Mosquitoes like this can transmit various diseases to humans. So far this year, at least two cases of the rare mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus have been reported in the United States.
(USDA-ARS)
- The virus has become more common in recent years.
- Scientists and health experts say climate change may be driving an increase in mosquito-borne diseases.
- Last year there was a record outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis.
In a year already overtaken by a global pandemic, a rare mosquito-borne disease is emerging in at least two states.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced this week a confirmed case Jamestown Canyon virus, spread by the same type of mosquitoes that transmit other more common diseases such as West Nile virus.
The infected person lives in Ottawa County, which is located on the shores of Lake Michigan west of Grand Rapids and includes the city of Holland.
New Hampshire reported a case of the disease earlier this month. Infections are the first reports from both states of any mosquito-borne virus so far this year.
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No further information was given on the patient in Michigan. The New Hampshire resident has been hospitalized with neurological symptoms, but has since been released and is recovering at home, the state health department said.
The disease is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that bite infected animals, most commonly deer., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not transmitted from person to person, the CDC added.
Symptoms They include fever, fatigue and headache, and can appear from a few days to two weeks after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus. Severe cases can cause encephalitis or meningitis. About half of the patients with the disease are hospitalized, but most recover.
Florida Keys Department of Mosquito Control Department Bruce Stevens and Chris Law (LR) use a BTI larvicide-laden drone to spread it over an area as they work to eradicate dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes on July 8, 2020, in Key Largo, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
About 181 people became infected with the Jamestown Canyon virus in 17 states between 2009 and 2018, according to the CDC, and three died. The disease has been on the rise since 2016: The largest outbreak was 43 cases in Wisconsin in 2017.
Michigan has reported three cases previously, two in 2018 and one last year, according to the state department of health. The CDC says that at least three people have also been infected in New Hampshire in recent years.
There is always a risk that mosquitoes transmit viruses during the warmer months, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release..
“This is an important reminder to stay alert and protect yourself from mosquito bites throughout the summer and into the fall,” said Khaldun.
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet., According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Mosquito Program says more than 700 million People become infected with mosquito-borne diseases each year, and approximately 1 million die. Many of them are found in developing countries, where diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever are more common.
In the US, we hear more often about the West Nile virus, which infects 958 people nationwide in 2019 and killed 54, according to the CDC.
Last year also brought a record number of rare but fatal eastern equine encephalitis cases. The CDC reported that 38 people they were infected in the United States, more than double than in any other year in the past decade, and 15 died. At least 10 of those cases were in Michigan.
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Scientists and health experts say that climate change and warmer temperatures, as well as more humans living in forested areas, may be driving an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. Longer, hotter summers mean a more active mosquito season.
“Now we are noticing … that the season is starting earlier“Dina M. Fonseca, director of the Vector Biology Center at Rutgers University, told Asbury Park Press.” We are not getting the hard frosts that tend to kill adults. “
Increasing temperatures also allow mosquitoes to move to regions where they were not common before.
“The warmer the environment, the warmer the mosquito, allowing the virus to replicate faster“, Marcus Blagrove, researcher at the University of Liverpool, author of a study. published earlier this month about the spread of the Zika virus, he told New Scientist. “That is why mosquito-borne viruses have major outbreaks in hot countries, particularly in hot weather. [the] year.”
The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid bites. Follow these CDC tips to help protect yourself:
-Use insect repellent.
-Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
-Use screens on windows and doors, and air conditioning, if available.
-Remove any outdoor container that may hold water, an ideal place for mosquitoes to lay eggs.
The Weather Journal’s primary journalistic mission is to report on the latest news from the climate, the environment and the importance of science in our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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