Dengue Epidemic Worsens in Australia as Third Strain Detected

[depakid]

Health officials battling what may be Australia’s worst dengue epidemic in at least 50 years found a third strain of the virus in the nation’s northeast, stoking concerns the outbreak may turn deadly.

Two cases of dengue type-2 were diagnosed in Cairns yesterday, adding to 321 cases of dengue type-3 detected in the northeastern coastal city since an outbreak was declared Dec. 1, the state of Queensland’s health department said in an e-mailed statement today. The type-2 virus was introduced from Papua New Guinea, the department said. No deaths have been reported.

“People who have had dengue previously risk serious health complications if they later contract another type of dengue,” said Jeff Hanna, medical director of the department’s tropical population health services, in the statement. “We estimate that thousands of people in north Queensland have had dengue before.”

The current outbreak has the potential to become the worst since the 1950s, when about 15,000 people are estimated to have contracted the disease, Heather Robertson, a Queensland Health spokeswoman, said by telephone today. Blood tests now used to diagnose dengue weren’t available then.

Hot, humid weather and rainfall in the region has helped the Aedes aegypti mosquito species, which spreads dengue, to breed more than normal for this time of year, government scientists have said. Heavy rain may also wash away pesticides used to eliminate breeding sites, Robertson said. “We’re getting rain pretty much every day, and quite heavy rain,” she said.

The new cases mean three of the four mosquito-borne viruses that cause the potentially lethal disease are now circulating in northern Queensland. Outbreaks of dengue types 1 and 3 have struck at least 55 people in Townsville, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) south of Cairns. While people infected with one type of dengue develop lifelong immunity to that virus, studies have shown subsequent infection with a different strain makes a person more susceptible to a complication called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can kill.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=azeFeapEpJ4Y&refer=home

[murielm99]

1. Dengue, fires, floods, extremely high temperatures...

It's almost as though the ten plagues of Egypt are being visited on that poor country.

We don't get nearly as much news as we should in the U.S. about the catastrophes in Australia. I ache for the people there.

[Pachamama]

2. I had the same thought about it being like the 10 plagues....

Poor Australia....

I also can't help but wonder if this is going to be a sign of things to come for other countries in the coming years....

[depakid]

3. "a sign of things to come for other countries in the coming years..."

'Tropical' Disease Dengue Could Impact United States

Dengue, a disease previously found mostly in the tropics and subtropics, could become a growing threat.Many scientists are putting the blame on climate change. As average temperatures around the world continue to rise, diseases once limited by cool nighttime and winter temperatures will be able to spread into new, warmer territories. That's especially the case with so-called vector-borne diseases, which are spread by pests like mosquitoes.

Dengue (pronounced "DENG-gee") is caused by four similar viruses spread by two types of mosquitoes. One of the mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus (the "Asian tiger mosquito"), has already been found in 36 states across the U.S., while the other, Aedes aegypti (the "yellow fever mosquito"), has been identified in several parts of the South.

While many people infected with dengue suffer only a mild fever, or no symptoms at all, others can develop more serious complications. These can include minor nosebleeds, high fever, severe headaches or even a leaking of blood plasma into the tissues, which can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Worldwide, between 50 million and 100 million people contract dengue each year, and about 22,000 people die from the disease.

In a commentary in this month's double issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, two physicians pointed to the need for more research to better understand and treat dengue. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and David M. Morens, Fauci's senior scientific adviser, warn that past efforts to control dengue-carrying mosquitoes haven't been as effective as hoped. They add that dengue, while not yet a serious problem in the U.S., tends to spread quickly in explosive epidemics.

Dengue has already become more common in areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as in Puerto Rico.

More: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/528335/tropical_disease_dengue_could_impact.html

[Pachamama]

4. Is there a vaccination for it? (or pill similar to the treatment you take for Malaria prevention?)

Just curious....

But it does show how important it is for us to vigilante against mosquitos and standing water etc. But sadly, there are many things that are happening with climate change that we can't control and I worry about insect populations and diseases that are going to be affecting us worldwide.

In terms of floods, droughts, wild weather patterns and wildfires: we here in California are facing all those things. 3 years ago we had a devastating flood that destroyed our house and area, now we are having a terrible drought and I'm sure the wildfires risk this year is going to be the worst in history of CA. Oh yeah, and then there is the risk of earthquakes.

The only thing keeping those things off my mind is the economy.... :eyes:

:hi:

[depakid]

5. Not yet

But the Aussies are woking on a vaccine.

An Australian-based drug company says it's confident that a dengue fever vaccine it's developing will protect people against all four strains of the mosquito-borne disease. The company has spent 10 years developing the vaccine with scientists in Hawaii.

Dr William Ardrey says they've used the latest vaccine technology to isolate and replicate a protein in the dengue virus which prompts the body to develop an immunity to the virus. "We're just taking out the good bits that can challenge the immune system without having to deal with the whole infectious virus," he says.

Dr Ardrey says he is confident the vaccine will protect people from all four strains of the disease. The company's working with Professor Ian Frazer, who created the cervical cancer vaccine, and hopes to get the vaccine into the market in the next two to four years.

http://australianetworknews.com/stories/200902/2486695.htm?desktop

[Pachamama]

6. The Aussies are working on a lot of things...

They are also at the forefront of developing effective treatments for Melanoma - something I am currently dealing with. Of course, they are at the forefront of dealing with these things because they are affected so greatly by them and there is a big reason to have effective treatments. But, I do love the Aussies, bless their souls for all the hardship they are enduring right now.

And thanks for the good resource info... :hi: