Mosquito Season: Making the Critical Diagnosis

By Ed Zuroweste, MD, Co-Chief Medical Officer, Migrant Clinicians Network

With summer upon us and the growing season beginning, more people will be outside. Mosquitoes and ticks can carry diseases such as Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya and West Nile. According to the CHC, Dengue is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics, where many of the US's immigrant agricultural population is from. Many cases of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya are from travelers coming from warmer regions, parts of Peru, Fiji, India, Vietnam, Kenya and others. 

Chikungunya, although not as well known as Dengue or in the news as recently as Zika, is still just as serious. It can cause fever, headache, joint pain and nausea. 

The Migrant Clinician's Network advises to avoid areas of outbreak, if possible and to wear protective clothing. Community-based education can help prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. An example would be to drain bird baths or rainwater barrels, as stagnant pools of water are places where mosquito larvae begin. Lastly, it is advised to use insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, OLE (oil of lemon eucalyptus) and IR3535. Off! Cutter, Ultrathon and SkinSmart are a few products containing these ingredients.

For further information about insect repellents and their ingredients, click  here.

To read the full article, click  here.

For full descriptions of Chikungunya, Dengue, Zika and West Nile, click  here.