Mexican mosquitoes carrying dengue fever to Texas border

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.

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.

Plant marigolds, catnip and rosemary in your garden and around your house. These plants all emit odors that are unpleasant to mosquitoes and will keep them 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.
Plant marigolds, catnip and rosemary in your garden and around your house. These plants all emit odors that are unpleasant to mosquitoes and will keep them away.

Pin several fabric softener dryer sheets to your clothes when you are outside. The sheets have a repelling effect on mosquitoes.

Spritz yourself with lemon eucalyptus oil. You can get this from a health food store. Put five drops of the oil in 1 cup of water, then put the mixture in a plastic spray bottle and give yourself two or three good sprays before going outside. The scent of the oil will keep mosquitoes away.

Burn citronella candles around your house when you are outside at night. Mosquitoes hate citronella. Make sure you create a ring of lit citronella candles around wherever it is you are planning to be when you are outside.

Remove any sources of stagnant standing water from around your home. Mosquitoes love standing water and use it as a breeding ground. Even a small planter pot that has been left outside and filled up with rain water is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes, so get rid of it.

Put up mosquito netting all around where you are planning to be outside. You can get mosquito netting from most sports and camping supply stores. The netting has thousands of tiny holes in it that are big enough for you to see out of, but too small for the mosquitoes to fly through. This netting is widely used in Africa in areas that are prone to malaria.

If  bitten by a mosquito, treat with a little hair spray on the bite. This will stop the itching

1. DEET

   • Americans have been using DEET since the 1950s. Many mosquito repellent products contain DEET, coming in liquid, lotion and spray formulations. These products contain 4 to 100 percent DEET.

   Picaridin

   • People in Australia and Europe have been using picaridin for several years before it entered the U.S. market in 2005. A colorless, almost odorless liquid, picaridin products come in concentrations of between 5 and 20 percent.

   IR3535

   • Also known as Merck 3535, IR3535 keeps mosquitoes and biting flies away. Europeans had been using IR3535 products for 20 years before it entered the USA in 1999. Products contain 7.5 to 20.07 percent IR3535.

   Oil of Citronella

   • A natural product derived from the leaves and twigs of lemon eucalyptus, oil of lemon eucalyptus comes in lotion and spray formulations. It has no adverse effect on humans and comes in concentrations of 30 to 40 percent.

Contains

• catnip essential oil
• citronella essential oil
• lavender essential oil
• lemon eucalyptus essential oil
• lemongrass essential oil
• patchouli essential oil
• sweet basil essential oil
• thyme essential oil
• distilled water