CDC: mosquito, tick, flea reported illnesses increase 3X

[RememberSchiff]

Illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S., with more than 640,000 cases reported during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016.  Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced into the United States during this time.

This is impacting our troop's outdoor program more and more. 

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0501-vs-vector-borne.html

https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss13/

[David CO]

Not to mention the expected increase in cooties.

[RememberSchiff]

Not much we can do about cooties, however the mice population might be another matter. I have wondered if Scouts placing or selling mouse traps might help reduce the number of infected ticks.

 

 

 

[David CO]

6 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

Illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S., with more than 640,000 cases reported during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016.  Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced into the United States during this time. 

Does this include Puerto Rico? 

[RememberSchiff]

Yes.

Edited May 3, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[scoutldr]

The end of the human race will come, not from cancer or weapons or war,  but from insects and drug-resistant microbes.  On the battlefield, more die from disease and non-battle injuries (DNBI) than from hostile enemy action.

[ianwilkins]

3 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

 

Fiction? I hear you say Fiction? Explain THIS!

 

Ha! This pic pulled me up short! I used to work in that town! Horsell Common (where the martians landed) was just down the road, and is mostly houses now. Woking in Surrey.

The martian was quite friendly once you got to know him. He did tend to hit the beers a bit early for my taste, but then he struggled with depression and holding a job down after Mrs. Martian left and took the kids back to the red planet.

He hung around just down the road from my favourite sandwich shop.

[RememberSchiff]

Here's a positive step that Scouts might take - a tick drag.

Scout Michael Kinsey heard of this research while considering Eagle projects. He reasoned that if Boy Scouts across the state (Texas) would incorporate a tick drag during their campouts, thousands of samples could be generated to accelerate the research. In the process, they would learn important information about protecting themselves from tick bites, and gain greater understanding of the outdoors.

https://www.txlda.com/texas-teen-turns-tables-on-tragic-illness/

Maybe Scouts can help mitigate this problem.

Another $0.02,

Edited May 4, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[David CO]

Statistics are a tricky thing. It might appear that the incidence of insect borne disease is increasing, but it may simply be that more people are seeking medical help. There are many possible explanations for the changing numbers.

It could be that more people have insurance. It could also be that fewer people know how to self-treat minor medical problems, and consequently see the doctors more often. 

I understand why Puerto Rico has been seeing an upswing (hurricane), but I'm not quite sure why my home state of Illinois is in the top 20%.

[David CO]

The map says that all of the other states and territories are under 10,000 cases, but Puerto Rico is over 80,000. That is a disturbing statistic. 8x the rest of the country. I asked the question because I have a friend in Puerto Rico (yes, I do have friends), and I have been following the hurricane recovery stories.

Are there any Puerto Rican scouts out there on scouter.com who could tell us a little more about how this is effecting the scouting programs?

[RememberSchiff]

Agree. People may be just reporting more.

That said, nearly every family in my unit has a family member who had one of these diseases.

Both my sons had the Lyme bullseye and were quickly treated with antibiotics. Their doctor's wife who was also a doctor is a Lyme victim. She is now wheelchair bound. Mrs. Schiff has recurring Bell's Palsy from Lyme.

IMO, the problem has been made worse by lost predator habitats - the suburban sprawl. While the predators are away, the mice will multiply. Education and bug sprays may prevent infection but they do not minimize the cause.

Edited May 4, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[Tampa Turtle]

12 minutes ago, David CO said:

Statistics are a tricky thing. It might appear that the incidence of insect borne disease is increasing, but it may simply be that more people are seeking medical help. There are many possible explanations for the changing numbers.

It could be that more people have insurance. It could also be that fewer people know how to self-treat minor medical problems, and consequently see the doctors more often. 

I understand why Puerto Rico has been seeing an upswing (hurricane), but I'm not quite sure why my home state of Illinois is in the top 20%.

NPR had a segment with an epidemiologist that the biggest vector for tick born diseases seem to be not species like Dear (who are good for supporting populations) but urban "survivor" species such as Racoons and Rats and they are making inroads into urban areas as forest fragmentation and loss continue. 

A EMT at summer camp in 2010 told me IF a tick bites you or your scout to save the (live) tick in a container for a week or so in case you get symptoms. He said it would be a good help down the road if they could test the tick to narrow down exactly what you may have...could save a lot of time. I did so, put that sucker in a zip lock bag, forgot about it and unpacked 2 months later and that sucker was still alive.

[Sentinel947]

Throughout the Eastern US, we're seeing a surge of tick borne illness. I've read online that some scientists attribute it to mice as the carrier, and that we've done a good job killing snakes, predatory birds and coyotes that would keep the mice in check. 

[qwazse]

1 hour ago, Tampa Turtle said:

... put that sucker in a zip lock bag, forgot about it and unpacked 2 months later and that sucker was still alive.

Well there's your reservoir!  All those bagged and tagged biting specimens that everyone tossed aside but forgot to kill!

[T2Eagle]

4 hours ago, scoutldr said:

The end of the human race will come, not from cancer or weapons or war,  but from insects and drug-resistant microbes.  On the battlefield, more die from disease and non-battle injuries (DNBI) than from hostile enemy action.

The latter part of your statement was true 100 years ago, before the discovery of antibiotics and the recognition of the primacy of sanitation.  That's not the case today in even the worst conflicts.

The caveat to  that is that most famines and really bad disease outbreaks are side affects one remove away from the battlefield, see for instance Yemen.