JUAREZ, Mexico — As health officials in Texas work to control West
Nile virus, those along the border must keep an eye on another illness
spread by mosquitoes — dengue fever.
Preliminary testing in the border city Juarez indicates the presence of mosquitoes carrying dengue fever.
The disease is prevalent in parts of Mexico with a tropical climate, but until now had not been seen this far north.
The mosquitoes caught in traps set out weekly in both El Paso and
Juarez help officials identify which breeds of mosquitoes are in the
area and if they’re carrying any diseases.
"Remember some mosquitoes can travel up to a mile and some mosquitoes
can travel up to five miles so they’ll be able to cross that border
pretty quick," said Danny Soto, code enforcement supervisor with the
city of El Paso Environmental Services Department.
Soto’s officers fan out to check for standing water, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
"If the water stays stagnant for more than 3 days, it will start getting breeding," said Soto.
Along this stretch of border, El Paso and Juarez coordinate to stop
mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. They schedule spraying together
and share information about the breeds they’re trapping, and any cases
of mosquito-borne illnesses reported.
The first case of dengue fever was reported in Ciudad Juarez a couple
of weeks ago. Health authorities in Juarez told El Paso officials the
person became ill with Dengue fever after a trip to Veracruz.
"Official channels going between nations are slower so it works much
better for us to have these relatively quick informal relationships so
we can find out right now what’s going on so we can act," said Michael
Hill, El Paso Public Health Director.
Live mosquitoes trapped on both sides of the border are sent to
Austin for testing. The information is reported to the Centers for
Disease Control, which tracks the spread of dengue fever and other
mosquito-borne illnesses.
Several Mexican states bordering Texas are coping with an outbreak of
dengue fever. According to health officials, Tamaulipas has 235
reported cases. Many are on the coast but about half are in the border
cities of Reynosa and Matamoros across from the Rio Grande Valley.
According to the CDC there have been 103 cases in the United State this year including three in Texas. One is in Travis County.
Most are travelers who picked up the disease in other countries—including tropical areas of Mexico.
But a mild winter, early spring and warmer climate are adding to
concerns the mosquito that carries dengue Fever is traveling further
north along the border.
Showing posts with label Mosquitoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mosquitoes. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Keep Mosquitoes away
It is simple to keep mosquitoes away with home remedies. You do not have
to spray yourself from head to toe with toxic insecticides to avoid
getting bitten when you are outside. Mosquitoes are very sensitive to
certain scents, and if you know just what scents to use, they will stay
far away from you. It is a good idea to keep mosquitoes away with home
remedies, as they carry diseases such as West Nile virus and malaria that babies and the elderly can be particularly susceptible to acquiring.
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