3 — Dump or drain standing water in your yard or neighborhood.
Do you need to know more? What questions do you have about mosquito-borne diseases? Please ask —
And be sure to share this post with your friends and family —
Epi(demiology) Matters is written by Dr. Becky Dawson, PhD MPH — an epidemiologist, teacher, mom, wife, and dedicated yogi. She is a tenured professor at Allegheny College, Research Director at a community hospital, and an exclusive contributor (all things health & medicine) at Erie News Now (NBC/CBS). Her goal is to create healthy communities for all. She writes Epi Matters — first & foremost because epidemiology does matter (to all of us) and she hopes that each post will help to educate and empower readers to be healthy and create healthy communities.
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