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Mosquito-borne West Nile virus and Impact on Older Residents
By Helena
Chapman, Special to SeniorJournal.com
June 26,
2003 - Summer months bring mosquito-filled evenings and the aroma of
insect repellent to the warm landscape. They also bring the threat of
West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks, a mosquito-transmitted (Culex)
virus.
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Helena Chapman is a graduating senior in biology from the
University of Florida and a resident of Treasure Island,
Florida. In fall, she plans to pursue her masters in public
health in epidemiology to focus her health interests in the
geriatric population. She spent her spring break in Cuba,
learning more about mosquito-borne disease.
Click to her story. |
The
Washington Post reports that since June,
over 26 states have identified viral cases in humans,
birds, horses, and other animal species nationwide. The Center for
Disease Control and Prevention calculated that there were 4,000 cases
of WNV infected citizens nationally and almost 300 deaths in 2002,
with the majority of victims over age 50.
Fatalities from WNV encephalitis have
increased in those elderly victims over the age of 77.
Our community must work together with the media to promote health
education programs
all year long in each state for citizens of all ages,
especially our older population.
WNV
victims may experience mild symptoms that include fever, headaches or
body aches, whereas those experiencing
severe symptoms of encephalitis may complain of high
fever or neck stiffness to coma, tremors, muscle weakness, or
paralysis. For the most protection from mosquitoes, it is necessary
to follow
these recommendations:
Avoid
outside activity between the hours of dusk and dawn due to heavy
mosquito activity.
When
outdoors, protect yourself with long pants and long sleeved shirts or
insect repellent with chemical DEET.
Search
your house and yard for standing pools of water, such as tires, flower
pots, garbage cans, or bird baths, to reduce the mosquito population
around your home.
Make sure
that house screens on windows and doors are in excellent condition.
Notify the
state and local health department if you find a dead bird in your
yard. Do not touch! Leave for the health departments collection.
These
self-care strategies will protect the health of elderly citizens and
will reduce the threat of mosquito-borne disease infections and
untoward effects in the older population throughout
communities.
For more
information about WNV, follow this link to the Center for Disease
Control -
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm)
Students
Study How Cuba Faces Mosquito-Transmitted Disease
I was
honored to be one of 11 students from the University of Florida who
spent spring break in Cuba this year. As science students, we wanted
to analyze how this island nation protects its people from
mosquito-transmitted diseases, like West Nile virus.
Cuba, we
found, has something to teach us.
Beginning
in 1977, Cuba endured five epidemics of Dengue Fever, a
mosquito-transmitted virus that has resulted in millions of cases
worldwide. People infected with the Dengue virus experience symptoms
of high fever, headache, rashes, or back and bone pain. A secondary
infection can produce Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, which leads to
bleeding and shock and can be fatal. Now, 26 years and five outbreaks
later, Cuba is Dengue-free and working toward improved sanitation and
aggressive public health community education programs.
As future
scientists in health care, we worked with the Pedro Kourν Institute,
under the Cuban Ministry of Health, in order to discover what Cuban
scientists have accomplished in terms of effective disease control and
community prevention strategies. What we found is that Cubans are
acutely aware of the dangers.
Cuba has a
history of effective public health education, and our task was to find
out how well it continues to work. Prior to our trip, I developed a
30-question interview in Spanish that would allow the research team to
identify whether Cuban citizens have a general understanding of Dengue
Fever and the risk of the disease to community members. My interview
results were impressive. Each of the 63 people I questioned could not
only explain Dengue Fever, its symptoms and possible complications,
but also could name the species of the mosquito carrier, Aedes aegypti.
These Cubans could also describe methods to prevent mosquito
infestation, including placing bottles upside-down, cracking egg
shells, and cleaning out old tires.
This
awareness is owed to a public health campaign that is broad in scope.
Elementary schools teach children on Saturdays how to clean the house
and yard to prevent mosquito-breeding grounds popping up in standing
water puddles. Television programs provide basic education on
potential health concerns and prevention strategies. During Dengue
Fever outbreaks, officials fumigate houses and check household hygiene
several times during the week. After eradication, these checks are
completed weekly. Fines are given for poor practices in sanitation.
The Cuban
approach stands in sharp contrast to the United States, though the
danger here is no less. Hundreds of birds, horses, alligators, and
other animal species nationwide have been infected with another
mosquito-transmitted virus, the West Nile. The Washington Post reports
that, since June, more than 26 states have identified West Nile virus
cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified
4,000 cases of West Nile virus nationally and almost 300 deaths in
2002, with the majority of the victims over age 50. Fatalities from
West Nile encephalitis have increased in elderly victims over the age
of 77.
Therefore,
it is critical that public health agencies in our state initiate an
aggressive education program to assist elderly citizens to protect
themselves from the mosquito infections and design control measures
for the community from potential mosquito-breeding environments. Our
community must work together with the media to promote health
education all year long in each state for citizens of all ages,
especially our older population.
Part of
the aim is to warn people about the symptoms. West Nile virus victims
may experience fever, headaches or body aches, whereas severe symptoms
of encephalitis include high fever or neck stiffness to coma, tremors,
muscle weakness, or paralysis. The other part is to make people aware
of ways to minimize danger. We should avoid outdoor activity between
dusk and dawn when mosquito activity is heaviest. Outdoors, we should
wear pants, long-sleeved shirts, or insect repellent with chemical
DEET. We must search our house and yard for standing pools of water,
such as tires, flower pots, garbage cans, or bird baths, to reduce the
mosquito population around our home.
In Cuba,
we got to examine how a different culture deals with a similar public
health problem. We also became culturally sensitive to another health
care system that encourages effective community education programs to
promote the health of the geriatric population and to prevent the risk
of mosquito-borne disease infections. As neighboring countries, we can
learn from their preventive methods. In these muggy summer months
across the United States, we can do more to protect the health of the
elderly and vulnerable among us. |
