Archive for June, 2019
The Third Plague Pandemic
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019The Third Plague Pandemic in Europe
“……The Third Plague Pandemic originated in the Yunnan region of southwest China, where plague caused multiple outbreaks since 1772 [15–17]. In 1894, plague reached Canton and then spread to Hong Kong, where Alexandre Yersin identified the bacterium.It was then carried by ships to Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the Indian subcontinent [18,19]. Over the next few years, plague spread to many cities around the world: Bombay, Singapore, Alexandria, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Honolulu, San Francisco and Sidney, among others [20]. The earliest known European cases occurred in September and October 1896, when two sailors from Bombay died of plague on ships docked in London on the Thames [21]…….There were 1692 cases and 457 deaths from plague reported in Europe between 1899 and 1947 (figure 1; electronic supplementary material, table S1), with the largest number of cases in the years 1899 and 1920. Cases were geographically widespread, although they were primarily found in coastal or inland port cities (figure 2). Plague was reported in 11 countries, and many cities, including Lisbon, Marseille, Paris and Pireas, experienced multiple outbreaks…….”
Darwin, Australia: Four are dead and one is injured in Australia’s second deadliest mass shooting since1996
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019The Ebola case count in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will likely surpass 2,000 cases
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019DRC
A disturbance in the Gulf
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019
000
ABNT20 KNHC 041134
TWOAT
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
800 AM EDT Tue Jun 4 2019
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
Shower and thunderstorm activity associated with a broad area of low
pressure located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico has decreased
since yesterday and remains disorganized. This system could briefly
become a tropical depression before moving inland over northeastern
Mexico later today or tonight. Regardless of development, the
disturbance will likely produce heavy rainfall over portions of
eastern Mexico, southeastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley
during the next few days. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance
aircraft is scheduled to investigate the disturbance later today, if
necessary. Interests along the Gulf coast of Mexico should monitor
the progress of this system. For more information about the
rainfall threat in the United States, please see products issued by
your local forecast office and the Weather Prediction Center.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…medium…40 percent.
$$
Forecaster Zelinsky
Illnesses on the rise from mosquito, tick, and flea bites
Sunday, June 2nd, 2019Almost everyone has been bitten by a mosquito, tick, or flea. These can be vectors for spreading pathogens (germs). A person who gets bitten by a vector and gets sick has a vector-borne disease, like dengue, Zika, Lyme, or plague. Between 2004 and 2016, more than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported, and 9 new germs spread by bites from infected mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced in the US. State and local health departments and vector control organizations are the nation’s main defense against this increasing threat. Yet, 84% of local vector control organizations lack at least 1 of 5 core vector control competencies. Better control of mosquitoes and ticks is needed to protect people from these costly and deadly diseases.
State and local public health agencies can
- Build and sustain public health programs that test and track germs and the mosquitoes and ticks that spread them.
- Train vector control staff on 5 core competencies for conducting prevention and control activities. http://bit.ly/2FG1OMwExternal
- Educate the public about how to prevent bites and control germs spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas in their communities.
Increasing threat, limited capacity to respond
More cases in the US (2004-2016)
- The number of reported cases of disease from mosquito, tick, and flea bites has more than tripled.
- More than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported from 2004 to 2016.
- Disease cases from ticks have doubled.
- Mosquito-borne disease epidemics happen more frequently.
More germs (2004-2016)
- Chikungunya and Zika viruses caused outbreaks in the US for the first time.
- Seven new tickborne germs can infect people in the US.
More people at risk
- Commerce moves mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas around the world.
- Infected travelers can introduce and spread germs across the world.
- Mosquitoes and ticks move germs into new areas of the US, causing more people to be at risk.
The US is not fully prepared
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- Local and state health departments and vector control organizations face increasing demands to respond to these threats.
- More than 80% of vector control organizations report needing improvement in 1 or more of 5 core competencies, such as testing for pesticide resistance.
- More proven and publicly accepted mosquito and tick control methods are needed to prevent and control these diseases.
Altered fungus can kill malaria-carrying anopheles mosquito
Sunday, June 2nd, 2019“A fungus – genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin – can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.
Trials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days.
The researchers say their aim is not to make the insects extinct but to help stop the spread of malaria…..”
Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins Today
Saturday, June 1st, 2019“…..NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting that a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. This outlook forecasts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season. The hurricane season officially extends from June 1 to November 30.
For 2019, NOAA predicts a likely range of 9 to 15 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 4 to 8 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 2 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes……”
