Mosquitoes: The danger doesn’t end when summer does
A tragic item in the national news has given me a forum to revisit one of my core healthcare concerns: Mosquito-borne illness.
Now, I’ve told you before that mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths worldwide than all of mankind’s wars put together – but since we live in the U.S., not sub-Saharan Africa or third world Asia or South America, mosquitoes seem little more than pests to us. And although I’ve talked a great deal both this summer and in summers past about the dangers of West Nile Virus, it’s important to realize that this is only ONE deadly disease you can catch from a skeeter-bite
Tragically, a Boston-area family had to find this out the hardest imaginable way – by losing their 9-year-old boy to eastern equine encephalitis. According to an AP report from September 1, the boy developed a fever in mid-August and was hospitalized until his untimely death two weeks later. Two other area residents, a 52-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, have also contracted the virus.
Eastern equine encephalitis doesn’t grab as many headlines as West Nile, but every year, it kills at least a few people in the eastern half of the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the virus’ mortality rate is around 30% – very high in this age of modern medicine
My point in mentioning it is this: Since DDT and other lifesaving pesticides have been all but outlawed, and since nature’s own checks on mosquitoes (bats) are losing habitat at an alarming rate, it’s smart to do what you can to protect yourself – and your kids and grandkids – from mosquito bites, even though summer is winding down.
For tips on how to do this most effectively, re-read my Daily Dose issue from July 14, or look it up under “Free articles” on my website, www.realhealthnews.com.
Because I’d hate to hear of you losing someone you love for lack of a few simple precautions.
