Dengue fever… a little closer to home

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Earlier this month we published an article on dengue fever and 7 top tips to avoid it. We couldn’t have picked a better topic as today the  Telegraph has reported that the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, may be heading for the UK.

The mozzie has already been reported in France and Belgium and the fear is that it could be heading north. With warmer and wetter winters the UK habitat has become a lot more appealing. Scientists led by Dr Samantha Martin, from the University of Liverpool, used climate models to predict how changing conditions might affect Asian tiger mosquito distribution. They wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: ‘‘Mosquito climate suitability has significantly increased over the southern UK, northern France, the Benelux, parts of Germany, Italy, Sicily and the Balkan countries.”

The research shows that parts of the UK could become hot-spots of Asian tiger mosquito activity between 2030 and 2050. It could easily survive in water butts and vases, as well as greenhouses.

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Dengue fever – 7 top tips

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Our partners, Interhealth, have just published a great article with tips on how to avoid dengue fever.
  1. photo 4924 20090302 150x150 Dengue fever 7 top tips

    Mosquito - image by Christian Meyn / freedigitalphoto.net

    What is dengue fever? It is is a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by the Aedesmosquito that has been reported in over 100 countries.

  2. How do I avoid getting it? At present the most effective way of preventing dengue is by avoiding mosquito bites, especially during daylight hours i.e. around dawn and dusk when these mosquitoes are most active.
  3. Where can I get more information? Download InterHealth’s information and guidance sheet about Dengue Fever
  4. What if I need personal advice about dengue? Use MyHealth Advice Hub: Wherever you are, ‘Ask a Doctor’ for advice about any illness or medical issue.
  5. What would you recommend to prevent mosquito bites? Cover up and use a DEET-based insect repellant – wear clothes that cover your arms and legs and wear a DEET-based insect repellent whenever possible, especially after dawn and before sunset. Spray permethrin or DEET-based insect repellents on  clothing. If possible spray permethrin or DEET based repellents on your clothing after every wash as mosquitoes may be able to bite through thin clothing.
  6. Can you identify an Aedes mosquito? You can easily spot them – they have a distinctive black and white striped body. They are often found around stagnant water.
  7. Know if you’ve got it: Dengue usually starts with a fever lasting 1-5 days. Other symptoms are headache, muscle ache, pain and a rash. Most infections clear up on their own within one to two weeks. Although rare in travellers, the more severe dengue haemorrhagic fever can cause high fever, enlarged liver, symptoms of heart failure and flu-like symptoms.  If you think you may be infected, visit a doctor as soon as possible.

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Scientists alter mosquito genes to stop spread of dengue

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

The crusade against combatting infectious disease at the souce continues with an attack on dengue fever via its carrier – the ever unpopular mosquito.

photo 4924 20090302 150x150 Scientists alter mosquito genes to stop spread of dengue

mosquito

The dengue virus is spread by the bite of infected female mosquitoes and there is no vaccine or treatment. It affects up to 100 million people a year and threatens over a third of the world’s population. Scientists have been working on a clever plan of attack to stop dengue spreading, breeding a new strain of flightless males specific to the species of mosquito that carries dengue. The hope is that females will mate with these “damaged” males and their offspring will inherit a gene that limits wing growth in females only. Males will be carriers but will continue as normal, further spreading the gene.

It sounds ambitious, but as dengue is spread by only a couple of different species of mosquito and the newly bred males will only mate with females from the same species, experts believe that within as little as six to nine months the native mosquito population could be supressed. There is also hope that in the future this could be a way of attacking other killers like malaria.

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