- [1] Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2004
- From: ProMED-mail
- Source: WPTV [edited]
-
- Malaria Resurfaces In Palm Beach County
-
- The Palm Beach County Health Department released this
information on Friday afternoon after identifying a person with malaria:
the Department has identified a person with malaria who may have infected
mosquitoes. This occurrence leaves [could leave. - Mod.SH] other residents
at risk at this time.
-
- Residents are being asked to protect against mosquito
bites and report to a medical provider any symptoms of high fever and teeth-chattering
chills. The Health Department has launched a full-scare awareness campaign
in the hopes of identifying other potential cases, creating awareness of
the situation, and contacted mosquito control to increase spraying and
trapping of mosquitoes. The incident is similar to the malaria outbreak
of 8 cases in 2003.
-
- The current case had active malaria in early June. The
cycle to infect another person is about 30 days. Given this time frame,
the potential for infection is very high, according to health director,
Jean Malecki, MD. Malecki added, "We know last year's carrier had
the disease in June and the first 2 local cases were exposed around the
4 July holiday. The potential exists for this cycle to begin now."
-
- Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the anopheles
mosquitoes and can be treated. The symptoms vary depending on which of
the 4 human malaria strains has been contracted. Symptoms include; headache,
aching in the bones, anorexia, vomiting, teeth-chattering chills coupled
with sensations of heat and high fever and sweating. The onset of symptoms
can be as early as 7 days and as long as several months.
-
- People exhibiting any signs or symptoms of the disease
should report to their nearest hospital. Information can be obtained by
calling the Health Department, Epidemiology Department at 561-840-4566.
-
- http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/wptv/article/0,1651,TCP_1213_3008079,00.html
-
- ******
- [2] Date: 3 Jul 2004
From: ProMED-mail
-
-
- Officials - Mosquitoes With Malaria 'Likely'
- By Rochelle Brenner
Palm Beach Post
7-6-4
-
- Health department officials warned Friday there is a
"very high" chance that mosquitoes with malaria are flying around,
after an infected Lake Worth man was bitten.
-
- The man, in his 20s, represents the first case of malaria
in Palm Beach County since last year's outbreak that infected 8 people
-- the most in nearly half a century. No one died during last year's outbreak,
but it lasted more than 3 months and was finally controlled in October.
-
- The recently infected man, whose name was not released,
lives west of Dixie Highway and works outdoors, according to the health
department. He contracted the disease in the fall of 2003 while he was
in Central America.
-
- Although the man was treated at that time, he was not
cured and returned to Palm Beach County in January still carrying the parasite,
Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor said. His symptoms
returned in late May and he was infectious for about 2 weeks. He was hospitalized
at Delray Beach Medical Center from June 4 to 7 and is now cured, O'Connor
said.
-
- "He was outdoors and very active and bitten by mosquitoes
during that time he was highly infectious," O'Connor said. There are
some promising indicators that the disease won't spread. The overall mosquito
population is at its lowest level in 10 years because of the dry weather,
said Ed Bradford, director of mosquito control for the county. And the
type of mosquito that transmits malaria, anopheles, is uncommon in Lake
Worth, according to Bradford. "Where this gentleman lives, there just
aren't the canals or that type of environment where many of these (mosquitos)
live. But it only takes one," he said.
-
- If the man was bitten by that species, the mosquito would
have about two weeks to infect another person and that person would start
to see symptoms in about 2 weeks -- which is about now.
-
- A truck was expected to spray the man's neighborhood
on Friday after dark and traps will be set up on Tuesday to begin collecting
mosquitos for testing, Bradford said. Unrelated to the malaria case, an
airplane sprayed 246 000 acres of the county Thursday night, including
this man's neighborhood, Bradford said.
-
- During last year's outbreak, investigators never identified
the "index case", or first person to bring malaria to the area.
This time, the "index case" would be the Lake Worth man from
Central America. Last year's outbreak is unrelated to this case, although
both are the mild strain of the virus.
-
- http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/
editions/saturday/local_news_046e320592d1f06900c6.html
-
- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- ProMED-mail reported extensively on the Florida outbreak
of _Plasmodium vivax_ malaria in 2003 [See also: MMWR 2003; 52(38): 908-11,
26 Sep]. It sounds as if this case is also infected with _P. vivax_. He
had acquired the infection abroad. It had been treated but not totally
eradicated. When it recurred his blood would be infectious. If bitten by
an anopheline mosquito that went on to bite someone else that peson could
become infected too. Molecular typing of the cases in 2003 showed that
all had been infected from the same source, but the source was never identified.
Molecular typing of the parasites in this patient will show whether they
are closely related to last year's patients or whether there is another
source. - Mod.EP
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD Please visit my "Emerging
Diseases" message board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
Go with God and in Good Health
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