Mosquito control

As one of the “big three” global infectious diseases, malaria is spreading at an alarming rate. That being said, what are some of the biological, social, economic, and ecological factors that influence malaria? These factors are addressed by Jeffrey Sachs and Pia Malaney in their article “The Economic and Social Burden of Malaria” as well as by Randall Packard in the first chapter of The Making of a Tropical Disease. While Sachs and Malaney primarily focus on the economic, social, and…

Head Lice is very common with young school age children and very annoying to get rid of. Everyone has had lice at least once. Head Lice are tiny, wingless parasitic insects (Head Lice, 1995-2017). The live in the hair near the scalp and lay their eggs near the scalp also (Head Lice, 1995-2017). Many people have had at least one experience with head lice. Head Louses are tiny six-legged insects (Treating and Preventing Head Lice Infestations, 2005-2017). They cling to people’s necks and…

Survival Uses for Cheesecloth Cheesecloth is available in a number of grades ranging from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the number of threads per inch in each direction. The grades range from #10 to #90 with 10 being the loose grade and 90 being a tight weave. The # 10 grade, for example, has 20 vertical and 12 horizontal threads per inch, while, #90 has 44 vertical and 36 horizontal threads per inch. The other grades fall somewhere in between. The uses are only limited…

Parasites are one of the four major classes of pathogenic organisms that cause infectious diseases (Janeway et al., 2001). They are replete in Sub Sahara Africa because of suitable climate and socio-economic situation favouring their growth and that of their vectors leading to easy spread and perennial persistence of parasitic diseases in the population (Pullan and Brooker, 2008; Froeschke et al., 2010, Patz et al 2000). Plasmodium falciparum is the commonest specie of Plasmodium parasite…

symptoms such as fever, lethargy, headache and body aches that resolve on their own. A few persons may develop a rash on the trunk or the body. However, in severe cases, the patient can develop meningitis or any other neurologic condition. The recent mosquito population…

is a virus that has been known for a while now but just recently has become a danger to the United States and its citizens within its borders, “Zika is an emerging viral disease of the tropics transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same mosquito that transmits dengue and yellow fever. The illness resulting from Zika virus was previously considered mild and self-limiting. Most people with Zika fever (aka Zika) have no symptoms; those who do can experience fever, a rash, eye…

West and Central Africa. Loiasis gets its name from the well-known sign which is the visible passing of the Loa loa worm through the eye. Day to day the disease has receives little to no attention. Loiasis considered as a barrier to other disease control efforts. This is so because individuals with a large amount of Loa loa larvae in the blood are at a higher risk of having life long complications if they receive ivermectin. Ivermectin is a drug for onchocerciasis (river blindness) and…

My body continued to be attacked, as I was unable to escape the mass of mosquitoes hovering around me. There was nothing that I could do except helplessly swat at my arms to avoid being bitten repeatedly. As I followed my trail guide aimlessly into the desert I began to feel my arms ache from the jugs of water I was carrying. Eventually reaching our destination I left the gallon jugs for migrants in the future seeking for help. On this hike I personally experienced the treacherous journey…

Even when the beauty surrounded me, The mosquitos would not forget about the scent, I then looked like a huge walking mosquito bite. The mosquitos gave me what felt like millions of bites even though there were probably at least 50. When the mosquito attached to my arm it felt like a paint brush swiping against my arm. Why do mosquitos and gnats have to be alive? I would be a lot more comfortable hiking right now if they were not living. The mosquitos and gnats were attacking me probably because…

initially by reading the case study, “Controlling Chagas in the Southern Cone of South America”, in the textbook “Case Studies in Global Health: Millions Saved” by Ruth Levine. The case study gave me a broad yet detailed overview of the Chagas disease, control and elimination efforts over the last 100 years, and more importantly it discusses the success and details of the Southern Cone Initiative (INSOCUR). I constructed an outline of the Chagas according to the case study. I began by outlining…