Category: Health

Are Mosquito Bites Dangerous to the Elderly?

Posted on by k2Dev

Mosquitoes are, to most people, simply a pesky nuisance and a part of the spring and summer seasons. The female mosquito bites humans and leaves a red bump that can get very itchy. It usually goes away within a few days or a week. But many are now asking: are mosquito bites dangerous to the elderly?

Recently there have been many news stories about people of all ages suffering the effects of bites. However, elderly people are more at risk of developing more serious illnesses from mosquito bites, because their immune systems may be weaker than most.

If the mosquito that bites a person is carrying the West Nile Virus (WNV) or other viruses, they can cause the human they bite to get the virus. This can lead to the person suffering from a mild case of WNV or encephalitis. Both of these illnesses present with flu-like symptoms. Milder cases may cause fever, sore throat, stiff neck, vomiting and muscle aches. These symptoms will usually pass within a few days or a week or two.

The more severe cases can include:

  • High fever
  • Headache
  • Stiff neck
  • Convulsions
  • Coma
  • Tremors
  • Loss of vision
  • Numbness and paralysis

The more severe cases of the virus may require hospitalization for supportive care like IV fluids, nutritional support, airway maintenance and breathing support.

Special Considerations for the Elderly

Elderly people who are bitten by mosquitoes are more susceptible to the serious cases of WNV and encephalitis or meningitis. At times, these illnesses can lead to permanent neurological damage or even death. Again, this is because elderly people may have weaker immune systems or they may have other conditions that compromise their overall health. Older victims of these diseases can also become extremely dehydrated, have difficulty breathing, experience swollen glands that restrict airways, or just not recover quickly or entirely from their ordeal. Seeking medical treatment is urgently needed in these cases.

Ways to Prevent Mosquito Bites

Everyone, but especially the elderly, should do everything they can to prevent mosquito bites. Since mosquitoes are more likely to bite between dusk and dawn, protect exposed skin during this time if you are going to be outside. It has been thought that since mosquitoes like flowers, it is best to avoid wearing perfume while outside during mosquito season.

  • Wear a good mosquito repellant on exposed skin when outside. The best repellents are those with DEET as an ingredient. It should only be about 7.5% of the product’s total. Put it on your clothing, around the edges of sleeves and edges of your pant legs.
  • It has been reported that people who have consumed alcoholic beverages are more prone to being bitten by mosquitoes also. You don’t have to be a complete teetotaler, but just keep this in mind.
  • Make sure that window and door screens are secure.
  • It is critical to pay attention to your environment as well during the spring and summer months. If you live near a stagnant pond, you may want to take extra precautions to keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs in standing water.
  • If you are in an area that has flooding from heavy seasonal rain, you need to take special care as well. Dump out any buckets or other containers that are holding water. If you have a child’s swimming pool, dump the water out when it is not being used. Mosquitoes like to breed in cool, shady areas, especially if there is standing water nearby.

If you are over 65 years old, be aware of the problems that mosquito bites can cause. Most bites are not a major problem, however some mosquito bites in the elderly can pose health risks. If you have other illnesses or your immune system is weak, you are more susceptible to major and potentially life threatening illnesses from mosquito bites. But by taking basic precautionary measures, you can enjoy the warm weather safely.

 

Are Mosquito Bites Dangerous to Infants?

Posted on by k2Dev

Should You Take Your Baby Outdoors?

You have a young baby and summertime outdoors are beckoning. But there are concerns about taking your little one along to enjoy outdoor activities. You know about common risks and how to prevent their negative effects – like slathering on the sunscreen to prevent overexposure to sun. But what about mosquitoes? How safe will your baby be in the presence of those inevitable blood suckers? The answer to that question may leave you second guessing your outing. But take heart, there are mosquito bite preventions available.

The Dreaded Mosquito Bite

Mosquitoes are more than just annoying, unwanted insects buzzing your ears in the stillness of evening. They have long been known to carry within them a variety of debilitating and even deadly diseases. Globally responsible for more deaths throughout human history than any other creature, many scientists argue the mosquito to be the deadliest animal on earth. Your infant may be aware of the initial tickle, and then itch of the ‘bite’, but without mosquito bite prevention, Baby has just possibly become the catalyst for what could be a frightening chain of events.

Mosquitoes become aware that you and your infant are nearby simply because you have exhaled. They are drawn to the carbon dioxide present in exhaled breath. The males of the species are not interested in you or Baby, preferring pollen. The females, however, are honing in. Because they are breeding, they are producing eggs and are in need of the protein found in blood. The female will land on the exposed skin of Baby and begin to penetrate the skin with it’s proboscis. She begins to draw Baby’s blood. Your infant has also just been injected with the anesthetic and anticoagulant that is present in the mosquito’s saliva. This signals the human body’s immune system to work against these injected substances, and the itch begins. But, that might not be the only substance that the hated mosquito has just introduced into your baby’s body.

The Mosquito’s Infamous Reputation

Unless prudent mosquito bite prevention is exercised, humans tend to be easy prey for these blood thirsty predators. Unfortunately, mosquitoes have exacted a staggering toll on human life over the millennia by way of a deadly collection of diseases. Included among those diseases are:

Malaria: a parasitic infection of the liver and red blood cells; as red cells are damaged the resulting clots can further damage organs.

Yellow Fever: a viral infection that can cause heart, liver and kidney problems, hemorrhaging and death.

West Nile Virus: a viral infection with symptoms that can last weeks and can cause long-term neurological damage.

Prevention of Mosquito Bites is Important for Babies

While the history of human encounters with mosquitoes is bleak, present and future encounters are manageable and positive. Prevention of mosquito bites, especially for babies, is a critical step to exercise when planning any outdoor activity or simply enjoying everyday life during mosquito season. Fortunately, humans have a broad arsenal of weapons at hand.

  1. First, think habitat. While mosquitoes are a critical element of global ecosystems as food for beneficial animals, and have been hanging around the planet for up to 30 million years, eliminating their habitat in your immediate area is simple. Mosquitoes require water for reproduction. Be vigilant to remove all standing water. Change birdbaths daily. Eliminate all open containers that can collect rainwater.
  2. Second, think structural. Make sure that all doors and windows have fine screening that prevents access to mosquitoes. Seal all cracks or openings to structures. Use mosquito netting to cover cribs and carriages.
  3. Third, use natural or chemical repellants. Repellants today come in many forms of application. The CDC has recommended the use of time-tested DEET which can be used on babies and oil of eucalyptus (not safe for children under three) among other repellants.
  4. Fourth, avoid exposure. Stay indoors during dawn and dusk to minimize exposure, as mosquitoes are most active during these hours.

Take these steps to insure your infant’s safety during the mosquito season. Knowing how best to avoid or minimize exposure and prevent mosquito bites can give you peace of mind, and make the outdoors enjoyable once again for you and your baby.

 

Diseases Caused by Mosquitoes

Posted on by k2Dev

Imagine coming back from your dream tropical vacation only to become seriously ill. Questions you and your family may ask include: Why am I so sick? What caused this illness? Did I pick something up while we were on vacation? Do I need to see a doctor?

In the U.S., we tend to associate mosquitoes with their pesky bites and nothing more. But mosquitoes can be deadly. At a minimum, they can make you very sick. Each year, mosquitoes are responsible for spreading serious illnesses to people around the globe. More than 1 million of these people die.

To protect yourself and your family from mosquito-borne diseases, you must first familiarize yourself with these diseases. Dengue and malaria are the most widely known, yet there are countless others that make the mosquito the most dangerous animal on the planet.

Dengue Fever

Primarily a disease of the tropics and subtropics, dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes that thrive in that climate. Mosquitoes and humans pass the virus back and forth. Dengue may soon pass malaria as the most harmful mosquito-borne viral disease that affects humans.

The spectrum of illness from this virus spans flu-like symptoms to fatal hemorrhagic fever. There are four types of this fever and, once recovered, victims develop immunity to the particular strain they were infected with. The danger of serious complications increases with a second infection of another type, and the more serious dengue hemorrhagic fever may occur.

Symptoms of dengue fever can include any of the following:

  • sudden, high fever
  • headaches severe in nature
  • severe pain behind the eyes
  • joint pain
  • bone and/or muscle pain
  • abdominal pain
  • persistent vomiting
  • vomiting blood
  • black or tarry excrement
  • rash
  • bleeding from nose or gums or bruise easily
  • low white blood count
  • drowsiness
  • breathing difficulty

As fever decreases during the 3-7 days following onset, other symptoms may appear. No specific medicinal treatment is available. Analgesics with acetaminophen may be used as pain relievers. Rest and plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration are recommended. Drugs that contain ibuprofen, Naproxen, or aspirin should be avoided.

Early diagnosis and hospitalization are required to manage the disease most effectively.

Yellow Fever

Another mosquito transmitted illness that is also found in tropical areas is called Yellow Fever. It starts out with common flu-like symptoms such as aches, fever and nausea. Despite the fact that these symptoms eventually subside, the second phase of the illness comes weeks later and can cause liver damage. As a result, victims become jaundiced and death is often the end result.

Yellow fever is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito species and occurs most frequently in Africa and South America.

West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus is a growing concern in North America. Outbreaks spread rapidly beginning when mosquitoes feed on birds infected with the virus. These mosquitoes then pass the virus to their human hosts. West Nile Virus is not transmitted from person to person.

Most infected people do not become ill, with less than 1% developing severe illness. Those who do get sick often have existing health problems and high blood pressure. Onset starts three days to two weeks following contact and symptoms include: fever, stiffness, feeling uncoordinated and confused. Infants, the elderly and AIDS sufferers are at higher risk of showing symptoms of West Nile fever.

While there is no known treatment for West Nile Virus, most cases clear up on their own. Although in some cases the virus may persist in the kidneys, brain, spine and blood for months or even years after infection. What actually remains are called antibodies and “memory” white blood cells that provide protection from the virus in the future. However, these victims can experience permanent symptoms such as weakness, tiredness or memory loss.

Malaria

As perhaps the world’s oldest mosquito-borne disease, malaria is so well-entrenched in some regions that up to 500 million cases are still reported annually. And more than 1 million die, most of them children in tropical and sub-tropical nations. The disease is carried by the Anopheles species.

Symptoms of this disease include: chills, high fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. In serious cases, malaria can cause multiple organs within the body to fail. This can result in seizures, comas, heart failure or death. Antimalarial drugs have been available for over 50 years and scientists are working on more.

Encephalitis

Encephalitis is an arbovirus that attacks the central nervous system and causes brain inflammation. An arbovirus is maintained when mosquitoes or other blood feeding arthropods transmit it to susceptible vertebrate hosts. The virus can survive a complex life cycle inside nonhuman hosts, but when human contact or ecological change interfere with the cycle, the virus escapes. Humans and domestic animals may display a clinical illness. They do not, however, normally produce enough viremia to make a contribution to the transmission cycle.

The five most common types of encephalitis are:

  • Eastern Equine Encephalitis
  • Japanese Encephalitis
  • LaCrosse Encephalitis
  • St. Louis Encephalitis
  • Western Equine Encephalitis

Most human infections result in flu-like symptoms, or are asymptomatic. But when the infection leads to encephalitis, permanent neurological disorders or death can occur. The most common symptoms are:

  • High fever
  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Fatigue
  • Stiffed neck

Treatment is available for brain swelling and loss of brain activity that controls breathing, but there is no anti-viral medication for encephalitis. Complications, like bacterial pneumonia, can develop, but are treatable. Research is being conducted to survey, diagnose and control arboviral encephalitides.

Chikungunya Virus

The Chikungunya virus is another harmful illness that is transmitted by mosquito bites. This virus is commonly found in Asian countries. Its symptoms are initially similar to dengue fever. However, it is followed by a second phase of illness that causes pain in the joints. This pain can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and it can be debilitating. Currently there is no cure for this virus. Thankfully, fatalities from this virus are rare.

Heartworms in Pets

If you have pets, particularly dogs, mosquitoes can make them sick, too. Dogs are susceptible to heart worms, which is spread by mosquitoes. You can help prevent heart worms by taking your dog for regular checkups with a veterinarian. Heart worm medication can be prescribed for the prevention of heart worms.

 

Learn more about the parts of the world with the worst mosquito problems, the latest developments in mosquito control, plus pick up a few mosquito prevention techniques to protect your family from these dangerous pests.

 

Mosquito Protection While Traveling Abroad

Posted on by k2Dev

Disease is a major problem in some countries. Serious illnesses such as malaria and West Nile Virus can reach epidemic levels in places, and it’s the mosquito that is guilty of the rapid spread of many of these afflictions. They may only be considered a nuisance, pests to be smacked away when you’re safe at home, but if you’re making international travel plans, you must take precautions before reaching your destination – particularly if it’s in a high-threat area.

Overseas Disease Carriers

Some of the diseases that mosquitoes carry:

  • Dengue Fever
  • Malaria
  • West Nile Virus
  • Yellow Fever
  • Encephalitis

Simple Preventative Steps For Travelers

Mosquitoes mostly bite at dusk and after it has become dark. Be extra vigilant at this time. Here are a few more suggestions for dealing with these insects:

  • Avoid areas with standing water if at all possible. These are spots where mosquitoes lay eggs and hatch by the thousand. Even a puddle could be a haven for breeding these nasty bugs.
  • Don’t wear fragrances. You don’t want a mosquito to think you’re a pretty flower. Instead, wear an insect repellent and ensure it contains DEET, the most effective mosquito repellent.
  • Get double protection by wearing repellent and burning citronella candles. Such candles are a natural way of defending against mosquitoes.

