 |
Alert - New
Mosquito-Borne Virus |
From
Patricia Doyle |
| Hello Jeff - Last month we talked about this traveling
virus hitting Tennessee and now it is in North Texas. For the most part, people brought this virus from the Caribbean to the US mainland. Instead of going on vacation to countries that have infectious disease outbreaks, why not take a vacation in America. I fail to understand the need to travel to countries that are dealing with disease outbreaks. We see people flying back and forth to West Africa as well during the Ebola outbreak. Boggles my mind. Patty New Mosquito-Borne Virus Has Experts on Alert The first two cases in the state were confirmed in Hidalgo County POSTED: 08:25 PM CDT Apr 15, 2015 UPDATED: 09:10 PM CDT Apr 15, 2015 They say the first two cases of chikungunya virus in the Valley were confirmed in Hidalgo County. 11 cases were reported in North Texas back in February. Health officials say the people who fell ill had just returned from a trip to the Caribbean. That's where the virus was first detected two years ago and is now prevalent. Francisco Ramirez Mata checks his mom's front yard in McAllen looking for any standing water that could attract mosquitoes. He says his neighborhood is a breeding ground for the pesky insects. Ramirez Mata says he worries about the diseases mosquitoes carry, even more so now with the chikungunya virus making its way to the Valley. The two chikungunya cases were reported last month, Hidalgo County Health Director Eddie Olivarez said. "They were a family who traveled to the Caribbean and upon return they were showing symptoms. They were confirmed by laboratory analysis that they had chikungunya," Olivarez said. Olivarez says the most common symptoms are similar to the flu. The effects, though, last longer. "The symptoms are ... low-grade fever, body aches, listlessness. You don't feel comfortable, you don't feel good. It's like a fatigue that over powers you. It can last up to 6 to 8 months," Olivarez. The chikungunya virus first appeared in the Caribbean in 2013. It was detected in Puerto Rico in 2014. Olivarez says chikungunya is not transmitted from person to person, but rather from mosquito to bird. "Once the birds arrive here our mosquitoes that are not infected with chikungunya would feed off our local bird population an in turn they will become infected," Olivarez said. He said mosquitoes than transfer the virus to humans. Other mosquitoes sting the infected person and acquire the virus. "That's how the whole domino effect starts," Olivarez said. Olivarez says the virus is not as serious as other mosquito-borne viruses, like West Nile or dengue. The virus can be deadly, but in very rare cases. "It can be fatal, but mainly in the elderly who have severe medical complications of another nature and then chikungunya makes their situation more complicated," Olivarez said. Olivarez predicts by this time next year the county will have reports of several hundred cases. He says they've already alerted medical professionals about the reports of the virus and are asking them to keep an eye out on potential cases. They also are working with other county agencies to prepare for the upcoming mosquito season. Copyright © 2015, KRGV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/New-Mosquito-Borne-Virus-Has-Experts-on-Alert/32390786 |
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