Battle against mosquitos

To the informal spectator, it will look like a collection of adult men and women playing with reproduction aero planes. But in a cautiously planned task next week, a small air show in the Florida Keys will mark a theatrical rise in the war on the state's army of mosquitoes.

Officials accountable for curtailing the swamp-heavy island chain's disease-carrying insects will deploy their first unmanned drone on a test flight. If the flight is victorious, the Florida Keys Mosquito District will deem purchasing the $65,000 aircraft from Condor Aerial, a North Florida-based corporation that holds a contract to provide the Canadian military with drones for reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan.

The aim, according to Michael Doyle, the agency's manager, is to speed up the uncovering of shallow areas of water where mosquitoes lay their eggs, and thus permit a swifter spraying of larvicide.

"If we can find the water, we can kill the mosquitoes. The actual challenge is finding the water fast enough," he told keysnet.com. "What we're looking to see is if this technology can actually see shallow water also out in the open or under mangroves, and how much land can it cover rapidly so the inspectors can get out that day."

Doyle, however, admits the project has a minor object: saving money. The agency employs 40 inspectors, some of whom might be growing nervous that they are about to be replaced by a automatic eye in the sky. "As our budget is getting smaller we're trying to discover ways to cover the same area with fewer people," he said, though he stressed there were no plans to decrease the number of staff.

Workers from Condor Aerial will demonstrate the two-and-a-half foot Maveric drone from the agency's offices in Marathon on 26 August. According to Condor, the Maveric can fly for 90 minutes at an altitude of 200ft, giving it the potential to considerably get better the watch across the 100-mile chain of islands from Key Largo to Key West. "If you try to get crossways the small islands its back-country, its jungle,"

In theory, if a drone were to spot a probable breeding site, using its shortwave infrared camera, an inspector would test the larvae, and then, if essential, call for a bacterial scatter from one of the agency's four helicopters. The most prolific mosquito in the Keys is the Salt March diversity, but a bigger danger is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can take lethal Yellow and Dengue fevers.

Added that the drone test was one of a amount of initiatives with which the agency was experimenting, including the setting up of more cameras and water sensors. Officials are awaiting federal approval to send in hundreds of thousands of genetically modified male mosquitoes, which would efficiently render the females sterilized.

The drone scheme is headline grabbing but eventually an luxurious way of seeking to accomplish something that could be achieved more inexpensively by conservative means.

"It makes it seem as though we're launching an army of search-and-destroy bots with the only reason of annihilating the blood-suckers. I desire it to be true. But it now isn't," said a science blogger, Jason Bittel, on slate.com. "No matter what the next round of headlines say about slaying mosquitoes by slingshot, dependency or Sharknado, there are 3.3 billion people approximately the world who lives with the daily threat of malaria. And they don't need drones; they need $10 of mosquito netting."

Ideal Mosquito

Malaria does exist in Malaysia, but it is not common in towns. Expatriates whose work takes them to new land development areas, into the jungle or towards the Thai border should take prophylactics. They are available at any doctor’s, pharmacists or government dispensary. Like other preventatives, they must be taken regularly to be of any use, of course.

There is a certain amount of dengue hemorrhagic fever in poorly drained urban and suburban areas; the many building sites of KL are, unfortunately, ideal mosquito breeding grounds. The early symptoms of dengue are high fever, red spots, and the appearance of red or blue blotches on the skin if it has been even slightly pressed. If a person seems to be suffering from ‘measles’ that last longer than they ordinarily should, consult a doctor.

Stomach upsets happen from time to time; the dangerous ones are caused by dysentery and cholera. In Malaysia, there is such a thing as nationalistic cholera—any traveler who’s returned from Thailand or Indonesia and gets a stomach- ache is immediately suspected of having picked up cholera ‘in those parts’. We have no cholera in our own country, of course, but ‘those foreigners...

’The rare cholera outbreaks in Malaysia are well publicized to warn the travelling public away from the area for the duration. They are nearly always traced to contaminated water supplies, something residents in proper houses in the large towns don’t have to worry about.

Ulu (upcountry) residents and travelers must boil all drinking water supplies, and take care not to swallow water while taking their bath in the river. It is better to use boiled water for tooth brushing, too.

Crawlies and other Nastiest

Argentines are sticklers for fumigation and men in white coats make regular house visits to spray into those dark corners. In Buenos Aires, they’re usually after ants and cockroaches, which are quite a problem in the summer. South America’s really nasty creepy crawlies don’t make it as far south as Buenos Aires or Patagonia.

Further north, however, where it’s hotter, and especially in low-lying tropical areas, it’s advisable to take malaria pills. Obviously the best approach is to avoid being bitten by mosquito’s altogether. Dengue fever, which is prevalent in some areas, is also transmitted by mosquitoes. Other dangers in the north include leishmaniasis and Chagas’ disease. Chagas’ disease is transmitted through the bite of the vinchuca beetle, causing arteries to harden and long-term complications that eventually lead to death. The beetle likes adobe buildings with dirt floors and decrepit roofs and usually comes out at night, so avoid sleeping in such dwellings if you can. If you have no choice, tuck up your feet (the beetles go for these) and use a mosquito net. If you think you’ve been bitten by a vinchuca, seek medical advice immediately. If you’ve been in a malarial area and show symptoms even as late as a year after your trip, see a doctor immediately.

EFFORTS TO CONTROL MALARIA

The government of Tanzania has implemented several interventions for malaria control. One of such interventions is the delivery of treated mosquito nets to families. In indoor spraying against mosquitoes and the use of insecticide-treated nets is one of the simplest and most cost-effective technologies in fighting malaria. If it is effectively utilized it can change the malaria situation in Africa (Erdman & Kain, 2007). The challenge facing weak health systems is how to deliver such communication. Experiences from places such as Morogoro rural area, Bagamoyo, Lindi and other remote areas with poor communication network shows that health workers are confronted with challenges in delivering information on malaria control, and maternal and child health. Improving communication network in these rural areas can create a situation whereby people become more aware of the benefits of availing themselves to use the healthcare facilities thus impro... spray in the room where they sleep (Erdman & Kain, 2007). People need to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, especially from dusk to dawn since this is the time when mosquitoes that spread malaria bite. To sleep under a mosquito bed net implies having a treated net. This is where government can assist by either providing free treated mosquito nets or subsidizing the price of treated nets. Such a programmed should cover the entire population instead of focusing on a particular section. Furthermore government can go into partnership with community in preparing malaria awareness workshops. Such workshops should be both informative and entertaining such that people will be more willing to attend. Whether you are living in a high-risk area or perhaps traveling to one, mosquito nets offer essential protection against mosquitoes, flies and other insects (Erdman & Kain, 2007).

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by anopheles mosquito. Malaria parasite causes over 2.7 million deaths in Africa per year. Each year some, 500 million people are sick with malaria, and of those, over 2 million children (which is 90%) die of malaria cases (Goldring, 2009). A worrying trend which is emerging in the fight against malaria is that insecticides are becoming less effective against mosquitoes.

Infections Are on the Move

Avoiding insect and tick bites is the obvious solution for arthropod-borne diseases. Most industrialized countries control their mosquito populations, making it unnecessary to sleep under insect-repellant-treated mosquito netting. But in many parts of the world, mosquito netting is important. Travelers to some countries, even recent residents of these countries, are advised to take antimalarial drugs as prophylaxis. For many viral diseases, such as yellow fever, effective vaccines are available. That is not yet the case for West Nile Fever.

Spray of Misery

The villagers have turned to the judiciary for remedy. They have obtained a stay order from the Kasargod munsiff court against the aerial spraying. The petition will probably come up for hearing before the next spraying season in October. Meanwhile, they are looking up for help from the government and related bodies.

LAND OF SUFFERING

Life in Swarga, however evocative the name of the village, is far from heavenly. Nestled among areca and cashew plantations in Kerala’s Kasargod district, it is a hellish land plagued by diseases and suffering.

“Strange illnesses have afflicted these villages and there is no thorough study on why this is so,” “There are around 300 cases of various kinds of abnormalities in just this small area”. An enumeration in January in the 4-sq km Padre village, home to about 400 families, showed three cancer patients, 23 epilepsy patients, 46 cancer deaths, 23 mental and 43 psychiatric cases, nine congenital anomalies and nine suicides—adding up to 156 instances of health problems. Another doctor working in the region, Shripati Kajampady, says, “We have seen a gradual deterioration in the quality of life here. There are more people struck by diseases here than in other villages. There is something definitely wrong”.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Malaria is a tropical disease of humans caused by four species of the Plasmodium parasite. Other names for malaria, particularly used in European countries, are ‘Paludism’ or ‘Paludeen fever’. All four types of the malaria parasite are transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Most fatal infections are caused by the falciparum species and are more likely to occur when diagnosis and treatment are delayed or inappropriate.

Malaria is a worldwide problem because two-thirds of the world’s population lives in malaria endemic regions. A conservative estimate is that there are 220 million new infections a year. In Africa alone, malaria causes over a million deaths each year. The problem has become worse in recent times because of mosquitoes becoming increasingly resistance to pesticides, and because of increasing drug resistance of the malaria parasites.

OTHER MOSQUITO AND INSECT-BORNE DISEASES

For some mosquito transmitted diseases, there are no known drug treatments or vaccines, so prevention becomes extremely important. This is certainly true for dengue fever, which occurs widely in the tropical regions.

Dengue (also called break bone fever) occurs about five to eight days after being bitten by an aedes mosquito infected with the virus. Classic symptoms include severe splitting headaches, high fever, backache, muscle and joint pains and skin rashes. The symptoms last from five to seven days.

Occasionally, the illness is complicated by a bleeding tendency and is then called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which sometimes can be fatal. In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, patients may also develop bruises and bleeding of the skin, nose and gums. Intestinal as well as other types of internal bleeding can occur.

Beware of mosquitoes! In the tropics, these blood-sucking parasites not only cause malaria but a whole host of viral diseases such as dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and filariosis to name a few.

I am only too cognisant of the dangers mosquitoes can bring, ever since I myself was bitten by a mosquito which carried the dreaded dengue fever virus while vacationing in the Philippines. Dengue fever is also known as ‘break bone fever’ reflecting the intense suffering that occurs. Although it has been almost 13 years since my near tragic illness, I still can remember vividly the details of my ill-fated trip.

I took a four-week self-arranged vacation to the Philippines in July 1982. During the first week, I explored Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and its surrounding environs. The sprawling city was noisy, congested, polluted and teeming with humanity. After visiting most of the major attractions, riding the crowded ‘jeepneys’ and reveling in the vibrant night life until the wee morning hours, I decided it was time to get away from the frenzied pace of Manila and explore some of the serene tropical islands. After all, the Philippines has over 7,000 of them!. I took a ferry to the village of Panay where I stayed overnight. I then took a large outrigger boat to the idyllic island of Boracay, renowned for its pristine white sandy beaches...

Ralph, a 33-year-old surveyor from New Zealand, worked for a multinational lumber company in Kalimantan (formerly Borneo). Because of the nature of his work, he spent most of his time in Kalimantan, living in its rural areas and small villages. He was well aware of the risk of malaria, which was endemic within the region, and took his weekly antimalarial medications as directed. He felt reassured that the medications would protect him from malaria carrying mosquitoes that fly in swarms along the river banks. He heard of horror stories concerning others, less careful, who did not take antimalarial prophylactics.

Ralph remained relatively healthy and very busy supervising the logging operation. However, on a couple of occasions, he did feel feverish and had muscle aches but these discomforts were short lasting and never a concern to Ralph. Then, insidiously he noticed progressive swelling of both lower legs. He did not feel pain and he had no fever. Except for the swelling, he felt generally well and was able to continue with his work. However, there was no abatement of the swelling during the following week and he became very concerned. The swelling had now extended from both lower legs up to the groin and also involved his scrotum. His legs were heavy and walking cumbersome. Ralph’s company’s managing director made arrangements for him to fly to....