MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Dengue emergency in Brazil: 573 deaths so far this year says Health ministry
At least 573 people have died from dengue in Brazil so far this year, nearly twice the figure reported in 2012, according to official figures released Wednesday. Last year, 292 deaths were recorded and 473 in 2011, according to the health ministry. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules“There is no vaccine, which is why scientists are focusing so intensely on mosquito control.”
Nov 21st, 2013 - 07:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I am sure they are, but why aren't the local intendencias up to the mark? This is the third year now that I have seen this type of article, the scientists CANNOT do all the spraying, etc required for effective control.
“But last month, Brazilian scientists began clinical tests on humans of a new vaccine against the four strains of the dengue virus.”
EXCELLENT, let us all hope it works.
Chris , It aint that easy. It just needs one abandoned tyre half filled with stagnant water to propagate the mosquito
Nov 21st, 2013 - 09:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Our authorities in ROU are doing the best they can
I even had the army round checking on my property last year to check on tyres, old half filled bottles of discarded water etc.
Thanks God our cities are dense. If we had sprawl, we'd have snakes, monkeys, mosquitoes all over the houses, alligators in the pool. Everything is tring to kill you in Brazil. In Europe old people die in summer and the most dangerous thing out there is some birds, flowers and rabbits. LOL
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 02:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0@ 2 redp0ll
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 11:31 am - Link - Report abuse 0I am aware of just how easy this or any mosquito can breed, BUT, South Australia not only have dedicated teams for spraying and inspection of likely areas, it is the LAW that ALL farmers, housedwellers (not just owners) etc. MUST eradicate such sites by cleaning / repairing gutters, removing weeds that can harbour water adjacent to their root systems, as well as the tyres, etc.
And they get the ire of the locals if they are found not to have done these things as well as a prosecution.
I know it is not easy but it seems to me that the locals in SA expect the authorities to do this work when they could help eradicate the problem themselves.
I bet you had already made sure your property had been checked, I am right am I not?
Here is a company that is working on a real cure for dengue fever. It is called Nanoviricides (NNVC). Let us hope they are successful!!
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 02:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Is this not the problem with a lot of SA, they expect the government to do everything.
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 02:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@5 Thanks for the link Richard. A bit alarming that the mosquito is breeding as far north as New York.
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 03:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@ 7 redp0ll
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 05:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It would appear that the “Dengue” mosquito was not breeding in the area:
“Health officials believe the Babylon man was likely bitten by a mosquito that had earlier bitten someone else who was infected elsewhere and then traveled to the area.
Health officials don’t expect the virus to become widespread in the region because New York’s climate is not conducive to its sustained transmission.”
There is what can best be described as scepticism in some areas related to the company itself:
http://www.nanalyze.com/2013/10/nanoviricides-nnvc-target-a-plethora-of-viruses/ “would you invest?”
http://www.nanalyze.com/2013/10/nanoviricides-nnvc-target-a-plethora-of-viruses/ The company
Dengue in Brazil was / is thought to be spread via infected dogs (who were infected directly) then bitten by other mosquitoes that themselves were then the source of infection to humans.
It is to be hoped that before long some proof of concept can be provided by any of the three companies attempting this technique. So far it remains solely a concept.
@8 I am finding out as my son , a microbiologist works for a company doing parallel research. Meantime though the price has rocketed I wouldnt bet my shirt on it.Will keep you informed
Nov 22nd, 2013 - 10:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0In RS, although the threat is not as reat, the authorities come faithfully every three months. We do our part too, by not allowing weather to stand. We have chickens and try regularly to change, or at least, to roil their drinking water to prevent eggs from hatching for any kinds of mosquitoes. Lining in a rural area, we especially feel the need to do all we cab to prolong the arrival of these mosquitoes, and eventually they will come as they adapt to the minor climate changes south of the sub-tropical zones.
Nov 25th, 2013 - 07:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@8 Those are news for me. I thought dengue, like HIV, could not be transmitted that way.
Nov 25th, 2013 - 08:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Math
Nov 25th, 2013 - 10:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Yes I think Chris has got it mixed up with rabies transmitted by dogs and vampire bats
Fbear
Glad to hear that the authorities are doing their job in RGS but I think as you say if climatic conditions are right its unstoppable. Its not just controlling floreros in cemeteries or discarded tyres. I am a rice farmer and you just cant control every puddle left over where the mosquito can breed. A global solution is to spray all water courses with insecticide, very costly option and probabably unsuccessful, apart from the incidental damge it would do to other beneficial fauna and indeed possibly to humans
So possibly money spent on research for a vaccine would be cheaper in the end
@ 12 redp0ll
Nov 26th, 2013 - 11:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0Ha, ha, ha.
