TigerPride

This is a continuation of my RAIN in December question with a twist....

I don't know a lot about disease control, however, in Kentucky; mosquitoes are more prevalent after rains. Is malaria a disease that develops from stagnant water, or does it already exist in Tanzania? I am just wondering what kind of problem this will create for malaria in February. Also...what should we expect as the impact of rain on the location of animals? Does this mean that they will be more spread out since there are more locations for water?

Thanks for the info.

I hope my question makes sense.

aby

Hi TigerPride

1. more stagnant water = more mosquitoes (only Anopheles) = more Malaria.
but until Feb the tropical sun can change everything

2. Rain does have its effect on distribution of Migrating animals.
but: february is calving time & other factors have their influence, e.g.: certain (volcanic-)soil minerals which have to do with lactation - this is one reason why the herds come to the southern short grass plains around Ndutu...

Africa is unexpected - don't overplan

& you'll enjoy for sure

aby

afrigalah

I believe you can have anopholes mosquitoes in an area, but no malaria...not until a malaria-infected person enters that area and is bitten by one of those mosquitoes. I think I'm correct in saying that north Queensland, Australia, is one such area and that parts of the US are the same. So people from those places (or about to visit them) should avoid catching malaria not only for their own sake but for others as well. Anybody know for sure?

John

sandi

Standing water especially breeds all kinds of flying things, mossies included.

And the mossie has to be a malaria carrier to infect someone. Whether they get the disease from a human, I can't say, but it comes from somewhere.

When West Nile hit NYC, it was only people who lived in/around areas with stagnant water that caught it... from mossies, which carried it on a plane from far far away!

Patty

My understanding is the same as John's, that a mossie has to bite a malaria infected person first in order to transmit the disease to another person.

Gritty

John is correct--you can have Anopholes mosquitoes present without malaria transmission. There are Anopholes mosquito species in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control was originally started in Atlanta because malaria was being trasmitted through many areas of the American South after WWII. It's also quite possible that these mosquitoes could have malaria re-introduced among them from infected travelers. Try Googling "airport malaria"--you'll see that there have been a few cases of malaria near airports among people who have not traveled.

I think Patty is right, too, in saying that a mosquito has to bite a malaria-infected person in order to transmit malaria later on. Humans are the only reservoir for malaria; however, some other mosquito-borne diseases (like West Nile Virus) can be found in birds or other animals, and they keep the disease going in the environment. So, it's possible that an West Nile-infected bird may have been smuggled into the U.S., rather than an infected mosquito. I don't think anyone knows for sure.

So--the take-home message: prevent mosquito bites as much as possible while at home and when traveling.

sunshine007

Mossie? I've never heard using "mossie" for mosquito. Is it a Englishism?

Since I've moved from one former British colony to another with far more English people, I've noticed that the English are fond of shortening words & adding "ie." For example, lappie for laptop. Prezy for present, etc.

afrigalah

'Mossie'...very widespread, and probably of Brit origin. I've known it and used it in all my time on this Aussie part of the planet, that's all my life. Got to go to our neighbours' place now for Chrissie brekkie. Best wishes to all.

John