WARMING THREAT OF EVEN MORE TROPICAL DISEASES IN U.S. IS BEING IGNORED SO FAR
I remember first hearing about the dangers of Lyme disease back in the early 1990s, though it’s possible that was only the first time I met someone who had had it and really paid attention. I was in South Hampton, Long Island, where ticks in every backyard were a very real thing. Ticks, you may already know, can deliver a plethora of diseases when they bite, including Lyme. But I was pretty disturbed at the idea that I shouldn’t walk on the vary manicured grass without good socks and shoes, with a stern lecture to check my ankles and feet before I came back inside. That was over 30 years ago. Now? There’s a warming threat of even more dangerous diseases that will make you want to stay inside.
Read More: Humans Just First Ever Conversation With a Humpback Whale
MOSQUITOS AND TICKS ARE MOVING, SPREADING TO MORE PLACES, INCLUDING THE U.S.
So why is this happening? Global warming is a very large part of it, though invasive species thriving in that warming in more and more places as a disease delivery system make it a potentially deadly tandem. The world already knows very well that mosquitos can carry and deliver infections to people of dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Zika. In the U.S., we’ve recently seen locally transmitted malaria and a tropical skin rash from parasites. But the global threat isn’t new in the U.S., as there was a Zika outbreak in Florida and Texas 6 years ago. And let’s not forget how dengue has spread more and more in America over the last decade. The warming threat is only going to get worse and more dangerous.
Related:
Florida to Release 750 Million Mosquitos to Combat…. Mosquitos
WARMING THREAT IN U.S. EPITOMIZED BY THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO; DENGUE ZIKA AND CHIKUNGUNYA
And as for invasive species, one in particular deserves special attention: the Asian tiger mosquito. Aedes albopictus arrived in the U.S. thanks to the used tire trade back in the 1970’s-80’s. And this mosquito breed is doing very well in cities in the southern, eastern and western United States. This little biting bugger can carry dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Scary, isn’t it? So what is the United States doing about it? Nothing. At all. And there will be more tropical diseases arriving any day, month or year now. This warming threat of tropical diseases, invasive (and spreading) species like mosquitos and ticks can, and will, only become dire.
Looks like Deet products are maybe worth the health risks….
