- Hello, Jeff -- One my posters on emerging
diseases found this one. There was something not quite right about this
outbreak. Now, we have cases as close as Canada. ...and a few people wondered
why I spent so much energy on this one. While all eyes are on bird flu,
this one may sneak in the back door...
-
- Patty
-
- https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/2994
-
- Virus Mutation Linked to Spread of Chikungunya
Disease
- Submitted by eeglazer on Wed, 05/24/2006
-
- Source: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/120065.asp
- Alternate Source: http://www.afrol.com/articles/19370
- Genome Microevolution of Chikungunya
Viruses Causing the Indian Ocean Outbreak: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-docum
ent&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030263
- Chikungunya information: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/msds-ftss/msds172e.html
-
- "French researchers said an epidemic
of the disease known as chikungunya, which ravaged the Indian Ocean island
of Reunion, was spurred by a mutated form of a mosquito-borne virus. The
chikungunya virus is typically spread by the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes
aegypti). But sequencing of a gene, E1, which allows the virus to attach
to mosquito cellular membranes, suggests the pathogen may also be carried
by another species, the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). The Pasteur
Institute team analyzed samples of the virus taken from 121 patients in
Reunion, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mayotte, and Mauritius. The outbreak of
chikungunya began in Reunion in early 2005 but dramatically accelerated
in December. Eventually, around 258,000 people - a third of the island's
population - fell sick with the disease, which also claimed 219 lives directly
or indirectly. The French scientists say the mutated form appears to have
emerged in September 2005 and within a few months swiftly became the dominant
viral strain in the epidemic. Around 6,000 other cases of illness have
been recorded in Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Mayotte."
-
- Taken from: Department of Homeland Security
Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report for 24 May 2006; http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0542.xml
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- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=6791
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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