WEST NILE VIRUS
AN INDEPENDANT REVIEW
Dengue Fever
a search for molecules that block the reproduction of
FLAVIVIRUSES
this family of viruses causes dengue fever, yellow fever, hepatitis C, and West Nile disease. The new effort brings together resources from a variety of institutions in the hope of combating these deadly diseases.
The project is being coordinated by the University of Texas Medical Branch
and its home page lists some sobering statistics
about the significance of these viruses
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070918-distributed-computing-tackles-dengue-hepatitis.html
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11-29-07
New England Journal of Medicine
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/22/2222
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DENGUE FEVER
Flavivirus
another mosquito transmitted disease
Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Information for Health Care Practitioners
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/dengue-hcp.htm
CDC warns Texas to keep an eye out for dengue
Mosquito-borne virus reportedly infected residents who’ve never left U.S.
from
-WASHINGTON-
August 9, 2007
Doctors and health officials in
parts of south Texas should be on the lookout for dengue fever
a tropical virus that can cause internal bleeding and death
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20203770/
Dengue Virus Profile
Dengue (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by one of four closely related, but antigenically distinct, virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), of the genus Flavivirus. Infection with one of these serotypes provides immunity to only that serotype for life, so persons living in a dengue-endemic area can have more than one dengue infection during their lifetime. DF and DHF are primarily diseases of tropical and sub tropical areas, and the four different dengue serotypes are maintained in a cycle that involves humans and the Aedes mosquito. However, Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans, is the most common Aedes species. Infections produce a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease. Important risk factors for DHF include the strain of the infecting virus, as well as the age, and especially the prior dengue infection history of the patient.'
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/index.htm
DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER
Dengue viruses are transmitted when a female mosquito bites more information
Singapore takes on dengue fever, but victory is not assured.
Dengue is a relative of yellow fever, hepatitis C and the West Nile virus. It infects an estimated 50 million people a year, and there remains no vaccine or treatment. In acute cases, it causes high fever and debilitating lethargy accompanied by joint pain so intense that the disease was called "breakbone fever" when it was first diagnosed more than 300 years ago. About 1 percent of these more serious cases develop hemorrhagic fever or shock, with gastrointestinal bleeding and, in rare cases, brain hemorrhages and death.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/26/news/dengue.php
Deadly dengue fever surging in Mexico
Mosquito-control teams dispatched to springtime tourist areas
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17876087/from/ET/
A anti-dengue brigade, belonging to the municipal health department mark a home after checking for standing water or other areas where mosquitoes breed in the resort city of Cancun, Mexico.
Migrants and tourists — including the many thousands of Americans expected for spring break this year — carry new strains of the virus across national borders.
The Canadian Embassy in Mexico City issued an alert about dengue after five Canadians were sickened in Puerto Vallarta earlier this year.
U.S. not Immune
In January and February, Mexico’s dry season, there were 1,589 cases of both types of dengue nationwide, up 380 percent from the same period in 2006, Kuri said.
Dengue has been found along the U.S.-Mexico border, where 151 classic and 46 hemorrhagic cases were recorded last year in the Gulf state of Tamaulipas, south of Texas.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of the world’s leading climate scientists, predicted in March that global warming and climate change would cause an upsurge in dengue.
http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/publications/swg_dengue_2.htm
http://www.who.int/tdr/diseases/dengue/default.htm
“It’s part of globalization,” Kuri said.
“Someone can be in Paraguay, where there is a big outbreak, with type-one virus, and six hours later be in Mexico.”
Using climate to predict infectious disease epidemics
http://www.who.int/globalchange/publications/infectdiseases/en/index.html
Virus grows Deadlier
in part, tourism and migration
Scientists Worry About Warming, Disease
Climate Changes Could Help Illness Spread
POSTED: 5:51 am PDT
May 22, 2007
Global warming could mean bad news for those trying to fight infectious diseases.
"Environmental changes have always been associated with the appearance of new diseases or the arrival of old diseases in new places. With more changes, we can expect more surprises," Columbia University's Stephen Morse said at at a general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology
An April 2007 report on climate change predicted that one factor in how disease spreads will be changes in insect population as vegetation and weather change.
For example, if temperatures rise, it could mean more malaria at higher altitudes, where cooler temperatures now won't support mosquitoes.
"One of the first indicators of rising global temperatures could be malaria climbing mountains," says Morse.
Influenza could also see changes. A news release said that while it is currently seasonal in much of the world, influenza is a year-round problem in the tropics. Warmer temperatures in higher latitudes could make it more common.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/
Scientists_Concerned_About_Effects_Of_Global_Warming_On_Infectious_Diseases_999.html
Knowledge of the interactions between climate and health date back to the time of Aristotle, but our understanding of this subject has recently progressed rapidly as technology has become more advanced. At the same time the ability to forecast weather (in terms of both accuracy and lead-times) has greatly improved in recent years, especially with the use of remote sensing. The increased accuracy of climate predictions, and improving understanding of interactions between weather and infectious disease, has motivated attempts to develop models which predict changes in the incidence of epidemic-prone infectious diseases. Such models are designed to provide early warning of impending epidemics which, if accurate, would be invaluable for epidemic preparedness and prevention.
http://www.who.int/globalchange/
publications/en/oeh0401.pdf
Major diseases caused by the Flaviviridae family include:
- Hepatitis C Virus Infection
april@anindependantreview.org
Dengue Fever Causes Concern In US
Protocol Needed to Screen Blood Donors
one in every 1,300 donors tested positive during the 2005 epidemic
(Puerto Rico)
which means that this sometimes fatal disease might be transferred to others through the blood supply.
Underreporting Remains Public Health Concern
Researchers believe that dengue is grossly underreported in many countries. For example, in 2004, 557,000 cases and 1,800 deaths were reported globally to WHO, but the projected dengue burden was more than 8 million cases and nearly 20,000 deaths. In addition to underreporting, the lack of a rapid and accurate diagnostic test, potential misdiagnoses of milder forms of dengue as influenza, as well as limited data further challenge efforts to measure the global burden of this threatening disease. And, with no drugs available to treat dengue, patients' prognosis relies on good medical management, including rest, fluids and pain relief.
com/articles/85814.php
