Mosquitoes like this one can transmit several diseases to humans. At least two cases of rare mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus have been reported so far this year in the U.S.
(USDA-ARS)
- The virus has become more common in recent years.
- Scientists and health experts say climate change may be driving a rise in mosquito-borne diseases.
- Last year saw a record outbreak of Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
In a year already overcome by a global pandemic, a rare mosquito-borne disease is popping up in at least two states.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services this week announced a confirmed case of Jamestown Canyon virus, spread by the same kind of mosquitoes that carry other more common diseases like West Nile virus.
The infected person lives in Ottawa County, which is on the shore of Lake Michigan just west of Grand Rapids and includes the city of Holland.
New Hampshire reported a case of the disease earlier this month. The infections are both states’ first reports of any mosquito-borne virus so far this year.
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No further information was released about the patient in Michigan. The New Hampshire resident was hospitalized with neurological symptoms but has since been discharged and is recovering at home, the state health department said.
The disease is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes who bite infected animals, most commonly deer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s not spread from person to person, the CDC added.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue and headache, and can show up anywhere from a few days to two weeks after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus. Severe cases can result in encephalitis or meningitis. About half of patients with the disease are hospitalized, but most recover.
Bruce Stevens and Chris Law (L-R) from the Florida Keys mosquito control department use a drone loaded with BTI larvicide to spread it over an area as they work to eradicate mosquitos carrying dengue fever on July 8, 2020, in Key Largo, Florida.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Some 181 people were infected with the Jamestown Canyon virus in 17 states between 2009 and 2018, according to the CDC, and three died. The disease has been on the rise since 2016 – the largest outbreak was 43 cases in Wisconsin in 2017.
Michigan has reported three cases previously – two in 2018 and one last year, according to the state health department. The CDC says at least three people were also infected in New Hampshire in recent years.
There’s always a risk of viruses spread by mosquitoes during the warmer months, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release.
“This is an important reminder to stay vigilant and protect against mosquito bites throughout the summer and into the fall,” Khaldun said.
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet, according to the CDC. The World Mosquito Program says more than 700 million people are infected with mosquito-borne diseases each year, and about 1 million die. Many of those are in developing countries, where diseases like malaria, dengue and yellow fever are more common.
In the U.S, we most often hear about West Nile Virus, which infected 958 people nationwide in 2019 and killed 54, according to the CDC.
Last year also brought a record number of cases of the rare but deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The CDC reported that 38 people were infected in the U.S., more than twice as many as in any other year in the past decade, and 15 died. At least 10 of those cases were in Michigan.
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Scientists and health experts say climate change and warmer temperatures, as well as more humans living in wooded areas, may be driving an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. Longer, hotter summers mean a more active mosquito season.
“We are now noticing … that the season is starting earlier,” Dina M. Fonseca, director of Rutgers University’s Center for Vector Biology, told the Asbury Park Press. “We’re not getting the hard frosts that tend to kill off the adults.”
Rising temperatures also allow mosquitoes to move into regions where they may not have been prevalent before.
“The warmer the environment is, the warmer the mosquito, which allows the virus to replicate faster,” Marcus Blagrove, a researcher at the University of Liverpool who authored a study published earlier this month on the spread of Zika virus, told New Scientist. “That tends to be why mosquito-borne viruses have major outbreaks in hot countries, particularly at hot times of [the] year.”
The best way to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses is to avoid being bitten. Follow these tips from the CDC to help protect yourself:
-Use insect repellent.
-Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
-Use screens on windows and doors, and air conditioning, if available.
-Eliminate any outdoor containers that may contain water, a prime spot for mosquitoes to lay eggs.
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