You had better tell the ROU government then because the transmission trail of Dengue mossie (Aedes aegypti) to feral dogs (now infected) to uninfected Aedes aegypti which bite the dogs (now infected) to biting humans is why the ROU were trapping the feral dogs coming south into Uruguay from Brazil. They also tested the dogs and did find the Dengue antibodies in them.
Or are you saying THEY are wrong?
This was reported last year or the year before on MP. I remember it distinctly because of the risk to us being so close to Chuy.
@13 Chris.
Nov 26th, 2013 - 11:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Having read up a bit on th subject, yes probably dogs,cats deer and even skunks may be vectors of the disease.
The army was round my barrio today taking samples and I was most impressed on the professional way they collected samples from every bit of standing water for lab analysis as to the problem of stray dogs, one that exists in every nation, Uruguay has long been aware of the problem, principally to stop rabies but to reduce the incidence of hydatid cyst
I this respect we all pay for a dog licence, which isn't cheap and have to dose our dogs by law every month with germicides supplied by the govt but which we have to pay for. Regular tests are carried out and any proven infected dogs are destroyed
Between the govt vets and the municipal dog catchers nealy 700,000 dogs have been destroyed and the incidence of hydatid oasis in humans substantially reduced.
The opposite of what is happening in Wales where cases are on the increase
We do do some things well sometimes Chris in this little country, but usually such success stories don't make the news
@ 14 redp0ll
Nov 27th, 2013 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So you could say “You told me so”, but I never would! :o)
“We do do some things well sometimes Chris in this little country, but usually such success stories don't make the news”
I have no doubt about that and you are wrong, completely wrong, if you think I do not love this country.
I do however get really upset for the WORKING people and I include teachers in that, not the “poor” who always will be because they don’t work at school and certainly don’t work when they leave school and why should they, they get money off Pepe, our TAX money, to do nothing but smoke, drink and make little baby poor. And all in the name of Social Inclusion.
Also the monopolies are, with the exception of ANTEL and OSE a complete bunch of wankers from top to bottom, especially ANCAP who wouldn’t know a customer if he ran them over while they are all having a natter instead of serving him.
But the real disgrace are the government employees, especially the immigration people. I’ll go and have a lie down in a darkened place now I have that of my chest!!
Chris
Nov 28th, 2013 - 01:10 am - Link - Report abuse 0A lot ofpoints in your last post, some of which I would agree with and others not, so will concentrate on just one; teachers
Most of them do have a vocation to teach their pupils but some of the rabble at the bottom couldnt care less.In some cases these so called pedagogues went on strike for 30 days which amounts to seven weeks out of the school curriculum.
Is it any wonder that educational standards, usually in the worst schools, are so low?
@16 redp0ll
Nov 28th, 2013 - 06:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I can only speak for my two friends who are teachers, one in what I would call high school and the other a Deputy Head of the regions “troubled school” which was recently stripped of the original head and deputies for “certain reasons” shall we say.
They work damned hard and bear in mind my eldest son until Jan 14 is the Pathway Leader for the PGCE course at a UK University. From Jan he moves up to teach / Group Lead in the Professional Development Programme for senior teachers and heads. He knows these two persons and is surprised that they have to do the amount of work that they do.
Now, why the strike? Basically the teachers got fucked by the government and Pepe in particular. No rise agreed for the best part of a year; no agreement as to what the government were going to do with the school hierarchy but it “had to be fixed” because the teachers “are not doing their best”, “they only work for half of the time” all quotes from the old arselicker himself. He is really qualified to comment being semi-literate, looking like a tramp and talking gibberish which not many people can understand.
And of course he led the murderous Tupamaro idiots who could not even think where their armed “struggle” was going to get the country: ruled by the Military. Excellent example for children.
As you know I am not a unionist but I have every sympathy with the teachers cause. The Deputy Head, besides having the lowest class of people imaginable threaten his life on at least two occasions (because he made pupils stay in detention if they caused fights) he has also had to deal with a youth who bought a loaded revolver into his class and was showing it around like a mafia Boss.
There are ALWAYS the exceptions that make the majority look bad, my friends are not the minority.
BTW, how do you get 30 days into seven weeks? The Deputy Head works six days a week and the other teacher has Tuesday off and works Saturday, making five days.
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