Thursday, July 26, 2007
posted on: 3:50 PM
PESKY PESTS - MOSQUITO BYTES!!
Dengue’s a big deal right now
So take the buzz out of this
Bug before it bites you.
Fight The Bite!- Prevent mosquito breeding with these tips:
1. Turn over pails and water cans and store them under shelter.
2. Remove all water in plant pot plates. Thoroughly clean and scrub the plates to remove mosquito eggs. If possible, don’t use them altogether.
3. Loosen soil from potted plants to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water on the surface of the harden soil.
4. Cover bamboo pole holders after use. Rainwater can accumulate in these if left uncovered. Creating a habitat.
5. Remove air conditional trays as the condensate could accumulate on them, making suitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Instead, redirect the condensate to bathrooms or toilets.
6. Clear away fallen leaves from your garden and scupper drains. These leaves can lead to ‘choke points’ , resulting in the build-up of stagnant water.
AIRBORNE DISEASES.
Mosquitoes can carry many deadly diseases.MALARIA - Health experts consider this to be one of the most severe mosquito-borne-diseases. While most of the fatalities can be found in Africa, the disease is a world-wide problem. Once bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito, symptoms develop anywhere from six days to several months after being infected. Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches and muscle aches--and can be fatal.YELLOW FEVER - Common in West and Central Africa, and in parts of South America, the disease’s virus transmitted into the bloodstream via the mosquito’s saliva. The virus is then transported around the body, while reproducing itself inside the body’s cells and attacking the liver, kidneys and blood vessels. Symptoms for mild cases are high fever, chills, headache, muscle-aches, vomiting, and backache. For serious cases, victims can go into shock, having bleeding, and kidney and liver failure. The latter causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes), hence the disease’s name.ENCEPHALITIS - Caused by viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, the disease leads to the inflammation of the brain. Symptoms included high fever, stiff neck, headache, confusion and sleepiness. Mild cases only last for a while but severe ones can be life threatening. Several strains of the disease include St. Louis, Western equine, Eastern equine, Japanese and La Crosse.DENGUE FEVER - Originally restricted to South East Asia, dengue fever is rapidly spreading around the world and is becoming a serious health risk in areas where it was previously extremely rare. Milder symptoms of this disease are muscular and joint pains, high fever, several headaches and backaches, vomiting, nausea, and eye pain. The more serious cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever results in the leakage of small capillaries. Hemorrhaging can occur internally, or through the skin, nose and gums. If left untreated, it may lead to shock, failure of the circulatory system and possible, death.
MENACING MOZZIES
- A list of the world’s most dangerous bloodsuckers.Asian Tiger / Aedes Albopictus:
Aptly named, this species is black in color, with a white stripe running down their backs. They attack any blood-bearing host, regardless of the time of the day. Notorious for spreading dengue fever, their bites are painful.
Yellow fever / Aedes Aegypti:
Responsible for spreading yellow fever, they have a silvery-white ‘lyre-shaped’ pattern on the thorax (the mid-region of an insect body). Strong fliers and bites, they attack at dawn dusk.
Banded Spring / Aedes Canadensis:
This dark mosquito’s tarsi (the insect’s legs) have white band rings at both ends. They prefer to live in pools of water with dead and decaying leaves at the bottom, but can also be found in roadside puddles, sink holes and wooded swamps. They bite most frequently during the evening hours, but they also do so during the day. They can spread dengue and yellow fever.
Malaria / Anopheles Quadrimaculatus:
These large, dark brown mosquitoes have four dark spots near the center of each wing. The adults are inactive during the day and rest in the cool, damp, dark shelters such as buildings, caves, under bridges, etc. Their bites are less painful than other species and often go unnoticed. They can spread malaria, though.
Common House / Culex Pipens:
These brown, medium sized mosquitoes can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are identifiable by the cross bands of white scales on their abdominal segments. They are weak fliers and tend to live for only a few weeks. Their bites (usually at dawn or after dusk) can lead to encephalitis.
Cattail Mosquitoes or Coquillettidia Perturbans:
The cattails are highly annoying as they are very aggressive mosquitoes. Their ‘peppered’ appearance is due to the white scales on their wings. The mosquito also has a rounded abdomen and white bands on the tarsi and proboscis (elongated mouth of the insect). Primarily feeding on mammals, it readily attacks humans and can fly long distance from its breeding sit in search of food. It can also cause encephalitis
BY THE NUMBERS:3,500
Species of mosquitoes can be found worldwide
71% of all deaths from malaria are of children under the age of five, according to figures from The Global Fund.
65 Millionths of a litre is the average amount of blood that an adult female can suck out in a single 'meat'
10 is the approximate number of days a dengue fever lasts, but complete recovery can take as long as month.
US$12 MILLION
Is spent annually to fight malaria in Africa and this slows economic growth in African countries by 1.3 per cent a year.
100-300 eggs can be laid at a single time by a female mosquito. They usually lay about 1,000 to 3,000 eggs during their lifespan.
ITCHY AND SCRATCHY ?
- Try out these (at own risk) OLD FOLK remedies to see they can truly help to remove the itch and swelling from a bite.1). Toothpaste - Rub ordinary toothpaste (paste type, not gel) on the bite and the sting should be gone in a few minutes. It’s a handy remedy that’s just in your bathroom.
2). Saliva - Dab the bite with your own saliva. An added plus is that saliva can also disinfect the bitten area. Just do it discreetly---it’s unhygienic and unpleasant to look at!
3). Banana Peel - Some insist that banana peels work. Just don’t go outside with the essence of the banana still on skin. Mosquitoes love the taste of people who have been eating bananas!
4). Vinegar - Ordinary household vinegar is a time-tested remedy. Leave the balsamic for your salad.
5). Lemon Juice - Rub fresh lemon wedges of slices onto the infected area. Relief is immediate.
6). Hot Water - Many people say the itch goes away right after a shower or bath in the hottest water possible. Do be careful of the hot water though.
7). Deodorant - Rubbing any type solid or roll-on deodorant on the bite is said to relieve the itch.
Dessy Desmond Tan.
- the end -
