Public health officials in Massachusetts are being criticized after the death of a 9-year-old boy from mosquito-borne Eastern equine encephalitis.
Relatives of John Fontaine of Middleborough have accused state officials of not beginning aerial spraying of insecticide soon enough this summer, the Boston Globe reports.
Public health officials say they committed to the first two rounds of spraying as soon as large numbers of infected mosquitoes were detected but approximately a week elapsed before aerial spraying actually began.
"We will be working through the winter to see how we can do things better," says Alfred DeMaria, director of communicable disease control for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
There have been two other confirmed cases of Eastern equine encephalitis in the state but the 9-year-old boy is the first person to die from the disease.
Symptoms of Eastern equine encephalitis include high fever, mental confusion, headache, stiff neck and lack of energy.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Ticks challenge climate theory
As key players in the spread of disease ticks aren’t exactly man’s best friend but, according to Oxford University scientists, they may offer a vital clue that climate change is not to blame for an upsurge in many human diseases.
K-State biologist hopes mosquito can break viral chain
Most people do their best to avoid mosquitoes. But this summer Rollie Clem will play the wary host to his own homegrown swarm of Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito. He's made a room ready for them, and even a menu.
Keeping herpes infection in check: researchers describe immune system strategies
Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects.
Study shows no connection between measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism
In a case-control study, the presence of measles virus RNA was no more likely in children with autism and GI disturbances than in children with only GI disturbances. Furthermore, GI symptom and autism onset were unrelated to MMR vaccine timing.
No more big stink: scent lures mosquitoes, but humans can't smell it
Mosquito traps that reek like latrines may be no more. A University of California, Davis research team led by chemical ecologist Walter Leal has discovered a low-cost, easy-to-prepare attractant that lures blood-fed mosquitoes without making humans hold their noses.
New and improved test for West Nile virus in horses
A new test for West Nile virus in horses that could be modified for use on humans and wildlife may help track the spread of the disease, according to an article in the September issue of the
Journal of Medical Microbiology.
Patients recover from West Nile virus after one year
(PhysOrg.com) -- People infected with West Nile virus seem to return to normal within one year of experiencing symptoms, a new McMaster study has found. The study, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is the largest ever done on the long-term prognosis of West Nile virus.
Good long-term prognosis after West Nile virus infection
The long-term prognosis of patients infected with West Nile virus is good, according to a new study appearing in the August 19, 2008, issue of
Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians' flagship journal. This is the largest study of the long-term outcomes of West Nile virus infection.