Originally posted by DA Morgan:
Nice graphical presentation.
Arizona beachfront for those with means.
No one cares about the rest.
What would be equally interesting is the change in the natural range of malaria at each stage.
I hate to break it to you, Dan, but there is very little Malaria in the southern US.
""Malaria kills around 1 million people every year worldwide. Malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium which is transferred to people by mosquitoes. The parasite enters the salivary glands of the mosquito where it is then injected into the next host.
This disease is a major problem in the countries of Africa, Central & South America, Asia and the Indonesian Islands. Symptoms include fever, shivering, headache, joint pain and vomiting. Severe cases progress to convulsions, coma and even death.
Local transmission of malaria occurred in northern Virginia in August of 2002. There were 2 cases, one a 19 year old and the other a 15 year old. There both were diagnosed and confirmed with malaria. Both people have fully recovered after the malaria was identified and treated for. Both patients had not been exposed through international travel, blood transfusion, organ transplant or needle sharing. They did live 1/2 mile from each other and less then 10 miles from Washington Dulles International Airport. Mosquito testing identified Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Anopheles punctipennis as positive with the same strain of P.vivax as the patients Finding a positive pool of mosquitoes in the midst of active cases is very unusual. Anopheles mosquitoes must be infected with the P.vivax parasite between 1-2 weeks before being able to infect other people. Yet only have a life span of about 4 weeks. This only allows a small window to trap positive mosquitoes.
In 2003, Palm Beach County Florida recorded 7 cases of locally acquired malaria. All were the same strain of P.vivax and are thought to originate from the same single source. All patients were men with a mean age of 35 and all engaged in outdoor activities and live within 10 miles of the Palm Beach International Airport. Mosquitoes trapped in that area were all negative for the parasite. "
http://www.cabarrushealth.org/programs/environmentalhealth/mosquito/wnv.htm Sounds like the vicinity to the airport had something to do with the cases of Malaria. Maybe the infected mosquitoes came in by airplane?
