*NEWS* about the mosquito

Recently i just discover that Colorado have high numbers of death by west niles and many reports by sick by that as two countries in colorado just delcare ememgery last week ! as they just said that In colorado is high risk than anywhere in USA! :shock: otherwise good thing that these two courtries is far up north of Denver nearby Wyoming and Nebraka border !
 
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2191235,00.html

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Larimer, Weld counties declare health emergency
By Robert Weller, Associated Press
August 18, 2003

Larimer and Weld counties declared health emergencies on Monday as the number of human cases of West Nile virus soared.

Larimer County reported 121 cases on Monday, more than double the number a week ago. Weld County reported 112, up from 83 on Friday.





Also Monday, the state asked the federal government for $4.5 million to combat the virus, primarily for mosquito spraying, said Doug Benevento of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Weld and Larimer county officials said the emergency declarations were designed to alert the public to the seriousness of the threat, encourage local governments to step up mosquito-prevention programs and get state and federal help.

"We felt that it was in our best interest to declare a health emergency to encourage the public to take this seriously," said Gaye Morrison of the Weld County Health Department.

Ann Watson of the Larimer County Health Department said many people infected with West Nile hadn't used mosquito repellant.

"Some of them even have outdoor jobs and say they have never used repellant," she said.

State epidemiologist John Pape said interviews with West Nile victims showed two-thirds had not taken preventive measures such as using mosquito repellant, staying indoors at dusk and dawn and wearing long-sleeve shirts.

Colorado leads the nation with 392 human West Nile cases and seven deaths. Two of the dead were from Larimer County and two from Weld County.

Watson said Larimer County plans to step up mosquito control, and the emergency declaration gives local governments more power to access public lands for spraying, she said.

The Larimer County cities of Fort Collins and Loveland declared their own health emergencies Monday because of the virus.

Tom Vosburg, assistant city manager for Fort Collins, said the declaration gives the city authority to put larvicide on private property without asking permission. He said trucks would begin spraying insecticide Wednesday night.

Morrison said local and county governments in Weld County, including the city of Greeley, have spent $700,000 on anti-mosquito programs this year.
 
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2184067,00.html

RELATED STORIES
West Nile in Colorado
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7th West Nile death, 52 new cases reported
Weld County woman died from meningitis earlier this month

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News
August 15, 2003

Colorado reported its seventh West Nile virus death Thursday and also set a one-day record with 52 new reported cases of the mosquito-borne disease.

The latest victim is a 69-year-old woman from rural Weld County. The woman died from meningitis at Longmont United Hospital, said Cindy Parmenter, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Weld County officials said she died Aug. 6.





Parmenter said the meningitis was caused by West Nile. The victim is the second Weld County resident to die from the effects of the virus and the 57th case overall in the county, the state's hardest hit.

The state also reported the first human case of West Nile virus west of the Continental Divide.

A man in Delta County, southeast of Grand Junction, developed symptoms July 27, the state health department said. His name and age were not disclosed, but the agency said he had only a fever.

Also on Thursday, California officials reported that a San Francisco-area resident may have contracted the virus while on a visit to Colorado. Health officials said the 47-year-old woman has a probable case of the virus and told them she was bitten by mosquitoes while on a trip that included a visit to Colorado. She would be the first confirmed case in California this year.

The 52 new cases brings Colorado's total to 299, highest of any state in the nation. Of that number, 69 have the serious complications of encephalitis and meningitis.

The rest of the nation reported just 199 cases and four deaths to the Centers for Disease Control by Wednesday.

State health officials attribute Colorado's nation-leading numbers to ideal weather conditions for mosquitoes - a wet spring that provided breeding grounds in standing water, followed by a record-hot July that sped up the insects' metabolism.

The West Nile season is expected to reach its peak late this month but not end until the first frost in September or October.

Interviews with the first 126 Coloradans diagnosed with West Nile found that two-thirds admitted that they never use repellent, said John Pape, epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Another 18 percent said they sometimes use it and just 11 percent said they always use it. Four percent weren't sure or didn't answer.

"It tells us that at least in those early cases, they weren't taking our recommendations for precautions," Pape said.

The Fight the Bite campaign promoted by the state and county health departments urges people to:

• Remove standing water from yards;

• Avoid walking outside during dawn and dusk;

• Always use repellent with DEET if venturing out during those hours, and wear long sleeves and pants.
 
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2189762,00.html

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11,000 may be infected in state
338 official cases just fraction of total since few victims get tested

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News
August 18, 2003

The number of Coloradans infected with the mosquito-borne West Nile virus may now be in the thousands, say doctors and local health officials.

As of Friday, Colorado led the nation with 338 confirmed cases and seven fatalities. But like estimates of flu cases, the official numbers for West Nile are just the tip of the iceberg.





Kaiser Permanente of Colorado continues to get 500 calls a day from people who describe flu-like symptoms and wonder if it's West Nile, said Dr. Gray Houlton.

"I think there are thousands and thousands of people out there who've been infected and didn't know, or who got mild cases of West Nile fever," Houlton said.

But that's just a guess - no one really has a good handle on how widespread West Nile has become. That's because a blood test - the only way to confirm a case - is not commonly given unless a patient exhibits serious symptoms.

"If somebody has mild virus symptoms, to a large measure, it just doesn't matter if we do the test," Houlton said. "If it is positive, we will tell them to drink fluids, rest and take Tylenol. And if it's negative (for West Nile), we'll tell them to do exactly the same thing."

Most people who are infected never know it because they show no symptoms. Of those who do show symptoms, most will feel lousy for three to six days, with some kind of combination of nausea, vomiting, muscle aches and headaches.

One sign that it could be a more serious case - and deserving of testing - is if the person has a very stiff neck.

State health officials use a formula to determine the probable number of cases, multiplying the number of meningitis or encephalitis cases caused by West Nile by 150. That would put the estimated number of Coloradans infected by the virus at 11,100.

In northeast Colorado, doctors and health officials "hear stories continually all day long," about someone's brother or friend or boss who has many of the symptoms but chose not to be tested, said Denise Hase, executive director of the Northeast Colorado Health Department, which serves six counties that together have reported 54 cases.

Other summer viruses have hit hard, but if symptoms are mild, blood tests generally aren't ordered.

Physicians make the call, and often it comes down to "how quickly the person recovers," she said. "If it's relatively quickly, they say it's probably another virus. If they continue to have symptoms, they test for West Nile."

But among the thousands of mild cases that are never tested, "without a doubt, it could be West Nile fever," Hase said.

Colorado has more than half the official cases in the nation, which has been attributed to ideal weather conditions for mosquito breeding. Among the state's 338 cases are 74 that have resulted in complications of meningitis and encephalitis.

South Dakota, which is second with 66 cases, has 26 cases involving meningitis or encephalitis.

Texas, which is in third place with 65 cases, reports only those that involve meningitis or encephalitis.
 
WaterRats13 said:
Mosquitos are attracted to me -- no matter how much I try to repel them with any anti-repellant spray...am always guaranteed to be sucked dried by those blood suckers! :mad:
Click to expand...


I was told by my old friend who is full of Phillipine Island herself. Her blood type is B. Whoa! Lot of mosquitos attract to her all the way. She said Blood type "B" is kinda sweet blood. Some Asian people have that type. Very interested to know after she told me long time ago.
 
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