Be Prepared

There’s the further consideration of the locale being visited. Perhaps the area is isolated or medical facilities are sub-par. The best protection against the mosquito while traveling abroad is to research the dangers, and to be prepared for every eventuality. Use the greatest resource of information available, the Internet, to become educated to where mosquitoes are particularly prevalent, which diseases are being carried by these bugs and what measures need to be taken to combat illness. Even better, find out the best ways to avoid being bitten by a mosquito altogether. Just remember, there’s no guaranteed way to avoid being bitten so prepare for that possibility. Some practical ways to prepare and be protected are:

  • Mosquito netting on beds. This is a must.
  • Wear an insect repellent.
  • Protective clothing to reduce exposed skin.
  • Be informed.

While these steps may seem simple, it’s surprising how many people don’t apply insect repellent or decide to wear inadequate clothing.

Use Extra Caution

Take these steps further and don’t assume the netting is going to stop mosquitoes. A tiny hole in the netting is all that one of these bugs needs to infiltrate this protection.

The extra caution also applies to being educated on the local area. Are there medical facilities located nearby, and are they well-equipped for dealing with an infection? Drugs aren’t always effective against malaria but they could mean the difference between life and death. Medical authorities within countries afflicted with high incidences of malaria carrying mosquitoes have lived with the mosquito problem for a long time, and they’re well aware of the necessity for quick treatment.

 

How To Treat An Infected Mosquito Bite

Posted on by k2Dev

Mosquitoes are annoying insects, leaving behind itchy, red bumps after puncturing the skin of their human prey. Although mosquito bites are usually harmless, they sometimes get infected or cause redness and swelling. Known as “skeeter syndrome,” mosquito bite infections are more common in children than in adults.

Mosquitoes can cause life-threatening illness if they carry certain parasites or viruses. Encephalitis, dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever and West Nile virus are some of the blood-borne diseases that mosquitoes spread to humans. Heartworm disease is a mosquito-borne canine disease.

But if persistent scratching breaks the skin, even a disease-free bite can get infected. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of mosquito bites, infections and related problems can help people determine the best way to treat them. Itching and swelling require one type of treatment, while skin infections require another.

Here are some of the common symptoms of mosquito bites in children and adults.

Mosquito Bite Symptoms

People rarely notice the first mosquito bites they acquire. After they are bitten a few times, they are more likely to notice the bites. This often happens immediately after a mosquito feeding.

A puffy, flesh-colored bump may appear on the skin a few minutes after a mosquito bite. In a day or two, the bump may grow hard and turns into a reddish-brown color. It may also start to itch and swell.

Sometimes, mosquito bites appear as small blisters instead of puffy or hard bumps. Or, they may occur as dark spots that resemble bruises. If a mosquito bite becomes infected, it may become red, sore and swollen. It may also ooze or weep fluid.

In people with immune system disorders, a mosquito bite may trigger additional problems including hives, swollen lymph nodes and low-grade fever. Conventional wisdom recommends that people seek medical attention if an infected mosquito bite causes serious symptoms such as headache, body ache and fever.

Mosquito Bite Treatments

In normal circumstances, a mosquito bite stops itching and heals on its own without medical treatment. An ice pack may help with the itching and swelling until the bite heals. To expedite healing, it is helpful to know how to treat an infected mosquito bite.

Topical treatments like calamine lotion, hydrocortisone cream or an antibiotic ointment can sooth mosquito bites and encourage healing. They are applied after the infected area of the skin is washed with soap and water and dried with a clean towel.

Although it is hard to resist scratching a mosquito bite, avoidance can prevent infection. Fingernails harbor numerous types of bacteria, and scratching a mosquito bite may cause a secondary infection.

A bite infection or other strong reaction may improve with an oral antihistamine. Cetirizine, chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine or loratadine are four ingredients that are commonly found in antihistamines. They may ease a person’s response to a mosquito bite.

Mosquito Bite Prevention

Prevention is the best treatment for a mosquito bite, because it stops an infection before it starts. People can take many steps to limit their exposure to mosquitoes or protect themselves when exposure is unavoidable.

An insect repellant is a temporary solution. It keeps hungry mosquitoes from identifying someone as food source. The length of protection depends on the strength of the ingredients in the repellant. Most repellants contain chemical ingredients like DEET or picaridin or plant-based compounds such as oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Most insect repellants are safe for children and adults, but they are not recommended for infants. Additionally, they are recommended for outdoor use only. It is important to wash the skin of repellant when returning indoors.

Protective clothing is another preventative measure to prevent mosquito bite infections. Long sleeves, long pants, socks and hats protect people from bites when they are in mosquito-infested areas. Permethrin, an insect repellant for clothing, adds another layer of protection.

Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Water can collect in just about anything: wading pools, birdbaths, flower pots, old tires, fire pits and more. Keeping these items empty and dry can discourage mosquitoes and prevent bites and infections.