Dengue Ranked As Fastest-Emerging Mosquito-Borne Disease - 1.8 Billion In Asia At Risk

[hatrack]

MANILA, Oct 2 (IPS) - Over the past three decades, dengue fever has affected more and more countries in the Asia-Pacific region and is now regarded as the fastest of emerging mosquito-borne diseases.

From 1991-2004, a dengue pandemic emerged in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Western Pacific region which covers 37 states and areas. It severely affected 10 countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, French Polynesia, Fiji, New Caledonia and China.

Since 2007, there have been an unusually high number of dengue cases in Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore and Kiribati. The disease is now so widespread in the region that the WHO estimates that 1.8 billion people are at risk of contracting dengue.

Over the last three months, the Indian capital of New Delhi reported 600 cases of dengue of which two turned fatal. Yet, according to the WHO, dengue is a "neglected disease" that attracts public attention and government commitment only during epidemics. And by then it is usually already too late for effective action.

EDIT

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44096

[Warpy]

1. I'm considering a move to the Yucatan

and dengue is one disease I'm really not eager to get. It's called "break bone fever" for the intense bone and joint pain during its course. It's rarely fatal but extremely painful.

It's also moving north as the earth warms. Most cases in the US are still people with a recent history of travel to the tropics, but it has progressed up the coastlines in Mexico.

[phantom power]

2. Yet another mosquito-borne disease we can expect in AZ soon.

[Warpy]

3. Not likely

because they don't do well in arid conditions. The Gulf Coast will be the most vulnerable area, along with all of Florida.

[phantom power]

4. Unfortunately, we breed a fair number of mosquitos here.

Over-watered lawns, improperly-maintained swimming pools, water ponds, bird-feeders, water-filled flower pots, etc.

We've taken to putting repellant on my daughter whenever she's out around sunset. She gets eaten alive. One of her bites turned into a staph infection this summer.

[Warpy]

5. Woops, silly me

I live next door in NM and we generally don't have that stuff, water being so damned expensive and this being such a poor state.

I had a water feature in my back yard here, a very badly done one. I noticed that the water level would go down two inches a day in summer. Needless to say, I didn't bother to keep water in it after the first year, even though the water lilies had been nice.